Candidates
Maria Scruggs
Maria is a champion of our community. As head of the NAACP, and having had experience in the criminal justice system, Maria knows how to get things done – for everyone. She proposes a comprehensive community development plan for Midtown that links jobs and businesses opportunities to real jobs and potential business opportunities.
| Candidate Answers & Information | |
| Hometown (City & State): | St. Petersburg, FL |
| Years in St. Petersburg: | 59 years as permanent resident |
| Years in District (Council candidates): | 59 years as permanent resident |
| Marital Status: | Divorced |
| No. of Children + Ages: | Daughter Shelynn M. Weston-28 ; step daughter Bernetta Weston-Davis-38 |
| Organizational Endorsements: | See voter’s guide |
| Occupation: | Administrative Supervisor responsible for the management of Community service, drug testing, pretrial release supervision and pretrial diversion at Orange county corrections. |
| Current & Prior Career Positions: | See attached resume |
| Education: | B.S. degree in criminology-FSU
C.P.M.-FSU |
| Community Service/Leadership Roles: | St. Petersburg Branch NAACP(temporarily step down until election is over);
Chairwoman Happy Worker’s Learning Center SMART board of Directors |
| Organizational Affiliations: | NAACP, National Organization of Women, National Association for Pretrial Services Professionals |
| Priorities if Elected: | Economics: Ensuring residents with the greatest employment needs are linked to the job corridors. Providing access to capital and contracting opportunities to small African-owned businesses; providing support to independently owned early childhood education centers and homes as an education and an economic strategy. |
| Email: | Mariascruggs_weston@yahoo.com |
| Telephone Number: | 727-798-5361 |
| Website: | www.marialscruggs.com |
| Facebook page: | Facebook.com/MariaLScruggs |
| Instagram page: |
| Agree & will support | Disagree & will not support | Agree in principal; suggest changes | Disagree but open to discuss | Don’t know enough; willing to learn | Other Thoughts | |
| The 2020 Plan to reduce poverty by 30% in South St. Petersburg by 2020 | X | I agree in concept to the initiatives aimed, however I agree those plans can only be realized when there is a professional and objective vendor skilled at community redevelopment leading a comprehensive process that is multi-tiered. | ||||
| Collective Empowerment Group Comprehensive Plan for Economic Growth & Wealth Building | X | |||||
| People’s Budget Review
New Deal Economic Growth Policies & Initiatives |
X | |||||
| Continued use of South St. Petersburg CRA funding for workforce & business development | X | |||||
| Social Impact Bond structure to increase investments in programs to increase employment & income in community | X | |||||
| Universal Community Benefit Agreement
Policy of targeting contracts and jobs to community workers and firms, for all city-supported development projects |
X
X |
