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Sounds like: "Carried Away," Passion Pit

Today’s newsletter is 1,023 words — a 4-minute read.

Democrats ended four years of Republican control of the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, reelecting their two incumbents and flipping two countywide seats.

Why it matters: The new majority takes charge just as a sweeping property tax overhaul threatens Hillsborough County with what staff warn could be its worst budget crunch since the Great Recession.

Driving the news: Commissioners Harry Cohen (D) and Gwen Myers (D) cruised to reelection on Tuesday, but the night belonged to two newcomers who turned Republican seats blue.

• Democrat Aileen Rodriguez ousted Commissioner Joshua Wostal, the board's most outspoken conservative, by 12 points despite being outraised nearly 3 to 1.
• Neil Manimala flipped the second seat by nine points, beating Stacy Hahn, whose primary win over Commissioner Donna Cameron Cepeda left Republicans without an incumbent.

The big picture: Democrats now have the votes to undo much of what Republicans did while in power.

• They could dissolve the county's DOGE liaison committee, revive affordable housing programs and restore funding to nonprofits that lost county support under Republican leadership.

Reality check: Democrats have two years, and far less money, to act on any of it.

• Republicans, often led by Wostal, swung the ax at programs and grants that relied on property taxes, revenue the County Commission can no longer spend as freely.
• The looming property tax cut approved by voters could cost Hillsborough County over $300 million a year by 2028 and limits the remaining revenue to public safety, schools and infrastructure.

Yes, and: Voters also approved a charter amendment that expands the County Commission into nine single-member districts, all of which are up for election in 2028.

• Democrats will draw that map themselves, with four votes and no outside sign-off, which could make it harder for Republicans to win the board back.

Zoom out: The commission's new makeup shouldn't change much for the Rays. All five commissioners who approved the $2.3 billion stadium deal in August are still on the board.

• Amendment 3 shouldn't rattle the stadium deal either. Most of the ballpark's funding comes from sales and tourist taxes.
• And the mixed-use development planned alongside the stadium will pay property taxes, though some of that will go to paying off the ballpark.

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Florida may not have seen the blue tsunami that crashed over the rest of the country, but there was a wave.

Why it matters: Down-ballot victories and strong turnout are evidence the Sunshine State is still very much in play, the state's top Democrats say.

State of play: Democrats netted 15 seats (with a possible 16th still too close to call) in the Florida House, breaking a GOP supermajority that had granted Republicans unique power to enact their agenda since 2022.

• They picked up a state Senate seat and maintained a post flipped by state Sen. Brian Nathan in March.
• They held onto congressional seats that Republicans had redrawn earlier this year to favor candidates of their party, including the district represented by Tampa Bay's Kathy Castor.
• And counties that went red for President Trump in 2024, including Pinellas and Miami-Dade, flipped blue for David Jolly and Angie Nixon in this cycle.

What they're saying: "Republicans are rejoicing today about their wins," Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried said Wednesday on a call with reporters.

• "They should take a harder look at the numbers and realize that Florida is back to being purple."
• And Democrats made those gains with little investment from the national party, Fried and Nixon noted.
• "People of Florida. Y'all better hold your damn head high," Nixon said on X. "We broke state legislature super majorities because we drove turnout while everyone wrote us off."

1 stunning example: Among the flipped state House seats was District 69, which covers a swath of southeastern Hillsborough County.

• Community organizer Ashley Herrmann defeated Republican incumbent Danny Alvarez to become Florida's first Democratic Socialist lawmaker.
• Alvarez won the district 58-42 in 2024. Herrmann defeated him this year 52-48.

Zoom in: The blue wave also trickled down to local races.

• Hillsborough County voters ousted two Republicans from the County Commission and flipped the board majority back to Democrats.
• Pinellas voters also flipped a County Commission seat, ousting Republican Brian Scott — whose victory in 2022 tipped the board into a conservative majority — in favor of Democrat Tim Hughes.

What's next: The results should send a message to national party leaders to invest in Florida ahead of 2028, Fried said.

• "Florida Democrats are looking at the results across the country," she said, "and can only imagine what kind of day we would be having if we had sustained national support."

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One woman was killed and four people were injured during a shooting at a Citibank campus near Brandon on Wednesday. A security guard shot and killed the suspected shooter. (Tampa Bay Times)

🍎 Curtis Campogni won the Pinellas County school board District 3 seat Wednesday after incumbent Dawn Peters said she wouldn't contest Campogni's narrow lead. (Times)

• The candidates were within half a percent of each other, which would've triggered a recount had Peters not backed out.

🏗️ A long-delayed hotel and office development planned for the old St. Petersburg police department property in the Edge District finally got some momentum this week. (St. Pete Rising)

• St. Pete completed a $6.4 million sale of portions of the property to Ellison Development.

"My heart is broken. As president of the Florida Library Association, I was holding on to hope that Amendment 3 would not pass. Unfortunately, this is not the outcome we worked so hard for."

She pledged to continue advocating for public libraries and help minimize the impacts of the property tax amendment.

😵‍💫 Kathryn is relieved that World Series Halloweekend Election Season is wrapping up.

😅 Yacob is ready for the weekend.

This newsletter was edited by Jeff Weiner.