St. Petersburg City Council Members — St. Petersburg, Florida

St. Petersburg, the most populous city in Pinellas County with a population of 260,646 according to the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023, operates under a strong mayor–council form of government as documented on the city's official website. Under this structure, the mayor serves as chief executive — overseeing city operations, proposing the annual budget, and appointing departmental directors — while the eight-member City Council serves as the city's primary legislative body. Mayor Kenneth T. Welch, inaugurated as the city's 54th mayor on January 6, 2022, leads the executive branch, according to the Mayor's Office page on stpete.org.

Each of the eight council members represents a geographic district and is elected by that district's residents to a four-year term, with a limit of two full successive terms of office. As of 2026, the council's composition spans a range of professional and civic backgrounds, from a brewery founder to an ordained minister to a former federal prosecutor. Council meetings are held at City Hall, located at 175 Fifth St. N., and are broadcast live on StPeteTV, as documented by the City of St. Petersburg's official council page.

The eight council districts span the full geographic breadth of St. Petersburg, from its northern neighborhoods to South St. Pete. The City of St. Petersburg's official council page and the Committee of the Whole page document the full current roster as of 2026.

At the start of 2026, the St. Petersburg City Council underwent a leadership transition documented by Florida Politics and confirmed by the city's Committee of the Whole page. Lisset Hanewicz of District 4 assumed the role of Council Chair, and Richie Floyd of District 8 became Vice-Chair. Copley Gerdes (District 1), who had served as Chair through 2025 — having been elevated to that role at the January 2, 2025 swearing-in ceremony per the city's official press release — was recognized for his service in that capacity as the transition took effect.

Hanewicz brings a legal background to the Chair role. Florida Politics reports she is descended from a Cuban exile family, was the first in her family to attend college and law school, and previously served as both an Assistant State Attorney and an Assistant U.S. Attorney. Floyd, representing District 8, is a Florida native originally from Fort Walton Beach, as noted on the city's District 8 profile page.

The January 2, 2025 swearing-in ceremony, documented in the City of St. Petersburg's official press release, brought several new and reelected members to the dais. Among the newly seated members, Mike Harting of District 3 is the founder and CEO of 3 Daughters Brewing, a St. Petersburg craft brewery. Bay News 9 identified Harting's small-business background as a defining characteristic he brought to the council when he took office in January 2025.

Corey Givens Jr., who took the District 7 seat representing South St. Petersburg at the same ceremony, is identified by the city's official District 7 profile as a fourth-generation St. Petersburg native, an ordained Baptist minister affiliated with Suncoast Church, and a graduate of both the University of South Florida St. Petersburg — where he earned a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications — and Bethune-Cookman University, where he earned a master's degree in Christian Ministry. Bay News 9 described Givens as the youngest member of the council at the time of his swearing-in.

Deborah Figgs-Sanders of District 5 was among the members reaffirmed at the January 2025 ceremony. Brandi Gabbard holds District 2, and Gina Driscoll represents District 6. All district assignments and biographical materials for current members are maintained on the City of St. Petersburg's official council page.

The legislative agenda heading into 2025 was shaped significantly by back-to-back hurricane impacts. Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck in rapid succession in fall 2024, and members sworn in on January 2, 2025 cited hurricane recovery — particularly the return of displaced residents to their homes — affordable housing, and public safety as primary priorities, as documented in the city's official swearing-in press release and reported by the San Pedro Gazette in January 2025.

The council also advanced a major economic development commitment. According to the San Pedro Gazette, the City Council approved $287.5 million in bonds to fund the Historic Gas Plant District Redevelopment Project — a large public-private undertaking that includes plans for a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball franchise alongside broader mixed-use development on the city's downtown waterfront. This vote represented one of the most consequential financial decisions in the council's recent history.

The City of St. Petersburg's 2026 elections page documents that elections for Mayor and City Council Districts 2, 4, 6, and 8 are scheduled for 2026, with terms beginning in January 2027 and running through January 2031. The seats of Brandi Gabbard (District 2), Lisset Hanewicz (District 4), Gina Driscoll (District 6), and Richie Floyd (District 8) are among those on the ballot. The mayor's seat is also up for election in the same cycle.

Council members serve four-year terms and are limited to two full successive terms of office, as established in the city's governing structure and documented on the official council page. Members are elected by the residents of their individual districts, meaning each of the eight districts holds its own election rather than citywide at-large voting.

Regular City Council meetings are held at City Hall, 175 Fifth St. N., and are broadcast live on StPeteTV, giving residents across the city the opportunity to follow legislative proceedings. The public meeting structure is described by the city as foundational to its governance model, and agendas and archived meeting materials are maintained on the city's official website.