This November, voters in St. Petersburg will decide on their next mayor, and have the opportunity to cast votes for candidates running in several City Council races. All municipal races in St. Pete are non-partisan, but here are some basic dates and ballot info to get familiar with now.
Important general election dates and deadlines:
• General election day: Nov. 2, 2021 (Note: There is no Early Voting period for St. Pete municipal elections, so get on that mail ballot,)
• Last day to register to vote: Oct. 4, 2021 (before 5 p.m.)
• Last day to request a mail ballot: Oct. 23, 2021 (before 5 p.m.)
• Military and overseas voter mailing deadline: Sept. 18, 2021
Many of the most important issues facing St. Pete residents, such as affordable housing, public safety, infrastructure, community health, and economic opportunity for workers and small businesses are influenced by decisions made by local governmental officials.
While some things can be better (or must be) addressed on the federal or state levels, there’s a lot that goes down in the halls—and Zoom calls—of our city leaders, including St. Petersburg’s mayor and City Council members.
Because Creative Loafing Tampa Bay is committed to making local news (and information about local elections) accessible for all, we’ve put together a rundown for what will be on the municipal general election ballot.
What’s on the ballot
This year, voters in St. Pete will elect the city’s next mayor and have the opportunity to vote for City Council members in Districts 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8. Furthermore, the ballot will also contain one referendum question and seven questions regarding city charter amendments.
St. Pete’s current mayor, Rick Kriseman, is unable to file for a third term in office, due to term limits. He will be succeeded by one of the two remaining candidates campaigning for mayor: Ken Welch or Robert Blackmon.
City Council Districts 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 have two candidates, each, that will appear on the ballot for all voters in St. Pete.
City Council Districts 2 and 6 have incumbents who are seeking re-election. Since each incumbent received only a single challenger, all four candidates (including the two incumbents) automatically advanced to the general. Their names did not appear on the primary election ballot.
All municipal contests in St. Pete on the General ballot this November will be decided at large—meaning voters citywide will have the opportunity to cast their vote for mayor and for candidates in all five City Council races.
Who’s running for mayor
Of the eight candidates who appeared on the primary election ballot, only two candidates—Robert Blackmon and Ken Welch—will be squaring off this November in the general, after securing the highest number of votes on Aug. 24.
Welch, a registered Democrat and former Republican who served on the Pinellas County Commissioner for two decades, received the largest percentage of votes in the primary—nearly 40% of the vote, equivalent to 21,927 votes citywide. Blackmon, a registered Republican of “we nearly evicted three tenants during a pandemic" fame followed Welch with 15,659 votes, or a little over 28% of the vote.
St. Pete City Council District 1
Out of four candidates vying for the District 1 seat in August, City Council candidates Bobbie Shay Lee and Copley Gerdes have advanced to the general election. Lee—a former nonprofit director, former TECO lobbyist, breast cancer advocate—got 33.76% of the vote, while Gerdes—a financial advisor, son of former City Council member Charlie Gerdes— received 33.81% of the vote. Needless to say, it was a close tie for the No. 1 spot.
District 1 is up for election in 2021 due to the resignation of City Council member Robert Blackmon of District 1, who is currently running for Mayor. Blackmon’s resignation will be effective Jan. 5, 2021. Whoever is elected in the District 1 race this November will complete Blackmon’s term through the first Thursday in January 2024.
St. Pete City Council District 2
District 2 incumbent Brandi Gabbard, a real estate broker, will face small business owner and Marine Corps veteran Kyle Hall, who is challenging Gabbard’s bid for a second term in office. There was no primary election for this race.
St. Pete City Council District 4
City Council candidates Lisset Hanewicz and Tom Mullins won the highest number of votes in the August primary. Their names will appear on the general election ballot for District 4.
In the August primary, Hanewicz—a former prosecutor and community advocate—won nearly 42% of votes cast on a ballot with four other candidates. Mullins—a Raymond James investment banker and anti-“woke” candidate—trailed behind Hanewicz with about 24% of the vote.
St. Pete City Council District 6
District 6 incumbent Gina Driscoll will face Mhariel Summers—former District Secretary for State Rep. Michele Rayner (D-70), former campaign staffer for Charlie Crist (for Congress) and Phillip Levine (for Governor)—who is challenging Driscoll’s bid for a second term in office. There was no primary election for this race.
St. Pete City Council District 8
From the August primary, City Council candidates Richie Floyd—a middle school teacher, community activist, and political organizer—and Jeff Danner became the top two contenders for District 8, advancing to the general election.
Floyd led the August primary vote by a mile, earning 51.81% of the total vote in District 8, equivalent to 3,087 votes. Danner—a former City Council member in District 8 (2005-2014)—who came in second, received about 27% of the vote, or 1,605 votes.
St. Pete general election ballot questions
One city of St. Petersburg referendum and seven charter amendments will appear on the 2021 St. Pete Municipal general election ballot. Read the full descriptions of these ballot questions via votepinellas.org.
Referendum question: Providing City Council with the Authority to Grant Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax Exemptions If passed, this charter amendment would allow City Council to authorize property tax exemptions to new businesses and expansions of existing businesses that are expected to create new, full-time jobs in St. Pete, pursuant to the Article VII of the State Constitution.
