{"id":242253,"date":"2026-04-22T19:48:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T19:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/242253\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T19:48:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T19:48:34","slug":"no-14-on-the-list-of-tampa-bays-most-powerful-politicians-laurel-lee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/242253\/","title":{"rendered":"No. 14 on the list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians: Laurel Lee"},"content":{"rendered":"

From election integrity to online abuse, U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee has found herself running point in Congress on some of the most sensitive and fragile legislation crafted in the nation\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n

That alone signals a willingness and confidence unusual for a second-term Congresswoman, much less one in a battleground congressional seat.<\/p>\n

But Lee, a former Circuit Court Judge<\/a> and Florida Secretary of State<\/a>, knew the pressure and high stakes of public service before she ever stood for election to federal office.<\/p>\n

\u201cLaurel is a lifelong public servant who understands how the values of family, community and faith are the bedrock of our communities,\u201d said Michael Corcoran, CEO of Corcoran Partners. \u201cWe are blessed to have her in Washington representing our great state.\u201d<\/p>\n

As she prepares to defend what has been one of the most politically divided congressional districts in Florida, Lee has grown her respect and local standing. This year, she lands in the No. 14 slot on the list of Tampa Bay\u2019s Most Powerful Politicians.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lee\u2019s background immediately earned her respect in the halls of Congress, where she chairs a high-profile House Administration Elections Subcommittee. There, she helped shape legislation like the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, and more recently proposed a constitutional amendment<\/a> that would ensure only U.S. citizens could vote. Both of those have been priorities of Republican leadership.<\/p>\n

But she has also worked on major bipartisan legislation with such progressive firebrands as U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat.<\/p>\n

The two appeared at a news conference<\/a> on the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits (DEFIANCE) Act that attracted a media mass to House Triangle. Most journalists at that event clamored for a glimpse of celebrity advocate Paris Hilton. But Ocasio-Cortez gave credit to her Republican co-sponsor for rallying support in a GOP Congress for the bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to give a special thank you to my Republican co-lead Laurel Lee, who has helped us push this across the line and as we move this forward after unanimous passage in the Senate, hoping to get this across the line in the House,\u201d the Democrat said.<\/p>\n

Indeed, occasional foes on the Left and Right freely offer praise to the lawmaker.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s done a phenomenal job as a Congresswoman. I think she\u2019s very much in tune with the people in the district,\u201d said former state Sen. Kelli Stargell, one of Lee\u2019s GOP Primary opponents<\/a> when Lee first won her House seat.<\/p>\n

The broad respect comes from a cool-headed approach to whatever job she holds, and an understanding of government from time in the judicial, executive and legislative branches.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat sets Laurel Lee apart is the depth of her experience. From serving as a federal prosecutor and circuit court judge to Florida\u2019s Secretary of State, she brings a rare combination of legal, administrative, and public service experience to Congress,\u201d said Shawn Foster, Sunrise Consulting Group founder and owner.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat background gives her a steady, thoughtful approach to complex issues and has helped establish her as a respected voice in Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n

But beyond kind words, her work ethic has also brought results. Four bills where Lee was the prime sponsor have become law since her arrival in Washington, most recently<\/a> a new law expanding the ability of Holocaust survivors and their families to recover stolen art and cultural items taken during the Third Reich.<\/p>\n

Lee also carried a bill reforming America\u2019s intelligence gathering powers and reauthorizing abilities. Her Revising Existing Procedures On Reporting via Technology (REPORT) Act has strengthened requirements for tech companies to report child porn.<\/p>\n

More recently, she has pressed to increase penalties for the extortion of children using sexual materials procured online. That legislation cleared<\/a> the House Energy and Commerce Committee already and boasts bipartisan support in both chambers. U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody (a former colleague on the Hillsborough County bench when both were Judges) has companion legislation moving in the Senate.<\/p>\n

\u201cLaurel Lee has built a reputation for disciplined, substantive leadership,\u201d said RSA Consulting President and CEO Ron Pierce. \u201cIn the last year, she has advanced bipartisan and district-focused work on energy resilience, legal reform and targeted investments that directly benefit our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a record she will rely on as she seeks a third term, this time running against a tide of resistance from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which lists her district<\/a> among those in play in the 2026 cycle this year. So far, she\u2019s outraising<\/a> her closest<\/a> Democratic opponent by more than a 3-to-1 margin. But if nothing else, that means she will have plenty of chances this year to make the case for her accomplishments on behalf of Tampa Bay.<\/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; former St. Petersburg City Council member Robert Blackmon; 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":"From election integrity to online abuse, U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee has found herself running point in Congress on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":242254,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[64597,3853,96733,107000,8875,135,137,136,106469,106470],"class_list":{"0":"post-242253","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa","8":"tag-alexandria-ocasio-cortez","9":"tag-ashley-moody","10":"tag-dccc","11":"tag-kelli-stargell","12":"tag-laurel-lee","13":"tag-tampa","14":"tag-tampa-headlines","15":"tag-tampa-news","16":"tag-tbmpp","17":"tag-tbmpp26"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242253","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=242253"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242253\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}