After running a months-long unopposed campaign for an open seat on the St. Petersburg City Council, middle school teacher and community organizer Richie Floyd has drawn an opponent for the District 8 seat, which covers neighborhoods in central St. Petersburg east and west of 34th Street.
Dr. Dane Kuplicki (pictured), a 34-year-old optometrist at VIP Eye Care of St. Petersburg filed to run for the District 8 seat on Monday, which will be vacated by term-limited city councilwoman Amy Foster in January of 2022.
The primary election for St. Pete’s municipal races is August 24. The general election, whereby the top two candidates in the district-wide primary advance to a city-wide vote, is set for Nov 2.
“I believe that the Council will face tough decisions in the coming years,” Kuplicki said in a press release announcing his campaign. “There are some big issues on the table, like affordable housing, racial and gender equity, costal [sic] resilience, transportation and the redevelopment of Tropicana Field.”
The son of two Pinellas County public school teachers, Kuplicki is a graduate of the University of South Florida St. Pete, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in finance and pre-optometry. Born and raised in Seminole, Florida, Kuplicki went on to receive his doctorate in optometry from Indiana University.
After college, Kuplicki says he worked for Moore Resources, a locally-owned insurance company in St. Petersburg. “I really enjoyed working with individual homeowners, and small businesses here in the community. I learned a lot about what makes St. Pete so special and how we need to preserve all of the things that make it unique.”
Now employed with VIP Eye Care, a locally-owned private practice, Kuplicki volunteers in his free time with St. Pete Young Professionals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneer-themed Glazer Family Foundation Vision Mobile bus, which provides students with eye exams.
The 29-year-old Floyd, Kuplicki’s sole opponent in the District 8 race thus far, filed to run for St. Pete City Council in November of last year. Floyd, a Fort Walton native, moved to St. Petersburg in 2018 to work for Honeywell Aerospace as a systems engineer. However, he left his position at Honeywell in 2019 to become a science and engineering teacher, which he says better aligns with his values.
“I worked for the military-industrial complex and I’m a progressive, so I didn’t necessarily feel comfortable there,” Floyd told Bay News 9. “I saw an opportunity to educate kids in science and engineering. So I took it.”
Through his connections in the community as a labor activist, teacher, and organizer, Floyd’s people-powered campaign easily developed a robust, grassroots network of support for his campaign following the initial launch.
Since November, Floyd’s campaign has organized socially-distanced volunteer canvasses nearly every weekend at Seminole Park to gather petitions to qualify his candidacy.
Floyd told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that his campaign has gathered more than 750 petitions in support of his candidacy—surpassing the 500 petitions needed to qualify. Municipal candidates must qualify their candidacy by petition or by paying a fee. For this year’s elections, the qualifying period runs from June 3-18, 2021.
Floyd has emphasized his plans to advocate for strengthening workers’ rights, expanding affordable housing options, and supporting strong climate justice initiatives in the city.
Floyd was heavily involved in the statewide movement to pass Florida’s Amendment 2 for a $15 minimum wage last year, and has been a vocal proponent of St. Pete’s new Community Assistance and Life Liaison (CALL) pilot program, led by Gulf Coast Jewish and Community Services in partnership with the St. Pete Police Department.
The program, which was developed in response to calls for police accountability and reform last year, currently has mental health workers respond to nonviolent 911 calls with law enforcement, including calls related to mental health crises, truancy, drug overdose, and complaints regarding the city’s homeless population.
Like Kuplicki, Floyd also understands the importance of effectively tackling issues like the upcoming redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site and navigating challenges facing city residents as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Four city council races seats are on the ballot this year, with Amy Foster of District 8 and Darden Rice of District 4—now a candidate for St. Pete’s next mayor—forced to vacate their seats due to term limits. City council terms are four years, with two-term limits.
As of February, Floyd has received the most individual contributions of any candidate running for St. Pete city council this year, with an average donation amount of $27.
“Over 50 volunteers have helped us knock on over 3,000 doors in the district, and we've received endorsements from Our Revolution Florida, and the Pinellas, Tampa, and Orlando chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America,” Floyd told CL in an email.
“I'm looking forward to debating the issues facing the city, and our campaign is excited to fight for better lives for the working people and everyday families of District 8, and St. Pete.”
Although City Council races are nonpartisan, Kuplicki, according to voter records, is also registered as a Democrat.
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This article appears in Mar 25-31, 2021.