After going to bat day after day for residents at Tampa City Hall, Robin Lockett wants a change of scenery.
Last month, the 61-year-old Regional Director of Florida Rising’s Regional filed paperwork to become the next State Representative for District 63 where Dianne “Ms Dee” Hart-Lowman is termed-out.
The filing comes three years after Lockett took long time, well-liked Tampa City Councilman Guido Maniscalco to a runoff for the District 2 seat in city hall.
Two other Democrats—Jacqueline Coffie-Leeks, and Conrad Schupay—have also filed to run.
Coffie-Leeks is the Executive Director at Bethesda Ministries, and Schupay is a veteran of the armed forces who now works on risk management for Citi. He spent two years working at The City of Tampa assisting City departments in project management.
Hart-Lowman told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that she is 100% supporting Lockett’s candidacy, citing the work her preferred-successor has been doing on the ground for more than three decades.
“She’s worked on housing stability for renters and voting rights. She is working, and has worked on, the very same issues that we’re currently dealing with up there right now, and it won’t stop this year. It’ll be back next year, and the next year,” Hart-Lowmann added. “So I believe that she will definitely be a true fighter for the people of Florida.”
Lockett—who started community work in her early-30s when she worked on a Fair Districts Amendment and as a NAACP Political Chair—told CL that while she didn’t end up a councilwoman, the journey was a win.
“Running for city council, that was the best thing I did. The race allowed me to listen to people outside of my ecosystem,—and it gave me a brighter vision in regards to what Tampa really needs,” Lockett added.
Named “Best Public Servant Not On The Taxpayer Dime” the 2023 Best of the Bay awards—Lockett will officially launch her campaign on Tuesday, March 31 during a kickoff celebration at The Well in Tampa’s Jackson Heights neighborhood.
Reached by CL, several Tampa City Council members noted how Lockett constantly shows up at city hall, without fail, to advocate for Tampeños.
Maniscalco called Lockett “fearless,” and noted the “interesting” circumstances in Tallahassee right now where Republican enjoy a 86-34 supermajority of 86 seats to 34 over Democrats.
“She would be a good voice for the community because she always comes out,” Maniscalco told CL. “She’s very persistent and consistent, and her heart is in the right place.”
“Robin is literally a person who is showing up and doing the work. She’s at council every single week. She has issues that are important to the community, that she’s tracking. She’s doing it,” Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak told CL. “I can’t imagine she’d be any different in the house.”
Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera once heard Lockett take him to task when he said that a push for rent control may land the city in legal hot water. He told CL that Lockett has always been at the forefront of affordable housing issues and that they even worked on a tenants bill of rights together.
“Robin’s always been a presence on city council, always been a powerful force on there, and just a forceful advocate in a time when you need forceful advocates for justice-related issues,” Viera, who’s running for a different state house seat, added.
In a text message, Tampa City Councilman Bill Carlson told CL, “Robin is a tireless and passionate advocate for the community who has worked closely with city Council to find solutions for housing and affordability.”
While councilmembers are nonpartisan, Council chairman Alan Clendenin, a lifelong Democrat, has known Lockett for more than 15 years and seen her in many different roles, from community activist, housing advocate, and more.
“She probably will end up being one of the best prepared persons to ever go to Tallahassee if she’s successful,” Clendenin told CL, citing how much homework Lockett does day-to-day on topics that like pre-emption that affect local officials ability to govern. “She didn’t just wake up one morning to decide that she’s going to run for the state house. She’s put in the time and the energy to learn the job for years, she’s asked tough questions, and she’s going to be extraordinary as a state legislator.”
Lockett told CL that in Tallahassee, she would bring similar issues to the capitol. Affordable housing not just for homeowners, but for renters, too, is among those issues, along with education, healthcare for seniors and a cause near and dear to Rep. Hart-Lowman—criminal justice reform.
In the meantime, Lockett said that folks might need to put a sign in the front row gallery seat she usually takes in front of the dais every Thursday.
Hart-Lowmann, for her part, said she’s looking forward to coming home, getting to know her new husband who she married in December, and spending time with grandkids. She also has no allusions about the fact that she’ll continue to advocate for constituents as they work for more affordable housing, and criminal justice.
“I won’t stop here,” she added. “I will continue to work, but just at a different level.”
Early voting for the 2026 Primary Election runs Aug. 3-16, with Election Day on Aug. 18. The deadline to register or change parties is July 20, according to the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.
This is a developing post.
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This article appears in Mar. 05 – 11, 2026.