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Board of County Commissioners — District 7

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Research as of Oct. 24, 2026. Early voting runs through Nov. 1; Election Day is Nov. 3. Check your voter info at votehillsborough.gov

Board of County Commissioners — District 7

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Board of County Commissioners — District 7

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Research as of Oct. 23, 2026

Read by a synthetic voice from this page’s research. A summary, not a recommendation.

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In the countywide District 7 race, Republican Commissioner Joshua Wostal faces Aileen Rodriguez, a Democrat who left the Republican Party in 2019. Wostal was one of two commissioners to vote against the Rays stadium financing, objecting to using infrastructure sales tax money and reserves. He supported recommendations to cut the county's health care program for low-income residents, and helped move county money from affordable housing to transportation. Rodriguez is a public affairs executive and a former staffer to Representative Kathy Castor and former Commissioner Pat Kemp. She describes herself as a moderate. She opposes ending the low-income health program. The Hillsborough County Republican Party backs Wostal. Rodriguez is backed by the regional labor council, Equality Florida, the Sierra Club and Florida Rising. One September poll, sponsored by a public affairs firm, had Rodriguez at 44 percent and Wostal at 41, within the margin of error. In county reports through October 16, Wostal had raised about 213 thousand dollars and Rodriguez about 142 thousand. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay's editors back Rodriguez, arguing Wostal doesn't build coalitions. The Tampa Bay Times editors split. Gallaty picked Rodriguez, pointing to the health care program. Brink picked Wostal, crediting his push to overhaul the HART transit agency. Research as of October 23, 2026. Sources and the full picture are on this page.

Official sample ballot wording

Board of County Commissioners, District 7 · Vote for one

Countywide seat

  • Joshua WostalRepublican
  • Aileen RodriguezDemocratic
Mark your ballot: Board of County Commissioners — District 7
EditorialWhy Creative Loafing picks Aileen Rodriguez
  • Against incumbent Joshua Wostal: he opposed the county's health care program for low-income residents and funding for local arts, refused to sign commendations for Tampa Pride and the Tampa Organization of Black Affairs' MLK breakfast, and builds no coalitions; even his popular vote against Rays stadium money drew only one ally.
  • His PAC took a late $50,000 check from developer Homes by West Bay, its largest ever and over $62,000 in all from that developer; its next-largest donor is tied to the lawsuit that killed the All For Transportation tax.
  • Rodriguez, a former director for U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, has long been active in the community and brings steady, practical ideas on transit and responsible growth. She also beat former Clerk of Court Cindy Stuart in the primary.
  • With the commission possibly growing, CL wants a member who unifies rather than divides.

Ray Roa, Creative Loafing voting guide 2026: Hillsborough County Commission, School Board and referendums

Where it stands

FactCounty · County Commission, District 7 (Countywide)

A. Rodriguez +3 (1 sponsored poll)

1 poll in the analysis. Research as of Oct. 24, 2026.

Lead recommendationEditorialCreative Loafing Tampa Bay, Oct. 23, 2026

Creative Loafing’s pick

Aileen Rodriguez

Why, as they argue it (our summary of their write-up)

  • Against incumbent Joshua Wostal: he opposed the county's health care program for low-income residents and funding for local arts, refused to sign commendations for Tampa Pride and the Tampa Organization of Black Affairs' MLK breakfast, and builds no coalitions; even his popular vote against Rays stadium money drew only one ally.
  • His PAC took a late $50,000 check from developer Homes by West Bay, its largest ever and over $62,000 in all from that developer; its next-largest donor is tied to the lawsuit that killed the All For Transportation tax.
  • Rodriguez, a former director for U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, has long been active in the community and brings steady, practical ideas on transit and responsible growth. She also beat former Clerk of Court Cindy Stuart in the primary.
  • With the commission possibly growing, CL wants a member who unifies rather than divides.

Ray Roa · Creative Loafing voting guide 2026: Hillsborough County Commission, School Board and referendums · every pick: the full guide

Creative Loafing’s reporting on this race (4)

Why this leads: The site owner's choice (Oct. 24): the recommendation that best matches the owner's values, shown first on every contest. Still an editorial: one outlet's opinion, not this site's.

The money gap

Fact

1.5×Joshua Wostal has raised 1.5 times as much as Aileen Rodriguez.

Raised by each campaign, through Oct. 16 (county reports)

  • Joshua WostalRepublican · incumbent

    $213Kas of Oct 16, 2026

    His committee has raised $345K since 2023.

  • Aileen RodriguezDemocrat

    $142Kas of Oct 16, 2026

    Includes $7,900 she lent herself; her committee has raised $65K.

Figures from the money map research, compared like for like. Outside groups' spending isn't counted unless noted.

What the research holds

Counts from every page and file
Polls
1
Money-map edges0 with money
1
Network edges
2
Progressive support
8
Progressive oppose
0
Right-leaning support
1
Right-leaning oppose
0
Sources
10
People & groups
11

Tampa Bay Times

EditorialMoney map

Split: Gallaty picked Rodriguez, Brink picked Wostal

One editor
Gallaty: Wostal’s support for cutting the low-income healthcare program is “a significant difference.”
The other editor
Brink: credited Wostal’s push to overhaul HART and said he “has already proven his worth.”

Other editorial pages

Opinion columns, not endorsements

No other editorial page in the research has made a pick here.

Endorsements, both lenses

Neither lens is this site's voice

Progressive lens

LensOpen the guide

Countywide seat

Primary notes

Rodriguez easily beat former School Board member and Clerk of Court Cindy Stuart in the Democratic primary (the Times had recommended Stuart).

Aileen RodriguezDEM8 support · 0 oppose

SupportEndorsement

Labor
Reproductive rights
Environment & climate
Progressive & community organizing
Democratic Party & caucuses

Notes

  • Per the Times, she left the Republican Party in 2019 and describes herself as a moderate.
Joshua WostalREPIncumbent0 support · 0 oppose

No listings found in this guide.

Notes

  • Context: he supports the single-member-district expansion (Referendum 2), which progressive groups oppose, and moved county money from affordable housing to transportation (Axios).

Conservative side, as noted in this guide

Wostal: Hillsborough GOP.

Searched, nothing found

Florida Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood, NOW, Our Revolution, Indivisible, WFP, Dream Defenders, FLIC, Faith in Florida, SEIU, AFSCME, UNITE HERE, Moms Demand, Sunrise, 1000 Friends, Young Dems, Stonewall Dems.

Right-leaning lens

LensOpen the guide

Countywide seat

Joshua WostalREPIncumbent1 support · 0 oppose

SupportEndorsement

Republican Party & officials

Notes

  • In 2024 he led the GOP majority that stalled a schools tax referendum (Axios). He supports Referendum 2.
Aileen RodriguezDEM0 support · 0 oppose

No listings found in this guide.

Notes

  • A former Republican who left the party in 2019; she was communications director for the 2012 RNC Tampa host committee.

Progressive side, as noted in this guide

Rodriguez: Equality Florida, Sierra Club, Florida Rising, Labor Council.

Searched, nothing found

Florida Chamber, Tampa Bay Partnership, Tampa Bay Builders Association.

Terms

Definition

Sources

10 in the registry, official records first · All sources

Where sources disagree

All conflicts

No conflicts recorded for this contest.

Matched from the research's conflict list by contest, candidate, judge or measure name.

Where to vote