Peters has significant resources and a voter registration advantage at her back to defend her seat.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri is endorsing Kathleen Peters for re-election to the Pinellas County Commission.

Peters, a Republican, is seeking her second re-election to the dais after first securing a spot in 2018. She faces a Democratic challenger, David Glenn Jr.

“I’m proud to endorse Kathleen Peters for her re-election to the Pinellas County Commission,” Gualtieri said. “Whether she was serving in the Florida Legislature or in her current capacity on the County Commission, she’s always been a strong supporter of law enforcement and first responders. She has actively created and supported good policy that supports our mission and keeps our communities safe. I’m thankful for her voice and support on the County Commission.”

Peters called Gualtieri’s support an honor, adding a hat tip to the importance of his work in leading the county.

“Public safety is one of the most important responsibilities of local government. I will continue working to support our law enforcement officers and first responders, protect taxpayers, and keep Pinellas County focused on the core services our residents rely on every day,” she said.

Peters will have significant resources to defend her seat, with $126,000 raised for her official campaign and $24,500 for her affiliated political committee, Florida Speaks. Glenn, meanwhile, has raised just $3,400. Both totals are current as of the end of March.

She also benefits from a voter registration advantage — there are 23,000 more Republicans in District 6 than Democrats, a 25-percentage-point advantage.

Peters served in the House from 2012 until 2018. Prior to that, she was the Mayor of South Pasadena. She left the Legislature before term limits required it, arguing the chamber had become hyperpartisan.

She now serves on a Commission with a GOP supermajority, with just one Democrat sharing the dais.

Now, she continues to assert her independence even with the political majority, pushing vociferously for beach nourishment, a critical issue for coastal residents, and one that became particularly prevalent in the aftermath of the back-to-back hurricanes in 2024 that brought devastation to many communities along the Gulf Coast.

In that capacity, Peters serves on the boards for Tampa Bay Water, the Tampa Bay Estuary Program and on the Department of Environmental Protection’s Tampa Bay Aquatic Preserve Management Plan. She’s also a strong advocate for the UF/IFAS Extension program the county jointly funds with the University of Florida.

Peters 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. She continues this year to work on behalf of behavioral health access reform to the Opioid Abatement Funding Advisory Board and advocated for moving forward with a new behavioral health urgent care center.

Content shared in partnership with Florida Politics.