Side-by-side photo of two speakers at an event. On the left, a man in a dark suit and tie speaks into a microphone. On the right, a woman in an orange dress also speaks into a microphone while seated. Both appear engaged in discussion against a dark backdrop.Thomas Scott (L) and Naya Young both captured at a Tiger Bay candidate forum on Aug. 15, 2025. Credit: Dave Decker / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay

Early Voting is underway in the City of Tampa Special Municipal Runoff Election. Below is information about voting from the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections. You can also scroll down to watch a debate between the two candidates, Thomas Scott and Naya Young.

Registered voters who live in the City of Tampa District 5 can vote in the 2025 City of Tampa Special Municipal Runoff Election. Voters should bring a Florida Driver License or other valid photo and signature ID with them to vote. All acceptable forms of ID are listed at VoteHillsborough.gov.

Early Voting

Eligible voters can vote in any of the following locations open through Oct. 26, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

C Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library

Fred B. Karl County Center

Robert L. Gilder Elections Service Center

West Tampa Branch Library

Election Day

Election Day is Tuesday, Oct. 28. Voters must vote in the polling place assigned to their precinct on Election Day. Voters can look up their precinct at VoteHillsborough.gov or call (813) 744-5900.

Vote By Mail

Vote By Mail ballots are due in the Supervisor of Elections Office no later than 7 p.m. Election Day. They may be dropped off at any of the Early Voting locations or one of the Supervisor of Elections offices during Early Voting hours, or at a Supervisor of Elections office on Monday or Tuesday. Vote By Mail ballots cannot be dropped off at polling places on Election Day, but can be surrendered if a voter prefers to vote in person.

Results

Unofficial turnout for all methods of voting will be updated at VoteHillsborough.gov on the City of Tampa Special Municipal Runoff Election page.

Results will be reported at VoteHillsborough.gov shortly after the polls close at 7 p.m.

The debate on WMNF

On Oct. 17, with less than a week to the kickoff of early voting, Thomas Scott and Naya Young were back at WMNF 88.5-FM to talk to voters who’ll cast a ballot in the special election for Tampa City Council. District 5 seat.

Scott and Young have qualified for the runoff election after being part of a field that included more than a dozen candidates.

In the first half of a special two-hour collaboration between WMNF programs Down N Dirty and The Skinny, the candidates came on the air to discuss their views on Tampa’s community redevelopment associations, gentrification, federal overreach, and the role council plays in the city’s strong mayor form of government. Listen to the full debate on wmnf.org.

Scott and Young also responded to questions about campaign contributions, which show that Scott has been heavily favored by developers while Young gets support from educators.

This post first appeared at WMNF news, which is part of the Tampa Bay Journalism Project (TBJP), a nascent Creative Loafing Tampa Bay effort supported by grants and a coalition of donors who make specific contributions via the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation. If you are a non-paywalled Bay area publication interested in TBJP, please email rroa@ctampa.com. Support WMNF News by visiting the community radio station’s station’s support page.

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