A sizzling socialist campaign in the ruby-red Sunshine State may not have been on any national political operative’s bingo card for 2026, But if you’re a local to St. Petersburg—who’s seen the values of a Democratic socialist elected official put to practice—it’s not hard to see how a reductive view of Florida politics might fail to capture the imagination of a working-class community on-the-ground.
Last Saturday, the energy of a movement-building campaign in the Sunshine City was inescapable, with more than 100 people packed into St. Pete’s Banana Records store that night to show support for the re-election campaign of St. Petersburg City Council member Richie Floyd. Floyd, a former teacher and labor advocate, was first elected to City Council’s District 8 seat in 2021 over an establishment-favored candidate as the first open socialist elected to office in Florida in over a century.
Due to changes in the city’s election procedures, the 34 year-old city councilman is technically coming off a five-year term as he asks voters to re-elect him for a second term. Although he has more resources, and more knowledge about how to run a campaign this time around—without a deadly pandemic to navigate—Floyd maintains that what his scrappy, grassroots campaign managed to accomplish four years ago “cannot be overstated.”
Primary elections (Pinellas County)
Time Aug. 8-18
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“A group of volunteers came together, learned what they were doing on the fly, and worked hard to successfully elect the youngest person ever elected to City Council,” said Floyd, speaking to an enthusiastic, multigenerational crowd of local lefties, elected officials, and union members—some of whom canvassed and knocked doors for first campaign for office.
“Our movement has succeeded in winning tenants’ rights expansions, safer neighborhood streets, reproductive healthcare protections and much more,” he continued. “But we can only do it together. We can only do it because everyday people gave what little time and money that they had because they believed a better world is possible, and that’s what’s going to take again.”
Floyd’s district is Democratic-leaning in a state that has grown increasingly red over the last five or so years. In 2021, Floyd won his election over former city councilman Jeff Danner, winning about 52% of the vote. So far, he isn’t facing any challengers for his seat, which includes the Historic Kenwood neighborhood, and other areas west of I-275 to Tyrone Boulevard.
Even coming off the upset victory of democratic socialist and fellow DSA member Zohran Mamdani to the New York City mayor’s office last November, you wouldn’t expect the kind of energy palpable in Banana Records Saturday night to materialize for a socialist candidate in a state like Florida. Although New Yorkers are facing some of the same problems as Floridians down south—namely, affordability issues—56% of Florida voters voted in favor of putting Donald Trump back in the White House in Nov. 2024, compared to 46% of New Yorkers.
Still, even Mamdani—the first Muslim elected New York mayor and one of the youngest in decades—managed to inspire his own ‘MAGA for Mamdani’ base by actually showing up for constituents, regardless of their political affiliation, during his time as a New York Assemblyman and by listening to Trump voters who felt abandoned, ignored, or otherwise fed up with empty platitudes from the Democratic Party.
Megan Romer, a national co-chair of DSA who typically resides in New York, was in town for Floyd’s reelection launch Saturday. She told CL that Mamdani’s win has inspired a lot more DSA members across the country who wouldn’t have thought to run for elected office before, to reconsider.
“People are seeing the way that DSA itself and the sort of structure of the people-powered election movement is effective, not just for getting people elected, but also for making them more effective elected officials,” Romer added.
Mamdani’s victory—and his affordability-driven campaign platform—has also driven more interest in democratic socialism locally. Floyd told CL on Saturday that the NYC mayoral election last fall led to an influx of new members to his affiliated DSA chapter in Pinellas County. “Some of those people are in this room right now,” he said, gesturing to his crowd of supporters.
Floyd confidently told us last November that he thinks the same kind of affordability-focused messaging that won over MAGA Trump voters in New York City could similarly work in Florida, even if it’s coming from a socialist. “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.”
Floyd was admittedly a tough guy to pin down for even a few questions Saturday, even ahead of his official 7 p.m. campaign kickoff time, as people eager to meet or say hi to the city councilman quickly trickled in.
