Aug. 18 Primary: Hillsborough County Clerk Of Circuit Court

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — When Hillsborough County Clerk of Circuit Court Pat Frank announced her retirement after 50 years in public office, there was an initial flurry of candidates considering a run for her seat. But, in the end, it came down to two Democrats, both of which have a history of public service.

The clerk is elected to a four-year term and paid $170,011 annually. Because only Democrats qualified for the race, the Aug. 18 primary is a universal election open to all voters.

Kevin Beckner

Kevin Beckner, 49, was elected to the Hillsborough County Commission in 2008 and re-elected in 2012 to a second four-year term.

A graduate of the American College of Financial Planning and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Executive Leadership Program, Beckner said his background as a certified financial planner for 18 years served him well on the county commission.

Representing a countywide district of more than 1.2 million constituents, Beckner was one of seven county commissioners responsible for approving an annual operating and capital budget that exceeded $4 billion.

From 2017-19, Beckner served as the executive director of the Hillsborough County Civil Service Board, an agency that served more than 9,000 Hillsborough County employees and 20 county agencies.

Beckner said his combined private and public sector experience qualifies him to serve as the county's Clerk of the Circuit Court and Chief Financial Officer, overseeing nearly 700 employees, a budget of $69.5 million and more than 1,000 functions dictated by state and local laws, court rules and regulations.

As the Clerk of Circuit Court, he said he plans to leverage technology to securely expand access to records, electronic court filings and online services; improve the jury selection process to obtain a diversity of qualified jurors; simplify the process for indigent clients; improve customer service; and work with the legal community to establish a self-help center to offer quality legal assistance to residents regardless of income.

Cindy Stuart

Cindy Stuart, 53, was first elected to the Hillsborough County School Board in 2012 and is completing her second term representing District 3, which serves the northern part of the county.

Stuart is one of seven members responsible for making policy decisions and overseeing a budget of $2.9 billion for the seventh-largest school district in the nation and the county's largest employer with more than 26,000 employees.

Stuart represents Hillsborough County on the Florida School Boards Association and serves on the school board's legislative and transportation committees.

She brings with her a background in computer management, having earned a bachelor's degree in 1995 from Florida International University with a concentration in management information systems and programming.

Using that experience, Stuart said she wants to expand online access to documents, digitize public records and increase the efficiency of the jury screening process.