MHARIEL SUMMERS

Council District:  St. Petersburg City Council District 6

Top 3 Priorities, If Elected:

• Continued economic growth by focusing on local businesses and their respective needs. I will support partnerships with entities like the St. Pete Chamber, the TBBBA, and others. I will work to strengthen city resources like the Greenhouse and the Sankofa project.
• Visible equity in the Black communities. We will rehab these areas with a targeted approach beginning with the local economy. This means utilizing the SBE program, the CBA, the CRA, and supporting initiatives like the Saturday Morning Shoppe and Sankofa. This will begin a positive trend impacting several socio-economic disparities. 
• Sustainability and resiliency implementations to protect and prepare our aging infrastructure from sea-level rise and hurricanes. I will advocate for us to rely on all the taxpayer-funded research to guide how we protect our environment. This includes the ISAP Plan, the Office of Sustainability and Resiliency, the Department of Emergency Services, and the 2050 Plan.

Hometown: St. Petersburg

Years in St. Pete: 27

Age: 30

Current or Most Recent Non-Elected Occupation & Employer:

Office of State Rep. Michele Rayner, District 70

5 Past or Present Community Service Roles or Projects:

Interned at the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum for about 3 years. There we put on several community events and programs to present, preserve, and celebrate Black history.

I have done work with the ASALH group including voter registration and transporting the group to the Legacy Museum in Alabama.

I became an Emerging Leader with the city under the 2020 Plan. There we were given the opportunity to learn about the city’s history, the make-up of the local network, and how to address disparities here.

I have worked with Impact Solutions on several youth projects. Some are the Project4Life program where I taught kids basic cooking skills, and the St. Pete Youth Farm where I facilitated lectures on leadership and civics.

I have worked with the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance on Legacy Week for two years. I have also served on the Political Action Committee at my church Mt. Zion Progressive Baptist Church.

In my professional capacity, I have worked with many other organizations on a host of projects.

Up to 5 Endorsements of Your Candidacy:

Officially, I have been endorsed by the Stonewall Democrats of Pinellas, Florida Change, and the Florida LGBTQ Caucus.

I have not released all my endorsements and can say in good faith I will have the endorsements of Rep. Michele Rayner, Pastor Louis M. Murphy, Pastor Andy Oliver, Commissioner Rene Flowers, and many others.

Family Details:

I was raised by my parents Brenda and Ivan Summers Sr. I have two brothers, Richardo Jones, and Ivan Summers II.

3 Specific Actions, Policies or Programs I Can Influence, if Elected, That Will Make Life Meaningfully Better for African Americans in St. Pete: 

The Sankofa Project – This 28k sq. ft. minority business incubator is the most powerful tool we can create for African Americans in St. Petersburg in the next 4 years. Beyond housing, the infrastructure itself will encourage Black Business Owners to develop their entrepreneurial aspirations. Which is what the community needs to prepare businesses for the impending opportunities.

St. Pete 2050 Plan – Section 5.8 of this plan is dedicated to Shared Economic Prosperity. This goes hand-in-hand with my priority for Visible Equity.  We need leadership that will see these measures through to get the maximum results.

Supporting One Community Organization – One Community has the vision and several plans/initiatives that address the many dimensions of improving life in meaningful and measurable ways for African Americans.