Rick Baker (mayor)
| Rick Baker | |
|---|---|
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| Mayor of St. Petersburg | |
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In office April 1, 2001 – January 2, 2010 |
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| Preceded by | David Fischer |
| Succeeded by | Bill Foster |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 27, 1956 Chicago, Illinois |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Joyce Baker |
| Alma mater | Florida State University |
Rick Baker (born June 27, 1956) is the former mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida. Elected in 2001, he was reelected in November 2005 with more than 70% of the votes cast.
Born in Chicago, Baker is married to wife Joyce. While attending Florida State University, Baker was the President of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. He also served as the school's senior class president and president of the Student Senate. Baker has a long background in management and law. Baker received a BS in management, an MBA and Juris Doctor (honors) from Florida State University. He also studied comparative law for a semester abroad at University of Oxford. Baker has practiced corporate and business law for 20 years, serving as president of Fisher and Sauls, P.A., a St. Petersburg law firm. Prior to his election as mayor, Baker served as the chairman of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce. He is also the author of Mangroves to Major League, a historical account of the development of the city of St. Petersburg.
A home-buying assistance program for St. Petersburg school teachers, and pioneered a program to use school property for new public-use playgrounds, setting a goal of having a playground within a half mile of every child in the city.
In 2005, 38 percent of the city's schools improved their Florida state ratings based on FCAT test results, compared to 10 percent of Florida public schools and 12 percent within the Pinellas County school system.
After his first 5 years as mayor a group of pastors led a protest march to call for an end to gang violence that had claimed the lives of 85 young African Americans.
In addition to focusing on youth and education, Baker had also focused on revitalizing the city's urban core, Midtown, and improving city services.
As Baker continued his second term, St. Petersburg continued a period of economic growth. There is currently more than $1 billion in downtown developments underway downtown, including construction of more than 1,000 new residential units, a new corporate headquarters for Progress Energy, two downtown hotels, renovation of the city's Mahaffey Theater, development of a new waterfront park and a new building for the Salvador Dalí Museum, which is located in the Progress Energy Center for the Arts.
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