Lisset Hanewicz is in for re-election

St. Petersburg City Council member Lisset Hanewicz has filed for re-election to her District 4 seat.

Hanewicz, the current Council Chair, is so far unopposed.

“Serving our community has been the honor of my life,” Hanewicz said in a statement. “At a time when politics can feel divisive and uncertain, I remain committed to thoughtful leadership, fiscal responsibility, and ensuring St. Petersburg continues to be a thriving, inclusive city for generations to come.”

Hanewicz was first elected to the City Council in 2021 and received an extra year on her first term due to the city moving its municipal elections from odd-numbered years to even. Since her election, Hanewicz has emphasized taxpayer protections balanced with strengthening city service delivery. She was the first Latina elected to serve on the Council.

A lawyer by trade, Hanewicz previously worked for the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s Office as a prosecutor. She also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the Department of Justice for the Middle District of Florida.

She left her law practice in anticipation of her first child. Two years later, she took on a new role as the Crescent Lake Neighborhood Association President, where she worked to revitalize the group. The work, according to Hanewicz, is what prompted her to run for City Council in the first place.

Hanewicz’s experience as a prosecutor has sometimes been on display in her deliberations from the dais.

In September, for example, Hanewicz took Mayor Ken Welch’s administration to task over its handling of the St. Pete Science Center plan, which has since been approved despite the administration’s initial attempts to block it. She diligently broke down how a first-supported plan to sell the Science Center land for $1.6 million to rehabilitate the long-shuttered educational facility crumbled, outlining how the administration made untrue claims about the need for a feasibility study that was later used to walk back the agreed upon sale.

After Hanewicz’s remarks, the City Council voted unanimously to support the Science Center project, and Welch eventually went along with the deal.

Hanewicz also publicly questioned the city’s public records request process after she identified delays in receiving requested information, and in some cases requested documents weren’t received at all. Earlier this month she requested a committee discussion to explore the city’s process and identify possible improvements after a resident sued the city in November over a records request he said went unfilled for more than a year.

“As Chair, my priority has been keeping our Council focused on results — protecting taxpayers, investing wisely in our infrastructure, and ensuring our city remains financially strong,” Hanewicz said. “In my next term, I will continue prioritizing public safety, resilience planning, infrastructure modernization, and disciplined budgeting so that St. Petersburg remains one of the best places in Florida to live, work, and raise a family.”

Hanewicz, who filed paperwork to run on Wednesday, was born in Miami to Cuban exiles who came to the U.S. on Freedom Flights. She became the first in her family to attend college, and went on to further her education in law school. Regardless of the outcome of her election, Hanewicz will remain Council Chair through 2026.

District 4 includes the Crescent Lake, Historic Old Northeast, Greater Woodlawn, and Meadowlawn neighborhoods.