Temple Terrace elects Fernandez, Michalski, Treat

Alison Fernandez, Karen Michalski, and Amber Treat won the three open seats on the Temple Terrace City Council in the election held on Tuesday night. The unofficial results from the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections confirm the trio's victory over two other challengers.

Fernandez, the incumbent councilmember, received 4,817 votes, which represented 28.50% of the total. Michalski finished second with 4,258 votes, or 25.20%, while Treat secured the final seat with 3,275 votes, totaling 19.38% of the count.

The remaining candidates, Ryan Gessman and Eugene Papantoniou, did not advance. Gessman received 2,602 votes, accounting for 15.40% of the total, and Papantoniou garnered 1,948 votes, or 11.53%.

The race filled vacancies left by outgoing Councilmembers Gil Schisler and James Chambers, both of whom departed due to term limits. Five candidates appeared on the ballot for the three positions, with Fernandez seeking another term against the four challengers.

Temple Terrace operates under a council-manager government structure. The council acts as the policy-making branch and appoints a city manager to handle daily operations. This system differs from the strong-mayor model used in nearby Tampa, where the elected official holds more direct administrative control over city departments.

Approximately 17,000 ballots were cast in the contest. The city’s new composition includes one returning official and two first-time members who will join the mayor in shaping local policy.