Robert G. Blackmon

Robert Blackmon
Member of the St. Petersburg, Florida City Council
In office January 2nd, 2020 – January 6th, 2022
Preceded by	Charles Gerdes
Succeeded by	Copley Gerdes
Personal details
Born	Robert Gregory Blackmon (1989-05-18) May 18, 1989 St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Education	Florida State University

Robert G. Blackmon is an a American businessperson and politician. Elected in 2019, he served on the St. Petersburg, Florida City Council as the Councilperson for District 1. He was elected as the youngest member to serve since the city’s incorporation in 1903 . Blackmon ran for Mayor in the 2021 St. Petersburg, Florida, mayoral election, finishing second to Ken Welch in the nine-person race.

Early Life and Education

Blackmon was born at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg, Florida. He graduated from St. Petersburg High School in 2007, before attending Florida State University and graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 2011.

Political Career

City Council

Blackmon was elected to the St. Petersburg City Council in 2019, defeating attorney John Hornbeck 64% to 36%. . The large margin included winning every single one of the city’s 92 precincts, the only candidate on the ballot to do so. During the campaign, he received widespread support, including the endorsement of former St. Petersburg Mayors Bob Ulrich, Rick Baker (mayor)|Rick Baker, and Bill Foster, former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco, State Senator Darryl Rouson, the St. Petersburg Association of Firefighters Local 747, the Suncoast PBA, and a majority of the serving City Council. . Notably, Blackmon faced opposition from sitting Mayor Rick Kriseman .

On Council, Blackmon was known as "an outside-the-box thinker, his real estate acumen and technical knowledge of property values often informing novel ideas and direct questions of officials from Mayor Rick Kriseman’s administration".

Blackmon was a major proponent of restoring and reopening the Science Center of Pinellas County. The City acquired the facility with plans to tear down the building. Blackmon brought together a bipartisan coalition including State Representative Linda Chaney, State Senator Darryl Rouson, and Congressperson Charlie Crist to raise $5.5 million dollars towards its restoration.

After a conversation with Cathie Wood, Blackmon crafted a plan to use a previous failed biosolids to energy process to generate energy for bitcoin mining. Previously, the energy had been flared off as the city could not find a market for the gas. “The biosolids to energy project was approved before my time on the Council but has not lived up to its promise of massive returns in yield,” Blackmon said. “This is an opportunity to take a $93 million boondoggle and turn it into a huge win for the citizens and taxpayers.”

Blackmon proposed a plan to move the city's Municipal Services Center to the economically disadvantaged "Midtown" neighborhood, placing offices in the vacant, city-owned Tangerine Plaza shopping center. He argued that it was more economically prudent than a proposal on the table to build a new office building to house services in downtown St. Pete. "We owe it to the citizens of South St. Pete to give them a real chance at economic development, and we can spark it while saving taxpayers citywide nearly $50 million", he said

He fought to save the historic Bait House from the 1926 "Million Dollar" St. Petersburg Pier. Working with preservation groups and community members, he advocated for its restoration and return to the new Pier facility. The week before a meeting to discuss its future was held, Mayor Kriseman ordered its demolition, angering the Council and community activists . After demolition, he convinced his colleagues to support having a discussion regarding construction of a replica structure

2021 St. Petersburg, Florida, mayoral election

On May 25th 2021, Blackmon filed to run for Mayor of St. Petersburg. He entered a crowded, well known field; however, the Tampa Bay Times noted Blackmon had "enough name recognition to vault to front-runner status, challenging the likes of Democrats Darden Rice, Blackmon’s colleague on City Council; former Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch; and former City Council member and state representative Wengay Newton.". Timing was also considered a factor, as his entry came less than 3 months before the primary election. By contrast, Welch announced his intentions to run as early as March 2018 ; by April 2019, Mayor Kriseman said it was "unusual and disappointing that fundraising and campaigning for mayor has already begun" regarding Rice's early financial lead.

