State Rep. Lindsay Cross is leaving Tallahassee the same way she approached her four years in office: focused on protecting the communities she represents and finding common ground to get things done.

The St. Petersburg Democrat, who represents House District 60, will conclude her second term today after announcing earlier this year that she would not seek reelection. Her departure follows four years of environmental advocacy, infrastructure investments and, perhaps most significantly, the devastating hurricanes of 2024.

Cross, an environmental scientist by trade, entered the Florida House in 2022 with a background in water quality and conservation. However, Hurricanes Helene and Milton brought new urgency to her work in flood-prone neighborhoods like Shore Acres and Riviera Bay.

“I’m most proud of the work related to emergency management – better preparing our communities for natural disasters,” Cross said.

Her district was among the hardest hit when the back-to-back hurricanes inundated thousands of Pinellas County homes, leaving residents facing costly repairs, displacement and uncertainty about their futures.

While devastating, Cross said the storms gave her an opportunity to work with the people in the neighborhood, and those experiences informed her legislative priorities during the tail end of her tenure.

One example was Senate Bill 180, a sweeping emergency management measure approved in 2025 that established new requirements for local governments before and after natural disasters.

While some aspects of the bill, by her own admission, needed amendment, Cross successfully passed provisions requiring counties and municipalities to identify and seek authorization for disaster debris management sites before storms strike.

The policy addresses a familiar problem for Pinellas residents following the 2024 hurricanes: mountains of storm-damaged furniture, appliances and building materials that overwhelmed neighborhoods and complicated recovery efforts.

The legislation also requires local governments to develop post-storm permitting plans, publish emergency preparedness information and improve coordination during recovery – something Cross expressed was a pinnacle of her career, along with “working across the aisle” with Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie to advocate for additional state funding for Shore Acres.

The lawmakers helped negotiate a $2 million allocation for the Denver Street resiliency project during the 2026 budget process, less than the $3 million initially requested.

The project is part of a larger effort to improve aging stormwater infrastructure, including drainage pipes and culverts that have struggled to handle heavy rainfall and storm surge.

Cross’s legislative work also includes conservation, water quality and coastal protection.

In May, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission adopted new restrictions on the capture and exhibition of protected marine wildlife, including a prohibition on international exports of federally threatened or endangered marine species.

The changes followed public backlash over the capture and export of a giant manta ray in 2025. Cross was among the lawmakers who supported stronger protections – and won.

When asked if she feels some work remains left undone, Cross said: “Florida is continuing to grow so much. An area like Pinellas is so dense, the only place we can go is up.

“I’m very concerned that we don’t have a true vision for how we should responsibly develop in the state.”

To address these matters, Cross had sponsored the My Safe Florida Home program, which provides assistance for improvements that help homes withstand hurricanes. However, she said the proposal fell short.

“My Safe Florida Home program wasn’t the right vehicle for a comprehensive resiliency strategy,” Cross said, adding that she hopes her successor (Cross has endorsed Lindsay Polega-Quigley) will continue pursuing legislation that addresses long-term planning, infrastructure improvements and protections for vulnerable neighborhoods.

Cross, along with her trusty dog Cooper, will remain involved in environmental protection and other community priorities outside the Legislature.

As she prepares to leave office, Cross wants to be remembered “as someone who approached problems collaboratively and worked well across the aisle to attack problems, not people.”