FLORIDA — Tampa Bay 28 invited more than 200 candidates running in the August 18, 2026, primary election across our five-county area to submit the following: a candidate photo, a 100-word biography, and responses to three questions:
- Why are you running for office?
- In your own words, what differentiates you from your opponents?
- Explain what you see as the most important issue facing our community and how are you uniquely qualified to address that issue?
The following candidates responded to our questionnaire.
Michael Pultorak
Background(Provided by candidate):
Michael Pultorak is a Husband, Father, Coach, Firefighter and proud member of the Wesley Chapel Community. This is his 30th year in the fire service and 26th year with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. He is USF alumnus with three graduate degrees from Liberty University and University of Phoenix. He has travelled the country with both the public and private sectors in and managing emergency operations. Those Natural Disasters have been from Daytona to Denver and Key West to New York City. He aims to bring this level of Responsiveness, Integrity, Ability, and Accountability to Tallahassee.
Why are you running for office?
I am not a politician and have never run for office. I do not plan on being the typical politician. To be honest, we don’t need another politician! We need someone in Tallahassee that will stand up, fight for what is right, and restore transparency for all Floridians. We need someone that does not owe favors to developers and special interests. We need someone that will restore some hope that we can leave a state to our children that will want and be able to afford to raise their children in. I am the one that will provide transparency and start creating conversations to start fixing the problems, bringing all stakeholders together to tackle these issues. We have big problems, we need bigger solutions!
In your own words, what differentiates you from your opponents?
Here in Pasco, I am fighting AGAINST Data Centers. My opponent, as an incumbent has voted repeatedly to give OUR TAX Dollars away as Incentives to those Data Center developers. I fight the big developers that are PAVING OVER PASCO COUNTY and my opponent is handing them OUR TAX Dollars to build more high density apartments. I am fighting for the residents and he keeps voting in legislation that is making Florida less affordable for the current residents. What differentiates me is that I am the opposition to what is causing our issues.
Explain what you see as the most important issue facing our community and how are you uniquely qualified to address that issue?
I was raised to be a steward of the land and Florida is a fragile ecosystem. It is currently being destroyed by over development with Data Centers and unneeded EXPENSIVE Subdivisions. That development has created an Affordability Crisis here in the state which starts with the cost of housing and is exacerbated by insurance premiums. If your children can’t afford to buy a home in your community and raise their children, it proves we have an affordability crisis. I have a plan to tackle each of these issues and restore the ‘conserve’ back in conservative!
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