16 candidates file to run in St. Petersburg city council races


Sixteen candidates have filed to run for four city council seats in St. Petersburg, Florida. A primary is scheduled for August 27, and the general election is on November 5. The filing deadline for this election was June 21.
 
District 1 incumbent Charlie Gerdes and District 5 incumbent Steve Kornell are both ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits. City council members serve four-year terms and are limited to two consecutive terms (eight years) in office.
 
Three candidates—Scott Orsini, Robert G. Blackmon, and John Hornbeck—have filed to run for the open seat in District 1. District 3 incumbent John “Ed” Montanari is running for re-election against Orlando A. Acosta and Zachary James Collins. In the open seat in District 5, six candidates—Anthony Cates, Philip Garrett, Deborah Figgs-Sanders, Trenia Cox, Beth Connor, and Anne Lenholt Hirsch—have filed to run. District 7 incumbent Lisa Wheeler-Bowman faces three challengers in her re-election bid. She will face Eritha Brandis Cainion, Chico Cromartie, and Sarah Elizabeth Moore in the primary.
 
St. Petersburg is the fifth-largest city in Florida and the 77th-largest city in the U.S. by population. In 2019, Ballotpedia is covering elections in 59 of America’s 100 largest cities by population.