Pasco County Commission, District 2
County commissioners set the county budget and property-tax (millage) rate, adopt land-use and zoning rules, and oversee county services such as roads, parks, libraries, fire/EMS and utilities. Term: 4 years.
Partly verified. Either the November opponent could not be confirmed from available sources, or only a few positions are documented. Confirm the full candidate list on your county sample ballot; unknown positions are shown as such.
How we verified who is on the ballot
Confirmed Oct. 18, 2026 from county sources (the state's candidate list is incomplete for county offices): Only one Republican and one Democrat qualified and there was no write-in, so there was no primary for this seat. The SOE's 2026 Local Candidates list (9/16/2026) shows Vazquez (DEM) and Weightman (REP) both 'Qualified' and no one else. The SOE's Nov. 3 results page lists exactly Seth Weightman (REP) and Stephanie C. Vazquez (DEM).
Candidates
Report an error ↗Seth Weightman
Weightman is a Pasco County native who took office as District 2 commissioner in November 2022, succeeding Mike Moore, after working as a regional executive for a waste services company. He sits on the Southwest Florida Water Management District governing board. He faces Democrat Stephanie Vazquez on November 3, 2026,…
Stephanie C. Vazquez
Vazquez is a U.S. Air Force veteran who works as a remote marketing manager for Northeastern University and has been pursuing a master's degree in public administration. She has served as an advisory board member for Post 9/11 Veterans Corp., as vice president of the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking, and as pu…
Side-by-side on the major issues
Each row is a statement. The chips show how each candidate's stated positions or record relate to that statement. Expand a row to read the evidence and sources. "No public position found" means we could not find a statement or record on the topic, not that the candidate has none.
| Issue | Seth Weightman Republican | Stephanie C. Vazquez Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | Strongly agrees· stated position His campaign site says he reduced property tax rates four times while investing more than $123 million in roads and sidewalks. | Mixed / neutral· stated position She says she would ask tough questions before approving new spending and fight for a county government that tightens its belt before asking taxpayers to do more, while also saying core services such as public safety and emergency response should be protected. She does not state a position on cutting property tax rates. |
| Property taxesFlorida should eliminate or sharply reduce homestead property taxes, even if local governments must cut services or find other revenue. | Strongly agrees· stated position His campaign site lists adding an additional $50,000 homestead property tax exemption to help seniors stay in their homes among his accomplishments, along with reducing property tax rates four times. | No public position found |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position She says she would push for new development to include housing options for working families and seniors rather than only high-end builds, and work to keep longtime residents from being priced out as Pasco grows. |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position She would prioritize modern stormwater systems and drainage improvements in high-risk areas and protect natural systems such as wetlands and open land that absorb water and reduce flooding. |
| Growth & developmentGrowth and development should be slowed or more tightly regulated (higher impact fees, density limits, stronger local control). | Leans disagree· based on record In August 2024 Weightman cast the lone vote against a 4-1 increase in Pasco school impact fees, saying total impact fees on a new home were becoming very heavy and would erode affordability, and suggesting a workshop on reducing fees. His campaign site separately says he has required development impact fees and preserved thousands of acres. | Strongly agrees· stated position She says she would tie rezoning and development approvals to real road capacity, school availability and infrastructure readiness, and would not support major developments unless infrastructure is funded first. She says she is not anti-development but wants developers to pay their fair share for road improvements tied to their projects. |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | No public position found | No public position found |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | No public position found | No public position found |
Where they sit on the map
Each candidate is placed by the average of their documented stances. It is a summary of the table above, not an extra judgment.
How the axes are computed
Each axis is the average of a candidate's coded stances (+2 to −2) on a fixed set of statements, so it comes straight from the documented positions and nothing else. A candidate needs at least three documented statements on an axis to be placed.
Economic issues (toward "Smaller government (lower taxes, less spending)"): Taxes & spending (agree), Property taxes (agree), Health care (disagree), Housing affordability (disagree), Property insurance (disagree), Energy & utilities (disagree), Social Security & Medicare (disagree), Teacher and staff pay (disagree).
Social & legal issues (toward "Conservative side of the statements"): Immigration (agree), Abortion (disagree), Guns (disagree), Education & school choice (agree), Elections & voting (disagree), Crime & policing (agree), Gender identity laws (agree), Marijuana (disagree), Environment & water (disagree), Trump administration (agree), Library and classroom materials (agree), School safety approach (agree).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| Seth Weightman | not enough data | not enough data |
| Stephanie C. Vazquez | not enough data | not enough data |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
Seth Weightman
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Stephanie C. Vazquez
- Housing and transparency proposals — Proposes a county rule requiring larger developments to include affordable homes, repeal or major reform of the Live Local Act, evening commission meetings and a Resident Growth Advisory Council; says the county should cut waste before raising taxes. Weightman did not answer the Hernando Sun's questions.
- Live Local Act and county control over development — In a Hernando Sun questionnaire, Vazquez said she supports repealing or significantly reforming the state Live Local Act so Pasco has more say over what gets built, and proposed requiring larger developments to include a share of affordable homes.
- Transparency and evening meetings — Vazquez said she would propose evening commission meetings, clearer public explanations of major agenda items, and a Resident Growth Advisory Council so residents can weigh in before major development decisions. (Weightman had not answered the paper's questions at press time.)