ST. PETERSBURG — Former Mayor Rick Kriseman is joining his counterpart across the bay, ex-Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, as a lobbyist at the firm of Shumaker Advisors Florida.
Kriseman, who left City Hall this month after eight years in office, will focus on sustainable economic development and urban planning for local and national clients as a managing principal of the firm’s U.S. cities practice, according to Shumaker.
He will also use his background in law with the firm’s public policy and government affairs service line. Kriseman worked as a personal injury attorney in between stints as a state lawmaker and mayor.
“Tampa Bay has incredible potential. With our top leaders and greatest minds working together, the region’s future is brighter than ever,” Kriseman said in a statement. “I am honored to join the prestigious team at Shumaker Advisors and to work with their clients who are committed to ensuring that our communities become better places for all.”
Buckhorn announced Jan. 10 that he would be joining Shumaker. He is focusing on economic development strategies and urban development strategies both in Tampa Bay and statewide at the firm.
The former Tampa mayor teased Kriseman’s next move in a recent interview with the Tampa Bay Times, suggesting his fellow two-term Democrat could return to law or use his municipal experience to advise companies that do business with local governments.
“He’s still a young man, I think he’s got a bright future whether he chooses to run again or not,” Buckhorn told the Times.
Shumaker touted St. Petersburg’s reputation in Kriseman’s announcement. The Sunshine City was named one of the top places to visit in the world by The New York Times in 2014 and one of the 20 best places to live in the South by Southern Living.
The firm highlighted Kriseman’s role in establishing the Cross Bay Ferry, bike sharing and e-scooter programs, and bus rapid transit like the SunRunner line, which is set to debut in late summer and connect downtown St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach.
Kriseman joins the lobbying firm’s roster of former politicians: Buckhorn, former Pinellas County congressman David Jolly, former Hillsborough County commissioners Les Miller Jr. and Sandy Murman, former Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward and former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. Shumaker Advisors Florida is a subsidiary of the law firm Shumaker.