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Rep. Lindsay Cross Drops Out, Floyd & Hanewicz Reelected

Alec Wilcosky
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Here's what you need to know this week:

 


 

State Rep. Lindsay Cross to not Seek Reelection

This morning in a video and statement posted online, Florida House District 60 Representative Lindsay Cross announced that she would not be seeking reelection for a third term. Prior to the announcement, the Florida AFL-CIO had early-endorsed Cross under its Friends of Labor criteria for state legislative incumbents with a firm voting record for labor support. The announcement comes only eight days prior to the qualifying deadline on June 12. See Rep. Cross's official statement below:


 


 


 


 

Labor-Endorsed Candidates Win Unopposed in St. Pete

Last week was the qualifying period for St. Petersburg mayoral and city council candidates. On Friday at noon, the deadline to qualify passed. Our two endorsed candidates in the race, Council Chair Lisset Hanewicz and Vice-Chair Richie Floyd, did not have opponents file against them. Thus, they were reelected without opposition. Congratulations to these two supporters of working families!


 

Center-Left: Richie Floyd, Center Right: Lisset Hanewicz. Photo: Dirk Shadd, Tampa Bay Times
 

Chair Hanewicz, upon winning, told the Tampa Bay Times, “I’m very excited that I’m going to be continuing to serve our city. There’s still a lot of work to be done and a lot of challenges before us but I am ready to take on whatever comes our way.”

Vice-Chair Floyd said, “It’s been the honor of a lifetime to represent the people of District 8 at City Hall. I’m grateful to spend four more years working on building a city that stands up for its residents and truly works for everyone.”

The stage is set, however, for the races for Mayor and City Council Districts 2 & 6. Both are open seats with Council Members Brandi Gabbard and Gina Driscoll having reached their term limits. WCFLC interviewed candidates in Districts 2 & 6 and opted to hold off on issuing an endorsement at this time. WCFLC has yet to interview mayoral candidates.

Mayor

  • Ken Welch, incumbent
  • Charlie Crist
  • Brandi Gabbard
  • Jim Large
  • Maria Scruggs
  • Kevin Batdorf

District 2

  • Courtney Bermudez
  • Gabriel Hament

District 6

  • Terri Balliet
  • Linsey Grove
  • Doug Homeyer
  • Trevor Mallory
  • Jameka Williams

 


 

 


 

Here's What's Coming Up:

 


 

Apply for Central Florida Jobs with Justice's Annual Organizer Training

Dates: June 26-28, 2026
Location: Central Florida Jobs with Justice Office: 1516 East Colonial Dr Suite 304 Orlando, FL 32803
Price: $200 for commuters, plus an additional $200 per night should you need lodging accommodations (scholarships are available)
Application Deadline was May 29th, but you may submit late. Contact brittany@cfjwj.org to learn more!


 

Annually, JWJ hosts this training in Central Florida and is a space where organizers and activists are able to learn a mix of hard organizing skills and develop their ability to build winning cross-sector campaigns. This training provides an organizing framework that can be used by even the most seasoned activists, and also is a great space for leaders to build or strengthen their relationships with partners in our ecosystem.


 


 

6/13-14: FL AFL-CIO COPE Convention

The Florida labor movement will be gathering in Orlando for its Committee on Political Education (COPE) endorsing convention at the Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace - Disney Springs. Below are some important notes and reminders to delegates and candidates interested in participating.


 

Delegates

Local unions should have now received their Convention credentials in the mail. Be sure to check that your local union plans on sending delegates. If you have any questions about the convention or your credentials, please contact the Office of the President via Billy Lawson at wlawson@flaflcio.org. Your local can pay ahead via check while avoiding a late registration/on-site registration fee.

In addition to Convention registration, you may join us on the evening of Saturday, June 13 for the Candidate Reception and the June 14 Solidarity Breakfast. Tickets for delegates are $132.43 after fees. You may purchase tickets online now or RSVP and pay later here. Tickets for for the Solidarity Breakfast are $69.40 after fees and can be purchased online now or RSVP paid for later.

Candidates and Campaign Staff

Candidates should have already received an invite to the Candidate Reception Saturday, June 13 7-9pm on site at hotel. This event gives candidates the opportunity to connect with delegates ahead of endorsement votes the next day. Tickets for candidates and their staff are $263.74 each after fees. You may purchase tickets now or RSVP and pay later here.



 

That's all for this week! Check out our website at wcflc.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates. If you'd like to receive this weekly via email, please subscribe here: bit.ly/WCFLC