Former mayors bring depth of knowledge, connections to development consultant company

TAMPA, Fla. - Bob Buckhorn Rick Kriseman served as mayors in neighboring cities during times of huge changes in Tampa and St. Petersburg. 

From the massive Water Street development in downtown Tampa to the new pier in downtown St. Pete and the ongoing saga of trying to keep the Tampa Bay Rays in the region and where their stadium will land – few knows more about how to handle big-ticket items than these two. 

"You could say that, in our time, this community moved further and faster that it has ever done before," said Buckhorn, who termed-out as Tampa mayor in April 2019.

He and St. Petersburg’s former mayor, who just finished his final term earlier this month, are working together at Shumaker Advisors, specializing in bringing businesses together with governments to get big projects done. 

"Interestingly, you’ve got two mayors here who are members of this firm, both of whom have dealt with the Rays," said Kriseman. 

Buckhorn said he believes a new stadium deal can be done, either at the Tropicana Field site in St. Pete, or in Ybor City in Tampa. 

"I think, in either case, we want to keep them here and the best way to do that is to find what the government can afford to do," Buckhorn said.

Former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman

Both former mayors said they can continue to get things done and neither sees a conflict. 

"It can be helpful for the community, it certainly can be helpful to our clients and that’s what I’m hoping for," Kriseman said. "So I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I think experience and knowledge and the benefit of those things is what you want from anyone in any business that you hire." 

Neither Kriseman nor Buckhorn said who their clients might be, but on issues like modernizing mass transit, the personal connections are built over the years – work they've both already done.

"We both know Secretary [Pete] Buttigieg well and have a relationship with him and certainly that’s helpful," said Kriseman. 

Buckhorn agreed.

"Being able to advocate on behalf of this community, whether it’s affordable housing, wether it's social justice issues, whether it's the brick and mortar development issues, we have that expertise." he said.

Both said they have good relationships with the current mayors. Buckhorn supported his successor, Jane Castor, in Tampa, and Kriseman supported the new St. Petersburg mayor, Ken Welch. 

Both former mayors promise not steal the limelight from their successors, but behind the scenes, where important conversations often take place, two familiar voices may continue to be heard.