Janelle Irwin Taylor
Pinellas County Commissioner Brian Scott is making his debut on the list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians, sneaking in this year to the No. 25 spot less than three years after winning his seat and delivering Republicans a majority on the board.
Scott, already running his first re-election race, is now serving from a supermajority he helped start. Scott defeated former Democratic Commissioner Pat Gerard in 2022, handing the majority back to Republicans after Gerard flipped it blue just eight years earlier.
Fast forward to 2024 when two more Republicans flipped seats, leaving Democrats with just one member standing — Commissioner Rene Flowers — and a 6-1 majority for the GOP.
This year, Scott is the Commission Chair, putting him in position to direct the board’s priorities. He brings a business mindset to the dais, serving as President of Escot Bus Lines, a family-owned business that operates throughout Florida.
“As Chairman of the Pinellas County Commission, Brian Scott isn’t afraid to tell it like it is and take decisive action on behalf of the residents of Pinellas County — even if it means stepping on a few toes. His real-world business experience running a transportation industry company has proven enormously helpful as he looks for ways to push the county to become a leaner, more efficient government, exemplified by the first millage rate reduction in decades and much-needed reforms to PSTA,” said Zach Monahan, Digital Director for Supernova Digital Communications, Enwright Rimes and Election Management Solutions.
“Brian Scott is taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to helping Pinellas residents and businesses fully recover from the hurricanes — and that is only in his first term. “
Earlier this year, Scott affirmed support for President Donald Trump, something that is both necessary to shore up support from the county’s GOP base as he seeks re-election, and will likely be used against him when a Democrat eventually emerges to challenge him.
But Scott also has been a moderating voice on the Commission at times.
Scott joined the majority in December in voting to move forward with bonds needed to advance the Tampa Bay Rays stadium deal, though the deal itself eventually went kaput.
More recently, in March, he pushed back against new Commissioner Vince Nowicki over an effort to ban diversity, equity and inclusion displays at the Palm Harbor Library. Scott, along with fellow Republican Commissioners Dave Eggers and Chris Latvala, suggested instead that the library be given time to address concerns over inappropriate content. The move averted what likely would have been a headline-worthy showdown over book banning.
Scott also recently supported a less contentious issue, but one Commissioners had been grappling with for years: short-term rental regulations. Scott was on the winning side of a vote bringing greater accountability to Airbnb properties and others like them, including by requiring a certificate of use for short-term rentals and an agreement to follow safety, parking and noise regulations.
“Brian Scott has proven himself a great steward of public money in proving necessary services while also trimming waste. His business experience has made him an invaluable leader and a consensus builder on the County Commission,” Pinellas County Tax Collector Adam Ross said.
Scott faces re-election this year, though no Democratic challenger has yet emerged. Still, he has proven he’s able to raise the funds necessary to hold a seat that will no doubt be heavily targeted as Democrats look to earn back gains lost in 2022, the most recent Midterm cycle when a Democrat occupied the White House. With Trump back in office and concerns mounting over volatile economic conditions related to his on-again, off-again tariffs, those on the political left are hoping for a pendulum swing.
In his 2022 race, Scott raised more than $353,000 between his campaign account and affiliated political committee, Friends of Brian Scott.
This year, more than a year out from the election and before any challengers have even emerged, Scott has already raised nearly $17,000 for his re-election, with his committee retaining about $1,000.
It shouldn’t be too hard for Scott to hold onto power. Countywide, Republicans enjoy a voter registration advantage of about 40,000 voters, out of more than 645,000. Scott’s District 2 seat is voted on countywide.
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A special thanks to RSA Consulting Group, the sponsor of this year’s rankings.
As for methodology, we define the Tampa Bay region as Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco, but we 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.
We also want to thank our experienced and knowledgeable panelists, who were essential to developing the 2025 list: Vinik Family Office Chief of Staff Christina Barker; communications consultant Ashley Bauman of Mercury Public Affairs; Matt Blair of Corcoran Partners; Reggie Cardozo of The Public Square; Stephanie Cardozo of The Southern Group; Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick managing partner Ron Christaldi; former state Sen. Janet Cruz; political consultant/strategist Barry Edwards; Vicidial Group President Matt Florell; Sunrise Consulting Group President Shawn Foster; businessman Michael Griffin; Clay Hollis of Tucker/Hall; Natalie King of RSA Consulting Group; Moffitt Cancer Center VP of Public Affairs and Communications Merritt Martin; former state Rep. Seth McKeel of The Southern Group; political consultant Chris Mitchell; Mike Moore of The Southern Group; RSA President and CEO Ron Pierce; Tucker/Hall CEO Darren Richards; political consultant Jim Rimes; political consultant Preston Rudie of Catalyst Communications Group; TECO VP of State and Regional Affairs Stephanie Smith; lobbyist Alan Suskey of Shumaker Advisors; Doyle Walsh, Chief of Staff for St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch; Michelle and Peter Schorsch, publishers of Florida Politics.
