The next election for the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) isn’t until November of 2026, so why is Wesley Chapel resident Stephanie Vazquez already declaring that she is going to run as a Democrat to oppose current Republican District 2 Pasco Commissioner Seth Weightman? Stephanie is the first candidate to throw a hat into the race to unseat Weightman for the Dist. 2 seat. Here’s why:
If you’re unfamiliar with Pasco County government or new to the area, Pasco is divided up into five districts, with District 2 including a large portion (but not all) of Wesley Chapel, as well as about half of Land O’ Lakes, and small (but important) portions of unincorporated Zephyrhills and Lutz.
Vazquez, who has been a resident of District 2 since 2013 (there will be more on this later in this story), moved to our area from Pittsburgh, PA. Like many northerners, she primarily wanted to escape the snow.
With Wesley Chapel being the fastest-growing area of not just Pasco, but also one of the most quickly expanding areas of Florida and the entire nation, Vazquez believes that the time is now for a change in county leadership.
“I’ve thought about running for several years,” she says, adding that even though she’s new to politics, her background has prepared her for leadership and, “The time is now.”
The Right Background, The Right Person
Vazquez currently works as a remote marketing manager for Northeastern University in Boston, MA, but she also is enrolled as an online student at the school, as she is working towards her second Master’s degree, this one in Public Administration, and expects to graduate in 2026. She believes that degree is helping to prepare her for the job she’s now seeking.
She earned her first Master’s degree, for Entrepreneurship in Applied Technologies, in 2016 from the University of South Florida and she previously earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Sciences from Bellevue University in Bellevue, NE, in 2010.
But, Vazquez says, her decision to run is about a lot more than just her educational background. Most of her recent work experience, beginning with her service in the U.S. Air Force as a Senior Airman, working in airfield management, both in the states and overseas in Germany, is about public service. When she left the military, she says she wanted to continue fighting, but on two different kinds of battlefields most people never see.
The first was her seven-year service as an Advisory Board member for the Post 9/11 Veterans Corp., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that focuses on, “providing a platform, a starting point, and a place of belonging, where veterans are encouraged to integrate into their local communities and inspire through actions.”
The more recent battle was against Human Trafficking. As a vice president of the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking and a Board member of both the Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking and the NISSI Project (which provides housing for verified adult female victims of human trafficking) for six years, Vazquez says she helped build these national and local programs to tackle exploitation at its roots: opening a safe house, building recovery programs and training thousands to recognize and stop injustice.
She later honed her public speaking and writing skills while holding a public servant government position as a public information officer for the City of Zephyrhills.
A Campaign Forged By Hard Times
Vazquez says she hasn’t had it easy, explaining that growing up poor helped build her character, not just once, but twice in her life. Born in Flint, MI, her dad was a young Marine veteran who worked part-time at a local drug store while also going to college part-time to try to earn a basic degree. Meanwhile, her mother was a stay-at-home mom, but both of her parents’ families came from generational poverty, so between her dad’s paycheck and essential government services like food stamps, she said it was barely enough to keep them from going hungry.
She remembers growing up having to “do without” most of the time, as her family stretched everything they had, often having to eat the same one meal multiple times in row.
“The most disgusting thing was the powdered milk, mixed with water,” she says, “because real milk was too expensive for us. I can still taste it.”
Years later, Vazquez found herself in a similar situation, just out of a relationship that wasn’t working. As a single mom of three, she moved to Florida, with kids who were 4, 3, and 3 months old. She was unable to afford child care or find a job that paid enough to put them in daycare, so she found herself below the poverty line, receiving government assistance.
“I used to take my kids to Walmart so they could play with toys,” she says, “because we couldn’t afford to buy any.” But, these struggles forced her to develop the ability to get by, and evolve, leaning on her experience from the military. She says that when you’re poor and struggling, “you don’t think about politics, you think about how to survive.” That experience makes her want to stand up for working class families.
“Pasco deserves better than business as usual,” she says. “Our families are paying the price while a handful of insiders cash out. I’m not a politician. I’m a veteran, a mom and a community advocate who believes Pasco should work for the people who live here, not for the powerful few calling all the shots.”
But, why should people vote for her?
“The incumbent was hand-picked by insiders, and swept-in through a closed primary,” Vazquez says, adding that the current commissioners, including her opponent, continue to vote to allow more and more growth, “before the county is ready for it. But, I’m not part of the county political machine, I’m part of this community.”
She says that Weightman was, “a strategically chosen candidate” by the local powers that be. “But, I want clean government, not back-rooms deals, with decisions made in the open, with transparency and accountability.”
Here are the issues Vazquez says her campaign her campaign will be about:
• Fixing broken roads, drainage and outdated storm systems.
• Preparing for future challenges like flooding and climate change.
• Establishing term limits to break the cycle of insider control.
• Curbing reckless growth that strains neighborhoods and schools.
Speaking Of Schools…
She and her husband Yamani Vazquez Martinez have built their life in Pasco, raising a blended family of six children. All of their kids have either graduated from, or currently attend, Pasco’s public schools and Yamani currently is serving as an assistant principal at Cypress Creek Middle School.
Vazquez believes strongly in the power of education, and personally feels that new large-scale developments should be required to include school sites, so that the children living in those communities can go to schools in or near their own neighborhoods, as well as to keep class sizes appropriate and have fewer portable classrooms throughout the district. Vazquez says that overcrowding of classrooms can be avoided through, “proper, thoughtful planning. If the population is increasing, we need to prioritize schools, and developers need to pay their fair share.”
