Three Pinellas County Commission seats are up for election this year, and Republicans incumbents are seeking re-election in all of them. Those office-holders appear relatively safe if 2025 campaign finance reports are any indication.

Brian Scott, who represents the countywide District 2 seat, is so far unopposed. Qualifying in the races runs June 8-12, so there is still time for a challenger to emerge. However, any would-be challenger would enter the race at an immediate funding disadvantage, with Scott raising more than $94,000 as of the end of 2025.

The other two incumbents facing re-election this year — Dave Eggers in District 4 and Kathleen Peters in District 6 — have drawn challengers, though neither have posted significant fundraising activity since entering the race.

There isn’t a Democrat challenging Eggers so far, but he faces intraparty opposition from fellow Republican Tony Ringelspaugh. Ringelspaugh, who describes himself as retired, raised just $1,000 since entering the race in October, and half of that was a contribution from himself to his campaign. As of Dec. 31, he hadn’t spent any of it.

Eggers, meanwhile, has raised nearly $19,000 and retains about $13,000. It’s a small sum compared to fundraising activity in past Pinellas County Commission races — note Scott’s nearly six-figure haul for a so far unopposed race — but it’s still enough to create a wide funding gap between his opponent.

And Ringelspaugh doesn’t appear to be actively campaigning at this point. His most recent post to his campaign Facebook page was on Oct. 15 announcing his bid. Ringelspaugh does not appear to have a campaign website, either.

Eggers also has strong institutional support, including recent nods from U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis and Anna Paulina Luna.

Eggers faced intraparty opposition four years ago, but won re-election that year with 68% of the vote. If no Democrat enters the race, and no one files as a write-in to close the Primary, the GOP Primary will be open to all voters.

District 4 covers the northernmost parts of Pinellas County, including Palm Harbor, East Lake, Tarpon Springs, Dunedin and Safety Harbor.

Peters is the top fundraiser among incumbents up for re-election this year, with $103,000 raised as of Dec. 31. Her opponent, architect David Glenn Jr., a Democrat, has collected less than $2,300.

While Glenn entered the race in December and only had three weeks of fundraising to report, his early activity doesn’t show a lot of momentum. All of his funds came from the candidate himself. Still, he has been at least somewhat active on social media and in the community, speaking at local Democratic clubs. His campaign website, though, doesn’t list any upcoming events.

Glenn previously said he was running to disrupt what he describes as entrenched county leadership. His platform emphasizes land use and development policy, arguing the need for more density and carefully planned growth. He also favors increased support for public transportation and affordable housing, and wants to crack down on nuisance short-term rental properties, among other priorities.

But getting that message to voters amid a six-figure funding deficit will be a challenge, and like her colleagues on the dais, Peters will have plenty of support from the county’s donor class.

Peter’s fourth-quarter haul, which was nearly $40,000, included top $1,000 donations from a number of local businesses and interests, including Marine construction companies Speeler Helicals, Bayside Dredging, Tampa Bay Marine Contractors, Haven Dock & Marine, Decks & Docks Lumber, Waterfront Property Services, and BCJ 2.

She also received top donations from a couple of bowling alleys, and from interests in real estate development, insurance, restaurant and automotive industries. The political committee supporting state Rep. Linda Chaney cut a $1,000 check in the fourth quarter, as did former state Rep. Jackie Toledo, both Republicans, among other donors.

First elected in 2018 with 60% of the vote over Democrat Amy Kedron, Peters was re-elected in 2022 without opposition.

Taken collectively, the three County Commission seats up for election this year may prove to be sleepy affairs unless current challengers step up campaign efforts.

The lack of competitive races so far may be a result of Pinellas County’s position as an increasingly red region. For Scott, countywide voter registration favors Republicans by about 47,000 voters. In Eggers’ District 4, Republicans outnumber Democrats by about 29,000 voters, and Democrats trail Republicans in Peters’ District 6 by about 23,000 voters.

A new report on Florida’s resilience to natural disasters concludes there are key challenges ahead for the state, as well as opportunities to modernize infrastructure to help streamline recovery after an emergency.

The Florida Council of 100 (FC 100), made up of of business leaders who analyze some of the biggest challenges facing the state, published a report called “Resilience Reimagined: Modern Policy and Innovation for a Stronger Florida.”

The document analyzes how long-term economic competitiveness can expand in the face of severe weather endemic to the state. The report concludes that even as hurricanes, flooding and other severe weather events are part of Florida living, resilience can become an economic component as well as an environmental effort.

