Hughes defeats Scott for Pinellas commission seat

Tim Hughes, a Clearwater resident and political newcomer, defeated incumbent Pinellas County Commissioner Brian Scott in the at-large District 2 race on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Hughes, a Democrat, collected 197,841 votes to Scott's 194,405, a margin of 3,436 votes, according to WTSP. Axios Tampa Bay called it an upset. The results are unofficial pending certification by the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections.

District 2 (at-large) results

All 288 precincts reporting as of 8:17 p.m. Nov. 3. Unofficial results.

Countywide, 403,551 ballots were cast. Voter turnout reached 65.75%, according to WTSP.

The outcome matters for Clearwater. Hughes lives in the Skycrest neighborhood, according to his campaign website, and takes a seat on the commission as it weighs the future of about 25 acres of county-owned property in downtown Clearwater.

Hughes, 68, chairs the Suncoast Sierra Club Conservation Committee and previously worked as an environmental specialist in Prince William County, Virginia, according to Beacon Media. He also served on Clearwater's Community Resiliency & Leisure Services Board. He has lived in Clearwater for nearly three years.

This is his first elected office.

Scott, 58, a Republican, won the seat in his first election in 2022. His victory that year tipped the commission to a Republican majority for the first time in nearly a decade, Beacon Media reported. He runs a charter bus company his parents started in St. Petersburg in the 1980s.

Scott received nearly $190,000 in individual contributions, compared with about $43,000 for Hughes, according to Beacon Media.

Hughes has said he wants to help Pinellas County better coordinate with its 24 municipalities and unincorporated areas, Beacon Media reported. He also said he wants to create a long-term plan for a railway system from Tampa to Orlando.

Downtown Clearwater stakes

The new commission will inherit an unresolved question about downtown Clearwater's future. Pinellas County rejected both proposals to redevelop roughly 25 acres of county-owned land in the city's core, as we reported Nov. 3.

The county's Office of Management and Budget announced the rejection in an Oct. 13 letter, St. Pete Catalyst reported. The county has not disclosed why the proposals were rejected or whether it plans to reopen bidding.

The properties include 17 county properties encompassing 34 parcels and approximately 24.5 acres, including the main courthouse and the historic courthouse listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The county plans to move most downtown government operations to a new complex near Ulmerton Road and Icot Boulevard, with completion expected in 2029.

County officials had planned to select a development partner by April 2027. The rejection puts that timeline in doubt. Pinellas County Public Information Director Tony Fabrizio told St. Pete Catalyst that staff are reviewing options for a sale that helps activate downtown Clearwater.