MIKE'S PLAN FOR ST. PETE

Attract Great Jobs

Mike Harting brings a wealth of real-world experience as a successful entrepreneur. Having owned or operated several businesses in St. Pete, Mike has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing both employers and employees in our community. His track record of creating jobs and fostering economic growth demonstrates his commitment to improving the livelihoods of St. Petersburg residents.

Mike will prioritize collaboration with local employers to ensure residents have access to good-paying jobs and the training they need to succeed. By streamlining government regulations, he aims to create a more business-friendly environment that attracts new employers and encourages existing businesses to expand. His practical approach to governance is rooted in his belief that a vibrant local economy benefits everyone.

Moreover, Mike is dedicated to keeping taxes and regulations under control, striking a balance that supports economic growth while maintaining essential city services. He understands that a competitive business environment is key to attracting and retaining great employers, which in turn, contributes to the overall prosperity and quality of life in St. Petersburg.

Repair Infrastructure

As our city continues to grow, it is imperative that we prioritize critical infrastructure improvements in our budget. If not dealt with, these issues will only get worse and become more expensive to handle. Instead of spending taxpayer dollars on the latest shiny objects, we must use them responsibly and in ways that will truly improve people’s day-to-day lives.

Water – The city has a 25-year master plan to deal with all the city’s water including tidal, potable, sewer, and reclaimed. This plan is up for its five-year review and is already behind on funding.

Sidewalks – According to the city sidewalk master plan, it will be 92 years until our sidewalks are even ADA compliant at current funding levels. Meanwhile, the city is spending taxpayer dollars fighting off lawsuits being brought over harm caused by our dilapidated sidewalks.

Traffic and Safety – The Tampa/St Pete/Clearwater area is one of the top ten most dangerous for pedestrians in the country. 16% of school and daycare centers in Pinellas County are within 500 feet of a busy roadway. We need to take real steps to keep people, specifically our children, safe. Simply updating our outdated traffic and safety infrastructure, like our 1990s traffic lights, is a good place to start.

Flooding – Storms and sea level rise are real issues we need to address, especially in areas like shore Acres that have experienced drastic flooding episodes just this year. The recent $8M grant approved to add new pump stations and improve drainage capacity is a great start, but this issue will not simply be drained away. We need to make sure our residents and their homes are prepared by creating incentives for home-hardening.

Protect Our Water

Like many issues, keeping our water clean is strongly tied to our infrastructure. We’re all familiar with the ongoing disaster that is our aging sewage treatment system.

As we continue to shut down plants and inadequately fund improvements, we are opening ourselves up to more disasters and further pollution of our local waterways. We need to prioritize sewage improvements and lay out an actionable and imminent solution to protect our water.

Create Workforce Housing

The price of a single-family home in St. Petersburg is nearly 11 times what it was when Mike first moved here in 1977.

The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in this city is over $2,100 per month. We are pricing out the working families who make this city special and with the costs of land acquisition, construction, and materials only getting worse, we need real solutions now.

Streamlining permitting and reducing property taxes are a start, but we need to focus on creative partnerships that ultimately reduce the cost of building and maintaining workforce housing in our city.

Improve Public Safety

Mike is the son of a Vietnam Veteran who also served at MacDill. He knows the meaning of service and sacrifice, and will stand up for our police officers and firefighters who work hard to keep our streets safe. Mike will fight on the City Council to make sure our First Responders have the tools they need to protect local families.

Help Vulnerable Communities

Supporting our city’s vulnerable communities will take more than just writing checks. Through the 3D Foundation, Mike has partnered with groups like Men in the Making, Step Up for Students, and the St. Pete Free Clinic to find working solutions to improve the lives of our less fortunate. On the city Council, Mike will look for more collaboration opportunities that include the communities we are serving in the solution.