No. 1 Charter Amendment: Limiting City Council Elections to Voters in the Applicable Council District and Making Related Changes Would amend the city charter to limit City Council elections to their respective districts for both the Primary and general elections. It would also allow candidates who receive more than 50% of the vote in the Primary to be elected (Note: currently the top two in the primary advance to the General), and “make other clarifying changes”.
No. 2 Charter Amendment: Establishing New Process for Drawing District Boundaries for Election of City Council Members This charter amendment would create a new process for drawing City Council District boundaries, which occurs every 10 years. The amendment contains additional recommendations for how this process would occur (e.g. requiring comprehensive standards for drawing equitable district boundaries).
No. 3 Charter Amendment: Establishing an Equity Framework and Chief Equity Officer for City Government This charter amendment would establish an “equity framework” for addressing equity gaps on the basis of characteristics such as race and ethnicity. This would also require the creation of an equity action plan, which would be regularly assessed. A Chief Equity Officer position for the city would also be created, in order to head this initiative.
No. 4 Charter Amendment: Establishing a Requirement for Charter-Protected Equity Funding Require that the city designate “Charter-protected equity funding” to address equity gaps on the basis of characteristics such as race and ethnicity, and prevent the protected funding from being used for other purposes.
No. 5 Charter Amendment: Establishing New Requirements Related to City Administrator, City Clerk, and City Council Administrative Officer A charter amendment that would 1) require the City Administrator be a resident of St. Pete 2) clarify that the City Clerk works for both the Mayor and City Council, which would require the consent of both for the removal of the City Clerk 3) amend City Council Administrative Officer duties 4) make “related changes”
No. 6 Charter Amendment A charter amendment proposed to resolve a scheduling conflict that currently exists with the Charter-review process and the process for redrawing district boundaries, both of which occur nearly simultaneously every ten years. Plus, “make other changes” to ensure the integrity of the Charter-review process.
No. 7 Charter Amendment: Adding a Preamble to Describe the Spirit of the Charter and the City’s Governing Philosophy Add a preamble to the city charter that would contain a “concise statement” describing the City’s governing philosophy (e.g. goals, vision, values).
St. Pete general election FAQs
Here are answers to a few miscellaneous questions about the upcoming elections. For information about how and where to vote, visit the Vote Pinellas website.
• How do I register to vote? You can register to vote online or by mailing in a print application.
To do this, you have several options:
Online: Complete the online voter registration
Mail: Download a voter registration application and mail it to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections office. Find the application in Spanish here.
Find an application: The PDF/paper voter registration application form is also available at Tax Collector Offices, Disability Offices, libraries, City and Town Halls, etc. You can find the full list of places to find an application here.
If you’re having difficulty with any of these options, call the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections office (Vote Pinellas) at (727) 464-VOTE (8683) for further assistance.
• How can I check to make sure that I’m registered?
You can check the status of your voter registration via votepinellas.org or by calling the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections office to confirm.
• What if I need to change my address?
You may update your address online or mail in a new voter registration application with your updated address. Visit this votepinellas.org for instructions on both.
Note: To update your address online, you’ll need a Florida driver’s license or other Florida identification (ID) card, as well as the issued date of that card and your Social Security Number (SSN4).
• Are municipal races partisan?
Not officially, no. Some candidates running for office may refer to their political affiliation in their campaigning, but St. Pete’s municipal races are non-partisan.
• How do I know which district I’m in?
The City of St. Petersburg website has an interactive City Council Districts & Maps page.
Steps for how to identify your district using the map linked above:
Find the ‘Layers List’ (blue tab), located on the upper-right side of your screen
Click on the ‘Click for Map Layers’ tab (not the check-box, just the tab) to expand
Click on the ‘City Boundaries’ tab
Underneath that, find and click the check-box of the ‘Council Districts’ tab
From there, you can zoom in and out to find your address and associated district, based on the visual labeling of the Districts Map
You can also find your district by visiting the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office’s Find Your Precinct and Polling Place page, or by calling the office directly at (727) 464-8683.
• How do I request a mail ballot?
You can request a mail ballot for the St. Pete Municipal general election online by visiting this page and proceeding with the interactive application.
If you experience difficulty requesting your mail ballot online, you can also call the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office at (727) 464-8683 to request a mail ballot.
Note: The deadline to apply for a mail ballot is Oct. 4, 2021.
• How often do these elections occur?
City Council members and the Mayor serve for four-year terms. This year, the Mayor’s office and five out of eight City Council seats (*1, 2, 4, 6, 8) are up for election.
City Council seats for Districts 1, 3, 5, and 7 will be up for election in 2023.
*District 1 is up for election this year due to the resignation of Robert Blackmon, effective January 5, 2022 at 11:59 P.M. However, the District will again be up for election in 2023 with the other odd-number districts
In the upcoming weeks and months prior to Election Day on Nov. 2, CL will be working on additional coverage of the St. Pete Municipal races.
Got tips? Suggestions for what you’d like to see CL cover as it relates to the upcoming general election? Contact CL contributor McKenna Schueler at [email protected] and CL editor-in-chief Ray Roa at [email protected].
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