Plant City Insider

On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, Plant City residents headed to the polls for a pivotal municipal election that would reshape the City Commission. After many years of dedicated service, longtime commissioners William D. Dodson (Group 3) and Michael S. Sparkman (Group 4) had chosen not to seek re-election, opening two seats.

The race for City Commissioner, Group 3 featured four candidates: Gregory Boyle, Karen Kerr, Tony Smith, and Alicia Toler. In Group 4, the candidates were John Haney, Camryn Henry, Randy Toler, and Maurice D. Wilson Sr.

Camryn Henry is a notable candidate in this election as she had previously sought a seat running against City Commissioner Jason Jones, who ultimately came out victorious.

Early voting took place April 3–4 at Plant City City Hall on West Reynolds Street, with steady turnout as neighbors discussed key local issues: drainage after heavy rains, downtown vitality, public safety, and responsible planning for the future. On Election Day, polls opened at 7:00 a.m. and closed at 7:00 p.m., drawing families, farmers, business owners, and retirees who value Plant City’s strawberry-country roots.

By late evening, results showed an uncertain path forward to victory for the leading candidates, John Haney and Karen Kerr. As of 7:30 P.M., with polls closed and all ballots being reported, Karen Kerr only won 47.26% of the vote, and Tony Smith securing 42.52%, the difference being only 146 votes. John Haney secured only 46.01% of the vote, with Camryn Henry securing 30.09%, a difference of 487 votes.

Under Article 7, Section 3 of the Plant City Municipal Code for city elections, it states, “In the event there remains an office wherein no candidate received a majority of the votes cast, a second regular election shall be called in the same manner prescribed for the calling of the regular election. The names of the candidates for such office, placed first and second in the regular election, shall be placed on the ballot in the second regular election...” This means that for the Group 3 seat, Karen Kerr will face off against Tony Smith, and in Group 4, John Haney will face off against Camryn Henry.

The total voter turnout for this election saw a slight uptick; of the 21,793 eligible voters, 3,103 turned out to vote, or a 14.24% voter turnout. In what is usually a fairly clean-cut process, this election saw some of the most candidates running for seats in recent history, and the winning candidates

If you would like to read more about Plant City Elections, you can visit this link here to learn more. It is likely that in the coming days, the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections will announce a runoff date for the two seats, where we will see four candidates vie for the two open seats. Stay tuned as this race is not over yet!