Janelle Irwin Taylor
Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala has inched his way up a spot on the list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians, climbing from No. 16 last year to No. 15 this year.
The difference? Clearwater.
Latvala, known in political circles as much for his consulting work as his public work as a Commissioner and legislator, played heavily in Clearwater’s municipal races this year, with Republicans sweeping. (The races are nonpartisan, but other than the absence of political affiliations on the ballot, those paying attention wouldn’t have known it.)
Leading his victory lap following the March 19 races was lawyer Bruce Rector, who defeated Democrat Kathleen Beckman for Mayor. Rector, with Latvala’s help, secured 63% of the vote despite being slightly outraised — Beckman collected nearly $148,000 while Rector pulled in nearly $133,000.
Other Republicans — Ryan Cotton and Mike Mannino — also won their races, both replacing registered Democrats — including Beckman — who had been serving on City Council.
Now, Latvala has taken on another client in another Beckman battle. He’s working with Rep. Kim Berfield in her re-election campaign, as Berfield faces a fresh challenge from Beckman’s husband, Bryan Beckman. Latvala recently told Florida Politics that he expects the outcome to mirror Beckman’s wife’s defeat.
The Latvala name itself is a Pinellas County institution, and early last year, Latvala returned to his roots at Direct Mail Systems, the direct mail and printing company that his father, longtime Sen. Jack Latvala, founded more than 40 years ago.
For years, Jack Latvala was considered perhaps the most powerful politician in the state and was possibly headed to the Governor’s mansion before a sex scandal prompted him to leave the race in 2018.
Chris Latvala joined the agency as an account executive, where he helped the firm grow its client base, which included Republicans at every level of government, nonprofit organizations, and other commercial accounts.
The younger Latvala’s career also continues through work that shows he’s not always aligned with the extremes in his political party. Latvala is supporting a Pinellas County School Board candidate who, despite being a registered Republican, is facing massive blowback from the far-right education group Moms for Liberty.
The candidate, Katie Blaxberg, once worked for Latvala, and he’s not letting nasty comments deter him from loyalty. even if his former staffer briefly changed parties to be a Democrat. She told Florida Politics the move was a protest against former President Donald Trump, who, as a rape survivor, she could not support.
“It was an honor to work with Chairman Latvala during his time in the Legislature as the Chairman of the Education and Employment Committee,” Blaxberg said of her former boss. “His natural ability to inspire, motivate and lead others is truly exceptional and his constituent service is unmatched. He brings that same dedication to his constituency as a County Commissioner and Pinellas County is fortunate to have such a steadfast leader.”
While Latvala has not yet rebounded to his previous high on this list — a No. 14 ranking he earned when he still served in the House — he’s only gone up since joining the Pinellas County Commission, landing at No. 18 two years ago.
“Commissioner Chris Latvala’s dedication to the people of Pinellas County is truly commendable. He is extremely loyal and is quick to lead on matters that make the county a better place. He recently led on pay raises for county deputies, pushed for free rides on PSTA for all veterans and his influence on the county is only growing,” communications strategist Preston Rudie said.
Looking back to his entrance into local politics, Latvala’s influence is obvious.
It took an act of the Legislature, on which he still served, to make his race happen when it did. Lawmakers put a provision into a broader law changing the election for his seat to 2022, thus providing a seamless transition for Latvala from the House to the Commission. Without that, Latvala would not have been on the ballot until this year.
What’s more, no one ran against him. Perhaps it’s the name. Perhaps it’s Chris Latvala himself. Or perhaps it’s the money. He raised more than $100,000 for a race with no opposition, and that’s not even counting the more than $63,000 he raised to his committee, Friends of Chris Latvala, or money he’d have access to through Jack Latvala’s Florida Leadership Committee.
“After serving two terms in the Florida House, Commissioner Chris Latvala has brought extensive legislative experience along with his lifelong family background in the business and political scene in Pinellas and across the state to the County Commission,” said Ron Pierce of RSA Consulting.
“His understanding of the state process and the interplay with the county has proven valuable for his constituents. Latvala has and will continue to be a significant influence on the Commission.”
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Methodology
We define the Tampa Bay region as Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco, but can also include Hernando, Polk or Sarasota — if the politicians from those counties impact either Pinellas or Hillsborough.
We define a politician as being in office or running for office.
Being first on a panelist’s list earns the politician 25 points, second earns them 24 points and so on, to where being listed 25th earns a politician one point. Points are added and, voilà, we have a list.
Special thanks go to our experienced and knowledgeable panelists, who were essential to developing the 2024 list: Christina Barker of the Vinik Family Office, Ashley Bauman of Mercury, Matthew Blair of Corcoran Partners, Ed Briggs of RSA Consulting, political consultant Maya Brown, Ricky Butler of the Pinellas Co. Sheriff’s Office, Reggie Cardozo of The Public Square, Ronald Christaldi of Schumaker, Ana Cruz of Ballard Partners, Justin Day of Capital City Consulting, Barry Edwards, Joe Farrell of Pinellas Realtors, pollster Matt Florell of Vicidial Group, Shawn Foster of Sunrise Consulting Group, Adam Giery of Strategos Group, political consultant Max Goodman, Mike Griffin of Savills, Natalie King of RSA Consulting, political consultant Benjamin Kirby, TECO Energy Regional Affairs Coordinator Shannon Love, Merritt Martin of Moffitt Cancer Center, Mike Moore of The Southern Group, political consultant Anthony Pedicini, Ron Pierce of RSA Consulting, J.C. Pritchett, pastor of St. Pete’s Faith Church, Darren Richards of Tucker/Hall, Preston Rudie of Catalyst Communications Group, Amanda Stewart of Johnston and Stewart, and Alan Suskey of Shumaker Advisors. With Michelle and Peter Schorsch.
