Janelle Irwin Taylor
State Sen. Nick DiCeglie’s star has been on the rise since before he was elected to the state House in 2018, dating back to his time as chair of the Pinellas County Republican Party and service with the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council.
That upward trajectory aligns with DiCeglie’s placing on this list over the years. Last year, he landed four places back, at No. 11. In 2023, DiCeglie was at No. 12. The year before that, DiCeglie narrowly missed the list, landing himself an honorable mention along with three others.
Given DiCeglie’s legislative performance and leadership this Session, there’s no doubt he’ll find himself repeating on the list next year, possibly in even higher stature.
In 2026, as this year, DiCeglie will chair the Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development, and as Vice Chair of the Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee. He also serves and will continue to serve on the Appropriations Committee and several other critical committees.
DiCeglie sponsored dozens of bills this Legislative Session, and was a cosponsor to dozens more, ranging from homestead property exemption changes to domestic violence policies and various other tax relief and regulatory changes. While most failed to cross the finish line — as is typically the case when dealing with thousands of filed bills each Session — DiCeglie put particular emphasis on policies related to hurricane preparedness, response and relief efforts, issues that directly impact him as a coastal resident, and public safety initiatives related to transportation.
“Having the opportunity to work with Sen. Nick DiCeglie since before he was first elected many years ago has always been fantastic. But watching him in action this last year has been something else entirely. He has demonstrated real leadership in the aftermath of the storms that devastated our area,” said Jeff Johnston of Johnston & Stewart Government Strategies.
“When no one knew what to do or who to call, there was Sen. DiCeglie. He rolled up his sleeves and jumped into every situation that needed help. He expedited processes, connected people with assistance and kept a running list of how government was not working so he could go back up to Tallahassee to fix it — all while dealing with his family’s own personal losses from the storms. Pinellas County is very lucky to have him as their Senator and the entire state is lucky to have his leadership on these vital issues.”
On hurricanes, DiCeglie successfully carried a bill (SB 180) that will provide homeowners a clear and streamlined permitting process as they rebuild. The measure includes clarification on repair guidelines to help avoid future property tax increases, while also increasing disaster management planning, emergency resource coordination, financial transparency and reporting across state and local government entities.
Among other provisions, the sweeping legislation prohibits local governments from increasing building or inspection fees for 180 days, about six months, after a hurricane or tropical storm emergency declaration from either the Governor or the federal government.
DiCeglie also ushered through one of his top priorities this Session — a bill cracking down on drivers who speed through flooded streets and push wake into people’s yards and, in some cases, into their homes.
DiCeglie and Democratic Rep. Lindsay Cross bucked partisanship to sponsor bills (SB 350, HB 241) in their respective chambers to ensure that neighborhood flooding isn’t exacerbated by vehicles trying to navigate flooded roadways.
Neither bill passed, but provisions in both were added to a larger legislative package (SB 462), sponsored by DiCeglie in the Senate and Rep. Fiona McFarland in the House, governing a variety of transportation issues ranging from school bus safety to traffic signal modernization.
The wake provision was a top priority for DiCeglie — his own home flooded during Hurricane Helene, though not from vehicle wake.
That same bill, an omnibus tackling myriad issues, also contained a reform to what had become a controversial new program.
At issue is a law passed last year that allows school districts to use automated cameras to detect drivers violating a law requiring motorists to stop for school buses when its stop arm is extended, which occurs when buses are loading and unloading students at bus stops.
Miami-Dade County suspended its program after a backlog in the courts was causing delays. The county cited in its announcement earlier this month errors in the amounts listed on traffic tickets issued through the program.
In other areas, drivers have said they received a citation in error but had no way to appeal, forcing them to either pay or face a higher fine and, eventually, suspension of their driver’s license.
DiCeglie’s bill, as amended and passed, includes fixes such as increasing the time drivers have to pay fines, restructuring who handles citations, and establishing an effective appeals process, which had been lacking, among other provisions. His work on the bill received praise from Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, who helped work language to improve some of the unintended consequences of the original law, though both Gualtieri and DiCeglie hope improvements will continue.
Elected to the Senate in 2022 after serving four years in the House, DiCeglie has provided a master class in how to navigate a hyperpartisan Legislature without seeming like a hyperpartisan.
DiCeglie, like his predecessor Jeff Brandes, often hones in on timely issues facing Floridians. In the 2024 Legislative Session, DiCeglie championed legislation requiring disclaimers on political advertisements or electioneering communication that utilizes artificial intelligence. DiCeglie’s version of the bill didn’t clear, but the House companion did, notching a victory for the Senator on the issue.
DiCeglie also found success last year on an issue that has long been elusive: vacation rentals. His measure (SB 280) provides limited regulation over such rentals and tools for local governments to ensure they are able to crack down on nuisance properties.
DiCeglie will be up for re-election next year and, if past is prologue, he’s set up well to keep his service rolling. DiCeglie first secured election to Senate District 18 in 2022, winning with 54% of the vote over Democrat Eunic Ortiz. He proved an effective fundraiser during that race, bringing in more than $1.4 million raised between his campaign account and affiliated political committee, The Economic Freedom 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; and Michelle and Peter Schorsch, publishers of Florida Politics.
