No. 18 on the list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians: Fentrice Driskell

House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell has found herself at No. 18 on the list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians, one spot down from her position on the list last year at No. 17.

With her term ending this year, she’s now eying a seat in the Senate, where she’s running in the Democratic Primary against a member of the Democratic Caucus she leads, Rep. Michele Rayner. The two are running in Senate District 16 to succeed Sen. Darryl Rouson, who is also facing term limits.

While Driskell’s positioning on this list has been waning — she was at No. 9 in 2024 and No. 13 in 2023 — her bid for higher office could further position Driskell in coming years, and her continued presence on the list at all is a testament to her political staying power.

In fact, when asked about Driskell, former Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner said several thoughts jump immediately to mind: “Smart. Authentic. Dedicated. Friend.”

“In a world in which political bullying has taken the place of dialogue, toughness has replaced kindness, and pretentiousness has replaced the hard work of actual achievement, Fentrice stands out as a standard of excellence, not just as a state Representative, but as a human being,” Joyner said. “Her hand extends to everyone, no matter the demographics. Her efforts on behalf of the people of Florida do not end with the Legislative Session. And her advocacy for causes right and just has been a lifelong passion that endures. Tampa Bay is proud to claim her as our own.

Over the past two years, Driskell has led her party through major challenges, including when Rep. Susan Valdés announced in late 2024 that she was leaving the Democratic Party to become a Republican. Just a few days later, Rep. Hillary Cassel did the same. The defections took an already battered Democratic House caucus, which was already suffering from a historic power imbalance, and further dwindled their numbers.

It’s hard to argue that Driskell isn’t one of the most qualified politicians in the Tampa Bay area, perhaps even the state. She’s a Harvard graduate and earned a law degree from Georgetown University. Driskell was the first Black woman chosen to lead a party caucus in the House.

“Leader Driskell is a strong, compassionate, concerned and dedicated public servant. She broke a glass ceiling, becoming the first Black female party leader and then led with integrity, grit and humility. She’s a person to be admired and respected,” Rep. Mike Gottlieb said.

While legislative leaders don’t often sponsor too many bills — their duties often keep them otherwise engaged — Driskell still managed to lead on several fronts this year, though with little success as the minority party.

Driskell pushed an initiative this year aimed at protecting abandoned and historic cemeteries. It would have established limited state access to land where there is credible evidence that an abandoned historic cemetery might exist, to confirm its existence through noninvasive research and maintenance, without transferring land ownership.

From there, the bill would have required formal documentation of the cemetery in the state’s historic records and would have offered landowners access to establish a conservation easement to obtain compensation through the Florida Forever program. The measure died in Committee.

But Driskell had been successful on similar initiatives in the past. Driskell originally championed a law creating a task force, which resulted in recommendations, including establishing the Office of Historic Cemeteries within the Division of Historical Resources with three full-time employees.

Driskell also led on a measure that would have laid the foundation for a potential multistate insurance compact Florida could enter into with other states, allowing Florida to spread catastrophe risk, increase bargaining power and stabilize the troubled insurance market. That measure also died in Committee.

Democrats led a broad “affordability agenda” in this year’s Legislative Session, with all nine proposals falling victim to the GOP supermajority.

When it became clear that the entire slate of bills had died, Driskell blasted Republicans for failing to deliver on the top issue for Florida voters: affordability. She lamented Florida “literally becoming too expensive for too many Floridians,” arguing that instead of fighting to lower costs, Republicans were “focused on fighting within their own ranks,” leaving Floridians behind.

But Driskell, despite challenges, has relished the legislative wins when she’s able to achieve them — not just because they are wins, but because they are harder fought and require something the GOP doesn’t need to do: reach across the aisle.

In 2021, Driskell, along with then-Republican colleague Cord Byrd, carried a police reform bill that responded to many concerns spotlighted in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020 and the subsequent protests nationwide that followed.

The now-law (HB 7051) prevents excessive use of force to restore public trust in law enforcement. The measure implements proportional use of force training, de-escalation training and a duty to inform if one officer witnesses another utilizing excessive force, including chokeholds, which became central to the police force conversation following Floyd’s death.

