Former Rep. Jennifer Webb has entered the race for the Gulfport City Council’s Ward 3 seat and will launch her campaign this week with a birthday kickoff event at the North End Tap House.
Webb, a Democrat who is the current Executive Director of Live Tampa Bay, announced her candidacy in a message to supporters and on her campaign website. She wrote that her decision to run for the Ward 3 seat is rooted in years of connection to Gulfport and long involvement in neighborhood events, local volunteer efforts and community support.
“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 wrote.
From 2018-2020, Webb represented House District 69, which spans throughout parts of Pinellas County. Her professional background includes serving as the Director of Project Opioid Tampa Bay and founding the consulting firm Omni Public and worked at the University of South Florida as Director of Partnerships for the Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships, according to her Live Tampa Bay profile.
Webb holds degrees from the University of South Florida and Louisiana State University.
She chose to live in Ward 3 because of the neighborhood’s diversity and added that the city needs Council members who “champion the final leg of our recovery” from Hurricane’s Helene and Milton, and “provide a pathway into our future.”
“We deserve city council members that will not only work tirelessly to get our neighbors back in their houses and our businesses reopened, but also elected officials that have a vision for the future of Gulfport that includes all of our neighbors,” she wrote.
Her campaign kickoff event is scheduled for Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the North End Tap House. She is also accepting contributions through her website.
