Should St. Pete subsidize local election campaigns?

St. Petersburg City Council members recently discussed offsetting the increasing cost of running a local election campaign with public funding.

The funding would stem from money saved by aligning municipal elections with the state and nation during even-numbered years. The move from odd-numbered years saved the city $1.3 million in November 2024 and exponentially increased voter turnout.

Councilmember Richie Floyd believes the switch also made it harder for average residents to launch and fund a campaign, often costing over $100,000. He confirmed local support for the state’s campaign finance program before the March 6 committee discussion.

“When I say the public supports a program like this, it’s not speculation,” Floyd said. “Every precinct in this city supported the continuation of the state program.

“The core problem is American democracy is bought and paid for by the highest bidder.”

Local candidates can now find their campaigns overshadowed by higher-profile state and national elections. The unprecedented hurricane season disrupted fundraising efforts last fall.

Floyd has expressed concern over the unintended consequences since before St. Petersburg voters approved municipal election realignment in November 2022. However, he wanted to wait until after the latest election cycle to discuss a municipal campaign finance program.

A statewide referendum could have eliminated Florida’s public matching program. Residents, including more than 50% in every city district, overwhelmingly disapproved of the measure.

In 2022, the state contributed $12.14 million, $468,919 and $411,202 to the governor, attorney general and chief financial officer campaigns, respectively. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, 13 other states and 26 local governments, including Miami-Dade County, have a public financing program.

“My preference would be for us to do something as simple and legally defensible as possible, should everyone be interested,” Floyd said. “My goals are to put a counterbalance against the influence of big money in our municipal politics, as well as engage our citizenry more wholly.”

Most of his colleagues remain skeptical of a local program due to the complexities and oversight challenges. They also found the extensive presentation, led by Assistant City Attorney Brett Pettigrew, thought-provoking.

Grant programs provide lump sum payments, with some requiring candidates to forgo private contributions after accepting public funds. Miami-Dade offers partial grants.

Pettigrew said grants are “seen as the best tool to reduce barriers of entry.” The state provides a matching program, which “amplifies the impact of smaller contributions.”

Voucher programs provide eligible residents with a public funding credit they can redeem for campaign use. That system does not exist in Florida, and its legality remains unclear.

While Miami-Dade has a grant program, Pettigrew noted the county has “unique home-rule powers” and the “ability to do certain things no other local government in the State of Florida can do.”

He said St. Petersburg “exists because the state says it exists,” and officials can disallow a public campaign finance program “at any time and for any reason.” That is true for any local initiative, and Pettigrew noted lawmakers recently sought to eliminate Florida’s system.

The city must also establish program parameters, like funding thresholds, candidate qualifications, revenue sources and oversight mechanisms. Multiple council members said the state and Miami-Dade are uniquely suited to handle the administrative burden.

Councilmember Lisset Hanewicz said the candidate who won St. Petersburg’s District 3 race in November, Mike Harting, raised $130,000. His opponent, Pete Boland, garnered $82,000.

However, she said the District 7 winner, Corey Givens Jr., raised just $17,000. Hanewicz also noted her District 4 campaign became an “arms race” in November 2021, and she stopped trying to compete financially. Hanewicz defeated Tom Mullins.

Council Chair Copley Gerdes believes “better” ideas and people emerge from a deeper candidate pool. While he doesn’t think a matching program is necessarily a “waste of money,” the city would have spent about $225,000 on people who lost their elections in 2024.

“I was significantly more open to it coming into today,” Gerdes added. “I think it was good to look at it, but I think it just makes things more complicated, and I would rather save the $1.3 million than have it go back out the door again.”

Givens said he doesn’t want to “handicap” a candidacy. He also expressed concern over aiding “ideological extremists” and forcing someone to spend $100,000 and countless hours applying for a job that pays about $60,000 annually.

Committee members agreed that a program should help fund citywide campaigns rather than packed district primaries, and most believe the idea warrants further discussion. Floyd said he would work with Pettigrew to identify granular details and potential parameters for a subsequent, more succinct discussion.

“I brought us a really broad conversation before I went down any rabbit holes,” Floyd continued. “I can bring us something simple and say, ‘This is what I would recommend.’”