With a retired labor organizer in one corner, and a fellow DSA member in another, Floyd—offering a broad grin and handshakes—was eager to greet his party guests, ranging in age, race and ethnicity. Trevor Pettiford, a former reporter for Bay News 9 who introduced Floyd at the event Saturday, admitted, “I am so happy, as a retired journalist, to see so many young faces.”
Tampa city councilwoman Lynn Hurtak was also at the party Saturday, in addition to former city council candidate and faith-based community organizer Nick Carey (the latter sporting an “Abolish ICE” T-shirt), Pastor Andy Oliver of Allendale United Methodist Church, and advocates on the Dump Duke campaign who are angling to build a publicly-owned, municipal energy provider in St. Pete, similar to those that already exist in 33 other communities across Florida.
“During his first term, Richie has shown again and again that he’s not afraid to stick his neck out against the business interests, against how it’s always been done, against the easy way,” said ‘Dump Duke’ campaign organizer Marley Price, speaking at Floyd’s campaign launch. “At every opportunity I’ve seen Richie work to make real change for regular people, even when he knows it’s not going to be fun, even when he knows he’s going to get to City Hall and he’s going to get yelled at by, sometimes, my very own NIMBY neighbors,” she joked.
Duke Energy’s 30-year franchise agreement with the city of St. Petersburg expires this upcoming summer, and local activists have seized on its expiration date in order to push for the development of a publicly-owned municipal utility. The idea is to, ideally, reduce utility rates, get rid of the profit motive for Duke and instead reinvest the profits back into the community. With Floyd as a key backer, St. Pete City Council last August voted 5–3 to conduct a feasibility study for the idea, advancing what’s been dubbed the “Dump Duke” initiative.
“A profit motive that seeks to suppress workers’ rights and weaken consumer benefits in order to increase stock value is wholly incapable of caring for people in our society that need help the most,” said Floyd. “Things like medical care, housing, food, education and yes, even our electric utilities are public goods that have no business having profits skimmed off the top while people struggle to afford a decent life.”
That idea, he told those crowded at Banana Records, “is where our campaign platform gets its genesis.”
Floyd’s speech Saturday night reemphasized his stated commitment to fighting corporate influence on the dais and pushing for policies to help make the city one that’s affordable for those who haven’t already been priced out by post-pandemic rent hikes or skyrocketing property insurance spikes in recent years.
Affordability has become the hot new term in politics these days—nationally and on a statewide level—as affording decent housing, childcare, utility costs, and groceries has become increasingly out of reach for the average person, renter or homeowner alike.
But Floyd didn’t mince words in addressing more politically-divisive issues that have pitted the Republican-controlled state Legislature and executive office in Tallahassee against the comparatively progressive, LGBTQ-friendly city of St. Pete. “We will not roll over when attacked by hateful people, and we will not be silent when Tallahassee sends road crews in the middle of the night to erase our identities,” Floyd said, referring to a state Department of Transportation directive last year that, across the state, targeted rainbow-colored crosswalks and other roadway art installations.
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“We know that it’s not our minority or LGBTQ neighbors who threaten our well-being,” said Floyd. “We know that dividing people only serves the extremely wealthy in their constant search for profits, and we know that all people want the same thing: a dignified, safe and fun existence.”
Floyd, deviating briefly from localized issues, addressed the fatal shooting of Minneapolis nurse Alex Pettri by federal immigration agents on Saturday, stating, “We’ll not shy away from saying things like Jack-booted thugs should not be on the streets of Minneapolis or any city in this country.”
“We will fight for the dignity and justice for all working people, whether they’re in West St Pete or the West Bank,” he added.
Floyd admitted to CL that it can be lonely being the only leftist on St. Pete City Council. But he doesn’t think this has deterred his ability to advance progressive policies—such as free legal aid for low-income tenants facing eviction—or forced him to capitulate to developers that seek to curry the favor of local electeds.
Floyd was recently sworn in as vice chair of City Council, and said he has been able to build coalitions for different issues “constantly.”
“What’s really impactful for me is having an event like this, bringing people together, going door to door, through District 8’s neighborhoods,” he admitted. “I think the majority of the people in the city support the things that I’m working on, and so that makes it a lot easier.”
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This article appears in Jan. 22 – 28, 2026.