Robert Blackmon

This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Robert G. Blackmon

Nonpartisan

Prior offices

St. Petersburg City Council District 1

Successor: Copley Gerdes

Predecessor: Charlie Gerdes

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 2, 2021

Education

Bachelor's

Florida State University, 2011

Personal

Birthplace

St. Petersburg, Fla.

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Robert G. Blackmon was a member of the St. Petersburg City Council in Florida, representing District 1. He assumed office on January 2, 2020. He left office on January 5, 2022.

Blackmon ran for election for Mayor of St. Petersburg in Florida. He lost in the general election on November 2, 2021.

On May 23, 2021, Blackmon announced that he would resign from the St. Petersburg City Council effective January 5, 2022.

Biography

Robert Blackmon was born in St. Petersburg, Florida. Blackmon earned an undergraduate degree from Florida State University in 2011.

Elections

2021

See also: Mayoral election in St. Petersburg, Florida (2021)

General election

General election for Mayor of St. Petersburg

Kenneth Welch defeated Robert G. Blackmon in the general election for Mayor of St. Petersburg on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kenneth Welch (Nonpartisan)	60.5	40,579
		Robert G. Blackmon (Nonpartisan)	39.5	26,509

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 67,088
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of St. Petersburg

The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of St. Petersburg on August 24, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kenneth Welch (Nonpartisan)	39.4	21,827
✔		Robert G. Blackmon (Nonpartisan)	28.3	15,659
		Darden Rice (Nonpartisan)	16.6	9,189
		Wengay Newton (Nonpartisan)	7.5	4,128
		Peter Boland (Nonpartisan)	6.2	3,424
	Submit photo	Michael Ingram (Nonpartisan)	0.8	460
	Submit photo	Marcile Powers (Nonpartisan)	0.7	404
	Submit photo	Torry Nelson (Nonpartisan)	0.4	212
	Submit photo	Michael Levinson (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)	0.0	9
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	88

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 55,400
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2019

See also: City elections in St. Petersburg, Florida (2019)

General election

General election for St. Petersburg City Council District 1

Robert G. Blackmon defeated John Hornbeck in the general election for St. Petersburg City Council District 1 on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert G. Blackmon (Nonpartisan)	63.9	21,161
		John Hornbeck (Nonpartisan)	36.1	11,941

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,102
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Robert G. Blackmon and John Hornbeck advanced from the primary for St. Petersburg City Council District 1.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Scott Orsini (Nonpartisan)

Endorsements

To see a list of endorsements for Robert Blackmon, click here.

2017

See also: Municipal elections in St. Petersburg, Florida (2017)

The city of St. Petersburg, Florida, held elections for mayor and city council on November 7, 2017. A primary took place on August 29, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was June 23, 2017. Four of eight council seats were up for election.

St. Petersburg City Council, District 6 Primary Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Justin Bean	21.12%	1,442
Gina Driscoll	17.81%	1,216
Robert Blackmon	17.78%	1,214
Maria Scruggs	15.80%	1,079
Corey Givens	9.94%	679
Eritha Cainion	7.32%	500
James Scott	6.43%	439
James Jackson	3.81%	260
Total Votes		6,829
Source: Deborah Clark, Supervisor of Elections, Pinellas County, Florida Twitter account, "St. Petersburg Primary Election, Final Official Results image," accessed September 1, 2017

In the primary election, Blackmon finished just two votes behind Driscoll for second place and a spot on the general election ballot.

Campaign themes

2021

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Robert G. Blackmon did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Blackmon’s campaign website stated the following:

