Juan Lopez (Florida)

Juan Lopez ran for election to the St. Petersburg City Council to represent District 3 in Florida. He lost in the primary on August 20, 2024.

Lopez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Juan Lopez was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He earned a high school diploma from Clearwater Central Catholic High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida in 1997. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida in 2016. His career experience includes working as a executive.^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for St. Petersburg City Council District 3

Michael Harting defeated Peter Boland in the general election for St. Petersburg City Council District 3 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Michael Harting (Nonpartisan)	50.4	58,603
		Peter Boland (Nonpartisan)	49.6	57,606

	There were no incumbents in this race. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 116,209
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for St. Petersburg City Council District 3

Peter Boland and Michael Harting defeated Nicholas Carey, Juan Lopez, and Barry Rubin in the primary for St. Petersburg City Council District 3 on August 20, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Peter Boland (Nonpartisan)	29.3	2,128
✔	Submit photo	Michael Harting (Nonpartisan)	27.2	1,973
		Nicholas Carey (Nonpartisan)	23.0	1,668
		Juan Lopez (Nonpartisan)	16.2	1,172
	Submit photo	Barry Rubin (Nonpartisan)	4.3	313

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,254
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Joshua Nwajei (Nonpartisan)

Endorsements

To view Lopez's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Lopez in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Juan Lopez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lopez's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Juan Lopez Estevez, raised in St. Petersburg in a family of Cuban refugees, has deep roots in District 3 with family ties dating back to 1975. He grew up in Harbor Isle, learned to swim at Shore Acres Recreation Center Pool, and played youth sports at Fossil Park and Roberts Recreation Center. He graduated from Holy Family and Clearwater Central Catholic High School. His family has a tradition of public service; his parents retired from careers in education and public works, and his brothers also serve the city. Juan earned a degree in Sports Administration from the University of Florida, where he lettered in Track & Field, and a second Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of South Florida. Having previously worked for the USF Sun Dome, the Miami Heat organization, Juan is now a sales executive at the Tampa Convention Center, driving record-breaking revenue and economic growth for the Tampa Bay region over 13 years. As a community leader, Juan is involved with CONA St. Pete, St. Pete Police Citizens Academy, St. Pete Together, Feeding St. Pete, and serves as a Hurricane Shelter Operations Supervisor. In his leisure, he enjoys playing the guitar at local open mic nights. Juan aims to leverage his municipal experience to address infrastructure, housing affordability, transportation, improving quality of life, and managing population growth while preserving St. Petersburg’s identity, character and charm.

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?

I am committed to enhancing our flood mitigation efforts by prioritizing both short-term and intermediate-term solutions during my tenure. This includes implementing measures such as replacing backflow preventers, dredging waterways, installing pumping stations, and exploring flood gates and canal locks to safeguard our community against flooding risks. Additionally, I will proactively collaborate with state and federal officials to pursue a sustainable, long-term solution, focusing on elevating homes in flood-prone neighborhoods.
I am committed to addressing our infrastructure needs comprehensively, ensuring key projects such as repaving roads like 62nd Avenue, completing bridge constructions such as the Tanglewood Bridge project on time and within budget, and implementing our city's water and wastewater master plans. I will focus on efficient project management and ensure that essential infrastructure improvements such as these are completed promptly.
I am committed to prioritizing public safety by ensuring our police and fire departments have the staffing, resources, training, and equipment they need to effectively protect our city. This includes strengthening our emergency response capabilities and enhancing coordination to reduce response times. I also believe in building positive relationships between law enforcement and the community through proactive engagement and outreach programs.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am personally passionate about budget priorities in public policy. As both a public servant and a small business owner, I have demonstrated a commitment to fiscal stewardship. I believe in ensuring that our budget reflects our community's needs and values, while prioritizing responsible spending and investments that benefit all residents.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event that I remember from my lifetime is the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion in 1986. I recall being in school when the teacher turned on the TV for the class to watch the launch, especially because it was supposed to be the first mission with a teacher in space. I was 10 years old at the time

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes, I believe experience in local government is crucial for this office. With over 13 years of dedicated service within a municipal department, I have acquired invaluable knowledge and firsthand experience that uniquely qualifies me for this seat. This experience has equipped me with a deep understanding of the inner workings, challenges, and opportunities in local government. It has also honed my ability to navigate governmental processes, collaborate effectively with other municipal departments and agencies, and make informed decisions that benefit the community. My experience has prepared me to hit the ground running and effectively represent the interests of our city and residents on day one.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Former Mayor Rick Kriseman, Former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Former City Councilmembers Steve Kornell and Jim Kennedy, Former School Board Member Linda Lerner, Former State Senator & Hillsborough Commissioner Les Miller, Hillsborough County Commissioner Gwen Myers.

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.

External links

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Candidate

St. Petersburg City Council District 3

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 12, 2024

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 12, 2024

[1]

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Juan Lopez (Florida)

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for St. Petersburg City Council District 3

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for St. Petersburg City Council District 3

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2024 Elections

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