Former state Rep. Kevin Steele resigned his Pasco County seat on Wednesday, two days after he announced on X that he had cast his vote in Hillsborough County.
The Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections office confirmed Steele switched his registration from Pasco to Hillsborough on July 17. Steele said in a statement that he moved to Hillsborough, where he is running to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor for Congress.
But the timing of Steele’s move may run afoul of Florida law, which requires state representatives to live in their district for the entirety of their term in office. Steele updated his voter registration weeks before his resignation. His former state House district doesn’t include Hillsborough.
In his statement, Steele emphasized his roots in Hillsborough County, where he says he was born and raised.
“My opponents want to talk about paperwork,” he said. “I want to talk about lowering your insurance, securing the border, and firing the career politicians who forgot who they work for.”
Members of Congress can live anywhere in the state, which means Steele’s move to Hillsborough was not required by law.
“This is home,” Steele said. “I stepped down from my state house seat to give everything I’ve got to the community that raised me, win or lose.”
The GOP primary will decide who faces Castor in a district that state lawmakers reshaped during the mid-decade redistricting process this spring. Previously a safe blue seat, District 14 now covers much of eastern Hillsborough and would have gone for President Donald Trump by around 10 points in 2024.
Steele and former state Rep. Mike Beltran, who represented southeast Hillsborough in the Legislature, have poured millions of their own money into this race.
Other Republican contenders include business owner John Peters, Navy veteran Robert “Rocky” Rochford, Tampa restaurant owner Ergin “Batman” Tek, brewery operator Gavriel Soriano, former financial analyst Michael Marcel and Bea Valenti, who was previously a staffer for the White House and Sen. Ashley Moody.
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