Lawyer announces bid for St. Petersburg City Council
Scott Orsini joins Anthony Cates III and Deborah Figgs-Sanders as the three candidates who have filed their campaign paper work.
From left to right: Deborah Figgs-Sanders, Scott Orsini, Anthony Cates III
By Josh Solomon
ST. PETERSBURG — Lawyer Scott Orsini on Wednesday filed to run for City Council, joining two other candidates who have already tossed their hats in the ring.
Orsini filed to run in District 1, which encompasses much of the Tyrone area. That seat is currently held by Council Chairman Charlie Gerdes, who is prohibited from running again due to term limits.
Orsini joins Anthony Cates III, a former mayoral candidate, and Deborah Figgs-Sanders, a member of the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area Citizen Advisory Committee and former executive director of the Childs Park YMCA, who have already filed to run.
Cates, who announced his candidacy last month, and Figgs-Sanders, who filed her paper work Monday, are both vying for the District 5 seat, which includes Lakewood Estates and Pinellas Point. That seat is currently occupied by Council member Steve Kornell, who is also term-limited.
Orsini said he is endorsed by Gerdes and Mayor Rick Kriseman, both of whom are also lawyers.
Council members Ed Montanari of District 3, which encompasses the Fourth Street N corridor and includes Shore Acres, and Lisa Wheeler-Bowman of District 7, which abuts Gulfport, are both up for re-election, though neither has filed campaign paper work with the city clerk.
Candidates have until June 21 to file. The primary election is Aug. 27.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story had an inaccurate filing deadline. It has been updated.
Contact Josh Solomon at jsolomon@tampabay.com or (813) 909-4613. Follow @ByJoshSolomon.
Work on a 'gateway' to St. Pete's Pier District will mean a six-month street closure downtown
The $1.7 million project will create a pedestrian connection to the Pier District, which is expected to reach a total cost of $92 million.
Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed more than $3.9 million in Pinellas budget requests. What's the impact?
Although many who asked for money saw their requests approved, others did not make the governor's final cut.
Caddy's, residents settle dispute over restaurant noise. St. Pete Beach location to open soon.
After legal action and a work stoppage, renovations will resume at Caddy's St. Pete Beach, which agreed to limit noise and access along the water.
New St. Petersburg police unit helps homeless by getting to know them
It takes time to build a rapport with those living on the street or in the woods. That's how the new Police Assisting the Homeless unit, or PATH, is slowly making inroads.
Does Pinellas school leader Mike Grego want to be Hillsborough's superintendent? He's not saying no.
He said he hasn't thought about applying for the top schools job in neighboring Hillsborough County. But he will "at the appropriate time."