Janelle Irwin Taylor
The Suncoast Police Benevolent Association (PBA) is endorsing Republican Ed Montanari in his race for House District 60 against incumbent Democrat Lindsay Cross.
“I am immensely honored to have the support of the Suncoast Police Benevolent Association,” Montanari said.
“Throughout my time on the St. Petersburg City Council, I have worked hand in hand with the Police Benevolent Association and all in the law enforcement community to support the brave officers who keep our city safe. They do tremendous work, and they deserve our unequivocal support. Our law enforcement officers can count on me to have their back in Tallahassee.”
Montanari currently serves on the St. Petersburg City Council, where he is the only Republican elected to that board. He’s facing term limits and not seeking re-election.
The Suncoast PBA is the union representing members from local law enforcement agencies in Pinellas County, including St. Petersburg Police and Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputies, who serve HD 60.
Montanari is running in a historically blue district against an incumbent who has drawn broad support and has proven fundraising prowess. Cross has about $315,000 on hand to take on Montanari through her campaign account and political committee, Moving Pinellas Forward. That includes more than $8,000 raised between both accounts in the most recent fundraising period covering July 13-19.
Montanari, meanwhile, raised just $1,625 during that period and has far less than his opponent on hand, at about $186,000.
But the St. Pete-based district has been trending in the GOP’s favor in recent months and years.
A look at historic voter registration data for the district available on the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections website shows that in 2020, the last Presidential Election year, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by 7 percentage points. As of May 1, that advantage has shrunk to just under 3 percentage points.
When laying data on a graph, the trend lines are clear: Democrats are losing ground while the GOP quickly gains it. In fact, if the rate of change within voter registration data stays relatively consistent, it can be reasonably estimated that Democrats’ advantage would shrink to just over 1 percentage point by book closing ahead of the 2024 General Election in November.
Montanari is an ideal candidate in the battleground district where Democrats carry a slight voter registration advantage with just under 40,000 voters compared to just under 37,000 Republican voters, according to the most recent voter registration data from the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections. And again, that’s a drop of about 1,000 voters for Democrats since late 2023 and an increase of a little less than 1,000 for Republicans, further supporting claims that the district is changing.
Montanari is known for his calm demeanor, quiet disposition, thoughtful consideration of policy and moderate approach to governance.
But Cross is also a formidable foe. 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.
The shifting trends in the district, paired with the presence of two strong candidates with high local name recognition on the ballot spells a competitive race, making endorsements from groups representing large swaths of potential voters a big deal in the race.
Montanari, who does not face a Republican Primary opponent, has support from some top names in the GOP, including future Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, Sen. Nick DiCeglie, Reps. Berny Jacques and Linda Chaney, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, and others.
Cross, meanwhile, has loads of support from local Democrats, but has also shown some bipartisan support. Earlier this month she rolled out several endorsements, including four Republicans — Largo Mayor Woody Brown, Oldsmar Mayor Dan Saracki, North Redington Beach Mayor Bill Queen and former Redington Beach Mayor Nick Simons. Gulfport Mayor Sam Henderson, a former Democrat who has since become an independent, and Indian Shores Mayor Pat Soranno, who is also unaffiliated with a party, have also backed Cross.
