Janelle Irwin Taylor
The most recent poll of St. Petersburg voters shows District 1 City Council incumbent Ed Montanari with a better than healthy lead over his challenger, Orlando Acosta.
That poll put Montanari on top by more than 17 points. But Acosta is forging ahead with endorsements to try to drum up more support. The same poll found 72 percent of those surveyed hadn’t voted yet.
Most recently, Acosta snapped up an endorsement from the Florida Democratic Party. The group pledged its support in sharing Acosta’s message through mail, digital and phone communications.
Acosta also has endorsements from the local Sierra Club, Florida National Organization for Women and the Stonewall Democrats.
“I’m very proud to have the unanimous support of progressive organizations in this election,” Acosta said. “I’m running on a bold progressive platform to protect our environment, pursue common sense gun control, build quality affordable housing, and support our LGBTQ community.”
The Suncoast Sierra Club launched a social media campaign targeting pro-environment voters on Acosta’s behalf and members are volunteering to help with door knocking and other outreach events.
“We are very pleased to endorse Orlando Acosta, a veteran with a progressive agenda focused on environmental policy, social justice, housing affordability, and public safety,” said Sierra Club spokesperson Dan Huber. “Acosta views climate change and sea level rise as core issues facing St. Petersburg, and strives to make environmentalism part of the city’s ‘political DNA’.”
The Florida National Organization for Women promotes feminists ideals and works to end discrimination and protect equal rights for women. The Stonewall Democrats is a local group that works to protect and elevate the LGBTQ community.
“These organizations share my progressive values,” Acosta said. “They know that St. Petersburg is an inclusive, welcoming city where everyone deserves to share in our success. We’re working hard to share that message with voters and let them know that they have an important decision to make in this election.”
