{"id":241961,"date":"2026-04-22T15:47:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T15:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/241961\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T15:47:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T15:47:33","slug":"no-18-on-the-list-of-tampa-bays-most-powerful-politicians-fentrice-driskell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/241961\/","title":{"rendered":"No. 18 on the list of Tampa Bay\u2019s Most Powerful Politicians: Fentrice Driskell"},"content":{"rendered":"

House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell has found herself at No. 18 on the list of Tampa Bay\u2019s Most Powerful Politicians, one spot down from her position on the list last year at No. 17<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With her term ending this year, she\u2019s now eying a seat in the Senate, where she\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

While Driskell\u2019s positioning on this list has been waning \u2014 she was at No. 9<\/a> in 2024 and No. 13<\/a>\u00a0in 2023 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

In fact, when asked about Driskell, former Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner said several thoughts jump immediately to mind: \u201cSmart. Authentic. Dedicated. Friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 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,\u201d Joyner said. \u201cHer 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.<\/p>\n

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Over the past two years, Driskell has\u00a0led her party through major challenges, including when Rep.\u00a0Susan Vald\u00e9s\u00a0announced in late 2024 that she was\u00a0leaving<\/a>\u00a0the Democratic Party<\/a>\u00a0to become a Republican. Just a few days later, Rep.\u00a0Hillary Cassel\u00a0did\u00a0the same<\/a>. The defections took an already battered Democratic House caucus, which was already suffering from a historic power imbalance, and further dwindled their numbers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to argue that Driskell isn\u2019t one of the most qualified politicians in the Tampa Bay area, perhaps even the state. She\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeader 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\u2019s a person to be admired and respected,\u201d Rep. Mike Gottlieb said.<\/p>\n

While legislative leaders don\u2019t often sponsor too many bills \u2014 their duties often keep them otherwise engaged \u2014 Driskell still managed to lead on several fronts this year, though with little success as the minority party.<\/p>\n

Driskell pushed an initiative<\/a> this year aimed at protecting abandoned and historic cemeteries<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

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From there, the bill would have required formal documentation of the cemetery in the state\u2019s historic records and would have offered landowners access to establish a conservation easement to obtain compensation through the Florida Forever program<\/a>. The measure died in Committee.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>\u00a0with three full-time employees.<\/p>\n

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

Democrats led a broad \u201caffordability agenda<\/a>\u201d in this year\u2019s Legislative Session, with all nine proposals falling victim to the GOP supermajority.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>: affordability. She lamented Florida \u201cliterally becoming too expensive for too many Floridians,\u201d arguing that instead of fighting to lower costs, Republicans were \u201cfocused on fighting<\/a>\u00a0within their own ranks,\u201d leaving Floridians behind.<\/p>\n

But Driskell, despite challenges, has relished the legislative wins when she\u2019s able to achieve them \u2014 not just because they are wins, but because they are harder fought and require something the GOP doesn\u2019t need to do: reach across the aisle.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s murder in 2020 and the subsequent protests nationwide that followed.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I look at the work Leader Fentrice Driskell has accomplished, I\u2019m struck by her incredible tenacity and her sharp intelligence. In my world, we say there are \u2018Teamsters,\u2019 and there are \u2018me-sters.\u2019 Leader Driskell has proven time and again that she is a \u2018Teamster\u2019 at heart \u2014 she\u2019s always working for the good of all of us rather than her own interests,\u201d said Ken Williams, a statewide union leader and member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I admire most is that she doesn\u2019t 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\u2019t just effective; they are a true inspiration. I am grateful for her impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Driskell is also a prolific fundraiser. As Leader-designate \u2014 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 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

Now, she\u2019s fundraising for her own political future, consistently outraising<\/a> her opposition. Driskell\u2019s campaign account brought in more than $22,000 during the first quarter of 2026, pushing her campaign\u2019s total to just under $160,000 since launching her bid.<\/p>\n

Rayner\u2019s campaign, meanwhile, raised just over $5,100 in the first quarter of this year. Her campaign has raised about $71,500 in total. Driskell\u2019s affiliated PC,\u00a0Florida Always and Forever Ours<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019d be unlikely to win a General Election. A full 47% of the District\u2019s voters are registered as Democrats, compared to just 23% as Republicans.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve known Fentrice for nearly a decade. She has the experience, vision, and work ethic necessary to be an outstanding state Senator,\u201d Joyner previously said in an endorsement. \u201cShe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A politician is defined as someone currently in office or actively running for office.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell has found herself at No. 18 on the list of Tampa Bay\u2019s Most…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":241962,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[106871,820,12665,3290,9503,824,135,106521,137,136,106469,106470],"class_list":{"0":"post-241961","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa","8":"tag-abandoned-cemeteries","9":"tag-darryl-rouson","10":"tag-fentrice-driskell","11":"tag-florida-forever","12":"tag-insurance","13":"tag-michele-rayner","14":"tag-tampa","15":"tag-tampa-bays-most-powerful-politicians","16":"tag-tampa-headlines","17":"tag-tampa-news","18":"tag-tbmpp","19":"tag-tbmpp26"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241961\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}