Two Charter Questions Head to Hillsborough Voters in November: An Elected Superintendent and a Bigger Commission

Hillsborough County voters will decide two charter-changing questions this November: whether to elect the school superintendent and whether to expand and restructure the county commission. Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed the bills placing both referendums on the ballot, according to local media reports, meaning families and residents across the county will now have the final say on how their schools are run and how their local government is shaped.

Both measures were filed by Rep. Michael Owen, a Republican from Apollo Beach and a former county commissioner. And both come with a high bar: each must be approved by at least 60% of voters to take effect.

Question 1: Electing the school superintendent

The first measure would convert the Hillsborough County Public Schools superintendent from an appointed job into an elected one. Right now, the school board hires the superintendent. Under the proposal, voters countywide would choose the person leading the district instead.

Two details matter for parents weighing this. The elected post would be partisan — candidates would run under a party label for what is currently a non-partisan office — and the winner would serve a four-year term.

This would not be entirely new territory for the county. Voters elected the superintendent until 1966, when an earlier referendum switched the role to an appointed position. Approving this measure would effectively reverse that six-decade-old decision.

Question 2: A bigger, redrawn county commission

The second measure rewrites how the Board of County Commissioners is structured. It would expand the board from seven members to nine and eliminate the three at-large districts — the seats currently elected by every voter countywide.

That shift changes what shows up on your ballot. Today, residents vote for their own district commissioner and the three at-large seats — four seats in total. Under the new structure, you would vote for only the commissioner representing your own single-member district.

The measure also builds in future growth. If Hillsborough's population reaches 2.5 million, the board would expand again to 11 members. The county's population is currently around 1.6 million.

A higher threshold for key hires

Beyond the seat count, the commission measure would require a "majority plus one" vote to appoint or remove the county administrator, the county attorney and the internal auditor — as well as to propose amendments to the county charter. In practice, that raises the number of commissioners who must agree before the county's top unelected officials can be hired or fired.

Weighing the trade-offs

Supporters of single-member districts generally argue they give neighborhoods more direct representation and make campaigns more affordable, since candidates run in a smaller area rather than countywide. Critics of dropping the at-large seats often counter that those countywide members give voters a say in more than one commissioner and provide a broader, county-wide perspective on the board.

Here's a quick side-by-side of how the commission would work now versus if the measure passes:

What happens next

Nothing is decided yet. Signing the bills only places the questions before voters — Hillsborough residents make the final call at the ballot box in November. Because each referendum needs 60% approval, it's possible for one to pass and the other to fail, or for both to fall short even with majority support.

Voters who want to know which district they live in, confirm registration, or find details on the November election can check the official Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections site at votehillsborough.gov.

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