ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Saying they had a shared passion for affordable housing, former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris King traveled to St. Petersburg on Wednesday to back Rene Flowers in her bid for the Pinellas County Commission District 7 seat.

“I got to know her during (20)17 and 18 and I respected her, and I listened to her, and she taught me a lot about St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, and so when I knew and heard that she was going to try to transition to the Pinellas County Commission, I said, 'We want to give our full weight and excitement,'" King said as a group of Flowers’ supporters gathered behind him at a press conference in front of the Carter G. Woodson African American Museum.

Flowers, currently a member of the Pinellas County School Board, is one of three well known St. Petersburg public officials who have tossed their hat in the County Commission contest to succeed longtime Commissioner Ken Welch, who is stepping down after a 20-year run on the board later this year.

State Rep. and former St. Pete City Councilman Wengay Newton and former state Rep. Frank Peterman have also entered the Democratic primary, which takes place in August. The winner of that race will be heavily favored in November against Republican Chico Cromartie and independent Maria Scruggs.

Flowers said one factor that she relished the opportunity to serve on Board of County Commissioners later this year is to work with the county's committment to affordable housing. The board has voted to set aside more than $80 million in the next fiscal year toward affordable housing.

“I want to be able to marry those dollars with municipal governments so that we can stretch those dollars and really enhance all of the projects that will be set before us,” she said. “We won’t have to worry about asking contractors and developers for just 30 percent of affordable housing, we can build 100 percent of affordable housing.”

Flowers said she was in “awe” to receive King’s endorsement, the first he said he has made outside of Orlando for the current election cycle.

King is a Winter Park affordable housing executive who had never ran for public office before he declared his candidacy for governor of Florida in 2017. Although he ultimately finished last in a competitive five-person race for the Democratic nomination in August 2018, he was then selected by gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum to serve as his running mate during the general election campaign, where the Gillum-King ticket narrowly lost to Ron DeSantis and Jeanette Nuñez.

Among those in attendance to show their support for Flowers on Wednesday included  current city councilmembers Lisa Wheeler-Bowman and Deborah Figgs-Sanders, as well as former Councilman Steve Kornell.

Kornell said he first became acquainted with Flowers when he worked at the Childs Park recreation Center in the 1990s. “It’s not against anyone else,” he said when asked why he chose to back Flowers over Newton, a former colleague on the City Council.

He also acknowledged that unlike Newton or Frank Peterman, Flowers reached out directly to ask for his support.

“I love debating the issues, and that’s what I want to stay focused on. The issues," Flowers said when asked what type of campaign she envisioned occurring against Newton and Peterman. “I have to say that I feel  that I am more qualified and adequately suited to serve in that position.”

Flowers has served on the Pinellas County School Board since 2012.  She previously served on the St. Pete City Council in the late 90’s and early aughts.

Flowers has raised more than $15,000 in the first few months of her campaign, the most of any candidate in the District 7 contest so far.