But, speaking of paying their fair share, Vazquez says, “In August 2024, Commissioner Weightman was the only Pasco commissioner to vote against raising school impact fees, which are one of the few ways to hold developers accountable and fund schools as costs rise. He chose developers over Pasco‘s kids.“
Vazquez also has posted a video to her social media opposing House Bill 5101 — legislation that would reduce public school funding statewide. The video, which breaks down the bill’s potential impact on local classrooms, has garnered more than 40,000 views and hundreds of comments from educators, parents and concerned voters.
“I’ve spent years fighting for people who have been overlooked or outright ignored — including our teachers,” Vazquez says. “I didn’t expect the video to take off, but I think it hit a nerve. People are tired of watching public education be gutted while our kids and teachers are left behind.”
She acknowledges that if she was to be elected, there may not be much she can do to directly help increase teacher salaries, which are controlled by the Pasco School Board, but says that helping to fund schools with BCC-controlled development impact fees would be her top priority, with #2 being funding for new and improved roads, and #3 being flood mitigation and drainage projects.
These school issues hit close to home for Vazquez, because Yamani has been an educator for 15 years. Education, administration and school athletics are important to him, as he previously was the head coach of Wiregrass Ranch High’s softball team for eight years.
To Develop Or Not To Develop?
Vazquez wants voters to know that she is NOT anti-development. She just wants the BCC to consider three important questions:
“Do we need it? Does it put the people of Pasco first? Are we ready for it?”
She feels that these questions would help the county avoid the “Gold Rush Mentality,” where developers just want to make money and then leave, sticking taxpayers with gridlocked roads, overcrowded schools and neighborhoods that flood with every storm. She says that this type of reckless development, which seems to be running rampant in Pasco, “favors insiders over families. But, enough is enough.”
As for what she envisions District 2 to look like 10 years from now, Vazquez she says that our area already is becoming the hub for health care in Pasco County and should continue to do so, with more new hospitals and medical offices continuing to be added to the local landscape. She sees this medical hub being surrounded by thriving communities, with schools, walkable green spaces and family-centered resources. She also believes that Pasco, and by proxy District 2, as “Florida’s Sports Coast” is a good idea and that she, “would love to see that continue to grow.”
“That would include more year-round sports people can play, facilities that offer good-paying jobs and more options for youth sports programs,” as some in our area (like the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association’s youth baseball and softball programs) can’t handle all of the kids who want to play. She believes that the Wesley Chapel District Park is at maximum capacity, saying that although it’s a great facility, parking and traffic “can be challenging.”
“We need more [sports] options in the District. The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus has been fantastic,” but its primary function is to provide a location for sports tourism. “What we need are more green spaces and fields throughout the area.”
She says that if proposed large-scale developments are unwilling to include parks and school sites in their communities, she would, “Vote No!” She believes that the BCC is responsible for the over-development of Pasco County and Wesley Chapel in particular. “Yes, a lot of people have been moving here, and leadership has been swept up in that,” she says, but the commissioners should have tried harder to control Pasco’s growth.
The Bottom Line? Forget Politics
For Vazquez, this race isn’t really about politics. “It’s personal,” she says. “I’m not backed by big money. I’m not here to make deals behind closed doors. I’m here to fight for every family who feels like their voices have been drowned out. Pasco belongs to all of us, it’s time to take it back.”
She adds, however, that she knows it won’t be an easy fight to win.
“Since there is currently a Republican majority, not only in Pasco County, but in Florida and the Federal Government,” she says, “I know it can feel like we’re just little blue dots in a sea of red, but the truth is, there are more of us than we realize. And I’m not just talking about Democrats. Voters with no party affiliation, independents and even longtime Republicans are starting to move away from the noise and division and toward something better: people over party, progress over politics and community over chaos. We all want the same basics — strong schools, safe neighborhoods and honest leadership. And those aren’t red or blue issues. They’re people issues. Win or lose, I’m proud to be fighting for that.”
When asked about working across the aisle, with an otherwise red majority, Vazquez says that her background proves she’s capable of doing just that. “I worked with (District 1 Commissioner) Ron Oakley successfully for many years when I was with the Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking. It’s about the work we’re doing and who we’re doing it for.”
She adds, “I listen to everyone, regardless of who they voted for, and what political leanings they have.” In other words, she says, “Many issues are by-and-large nonpartisan,” she says. “So, if you want different, vote for me!”
But, considering that the seat Vazquez is eyeing has not seen Democratic representation yet in this millennium, the stage is set for what could be one of Pasco County’s most closely watched commission races — especially in light of the fact, Vazquez says, that Weightman won his first election, even though he may have been living outside the district in which he was elected, which would be a violation of a Florida Constitution mandate.
“Commissioner Weightman bought a property with a mobile home in District 2 during his campaign, but a lot of people in Pasco say he doesn’t actually live there, and that he still lives at his longtime home in Dade City, which is outside the district. It’s raised real concerns about whether he’s truly representing the community he was elected to serve and that he may be violating residency requirements for holding the seat.”
Meet the Candidate
If you’d like to meet Vazquez, she will officially launch her campaign at a public kickoff event on Tuesday, May 20, 6 p.m., at Meals on Wheels, 38112 15th Ave., Zephyrhills. The program will begin at 6:30 p.m. and attendees are encouraged (but not required) to bring nonperishable food donations to support Meals on Wheels.
At the event, Vazquez said she will have what she describes as a “Vision Board” — not something with her vision, but a blank board where attendees can write how they envision a better Pasco County. “I like public feedback,” she says.
If you’re not able to attend that event but would like to hear Vazquez’s viewpoints and opinions on certain topics, search “Stephanie Vazquez Pasco” on Instagram, where she posts often. Or, scan the QR code (left) to access her campaign kickoff event page.
