Pinellas County Sheriff candidates to speak at Wednesday’s Suncoast Tiger Bay virtual forum

Wednesday (Oct. 14)  at noon, The Suncoast Tiger Bay Club will hold a virtual forum featuring the two candidates running for Pinellas County Sheriff. They are:

• Bob Gualtieri, the Republican incumbent who has served as Sheriff since 2011 when he was appointed to the position by Governor Rick Scott. He has since served as chairman of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission and the president of the Florida Sheriff’s Association.
• Eliseo Santana, a Democrat who worked as worked for more than 30 years as a communications maintenance supervisor at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office before stepping down in 2012. Since that time, he’s served as a community activist, heading up the local chapters of both LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) and Puerto Rico Connect.

During the forum, the candidates will share their platforms and positions and will then participate in a question-and-answer session moderated by Catalyst publisher Joe Hamilton. 

The event is free of charge for Tiger Bay members and $5 for non-members, though organizers encourage donating the $25 price of the regular lunch meeting. Money raised goes to support continuing programming and support for the Young Tigers Scholarship Program.

A link to the Zoom video will be sent via email the day before the event and the day of the event. The registration deadline is Wednesday at 11 a.m. To sign up, click here. 

Other upcoming events include a series of free online forums on the presidential race and proposed state constitutional amendments that are being held in conjunction with nine other Tiger Bay clubs across the state. 

• Friday, Oct. 16 at noon: a panel discussion previewing the presidential election
• Friday, Oct. 23 at noon: a panel discussion on Amendment 2, which would establish a $15 statewide minimum wage
• Thursday, Nov. 12 at noon: an analysis of the Florida election

For more information on how to watch, visit Suncoast Tiger Bay’s Facebook page or website.