Former Florida State Representative Jennifer Webb has entered the race for Gulfport City Council’s Ward III seat. She will launch her campaign during a combined birthday and kickoff event Dec. 11 at North End Tap House. The gathering runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Webb represented Florida House District 69 from 2018 to 2020. During her term she served on committees focused on the environment, local issues and public safety and worked closely with municipalities in coastal Pinellas County.

Webb was the first openly LGBTQ woman elected to the Florida Legislature, a milestone that drew national attention at the time and made her one of the most visible lawmakers from the region.

She has lived in Gulfport since her college years. On her campaign website she writes, “You deserve someone who cherishes our community enough to show up, who appreciates our city enough to insist on transparency and accountability, and who loves all of our neighbors enough to live and let live.”

She has been involved with neighborhood events and community cleanups after storms. Webb writes that she and her family have shared Gulfport’s highs and lows, noting celebrations at the Peninsula Inn and support from neighbors after the loss of her sister. “You have been a constant support for me and my family,” she writes.

Webb says that deep connection is what brought her back to public service. “I throw my hat in the ring for City Council,” she writes, adding that Gulfport is special because neighbors “meet our neighbors where they are” and “celebrate their small and large accomplishments.”

Ward III includes one of the city’s most varied residential areas. Webb’s block includes retirees, students, taxi drivers, law professors, plumbers and teachers, and she states the neighborhood reflects the diversity she hopes to protect.

She is running to “stand up for our hardworking neighbors” and to help guide Gulfport’s recovery and future growth in a way that works for both longtime residents and newcomers, according to her campaign website.

Webb’s kickoff next week will be her first public event since filing, and will introduce the themes she plans to carry into the election.