Ginny Gianakos
Lake St. Charles CDD, Seat 1
Vote by November 3.The work is underway. I'd like to see it through.This year the assessment was headed to $1,650. At the August budget hearing I made the motion to hold it at $1,500, and the board passed it 5 to 0. That's $150 that stayed with every household.New management starts November 1. The vote is November 3. Two days apart. Whoever sits in Seat 1 needs to know what these numbers looked like before, or we spend a year getting back to where we already are.It's your money. Somebody has to read the invoice.Accountability · Common Sense · Transparency
HOA OR CDD?The HOA handles your property. Paint colors, fences, yards.The CDD handles what we all share: the pool, clubhouse, courts, trails, ponds, and lake. It's local government, with a public budget, public meetings, and an independent audit.This seat is on the CDD.
A Neighbor FirstLake St. Charles is where I raised my family. My daughter learned to ride her bike on her way to and from the school behind our Winn-Dixie. A lot of life has happened for me here, the good and the hard, and serving this community has been part of all of it.
WHAT I BRING TO THIS SEATTwenty years of firsthand District experience. Serving since 2006. I know what these budgets, contracts, and maintenance decisions looked like five, ten, and twenty years ago.
District-specific training. Certified District Official (CDO), Florida Association of Special Districts. Training in the rules that govern districts like ours.
Budget and vendor experience. General Business degree from the University of Maryland, MBA from USF, and professional experience at TECO Energy managing a budget and working with vendors.
Steady when it isn't easy. Chair through COVID. Stayed through hard votes, close votes, and votes lost.
WHAT THIS BOARD HAS DONE
Not my credit to take, but you deserve to know. Every number is in the District's public audits and financial statements.Paid off the debt. A $2.76 million bond, paid in full January 2017.
Turned a midge problem into state money. Chemical midge treatments were budgeted at $68,376 a year. We stopped them and went looking for a lasting fix. That search led to a $586,550 State of Florida grant for lake algae control, which the board accepted 5 to 0.Held the line on your assessment. $1,500 since 2023, set after public hearings each year.Rebuilt savings. $295,908 in September 2024. As of August 2026, the reserve fund alone holds over $450,000.Same assessment. Better oversight. Smarter spending.Audits and financial statements are public at lakestcharles.org.The Part Nobody Puts on a Lawn SignOur 2024 independent audit described the district's fund balance as "very low" and noted that maintenance had been deferred. A hard finding, and a fair one.We didn't argue with it. We moved to professional management and started watching the numbers monthly. This September the board heard presentations from two management companies and voted 5 to 0 for a new one, effective November 1.That transition needs somebody in the room who knows what these numbers looked like before.Audits, minutes, and financial statements are public at lakestcharles.org.
HOW TO VOTE
Registered voters in the Lake St. Charles CDD vote in the 2026 General Election on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.Two CDD seats are on your ballot, Seat 1 and Seat 2. You vote in both. Look for them right after School Board, before the Constitutional Amendments.Early voting October 19 through November 1, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at any of the county's 27 sites.Request a vote-by-mail ballot by 5 p.m. October 22. If you requested a mail ballot for 2024, that request has expired. You'll need to submit a new one.Return your mail ballot so it is received by 7 p.m. November 3. A postmark doesn't count. You can drop it at any early voting site.Election Day, November 3, polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at your assigned precinct.Details: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, votehillsborough.gov