Janelle Irwin Taylor
Bruce Bartlett knows criminal justice. Sure, he had the education to teach him, but it’s his long on-the-job record that really sets him apart as a State Attorney. And his reputation has landed him an honorable mention on the list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians.
Bartlett has served as State Attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit since January 2021, when he was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the remaining term of his predecessor, Bernie McCabe, after McCabe passed away that same month.
Bartlett, a Republican, was subsequently elected to the post in 2022, winning with 59% of the vote over Democrat Allison Miller. And he was re-elected without opposition last year.
But Bartlett’s experience prosecuting criminals goes back way further. He previously served as Chief Assistant State Attorney and was McCabe’s longtime No. 2. Bartlett has served more than 40 years with the State Attorney’s Office, including as a lead trial lawyer, as a division director, and for 28 years as McCabe’s Chief Assistant.
“Bruce Bartlett is an old-school prosecutor. He delivers justice in the courtroom as it should be done, without tweets and neon lights. He has trained more lawyers in Tampa Bay than perhaps any other lawyer of the past three decades and has left his mark on each. His legacy is not in headlines, but in the integrity he’s instilled in a generation of prosecutors,” said former House Speaker Chris Sprowls, who as a prosecutor worked closely with Bartlett.
A lifelong Floridian born and raised in St. Petersburg, he received his undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida and his law degree from Stetson University College of Law. He began working for the State Attorney’s Office immediately after graduating from Stetson.
Now that he’s heading the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Bartlett hasn’t let up, including through efforts to crack down on looters, scammers and unlicensed contractors in the wake of damaging hurricanes.
Last October, after Hurricane Helene caused extensive flooding damage to low-lying and coastal areas in Pinellas and Pasco counties — and elsewhere — Bartlett announced he would seek the maximum penalty against those preying on victims.
“It is reprehensible that there are some who would take advantage when people are at their most vulnerable. Rest assured, any criminal who tries that in Pinellas and Pasco County will feel the full weight of the law,” Bartlett said at the time.
This is Bartlett’s first time getting a mention on Florida Politics’ list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians. As a less forward-facing elected official, Bartlett and others like him can often see their work overlooked. But with public safety being an often big talking point on the campaign trail, and with Midterms just around the corner, watch for Bartlett to potentially repeat — or even improve his positioning — on next year’s list.
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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; Mercury Public Affairs Managing Director Ashley Bauman; 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; and Michelle and Peter Schorsch, publishers of Florida Politics.
