Pinellas County criminal justice leaders back Ed Montanari for HD 60

Pinellas County State Attorney Bruce Bartlett and Public Defender Sara Mollo are both offering their support for Republican Ed Montanari as he seeks to unseat Democrat Lindsay Cross in House District 60.

“Ed Montanari has always stood up for our local law enforcement community. St. Petersburg residents are safer thanks to his leadership, and I am proud to endorse his campaign,” Bartlett said of Montanari, who currently serves as a St. Petersburg City Council member.

Mollo’s support echoes that of her elected role.

“Ed Montanari is a stalwart advocate for his community who understands the importance of protecting the constitutional rights afforded to every individual,” she said.

Montanari has served on the City Council since first being elected in 2015, and this year is reaching his term limit.

“It is an honor to receive the support of both State Attorney Bartlett and Public Defender Mollo,” he said. “Pinellas County residents are blessed with elected leaders who are willing to uphold the rule of law and fight to defend our constitutional rights.”

Montanari added that he looks forward to working with them both as a state Representative, if elected.

The St. Pete Republican is likely an ideal candidate in the battleground district where Democrats carry a slight voter registration advantage, with just under 41,000 voters compared to just over 36,000 Republican voters. That’s according to the most recent voter registration data from the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections.

Montanari is known for his calm demeanor, quiet disposition, thoughtful consideration of policy and moderate approach to governance.

The last time Montanari won an election was in November 2019, which earned him a second term representing District 3 on the St. Pete City Council. At the time of his election, and as it remains today, the district was the only in the city with a voter registration advantage favoring Republicans, but it was narrow. At the time, Republicans had about 1,500 more registered voters than Democrats.

While the voter registration advantage was slim, Montanari’s victory was not. He won by nearly 8 percentage points.

But Cross won’t be an easy incumbent to defeat. She won her seat in the House by 8 percentage points over GOP candidate Audrey Henson in a year where Republicans were overwhelmingly successful in Florida, leading to supermajorities in both legislative chambers. And like Montanari, Henson was a moderate Republican.

Cross has served as a likable lawmaker who, even in disagreements, has maintained good relationships with Republican colleagues.

She also has a strong résumé to run on, including work as an environmental scientist that plays well in a state particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change and sea level rise.

But while Montanari is still running behind Cross in fundraising, he’s making quick work of bridging the gap. Cross has more than $226,000 left in the bank — including $53,777 in her committee and nearly $178,000 in her campaign.

Montanari has just $140,413 on hand, including $44,252 in his committee and $96,161 in his campaign. But Montanari outraised Cross in both the fourth quarter of 2023, when he entered the race, and in the first quarter of 2024. And broadly, Montanari has proven himself an effective fundraiser, with more than $150,000 banked in his 2019 City Council campaign, a large sum — some might even say huge — for a local race.