Rick Kriseman
| Rick Kriseman | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Mayor of St. Petersburg | |
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Assumed office January 2, 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Bill Foster |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 53rd district |
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In office November 21, 2006 – November 20, 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Charlie Justice |
| Succeeded by | John Tobia |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 2, 1962 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Kerry Kriseman |
| Children | 2 |
| Education |
University of Florida (BA) Stetson University (JD) |
| Website |
Official website Government website |
Rick Kriseman (born August 2, 1962) is an American politician who currently serves as the Mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, and represented the 53rd District from 2006 to 2012.
Kriseman was born in Detroit, Michigan, and moved to the state of Florida in 1972, where he attended Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport. He then matriculated to the University of Florida, graduating with a bachelor's degree in broadcasting in 1984. Following graduation, Kriseman attended the Stetson University College of Law, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1987. He was active in local politics, serving as a charter member of the Lake Pasadena Neighborhood Association and working as State Representative Lars Hafner's campaign manager.
Kriseman ran for a seat on the St. Petersburg City Council in 1999, challenging incumbent City Councilman Robert Kersteen. Though voter turnout was low, the city's purchase of the Sunken Gardens, which was on the ballot as a referendum, increased voter enthusiasm about the election. Ultimately, Kriseman lost to Kersteen by a wide margin, receiving 41% of the vote to Kersteen's 59%. However, when Kersteen resigned from the City Council to unsuccessfully run for the State House in 2000, Kriseman was appointed to replace him. He ran for re-election in 2001, just several months after his replacement, and faced Dennis Homol, Sr., a wastewater treatment plant mechanic. Kriseman campaigned on his plans to raise the city's quality of life by promoting economic development and effective law enforcement, and expressed his support for an ordinance to ease regulations for homeowners seeking to add bedrooms to their homes, while Komol campaigned on his support for building desalination plants. He won re-election over Komol in a landslide, winning 76% of the vote to Komol's 24%. When he ran for re-election in 2003, he was challenged by Komol once again, who attacked Kriseman and the City Council for being too friendly and not debating enough. Kriseman disputed Komol's assertion, pointing out that he regularly voted against Mayor Rick Baker, specifically when he voted against a mayoral pay raise and when he voted for allowing alcohol sales on Sundays. He campaigned on a "progressive" vision for the city, which included support for "pedestrian safe zones, land-banking, live Internet access to council meetings and creative use of swimming pools such as holding "dog paddles" so people can bring their pets to swim," noting that government can be "about creating opportunities for fun, too." Once again, Kriseman won re-election overwhelmingly over Komol, and received 76% of the vote again.
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