Gabriel Hament (L) and Dr. Linsey Grove. (Photos via each campaign’s Facebook.)
ST. PETERSBURG | Public defender Gabriel Hament and public health practitioner Dr. Linsey Grove will respectively represent Districts 2 and 6 on St. Petersburg City Council, voters determined Nov. 3.
The LGBTQ+ winners had different paths to victory. Hament and Courtney Bermudez were the only two candidates to qualify in the race for District 2, advancing directly to General Election, while Grove and Trevor Mallory advanced to a runoff at the end of a five-candidate primary.
According to unofficial Election Night results from the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections, Hament received 48,465 votes or 53.36% in District 2, besting Bermudez’s 42,365 or 46.64%. In the race for District 6, Grove received 51,344 votes or 55.27%, besting Mallory’s 41,558 or 44.73%.
Hament will succeed the term-limited Brandi Gabbard while Grove will succeed the term-limited Gina Driscoll. Among other groups, each was endorsed by the Stonewall Democrats of Pinellas County, something the latter discussed with Watermark Out News ahead of her primary.
“As an openly queer woman [and] former HIV case manager… I have the lived experience, community support and tenacity to fight for LGBTQ+ and ally residents in my district and city,” Grove shared. “We can ensure that all residents feel welcomed, celebrated and that their voices are heard by including language around gender and sexual orientation in our anti-discrimination language in our city charter.
“I also think that there will be instances where litigation will be needed to fully exercise our ability to protect and empower residents from different minority groups,” she added. “I believe that through training, intentional culture, community partnerships, and creative marketing, we can ensure that our city makes everyone feel like they belong, are heard and that their identities are celebrated.”
The Stonewall Democrats were among those to congratulate each victor after the race:
Grove reflected on her win Nov. 4, directly addressing voters.
“Thank you for your trust,” she shared. “I do not take it lightly, and I will not let you down. I am going to show up for this district every single day — for affordable housing, for safer streets, for South St. Pete, for every neighborhood that has waited too long for real investment at City Hall.
“Nearly 20 years of public health advocacy, community organizing, and neighbor-to-neighbor relationship building led to this moment,” she continued. “Now the real work begins.”
St. Petersburg also elected its next mayor Nov. 3. Charlie Crist ousted incumbent Ken Welch and will lead the city’s response to SB 1134, the state’s “anti-DEI” law which Grove has confirmed she opposes.
Watermark Out News has reached out to Hament and Grove for additional comment and will update this story should it be received.
For more information about Gabriel Hament and Linsey Grove, visit GabrielForStPete.com and GroveForStPete.com.
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