“Florida’s future will be defined by how well we prepare for and respond to storms and flooding,” said George S. LeMieux, Chair of FC 100. “Resilience is not just about repairing damage. It is about protecting our economy, safeguarding communities, and ensuring Florida remains one of the most competitive places in the world to live and do business.”

Some of the key findings in the report, published Tuesday, include warnings that failure to invest in storm preparedness will result in lost economic activity, business closings and disruption to the job market, while insurance costs could rise. Long-term investments in recovery plans can reduce losses and accelerate recovery after major weather events.

Beyond outlining the issues that could damage Florida’s business sector, the FC 100 report provides several recommendations, including:

— Streamlining post-disaster recovery and permitting to reduce delays and uncertainty

— Hardening infrastructure and utilities to limit outages and economic disruption

— Modernizing Florida’s building code to reflect evolving flood, wind, and energy risks

— Incentivizing resilience investments by homeowners and communities

— Supporting resilience innovation and commercialization to grow new industries and jobs

“The choices we make now will shape Florida’s quality of life and economic strength for generations,” said Michael Simas, President and CEO of the FC 100. “This report offers a clear path forward and an opportunity for Florida to define itself not by its exposure to storms, but by its ability to thrive despite them.”

The FC 100 has more than 200 companies in its membership that represent more than 1.3 million workers in the state.

A House subcommittee unanimously approved a bill to restore the Ocklawaha River that drew strong praise from environmentalists and fierce opposition from local officials in Putnam County.

The mixed public feedback on HB 981 makes it clear that the legislation to remove the river’s dam remains controversial after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed $6.25 million in funding for Ocklawaha River restoration during the 2025 Session.

“It’s a local decision. It’s a local issue. It needs to stay local,” said Putnam County Commissioner Larry Harvey, who voiced concerns about West Putnam lakes drying up. 

“Putnam County wasn’t considered locally. We’ve never been asked about this. We don’t want this.”

Rep. Wyman Duggan, a Jacksonville Republican, defended his bill and argued the restoration project carries a greater importance since the Ocklawaha is the primary tributary running into the St. Johns River.

“This is, at a minimum, a regional issue. The Ocklawaha River touches 12 counties, but I submit it’s a state level issue. The St. Johns River is the longest river in the state and it’s the most significant,” Duggan said.

Lawmakers on the House Natural Resources and Disasters Subcommittee were not swayed by the bill’s opponents.

Behind the Everglades and the Kissimmee River Basin restoration projects, the Ocklawaha River will become “the third-greatest restoration in the state of Florida’s history,” said Rep. Jim Mooney Jr., an Islamorada Republican.

Rep. Lindsay Cross called the bill “a big lift.”

“I will be a strong supporter of it, and hope we can get this across the finish line this year,” said Cross, a St. Petersburg Democrat.

Duggan added that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will oversee the river restoration and will take into account local residents’ concerns with water level impacts.

Duggan’s bill would require the DEP to develop a plan to restore the Ocklawaha River by Jan. 1, 2027, then finish the work by Dec. 31, 2032.

What made the bill necessary, Duggan said, was the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designating the dam as a high hazard.

Living beyond its 50-year life span, the 58-year-old Rodman Dam doesn’t perform any flood control or generate electricity, Duggan said. 

“There is no alarm system in place to warn the downstream communities in the event of a dam failure,” Duggan said. “It’s not even clear that if we try to reconstruct the dam, bring it up to code, that the Army Corps of Engineers would permit that effort.”

The dam is also known as the Kirkpatrick Dam.

Restoring the Ocklawaha would put 21 billion gallons of water into the St. Johns River, which environmentalists said will improve the water and help the fisheries and the manatees, Duggan explained.

Environmentalists also said removing the dam would bring back 20 lost springs.

Another major component of Duggan’s bill is to beef up economic development in Clay, Marion, Putnam and St. Johns counties to promote water and nature activities from swimming to fishing and wildlife viewing. The bill would create the Northeast Florida River and Springs Recreation and Economic Development Council and create a grant program to fund the council’s outdoor recreation plan.

“The bill shows people what they gain and not what they lose,” said Chip Laibl, Vice President of the Great Florida Riverway Trust. “It’s time to quit kicking this issue down the road for a vocal minority and consider the safety, economic needs, and recreation facilities for all of Putnam County and beyond.”

Laibl argued that HB 981 will make “Putnam County the outdoor recreation hub of the state.”