Wesley Chapel's Vazquez Officially Set to Challenge Weightman for Pasco Commission Seat

The matchup Wesley Chapel voters will decide next fall is now official. Stephanie Vazquez, a Wesley Chapel resident and Air Force veteran running as a Democrat, will face Republican incumbent Seth Weightman on the Nov. 3, 2026 general election ballot for the Pasco County Commission's District 2 seat, the seat that controls zoning, road and growth decisions across much of the fastest-growing part of the county.

District 2 covers a large portion of Wesley Chapel, plus roughly half of Land O' Lakes and pieces of unincorporated Zephyrhills and Lutz. Whoever wins will have a direct say over the traffic signals, road widenings, drainage projects and new subdivisions that shape daily life for thousands of Wesley Chapel households.

Money and the map

Campaign finance reports filed through July 31 show Weightman with a significant financial edge. He has raised $124,600 for his re-election bid. Vazquez has raised $56,200 and spent $47,450 so far, according to the reports.

Weightman took office in November 2022 after a competitive Republican primary, replacing former commissioner Mike Moore. He is a Pasco County native whose family has deep local roots: Thomas E. Weightman Middle School, which serves Wesley Chapel, is named for his great-uncle. Before joining the commission, he worked as a regional executive for Republic Services.

Vazquez moved to the district in 2013 after relocating from Pittsburgh. She served as a senior airman in the Air Force in airfield management, both stateside and in Germany, before building a second career around public service in Pasco County. She has spent years on the boards of the Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking and the NISSI Project, which provides housing for adult female victims of trafficking, and later worked as a public information officer for the city of Zephyrhills. She is currently pursuing a second master's degree, in public administration, and expects to finish in 2026.

What the race is about

Vazquez is building her campaign around the pressures that come with rapid growth: worsening traffic, flooding and development that she argues has outpaced the roads and drainage built to handle it. She has described the current pace of approvals as tilted toward developers and away from the families already living here.

Weightman has pointed to specific fixes already underway in his district, including road changes planned near congested spots like Abby Brooks Circle and new sidewalk projects near Wesley Chapel schools. He has campaigned on continuing that work from inside the commission rather than starting over.

Both candidates filed with the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections, and no other candidates have qualified for the District 2 seat, setting up a straight two-way contest for the full four-year term.

What's next

The general election is Nov. 3, 2026. Because District 2 has no primary contest on either side, the November ballot will be the only chance Wesley Chapel voters get to weigh in on the seat. Campaign finance reports will continue to be filed with the county through the fall, giving residents an ongoing look at who is funding each side of the race as spending ramps up closer to Election Day.

Stay with Wesley Chapel Community Website for updates on this race and other Pasco County decisions that affect Wesley Chapel. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X, and join the conversation in our Community Forum. For more coverage of local decisions shaping growth and government here, visit our government and politics section.