ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A slew of candidates were on the primary election ballot for the two St. Petersburg City Council seats. Perhaps too many because no one in either race won the majority.
Five candidates were running for the District 3 seat and six people were running for the District 7 seat.
Now, two candidates for each seat will appear on voters' ballots on Nov. 5.
The District 3 race is to replace council member Ed Montanari, who has reached his term limit of four years. He is currently the only Republican serving on the City Council, although seats are technically nonpartisan.
In District 7, the candidates are vying for John Muhammad's seat who decided not to run.
Here's a look at both city council seat races and the candidates.
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St. Petersburg City Council District 3 candidates
- Pete Boland
- Education: Culinary school at the Art Institute of Tampa, Studied at St. Petersburg College and College of Central Florida
- Owns The Gallery: A St. Pete Tavern, The Ship's Hold cocktail bar and Mary Margaret's Olde Irish Tavern
- Platform:
- Wants to expand affordable housing by "building up" using the existing housing stock
- Invest money in the St. Petersburg Police Department
- Expanding Albert Whitted Airport
- Mike Harting
- Education: University of Florida
- 30-year career in hospitality and founded 3 Daughters Brewing, where he is CEO
- Platform:
- Repairing infrastructure such as pump stations to mitigate flooding
- Create public-private partnerships to lower workforce housing costs
St. Petersburg City Council District 3 candidates
- Corey Givens Jr.
- Education: Associate's from Florida State University, Bachelor's in Mass Communication from the University of South Florida and currently pursuing a master's
- Serves on the Pinellas County Schools Independent Citizens Referendum Oversight Committee
- Platform:
- Increase affordable housing
- Repair stress and sidewalks and protect natural resources
- Increase support for early childhood education programs and provide child care and summer work programs
- Wengay "Newt" Newton
- Education: Associate's in Electronic Engineering
- Former St. Petersburg City Council member for District 7 and former Florida House Representative
- Platform:
- Supports "good paying jobs recognizing the plight of the working poor"
- Mitigating flooding in low-lying areas
- Increase affordable housing using programs such as Habitat for Humanity