In the August 24th primary, Blackmon finished second with 28.3% of the vote , advancing to the general election. "I feel more motivated than ever,” Blackmon said. “I had the shortest runway of any of the candidates and look at the votes we got versus the dollars we spent. We were out gunned in terms of money but we still got the votes we needed". Despite a significant financial disadvantage, he was able to spend the least amount per vote in the primary.

In the general election, Blackmon's slogan was "St. Pete For All". He was endorsed by Florida Speaker of the House Chris Sprowls, Congressman Gus Bilirakis, State Senator Jeff Brandes, State Representatives Nick DiCeglie, Jim Frishe, Jackie Toledo, and Rudy Bradley, St. Pete Mayors Bob Ulrich and Rick Baker (mayor)|Rick Baker, Tampa Mayor Dick Greco, County Commissioner Kathleen Peters, entrepreneur and Shark Tank star Kevin Harrington, and Reagan administration economist Art Laffer, among others .

His campaign ideas included instituting a city-backed mortgage program to alleviate the problems of affordable housing, and believed "'smart, low hanging fruit' like vertical oyster gardens and oyster domes could prolong life of sea walls" and help mitigate the damage done by red tide and pollution. He hoped to end the stalemate with the Tampa Bay Rays over Tropicana Field redevelopment by constructing a new stadium on the east end of the current Tropicana Field site. Additionally, he campaigned on ideas from his days on Council, such as revitalization of the Science Center of Pinellas County, moving the city Municipal Services Center to south St. Petersburg, and redeveloping the city owned "Sunshine Center" for seniors into a senior affordable housing complex with a new, ground floor senior service center in the lobby.

In the November 2nd General Election, Blackmon lost to Welch 59.67% to 40.33%. During his concession, Blackmon said "Its a historic night for (Welch), and for the city, and I'm proud of him...he's a good guy, he's a good man, and he has a long, honorable record of public service. I'm looking forward to seeing what he does as the next mayor of our city. And I hope to sit down with him soon and share some of my ideas to see if we can work together to bring our city forward".

Business

Blackmon owns, renovates, and manages a portfolio of commercial real estate. In 2014, he was awarded the Award of Honor for "Historic Rehabilitation or Restoration" by Preserve the 'Burg for his work on an apartment building in Downtown St. Petersburg. . The Tampa Bay Times profiled Blackmon in an article in 2015, highlighting his renovation of and residence in a small apartment building in the long blighted Midtown neighborhood

In early September 2022, it was announced that Blackmon had purchased the historic Harder Hall hotel and resort in Sebring, Florida, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Personal

He was ranked number 5 among Tampa Bay leaders on the Tampa Bay Times Editorial Board "People to Watch in 2020" list, alongside Steven C. Currall, Jane Castor, Tom Lee and Laurel Lee, and Stuart Sternberg. They cited his age and experience, noting his propensity "to act more independently (than some of the other Council members) and check some of Mayor Kriseman's excesses".

Blackmon was close friends with former NFL player Keith McCants. In 2011, while home for Christmas during his senior year of college, Blackmon read a news article about an arrest McCants had for crack cocaine possession, and reached out to help; their first face to face meeting was through a jail visitation monitor . “He was talking the same language I was talking, get my story out there,” McCants said. “He said he could help me, so I latched on to him.”.

Subsequently, Blackmon supported McCants, including working on the 2012 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Broke. He appeared alongside McCants in a 2015 New York Times feature , and is given special thanks in a Vice (magazine) segment on the use and abuse of painkillers in the NFL. . In May of 2021, he paid for McCants to receive a hip replacement .

When asked about their relationship, Blackmon stated “I just think it’s a great example of how no one is bigger than the drug epidemic…I’m certainly not shy about my relationship. I only want the best for him,” Blackmon said. “I’m so proud of the person he has become. Is he perfect? No. But knowing where he’s come from, it literally means the absolute world to me.”. McCants passed away September 2nd, 2021.

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