All 120 Florida House seats were up for grabs in 2018 and a few races offered a few firsts for candidates in Tampa Bay.
Republican Ray Blacklidge and Democrat Jennifer Webb battled for an open seat in Pinellas County’s House District 69 for the seat being vacated by Republican Kathleen Peters.
In the end, the win went to Democrat Webb who will become the first openly gay woman in the Florida Legislature.
In Hillsborough County, Republican Incumbent Representative Shawn Harrison lost his seat to Democrat Fentrice Driskell in Hillsborough’s House District 63. Driskell, an African American, is a political newcomer and was one of only six Florida House candidates who received an endorsement from former President Barack Obama.
Meanwhile, in Sarasota County, Democrat Margaret Good held on to the seat she won in a February special election.
She fended off a strong challenge from former GOP state Representative Ray Pilon, who was trying to reclaim the District 72 seat.
Here’s the results of the other Tampa Bay area races:
District 32
- Cynthia Brown – DEM -– 43.5 percent
- Anthony Sabatini – REP – 56.51 percent
District 33
- Brett Hage – REP -– 69.51percent
- Oren Miller – DEM -– 30.49 percent
District 34
- Ralph Massullo Jr. – REP (i) – 69.28 percent
- Paul Reinhardt – DEM - – 30.72percent
District 35
- Blaise Ingoglia – REP (i) - – 61.37 percent
- Colleen Kasperek – DEM - 38.63 percent
District 36
- Linda Jack – DEM – 41.2 percent
- Amber Mariano – REP (i) – 58.8 percent
District 37
- Tammy Garcia – DEM – 39.5 percent
- Ardian Zika – REP – 60.5percent
District 38
- Daniel Burgess - REP (i) – 66.42percent
- David ‘TK’ Hayes (NPA - Independent) – 33.58 percent
District 39
- Ricky Shirah – DEM – 41.35 percent
- Josie Tomkow – REP (i) -– 58.65 percent
District 40
- Colleen Burton – REP (i) - – 57.66percent
- Shandale Terrell – DEM -– 42.34 percent
District 42
- Barbara Cady – DEM – 45.55 percent
- Mike La Rosa – REP (i) – 54.45 percent
District 55
- Audrey Asciutto – DEM – 34.06 percent
- Cary Pigman – REP (i) – 65.94 percent
District 56
- Melony Bell – REP – 74.53 percent
- Jeff Mann – REP – 25.47 percent
District 57
- Mike Beltran – REP – 55.45 percent
- Debbie Katt – DEM – 44.55 percent
District 58
- Phil Hornback – DEM – 45.37 percent
- Lawrence McClure – REP (i) – 54.63 percent
District 59
- Adam Hattersley – DEM – 51.33 percent
- Joe Wicker – REP – 48.67 percent
District 60
- Debra Bellanti – DEM – 47.72 percent
- Jackie Toledo – REP (i) – 52.28 percent
District 64
- James Grant REP -- 52.03 percent
- Jessica Harrington DEM -- 44.96 percent
- Andy Warrener INDEPENDENT -- 3.01 percent
District 65
- Sally Laufer – DEM – 40.66 percent
- Chris Sprowls – REP (i) – 59.34 percent
District 66
- Nick DiCeglie – REP – 56.94 percent
- Alex Heeren – DEM – 43.06 percent
District 67
- Dawn Douglas – DEM – 46.02 percent
- Christopher Latvala – REP (i) – 53.98 percent
District 71
- Tracy Pratt – DEM – 44.4 percent
- Will Robinson – REP – 55.6 percent
District 73
- Liv Coleman – DEM – 38.11 percent
- Tommy Gregory – REP – 61.89 percent
District 74
- James Buchanan – REP – 56.88 percent
- Robert Samuel Kaplan (Independent) – 2.57 percent
- Tony Mowry – DEM – 40.54 percent
