PLANT CITY, Fla. – Election night in Plant City ended with a cliffhanger this Tuesday as unofficial results from the municipal election suggest the city is bound for a runoff. Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer released the tallies this evening, showing that no candidate in either the Group 3 or Group 4 City Commissioner races managed to clear the 50% threshold required by law to win outright.
In the Group 3 contest, Karen Kerr currently leads the pack with 1,456 votes, accounting for 47.26% of the total. Tony Smith is trailing closely behind with 1,310 votes, or 42.52%.
Trailing further back were Gregory Boyle with 5.45% and Alicia Kirk Toler with 4.77%. Because no one hit the majority mark, the race between Kerr and Smith appears set to continue.
The Group 4 race reflects a similar divide. John Haney secured the top spot for now with 1,407 votes (46.01%), while Camryn Henry followed with 920 votes (30.09%). Maurice D. Wilson Sr. garnered 17.63% and Randy Toler pulled in 6.28%. Like the Group 3 race, the lack of a 50%+1 majority means these candidates are likely headed to a runoff to decide the winner.
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These preliminary numbers include early voting, mail-in ballots, and all seven Election Day precincts. However, the results aren’t set in stone just yet.
Provisional ballots and mail-in ballots that require a signature “cure” are still outstanding. Voters who have been notified of a signature issue or those who need to provide eligibility proof for a provisional ballot have until 5 p.m. on April 9 to resolve those discrepancies.
The process moves quickly from here. The Canvassing Board is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. on April 9 to certify the first set of unofficial results. By 11 a.m. on April 10, the board will officially certify the final results.
To ensure total accuracy in the counting process, a post-election audit is already on the books for April 14 at 11 a.m. to verify the machine-tabulated totals. Residents looking for a deeper dive into the precinct data or canvassing materials can find all the documentation at VoteHillsborough.gov.
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