Bill Foster (mayor)
| Bill Foster | |
|---|---|
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| Mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida | |
| In office January 2, 2010 – January 2, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Rick Baker |
| Succeeded by | Rick Kriseman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 31, 1963 St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Wendy Holt |
| Alma mater | Samford University |
Bill Foster (born March 31, 1963) is a former mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida (Florida's fourth largest city with a population of approximately 250,000 residents). He was elected in 2009. Before being elected mayor Foster served on the city council and worked as a lawyer.
A fourth generation St. Petersburg native, Mayor Foster attended Northeast High School, Samford University and the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. As mayor, Foster advocated for replacing the St. Pete Pier with a new structure. Foster ran for re-election in 2013, but he lost to Democrat Rick Kriseman.
Early law career and membership on city council
Foster worked as an attorney specializing in probate, estates and trusts, real estate, commercial law, real estate and commercial litigation. Foster spent 10 years on the City Council. He was originally appointed to a vacant seat in 1998, and re-elected for two consecutive terms in 1999 and 2003. He served as Council Chair in 2004 and 2006. Foster also served on St. Petersburg Vision 2020, the Pinellas Assembly, Sunken Gardens Tax Force, Pinellas County Annexation Task Force, Suncoasters of St. Petersburg, the Friends of Weedon Island, NAACP, and the St. Petersburg History Museum.
Mayor of St. Petersburg
Mayor Foster puts forth a platform of "Seven S's", which he defines as seamlessness, safety, sustainability, service, small business, schools, and sports, arts, and culture. He helped recruit the St Pete's first season of International Baseball to the city's Al Lang Stadium, with teams from Korea, Canada and the Netherlands competing during February and March, 2011. He also helped lead development of a regional homeless facility operated by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, called Pinellas Safe Harbor. During his first term in office, St. Petersburg welcomed the new Chihuly Collection and a new $36 million Salvador Dalí Museum. For two consecutive years (2010 and 2011), St. Petersburg was ranked as the No. 1 Arts Destination among mid-sized cities by American Style magazine.
Personal life
He is married to Wendy Holt Foster, and they are parents of two children.