Janelle Irwin Taylor
Pinellas County Commissioner Kathleen Peters has a storied history in the Tampa Bay area and Florida politics, serving first in local office in South Pasadena before heading to Tallahassee to as a member of the House, then back home to her current role.
But it’s not necessarily her extensive political experience that lands her on this year’s list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians two spots ahead of where she landed last year, it’s her ability to cut through the weeds — whether partisan or just contentious — to get things done.
Over the past year, Peters has played a big role in a few high-profile issues facing Pinellas County, including delays to beach nourishment and the Tampa Bay Rays stadium saga.
On the former, Peters led a delegation of local officials to Washington to fight for beach nourishment needed after the devastating 2024 hurricane season. Her visit followed Peters’ additional efforts to restore federally funded beach nourishment along Pinellas County’s Gulf Coast. That includes multiple discussions with both the former and current Presidents, as well as a letter to President Donald Trump in February that was sent with the support of the entire County Commission.
At issue are necessary beach nourishment projects on Sand Key, Treasure Island and Long Key that are currently on hold due to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requirement that all property owners sign over easements allowing public access and use when sand is placed. While the rule has long been in place, the Army Corps previously worked with the county to place as much sand as possible in nourishment areas utilizing construction easements.
The Army Corps is now offering no wiggle room on its easement policy, which requires 100% participation.
“The dedication of Commissioner Peters to the Pinellas County community could not be clearer after this past year. Every single day following Hurricanes Helene and Milton she was on the ground helping residents, advocating for resources, and fighting for our communities. Anyone who knows Commissioner Peters, knows this to be her true character and her heart. She is Pinellas County first, always.” said Anita Berry of Johnston & Stewart Government Strategies.
On the Tampa Bay Rays, Peters in late 2024 as Chair of the County Commission played a big role in seeing through a vote that would make or break the deal reached between the county, the city of St. Petersburg and the Rays to build a new baseball stadium and redevelop the current Tropicana Field site into a massive mixed-use development.
While the deal ultimately fell through, Peters was integral in calming nerves at the time and getting a bond resolution needed to move the project forward across the finish line. The Commission had delayed the vote after the Rays chose to play the 2025 season in Tampa at Steinbrenner Field, a decision necessitated by damage sustained to Tropicana Field from Hurricane Milton, which tore the stadium’s roof off.
Facing a killed deal, Peters led contentious meetings in November and December, guiding conversations that saw deep pushback from new Commissioner Vince Nowicki and tough questions from those on the fence, including another new Commissioner, Chris Scherer. Scherer ultimately joined Nowicki in voting against the bond resolutions. Veteran Commissioner Chris Latvala, a fellow deal skeptic, ultimately voted in favor.
While it’s possible the outcome would have been the same under different Commission leadership, Peters’ calm demeanor and organized leadership during the discussion put her ability to navigate tough debates on full display.
Even before the final discussion, she had ensured clarity for the board, sending a two-page letter to the Rays inquiring pointedly about the team’s plans for the $1.3 billion stadium deal that had already been approved. In the end, the Rays, not the County Commission, killed the deal.
Before those issues, Peters had already established herself as a political fighter. She got to where she is now with a bang, not a whimper.
“From the Florida House to the Pinellas County Commission, no one has shown more passion for their constituents than Kathleen Peters. She’s been a champion for her community on the environment, tourism, economic development, and any number of other issues facing western Pinellas. She’s a force to be reckoned with no matter her elected or volunteer position,” said Alan Suskey, Executive Vice President and Principal State Practice at Shumaker Advisors.
Peters was first elected to the Pinellas County Commission in 2018 after serving in the Legislature since 2012 and as the Mayor of South Pasadena before that. Her victory was a big deal for a Republican who had left her position in the House before term limits required it, arguing that the chamber had become hyperpartisan.
At the time, she told voters and reporters that she could better serve residents from the less partisan Pinellas County dais, though it has since arguably become more susceptible to the partisanship she escaped in Tallahassee.
In what seems like a lifetime ago in political years, Peters’ rejection of some leadership priorities ultimately got her deported to political Siberia in the House. Peters openly sparred with then-Speaker Richard Corcoran, particularly over tourism funding and issues regarding home rule. Both were key to Peters’ home community. “Siberia” was a crummy office and lousy placement on the House floor. She gave leadership the figurative middle finger and took off for local government.
Peters also established herself early on as a champion for mental health, an issue that easily transcended partisan politics and earned Peters a place as a lawmaker who did what was right, not just politically expedient.
But Peters’ biggest source of influence likely comes from her political affiliation. Republicans flipped control of the Commission in 2022 amid a red wave that never materialized in other states but flooded Florida. The new majority, which the GOP grew in 2024, leaving just one Democrat left on the dais, allows conservatives to move forward with their priorities without having to rely on crossover votes from Democrats.
And Peters, it seems, is hard to knock off. She won her most recent re-election, in 2022, without opposition. And in 2018, when she was first elected, she survived a tough Primary against an institutional GOP leader in Larry Ahern, and a Tea Party activist in Barbara Haselden. Peters then went on to easily win her General Election against Democrat Amy Kedron.
_____
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; Michelle and Peter Schorsch, publishers of Florida Politics.
