St. Pete darling Rick Baker endorses Mike Harting for City Council

Former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, long beloved among many in the city, is endorsing Mike Harting for St. Petersburg City Council, District 3.

Harting is running to replace Council member Ed Montanari, who is not seeking re-election due to term limits. On Tuesday, Harting finished second in the Primary, securing a spot in a runoff against first-place finisher Pete Boland in the Nov. 5 General Election.

“Mike Harting is a successful businessman who has shown a great knowledge of the budget process and inner workings of the city of St. Petersburg,” said Baker, who served as St. Pete Mayor from 2001 until early 2010. “He will fight for the taxpayers, work to solve the affordable housing issue, promote the well-being of our city and always keep the citizens’ best interest in mind. I strongly endorse Mike Harting for City Council.”

Baker was known in St. Pete for his dedication to public education and uplifting the city’s Black community, promoting mentorship and raising private donations for scholarships to college or vocational school. He also worked on housing programs to help residents achieve the goal of homeownership and worked to build playgrounds within a half mile walk of every child.

But it was his effort on policies that are traditionally more conservative that Harting, a political nonpartisan, emphasized in his thanks to Baker.

“As Mayor of St. Petersburg, Rick Baker championed innovative solutions that created jobs, conserved our water and green spaces, and limited government waste. I’m excited to have his support and look forward to bringing similar bold leadership to the City Council,” Harting said.

Co-owner of the popular St. Pete brewery 3 Daughters Brewing, Harting wants to bring his business success to city government. His platform centers on fiscal responsibility while also reducing city taxes and fees to help with the ongoing affordability issues plaguing areas like St. Pete and beyond.

He wants to focus on working with employers to ensure residents have access to good-paying jobs and to streamline government regulations to attract new job creators. He is also running on a pledge to work toward improving the city’s aging infrastructure.

3 Daughters Brewery is known throughout St. Pete not just for its tasty beverages and lively entertainment venues, but also as a charitable beacon. The company has worked with more than 150 local charity projects each year, including a line of kid’s beverages served with the “Men in the Making” program in Pinellas County School.

3 Daughters was also one of the first in the nation to utilize its production facility to make and distribute — for free — hand sanitizer during the early days of the COVID pandemic in 2020 when stores were struggling to keep commercial products on shelves.

Harting has been aggressively collecting endorsements. Most recently, he landed support from former St. Pete City Council members Robert Blackmon and Kathleen Ford. He also has support from Sen. Darryl Rouson and former Sen. Jeff Brandes, as well as City Council member Gina Driscoll, among others.