“	I’m Robert Blackmon, and I think St. Petersburg needs a fresh start and a new face leading our city as mayor. I’m a small business owner, and I’ve served as a City Council member. With experience both in the private sector and as an elected official, I know we can make local government work to better serve our community. I’m not a career politician, and I want to make St. Pete a shining city on a hill. Here are my five key priorities: Creating a vision for Tropicana Field redevelopment and the Tampa Bay Rays We need to have a clear vision for the Trop redevelopment. The Rays are a community partner, and I am willing to negotiate a deal with them. I am the only candidate who has business experience, and I have the skills necessary to work with developers and the Rays to redevelop the site to benefit the entire community. I will ensure our small businesses and minority communities have a seat at the table as well. I support using bed tax money for infrastructure for a new stadium at the Trop site, and I will fight to get the best deal for the taxpayers. We can’t be the region that loses a Major League Baseball team our community worked decades to get. Protecting our neighborhoods I will protect our neighborhoods from excessive redevelopment so we can preserve the character of our communities. St. Pete has wonderful neighborhoods throughout the city with their own styles and histories. We should maintain the distinctive qualities of those neighborhoods while supporting reasonable development. Preserving our environment Clean water is crucial to our economy and to the future of St. Petersburg. I will not fall asleep at the wheel. The current administration has worked to improve our wastewater systems, but there is more to be done. I will protect our waterfronts, and I will ensure we have the infrastructure and the oversight needed to avoid dumping sewage into the bay. Fighting Crime Last year, violent crime was up 11.2%. We need to break the cycle of poverty in our most disadvantaged communities. We need to provide mentors and wrap-around services to our most vulnerable students so that we can build a brighter future with less crime and reduce the school-to-prison pipeline. Embracing open, ethical government Transparency and accountability are keys to successfully running a city and to re-establishing public confidence in the Mayor’s Office. I will work with City Council to repair the broken relationship between Council and the Mayor’s Office. I will produce public records in a timely manner, and I will tell the truth to residents who deserve nothing less. I will be accountable with your tax dollars. I’ll work to repair our relationship with the Governor’s Office and the Legislature, and I will end the partisan rhetoric so we can work more collaboratively with state officials to bring more resources to St. Petersburg.	”
—Robert Blackmon’s campaign website (2021)

2019

Robert G. Blackmon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Blackmon's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in St. Petersburg. I attended St. Petersburg High School, where I was actively involved in civic issues before matriculating to Florida State University, where I graduated with a major in Political Science, with dual minors in Communications and Emergency Management. After graduation, I returned to my hometown of St. Petersburg where I started my career in real estate. I have built a business focused primarily on renovating, restoring, renting and managing multifamily apartment buildings and condominiums. I have served on multiple condo association boards, neighborhood association boards, and as a Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA) representative. My commitment to improving our city has been formally recognized with accolades such as the St. Petersburg Preservation Award of Honor for my work in restoring and renovating the older and historic housing stock in our city.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Affordable Housing
• The Environment
• Our Infrastructure

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Affordable housing is critical to our growing city. As I have spent my entire professional career renovating buildings from the private sector, I know firsthand what it takes to provide quality, affordable housing for our city. There are multiple methods through which we can provide this, such as increased education and subsidies for renovating existing housing stock, which is almost always more affordable than new construction. This provides adequate housing, reduces blight in our neighborhoods, and instills a sense of pride in our residents. Also, renovating vs rebuilding can help preserve the architectural character of a neighborhood.

The environment is another key issue for me. For a district bounded by water to the west, and a city on a peninsula, we need to be aware of what environmentalism means. It is the foundation of our economy, as we have a robust tourism industry and strong marine sciences sector. But, environmentalism also means quality of life, protecting our natural resources, and ensuring that we keep our city beautiful for future generations. Increased education on recycling, promoting composting initiatives, installing and promoting the growth of oyster beds, and creating living shorelines wherever possible will protect our city and promote a happier, healthier St. Pete for all.

Infrastructure is another issue I am passionate about. Although not glamorous, it is something we need to be constantly cognizant of.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

City council is most citizens' first point of contact within government. I understand that the job of a city councilperson is to be a public servant, and that one must be mindful of the wants and needs of their constituents. I vow to work with and listen to all of the many eclectic and diverse stakeholders in our city to make St. Pete the best city it can be. Diversity is our strength- no matter what someone's opinion on an issue may be, even if we may disagree, I want to make sure all people have a voice in government.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I have spent my entire career renovating the older housing stock in St. Petersburg and updating/ beautifying our neighborhoods. I have been commended for my works by the Tampa Bay Times for a long abandoned and boarded building I made livable again in Midtown, and have been awarded by St. Pete Preservation for my renovation of a 1909 building downtown, restoring as many of the original century-plus old finishes as I could while updating each unit with modern touches such as granite countertops and central heat and air. In my career, I have renovated over 250 units in every neighborhood of our city, providing affordable housing while also restoring and preserving the history of our neighborhoods.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The most important job of city council is to maintain and approve the budget. We must be mindful of the allocation of funds, and make sure we are cognizant of the needs of all those in our city when making decisions that affect all of our citizens, our environment,, and our economy.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Charlie Gerdes	St. Petersburg City Council District 1 2020-2022	Succeeded by Copley Gerdes