Janelle Irwin Taylor
Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala is making his best showing yet on the list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians, climbing from No. 15 last year to No. 12 this year.
Aside from 2022, when he ranked No. 18, Latvala’s influence appears on a consistent upward trajectory, at No. 16 in 2023 and No. 14 in 2021.
“Latvala is a formidable political figure in Tampa Bay with a well of legislative experience and local connections. His willingness to challenge powerful entities underscores his commitment to accountability and fiscal responsibility and keeping what’s best for his constituents at heart,” said Melody Arnold, director of government and community affairs for RSA Consulting Group. “Latvala’s political knowledge, bolstered by his family’s longstanding involvement in Florida politics, positions him as a key player in shaping the region’s future.”
Latvala’s leadership is often quiet, and behind the scenes. But when he needs to, his bite is sharper than his bark. That was on full display last year when Latvala, concerned with utilizing taxpayer dollars for a billion-dollar-plus stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays, and frustrated with what he perceived as the team’s vague claims of making progress on a deal that had already been struck, launched an all out inquisition.
Latvala’s trajectory on the Rays stadium saga shows his willingness to evolve, and to consider implications bigger than what’s immediately clear from the surface. Latvala had voted no on the stadium deal in he first place, a vote that landed him on the losing side of the issue. Fast forward to months later, after Hurricane Milton had ripped the roof from Tropicana Field, and Latvala was suddenly, albeit reluctantly, siding with those who had been more favorable to the deal.
“This will be a $1 billion publicly funded subsidy to a billionaire. I’m not willing to put my name on that,” Latvala said last Summer.
But the deal passed without his support, and Latvala showed a deep understanding of what that meant. He voted twice to delay a bond vote necessary to move the stadium deal forward, delays prompted by the Rays’ decision to play at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field as their main home in St. Pete was repaired. But when it came back in December, he voted for the bonds.
It was a vote rooted in pragmatism — had the deal fallen through at the fault of the city or county, the Rays would have maintained development rights at the Trop site. Latvala said in justifying his vote that he didn’t want Rays owner Stu Sternberg to reap the benefits of a land deal in St. Pete if the Rays didn’t play baseball there. His vote seemed a win for Sternberg, but Latvala wasn’t done, forcefully noting from the dais that “our fans and residents deserve a new owner.”
The Rays ultimately backed out of the deal themselves, thereby giving up development rights that would have been afforded under the deal.
As a Commissioner, Latvala has also been hard at work, alongside colleague Kathleen Peters, in shoring up — quite literally — the ability to conduct critical beach nourishment that has been on hold since back-to-back hurricanes blasted the Gulf beaches, including when Hurricane Helene pushed truckloads of sand from the beaches onto local streets and into coastal businesses and properties.
Latvala joined colleagues Dave Eggers, Brian Scott and Peters, as well as state Sen. Nick DiCeglie, for a “signing day” meant to gather easements granting the Army Corps of Engineers access to properties required to conduct the nourishment project. At the time, documents for 170 easements remain unsigned. The Corps requires 100% of all easements signed before the project can begin.
While residents were frustrated with what they saw as a sudden hard line in the sand — pun intended — the Corps policy has been in place since the 1990s, though officials acknowledge they’ve taken a less stringent approach in the past to enforcing the rule.
But much of Latvala’s power is wielded not at the dais, but from behind it, where he’s an expert campaign strategist. Latvala was the go-to guy for five campaigns last election cycle, and each one came up as a winner.
His state House slate included Kaylee Tuck, who won by a 50-point margin and Kim Berfield, who dominated Bryan Beckman in a decisive victory (fun fact: he also helped defeat Clearwater mayoral candidate Kathleen Beckman earlier in the year, Bryan Beckman’s wife, and to install two new conservative City Council members in Clearwater).
Latvala also notched wins for Largo City Commissioner Mike Dibrizzi and Pinellas School Board member Katie Blaxberg, who overcame heavy opposition from high-profile figures such as Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and even Hulk Hogan. Add in his work on Pinellas County Commission races, flipping two previously blue seats red, and you have all the ingredients for a successful cycle.
Shumaker Advisors’ Alan Suskey said after the November election that “Chris did what Latvalas always do — guided conservatives to a big win on Election Day.”
Blaxberg’s school board race was a particular standout. While the race was — and is — nonpartisan, Blaxberg was a registered Republican who had been previously registered as a Democrat. She was seen as a check on DeSantis’ hand-picked Moms For Liberty-aligned candidate — a moderate conservative to take on a staunch conservative. While much was thrown at Blaxberg about her candidacy, she had Latvala, whom she had previously worked for, as a secret weapon, and she met the criticism head on, painstakingly telling the story of her own rape causing her to briefly leave the Republican Party.
Latvala’s work with her paid off.
Looking back to his entrance into local politics, Latvala’s influence is obvious.
It took an act of the Legislature, on which he still served, to make his race happen when it did. Lawmakers put a provision into a broader law changing the election for his seat to 2022, thus providing a seamless transition for Latvala from the House to the Commission. Without that, Latvala would not have been on the ballot until 2024.
What’s more, no one ran against him. Perhaps it’s the name. Perhaps it’s Chris Latvala himself. Or perhaps it’s the money. He raised more than $100,000 for a race with no opposition, and that’s not even counting the more than $63,000 he raised to his committee, Friends of Chris Latvala, or money he’d have access to through Jack Latvala’s Florida Leadership Committee.
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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; Michelle and Peter Schorsch, publishers of Florida Politics.