Driskell also led efforts in the House to secure historic funding for sickle-cell treatment and research, including nearly $4 million to enhance research into the disease, which predominantly impacts people of African descent, and to improve transportation for sickle-cell patients to obtain care.

“When I look at the work Leader Fentrice Driskell has accomplished, I’m struck by her incredible tenacity and her sharp intelligence. In my world, we say there are ‘Teamsters,’ and there are ‘me-sters.’ Leader Driskell has proven time and again that she is a ‘Teamster’ at heart — she’s always working for the good of all of us rather than her own interests,” said Ken Williams, a statewide union leader and member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

“What I admire most is that she doesn’t just serve people from a single political party or the wealthy; she has a genuine care for all people, and she has been an incredible ally to our unions and hard-working constituents. Her leadership and her heart for service aren’t just effective; they are a true inspiration. I am grateful for her impact.”

Driskell is also a prolific fundraiser. As Leader-designate — a role she held twice, once before she assumed her position as Democratic Leader and again when she was transitioning from her first term as Leader to her second — Driskell was responsible for overseeing the House campaign arm. In 2024, Driskell led efforts to raise $9 million for House races, a historic amount for the party.

Now, she’s fundraising for her own political future, consistently outraising her opposition. Driskell’s campaign account brought in more than $22,000 during the first quarter of 2026, pushing her campaign’s total to just under $160,000 since launching her bid.

Rayner’s campaign, meanwhile, raised just over $5,100 in the first quarter of this year. Her campaign has raised about $71,500 in total. Driskell’s affiliated PC, Florida Always and Forever Ours, brought in $9,600 during the quarter. The committee has now raised roughly $223,000 overall since September 2020, though much of that has already been spent.

The comparison between Driskell and Rayner on fundraising is important because the winner of the Primary is likely to be the next Senator for SD 16. So far, no Republican has filed for the race, but even if one does, they’d be unlikely to win a General Election. A full 47% of the District’s voters are registered as Democrats, compared to just 23% as Republicans.

Driskell also has some powerful support, including from former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and former Senate Democratic Leader Arthenia Joyner, an institution in Tampa politics.

“I’ve known Fentrice for nearly a decade. She has the experience, vision, and work ethic necessary to be an outstanding state Senator,” Joyner previously said in an endorsement. “She has consistently fought for our communities, and I know she will continue that fight as the next Senator for District 16. She has my complete and total support.”

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As for methodology, the Tampa Bay region is defined as Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties, with Hernando, Polk and Sarasota included when their elected officials impact Pinellas or Hillsborough.

A politician is defined as someone currently in office or actively running for office.

Panelists ranked their Top 25, with a first-place vote earning 25 points, second place earning 24, and so on down to 1 point for 25th. Those totals were combined to produce the final list.

We also want to thank our experienced and knowledgeable panelists, who were essential to developing the 2026 list: Vinik Family Office Chief of Staff Christina Barker; Mercury Public Affairs Managing Director Ashley Bauman; Michael Corcoran and Matt Blair of Corcoran Partners; former Sen. Jeff Brandes; Stephanie Cardozo of The Southern Group; Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick managing partner Ron Christaldi; political consultant/strategist Barry Edwards; Vicidial Group President Matt Florell; Sunrise Consulting Group President Shawn Foster; businessman Michael Griffin; St. Pete Catalyst Publisher Joe Hamilton; Clay Hollis of Tucker/Hall; Natalie King of RSA Consulting Group; Moffitt Cancer Center VP of Public Affairs and Communications Merritt Martin; political consultant Chris Mitchell; Mike Moore of The Southern Group; RSA President and CEO Ron Pierce; Tucker/Hall CEO Darren Richards; political consultant Jim Rimes; political consultant Preston Rudie of Catalyst Communications Group; TECO Vice President of State and Regional Affairs Stephanie Smith; lobbyist Alan Suskey of Shumaker Advisors; and Michelle and Peter Schorsch, publishers of Florida Politics.