St. Petersburg City Councilman Richie Floyd is running for re-election, and to kick off his upcoming campaign, he’s hosting a Saturday record store party at Bananas Records’ 22nd Avenue N location.
Floyd’s new campaign follows his four-year term in District 8, with similar objectives to his previous run, including sustainability, affordability and a stand against corporate control over municipalities, to name a few.
Floyd, named council vice chair this month, is the youngest person elected to city council in St. Petersburg and the first openly Democratic Socialist elected in the city. His win in 2022 preceded a higher-profile victory from newly sworn-in New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is also an unapologetic member of DSA.
“I think, you know, you’ll see people say, ‘Oh, it’s New York, it can’t happen here’— things like that,” Floyd told CL the day after Mamdani’s win. “But I’ve always believed that, in general, as people see that politics that actually cares about working people and doesn’t bend the knee to the billionaire class comes to power in different places, they’ll gravitate towards it. And over time, it’ll change things.”
Last Friday, Floyd told WMNF public affairs program The Skinny that he believes his tenure has been sufficiently productive over the past few years. He said that as recently as last week, he was able to get a resolution passed through the council committee that would aid housing affordability initiatives.
On top of that, he said he was able to help instate a policy change which would “make neighborhood streets a little safer” with easier processes for installing safety features like speed bumps. Floyd also noted that the council is moving toward the prospect of a new energy provider for the city.
“You start to learn where you can make change, where you can’t,” Floyd said. “And I’ll say we’ve made some good, solid gains.”
Floyd has not yet drawn an opponent, but it’s still early in the cycle. St. Petersburg votes in the primary election on Aug. 18, 2026, and voter registration must be completed by July 20. General elections take place in November, and the registration deadline is Oct. 5.
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This article appears in Jan. 15 – 21, 2026.