Bill Foster (mayor)

David William Foster (born March 31, 1963) is an American attorney and former mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida. He was elected in 2009.[2] Before being elected mayor Foster served on the city council and worked as a lawyer.[3]

For the mayor of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, see Bill I. Foster.
Bill Foster
Mayor of St. Petersburg
In office
January 2, 2010 – January 2, 2014
Preceded byRick Baker
Succeeded byRick Kriseman
Personal details
Born
David William Foster[1]

(1963-03-31) March 31, 1963
St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseWendy Holt
EducationSamford University (BA, JD)

A fourth generation St. Petersburg native, Foster attended Northeast High School,[4] Samford University and the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. As mayor, Foster advocated for replacing the St. Petersburg Pier with a new structure. Foster ran for re-election in 2013, but lost to Democrat Rick Kriseman.[5]

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.[3] Foster spent 10 years on the City Council.[3] He was originally appointed to a vacant seat in 1998, and re-elected for two consecutive terms in 1999 and 2003.[3] He served as Council Chair in 2004 and 2006.[3] Foster also served on the Friends of Weedon Island, NAACP, the Pinellas Assembly, Pinellas County Annexation Task Force, Suncoasters of St. Petersburg, Sunken Gardens Tax Force, the St. Petersburg History Museum, and St. Petersburg Vision 2020.[3]

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. Petersburg'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.[6] For three consecutive years (2010, 2011, and 2012), St. Petersburg was ranked as the No. 1 Arts Destination among mid-sized cities by American Style magazine.[7][8][9]

Personal life

Foster is married to Wendy Holt Foster, both parents of two children.[10]

References
  1. "Lawyer Directory – the Florida Bar".
  2. Silva, Cristina; Sharockman, Aaron (November 3, 2009). "Bill Foster elected St. Petersburg's next mayor". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  3. "Bill Foster, candidate for mayor of St. Petersburg". Bay News 9. September 24, 2013. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
  4. Puente, Mark (December 16, 2013). "Outgoing St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster accepts job at Vero Beach law firm". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  5. Puente, Mark; Cox, John Woodrow (November 5, 2013). "Rick Kriseman tops Bill Foster in St. Petersburg mayor's race". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  6. Bennett, Lennie (July 10, 2010). "Chihuly Collection opening a triumph". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  7. "St. Petersburg ranked as top arts destination". Tampa Bay Business Journal. May 17, 2010. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
  8. Fultz, Caitlin (May 2011). "Top 25 Mid-Sized Cities for Art". www.americanstyle.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-26. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
  9. Menzie, Karol V. (June 2012). "Top 25 Mid-Size Cities for Art". www.americanstyle.com. Archived from the original on 2014-09-24. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
  10. Sharockman, Aaron (April 28, 2009). "St. Petersburg mayoral candidate Bill Foster inspires strong support, opposition". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
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