Sam Wilson to officially kick off Clearwater City Council campaign

Sam Wilson, a congressional staffer for U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, is officially launching his campaign next week, with a kickoff event Thursday at Hogg Daddy’s Beach Bar and Grill.

Wilson’s kickoff features Luna and U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis as special guests, and is backed by a who’s who of local GOP leaders.

The March 26 event begins at 5:30 p.m. and runs through 7, with the minimum suggested campaign contribution set at $100. Donors are limited to contributions of $1,000.

Hogg Daddy’s is located at 752 S. Gulfview Blvd. in Clearwater.

The host committee includes Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector, former Clearwater Mayors Brian Aungst Sr. and Frank Hibbard, and incumbent Clearwater City Council members David Allbritton, Ryan Cotton and Mike Mannino.

Others on the committee include, among others, state Sen. Nick DiCeglie; state Reps. Kim Berfield and Berny Jacques; Pinellas County Commissioners Chris Latvala, Vince Nowicki, Chris Scherer and Brian Scott; Pinellas County Clerk of the Court Ken Burke; Pinellas County Tax Collector Adam Ross; former Pinellas County Commissioner Nick Brickfield; former appointed Pinellas County Commissioner Jay Beyrouti; former Clearwater City Council member Doreen Caudell; GOP political consultant Jim Rimes; and lobbyist Alan Suskey.

Luna, Rector and Hibbard have already endorsed Wilson, in addition to serving on his kickoff host committee.

Wilson joined the race last month, to replace outgoing City Council member Lina Teixeira, who announced in January that she would not seek re-election.

Wilson has worked with Luna in various roles since mid-2022, first as a scheduler and later as a District Field and Legislative Coordinator. He was promoted to District Director in November 2024. Luna was Wilson’s first endorsement.

Prior to his work with Luna, Wilson served as an intern for several federal officials, including for U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Gus Bilirakis in Florida. Prior to that, he interned with then-U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. He also previously served as an intern research liaison with the group Citizens Defending Freedom, according to his LinkedIn bio.

Wilson previously told Florida Politics his top priorities include addressing affordability issues in the city and ensuring transparency in city business.

He was the first to file for the race, but recently drew a challenger: former Clearwater City Council member Mark Bunker, an anti-Scientology activist who was unseated in 2024.

The election for Clearwater City Council is Aug. 18. With just two candidates in the race, it would be decided in the August election. But after voters approved a charter change in the 2024 election, if another candidate enters and no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a runoff Nov. 3.