ST. PETE, Fla. — Two St. Pete natives will be sworn in on Thursday as the newest additions to the St. Petersburg City Council.

Mike Harting has been elected to the currently vacant District 3 seat. Harting is the owner of 3 Daughters Brewing just south of downtown St. Pete, which he started in 2013.

Throughout his career, Harting says, he’s read hundreds of contracts, budgets and financial statements and has a lot of experience regarding understanding the details of those types of agreements. He wants to bring that experience to city council and says his top priority is to assess how the city handles its $1.1 billion budget.

What You Need To Know

  • Mike Harting, owner of 3 Daughters Brewing, will take District 3 seat

  • Corey Givens Jr. will take District 7 seat as youngest member of city council

  • Deborah Figgs-Sanders was re-elected to the District 5 seat

  • Both Givens, Harting look forward to weighing in on Rays deal

Harting says this year, roughly $22 million is allotted for capital improvement projects for stormwater, which he doesn’t believe will be enough. He wants the city to address its aging infrastructure with real and long-term solutions.

“That isn’t a lot of money. That wasn’t a lot of money in May and it’s no money now,” he said. “So the city has to relook at how it thinks through its capitalization projects and account for the fact that 11,000 homes had water in them.”

In regards to the Rays stadium plans and surrounding redevelopment, Harting says while the decision regarding funding and bonds has been made, the deal is not done.

“This deal also involves something that is very intrinsic which is it’s the value to the citizens,” Harting said. “Right now, there’s a giant piece of land in the middle of the city that really doesn’t have a lot of value. It’s got a trail running through it, but there’s no development or infrastructure that allows the citizens to enjoy it. I don’t know how to value you that yet, but it’s an important part that needs to be considered and I’m looking forward to being a part of it.”

Corey Givens Jr. has been elected to the District 7 seat, which covers part of South St. Pete.

Givens is an ordained minister and will be the youngest member of the city council. Givens says his goal is to be a voice to his community and focus on helping those affected by the hurricanes by giving them the resources to help them heal.

“I think helping people get back into their homes is my top priority. I’m focused on doing that, not getting the Rays back into their home,” Givens said. “There’s a lot of folks out there in the community that feel hopeless and we see crime on a steady increase so I want to make sure we do everything we can to combat that.”

Givens says he felt with all the recent uncertainty regarding the future of the Rays and surrounding redevelopment, the city needed a descendant of the Historic Gas Plant District on city council. He’s excited to be that person and share his community’s vision. 

“Whether the Rays stay or go we still have to redevelop the Gas Plant District so my focus is making sure that we do that intentionally with the people at heart,” he said.

And Deborah Figgs-Sanders was re-elected to the District 5 seat.