The city of St. Petersburg operates under a strong mayor and city council system. The St. Petersburg City Council is the non-partisan governing body of the City. The Council is responsible for legislating ordinances and resolutions, approving the city budget, appointing the charter review commission, and establishing a code of ethics for the city government and city employees. The Council consists of eight Council Members, elected from each of the eight districts of the City. Elections for the City Council are held in even-numbered years, usually with each election including four of the eight districts.In the general election, all eligible city voters vote "at large" for the candidates running in all of the Districts that are on the ballot.Term: 4 years Salary: $67,275/yearClick here to view the June 23rd Candidate Forum: https://youtu.be/P47dxOjwPNA?si=EkrfIu1CYygSzg5hFor a detailed video explanation of the role of City Council, click here…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LdBHrgaWZo
Education
Medix College, certified EMT
Professional Experience
LCAM @ Condominium Associates
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Campaign Phone
(727)667-1458
Education
JD, University of Florida and Bachelor of Arts, University of Florida
Professional Experience
Current: Assistant Public Defender, 13th Judicial Circuit; Prior to law school: Investment Advisor Representative, Foundations and Charitable Accounts
Public Service
Current: Assistant Public Defender; Prior to law school I served on my school district's (Sarasota) financial advisory committee overseeing the district's reserve investment account ($50 million) and ensuring proceeds from the optional 1-mil were allocated in alignment with the voters' intent.
• The first question I will always ask when making budgetary decisions is “How will this impact public safety for our community?” Because there is a significant likelihood that fewer resources will be available for our first responders should the homestead exemption be increased to $250,000 by 2028, I cannot support the constitutional amendment as drafted. Should it pass, the City will have to explore assessing an emergency services fee to maintain the current level of service.
• Additionally, I oppose this amendment because it offers no relief for renters.
• And finally, such a drastic restructuring of municipal finance and taxation will likely result in credit downgrades, increasing borrowing costs for critical infrastructure.
• I support the $600 million GO bond to accelerate the completion of upgrades to our stormwater management systems and hardening of key infrastructure to minimize service disruptions during the next major storm. I will also seek funding for a matching grant program for homeowners seeking to implement hardening measures such as improved property drainage, raising A/C and water heaters, and hurricane resistant windows and doors.
• Residents encountered delay and frustration when seeking permits after Helene and Milton. We must be prepared to quickly augment the City’s bandwidth with additional inspectors and clean-up personnel. To avoid triggering the 49% rule, the City should waive all costs and fees associated with permit approvals.
• Public input should guide the redevelopment of the HGPD, while a thoroughly-vetted development partner should execute that vision. I support the Mayor’s plan to work with the St. Pete Downtown Partnership and the Urban Land Institute to compile the last decade of charette planning and public input, allow the community to examine the initial proposals and provide feedback, which will likely result in modifications to the proposals, and then select a finalist for the Council’s approval. Sale of part or all of the land to a development partner, who will then execute the community’s vision, could result in a significant windfall for the City and allow the City to reduce the amount borrowed under the $600 million GO resiliency bond.
• I am running as an openly gay candidate for City Council. I will be a strong LGBTQ+ voice on City Council and push back against this wave of discrimination and bigotry coming out of Tallahassee and Washington. I have been advocating for the protection and expansion of the civil rights of others for my entire adult life. My passion for civic advocacy led me to law school so that I could be equipped with the knowledge and credentials to take the fight for civil rights and equality to the next level. Our campaign is proud to have received the endorsements of the Stonewall Democratic Caucus of Pinellas County and Equality Florida Action PAC.
• Generally speaking, I support sending large bonding proposals to the voters for approval. At this moment, it appears the stadium funding discussion is moot with the Rays in negotiations with the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County.
• I support the City’s June 4th vote to hire a third-party consulting firm to study the feasibility of creating a public utility. I am now waiting to read the study. My decision-making framework at this time is focused on weighing the potential long-term savings against (i) legal costs associated with acquiring the utility infrastructure through eminent domain, and (ii) any risk to the City’s credit rating particularly in the context of the likely issuance of a $600 million general obligation bond for storm resiliency projects and likely more debt issuance associated with infrastructure for the Historic Gas Plant redevelopment.
*I completed this questionnaire without the use of AI.
