Janelle Irwin Taylor
Emerging as a statewide leader on pre-K through 12 education, Sen. Danny Burgess is climbing the ranks on the list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians, from No. 8 last year to No. 5 this year.
Among dozens of issues Burgess championed this year, he successfully ushered a bill (SB 270) through The Process expanding Bright Futures scholarship eligibility to children of military members who have been deployed overseas. Bright Futures provides scholarships to Florida high school students who meet certain GPA, SAT or ACT testing, curriculum and community service requirements.
A fiscal analysis predicts that the bill could result in $7.6 million more in scholarships being awarded following the 2026-27 school year. That could grow to an additional $11.2 million in added costs each year by the time the Class of 2029 graduates.
Burgess’ Senate version was set aside in favor of the House companion (HB 1105). But as chair of the Appropriations Committee on Pre-K-12 Education, Burgess played a leadership role in garnering support for the measure. And his leadership position also gave him — and will again in the 2026 Legislative Session — the chance to drive education policy.
While his bill stalled this year, the issue was incorporated into the Bright Futures bill that did pass, and it was Burgess who initially filed the legislation to study how schools can ban cell phones during the school day.
“We all know that cell phones are a distraction, that they take us away from the academics of school,” Burgess said as the Education Pre K-12 Committee voted 9-0 for SB 1296.
Burgess’ passion for education stems mainly from his love of being a dad. The father of three and his wife homeschool their kids.
Burgess, a Republican who represents Senate District 23 in parts of Pasco County and east Hillsborough County, is a big supporter of school choice. He applauds recent efforts to expand choice in Florida, including the implementation of universal school vouchers.
“I think we have such a great abundance of K-8 options, especially when it comes to charter schools,” Burgess said last year. “But there’s more of a gap in grades 9-12 with charter options. I would love to try to tackle that and find creative ways to create more charter options in high school.”
Burgess also successfully ran a measure (SB 1470) to expand the Chris Hixon, Coach Aaron Feis, and Coach Scott Beigel School Guardian Program, which gives school districts the option to authorize the program to have trained armed guardians in schools. The more recent bill further mandates that school perimeters, locked access and door security requirements would apply from 30 minutes before school to 30 minutes after school ends. It also opened the Guardian Program for child care facilities. In addition, it expanded school safety protocol training for substitute teachers.
In recent years, the Zephyrhills Republican carried controversial legislation on heat exposure preemption and literally crafted the Senate map that forced some lawmakers to move to different counties. Yet he remains one of the most well-liked members of the Senate, known as affable, well-mannered and kind.
“Sen. Burgess has always been someone whose actions reflect his words. Let’s be honest. If you don’t like Danny after spending five minutes with him, you have serious issues,” said The Southern Group’s Mike Moore, who is based in Tampa.
And Moore isn’t alone.
“Sen. Burgess’ collaborative leadership style is his greatest asset. He works well with his colleagues, gathering feedback and working towards real solutions. He’s not afraid to reach across the aisle and welcomes everyone to the table,” RSA Consulting Group President and CEO Ron Pierce said.
“My favorite thing about Danny Burgess is that he does his homework and walks into every room with a plan, which sometimes includes the nicest ‘no’ you’ll ever hear in this process.”
Many attribute that to Burgess’ record in uniform. Before his election to the Legislature, he served as a Captain and Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Burgess served in the state House from 2014 until 2019 and was elected to the Senate in 2020. However, his elected service dates back much further. As a teenager, he ran against and unseated a member of the Zephyrhills City Council in 2005, serving in that role until 2008, and then as Mayor of Zephyrhills from 2013 to 2014. He also briefly led the Department of Veterans’ Affairs from 2019 to 2020.
That local service means Burgess is not just a powerhouse in the echelons of state influence, but also at home in Pasco County.
He worked closely for a period with popular Sheriff Chris Nocco, who considered a Senate run in 2022 but declined when he landed in the same district as Burgess. That could be read as a testament to Burgess’ power and influence, or simply to the fact that nobody with significant involvement in The Process feels like challenging the Senator’s place within it.
With plenty of time left on the clock for his Senate service, Burgess has a great deal of time to continue growing his influence, and he’ll be a person to watch for potential higher office as his Senate term winds down.
______
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.
