The race for Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections may yet get another candidate. Former Tampa City Council member and County Commissioner Tom Scott confirmed Wednesday he is eyeing a run for the office. Scott, a church pastor and Democrat out of office for a year, said he's talking to potential campaign backers to determine whether he can make a competitive go of it. "I haven't filed but I've been talking to people about running," Scott said. He said he has also been considering a run for Hillsborough Clerk of the Circuit Court, where Democrat Pat Frank is still deciding whether she will seek another term. Scott said he is leaning more toward the elections post and said he would likely make a decision in a matter of weeks. Current elections supervisor Earl Lennard is retiring from the post. His deputy, Craig Latimer, a Democrat, is running to replace him, as is state Rep. Rich Glorioso, R-Plant City.

Despite drastic spending cuts on road maintenance in recent years, Hillsborough County commissioners approved a plan Wednesday to spend $1.3 million to repave iconic Bayshore Boulevard before the Republican National Convention.

"Bayshore is our most historic, scenic road we have in all of Hillsborough County," said Sandy Murman, a Republican whose district includes the signature roadway along Hillsborough Bay. "This will be an economic development opportunity that we will probably never have again."

Murman noted that some 15,000 media members and representatives of many of the nation's most successful companies will be in town for the August convention. Most of them will ride along or see images of the roadway, stretches of which are in disrepair or just generally bumpy. ... Read more

Hillsborough County commissioners voted Wednesday to hire an outside firm to begin searching for a new county attorney.

The 5-1 vote authorizes the county to solicit offers from a head-hunting firm, to cap the payment for that firm at $25,000 and to conduct a statewide search. A recommendation on what firm to hire must go back to the board before the actual search begins.

Commissioner Kevin Beckner voted against the motion, arguing that the position ought to be advertised nationally. He also suggested that the county's Civil Service Board could conduct the search and that, if an outside firm was picked, the fee shouldn't be capped to ensure that the county gets the most qualified firm.

Commissioner Al Higginbotham was absent due to a death in his family.

Board Chairman Ken Hagan, who brought the matter forward, noted that issue has been lingering for some time. Former County Attorney Renee Lee was dismissed last year amidst allegations that she blessed a stealth raise for herself and engaged in email snooping. Acting County Attorney Don Odom is due to retire by July 1. ... Read more

Hillsborough County commissioners are scheduled to talk today about how they want to go about hiring a new county attorney to replace Renee Lee, who they dismissed last year. Acting County Attorney Don Odom is slated to retire this spring. Commission Chairman Ken Hagan says it's time to start looking for someone to lead the office after that. Hagan said he mainly wants to open the topic to discussion. But he said he will share his thoughts on how the board should proceed. He said he wants to hire an executive search firm, to keep the search arms-length, preventing people from saying the hiring process was set up to favor any candidate. That should also make it go quicker than, say, having commissioners appoint a committee to oversee the search. He would like to see the head-hunter narrow the field to five or so finalists for commissioners to interview. Hagan said he thinks the search should be state-wide only, which likely will spawn some discussion from other commissioners liable to argue for a national search. ... Read more