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Tampa, FL - There is a growing concern about the Hillsborough County, FL Supervisor of Elections (SOE) office, and it’s not a pleasant one.

In May 2023, a significant security breach compromised the personal data of over 58,000 voters, including their Social Security and driver’s license numbers. Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer, who has served in his role unchallenged for 12-years, initially described the incident as “criminal cyber activity.” State law required that affected individuals be notified and offered appropriate assistance, and a public statement was issued, assuring the public that the system had not been compromised. Mr. Latimer promised a thorough investigation, in collaboration with the FBI, FDLE, and the county Sheriff’s office.

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However, 15-months have passed since the breach, and Mr. Latimer has not only failed to provide updates, but has also resisted providing any information to the public, even from personal inquiries from individuals affected following the breach.

In July 2024, it was revealed by the Supervisor that the breach was not a result of cyber-criminal activity, but rather a physical security data breach by an individual from within the office and that individual is currently under FBI investigation. This new information raises serious questions. Was the individual an employee, a contractor, a foreign agent or someone else? What was their position regarding access to sensitive data. How did they by-pass security protocols undetected, and what measures are being taken to prevent future breaches? Most concerning of all, why did Supervisor Latimer mislead the public about the nature of the breach? Again, referring to the breach as “criminal cyber activity” when it was an internal physical security breach.

Similarly, there are many other concerns with the Hillsborough County SOE that extend beyond this incident. In 2020, Mr. Latimer accepted a $2.9 million grant from Mark Zuckerberg, the largest grant given to any Florida election supervisor. Despite new state laws prohibiting third-party funding for elections, Latimer did not return any unspent funds and has refused to account for how the grant was used.

Furthermore, in the 2020 election, 21,884 blank ballots were cast in Hillsborough County—a significant anomaly. Instead of investigating this issue, Latimer has sought to redefine what constitutes a blank ballot, even attempting to remove the term from official documents. For clarity, a blank ballot is one where no selections are made. These blank ballots accounted for over 3% of the total votes cast in Hillsborough’s 2020 general election. The controversy led to lawsuits from both parties and new state laws mandating that images of all blank ballots be maintained for audit purposes. In the 2022 midterm elections, blank ballots dropped to just 0.009%.

Lastly, in May 2024, Supervisor Latimer made a troubling statement about non-citizens registering to vote, claiming they were not voting. This claim overlooks the fact that registered voters can request up to four vote-by-mail ballots for family members, potentially bypassing identification requirements.

The Hillsborough County Elections Office is clearly in disarray. It is crucial that the county commission takes decisive action to ensure the integrity and transparency of upcoming elections. We must set aside political differences and address the issues caused by entrenched, partisan officials.

The stakes are high. The recent turmoil in a number of countries elections in Europe, Latin America, Mexico and the assassination attempt of President Trump on U.S. soil remind us of the importance of secure and transparent elections. One only needs to look to Venezuela to understand that corrupt practices undermine the fundamental right to vote, a right protected by the sacrifices of our veterans. Elections have consequence, fraudulent elections have extreme consequences.

In Hillsborough County, like every county in America, we deserve transparent, open and honest elections from the laws that govern our elections, the procedures, the ballot and voting process through the validation and certification of the vote. It all starts locally with the county elections office that ensures every legal vote counts and operates free from corruption.