Tampa City Council candidate Orlando Gudes may violate residency rules

Yahoo

7 hours ago

Orlando Gudes, a former Tampa City Council member now running for the vacant District 5 seat, may not meet residency requirements to hold the office, according to county records obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.
A recent voter audit report from the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections shows that Gudes requested to change his address from District 7 to District 5 on June 17, two weeks before he announced his candidacy.
Per the county elections supervisor, candidates must have lived in their district 'for six months immediately preceding the commencement of their term of office.'
The special election to fill the vacant District 5 seat, which opened after Council member Gwen Henderson died suddenly last month, is set for Sept. 9, with a likely runoff in late October. The winner will assume office immediately. If Gudes wins in either month, he will have lived in the district for fewer than five months.
The candidate did not respond to multiple emails and calls for comment.
Gudes' full address is protected from public disclosure because he is a former police officer. The District 5 seat serves downtown, East Tampa, Ybor City and parts of West Tampa.
Henderson had more than 15 months left in her term when she died.
Gerri Kramer, spokesperson for the Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections, said the elections office plays a ministerial role in accepting candidate qualifying documents and does not have the authority to determine their accuracy.
'This ultimately may need to be decided by a court,' said Adam Smith, spokesperson for the City of Tampa.
Gudes was originally elected to the Tampa City Council in 2019 to represent District 5.
In 2020, a legislative aide — Henderson's sister — accused Gudes of making lewd remarks and creating a hostile work environment. A monthslong investigation found most of the claims to be credible, but a lawsuit filed by the aide was dismissed and the city announced a separate $200,000 settlement with her. Gudes denied the allegations, and the city agreed to pay the legal fees he incurred defending himself against the suit.
In 2022, Gudes faced questions about his address.
While on the council, Gudes, who said he was living in his East Tampa childhood home, received an improper tax break for a property he owned in North Tampa. Gudes requested that the homestead exemption be removed and paid the Hillsborough County Appraiser's Office more than $13,000 for the 2019, 2020 and 2021 tax years.
'Once we heard about it, we took care of the problem,' Gudes told the Tampa Bay Times in 2022. 'We took care of all the issues.'
Gudes lost his bid for reelection in 2023 to Henderson.
This year, Gudes is one of 11 candidates to enter the race as of July 9. The winner will serve until the next City of Tampa municipal election in 2027.