Welcome to Kriseman.com – Rep. Rick Kriseman's information portal
Meet Rick
Rick Kriseman was born in Detroit, Michigan, on Aug. 2, 1962, to Donald “Danny” Kriseman and Doris Abramsohn Kriseman. At age nine his family moved to St. Petersburg, where Rick attended public school at Pasadena Elementary, Azalea Middle, and Boca Ciega High School.
In 1980, Rick entered the University of Florida and earned a B.S. in broadcasting before returning to Pinellas County to attend the Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport. Rick was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1987 and the U.S. District Court and U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, in 1988. Rick is also a member of the St. Petersburg and American Bar Associations and The Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Rick practiced law with Englander & Fischer, P.A., and Keane, Hayes, and Reese, P.A. prior to starting his own firm, Exclusively Accident Attorney, where he helped accident victims for more than 13 years. In early 2007, Rick joined the law firm of Saunders & Walker, P.A., and continues to focus on assisting the victims of DUI and other accidents.
After serving on the St. Petersburg Nuisance Abatement Board in 1999, Rick Kriseman was appointed to a vacancy on the St. Petersburg City Council in 2000, elected in 2001, and reelected in 2003 with more than 76 percent of the vote. During his time on council he served on the Public Arts Committee, the Arts Advisory Committee, as Chair of the Public Safety, Service and Infrastructure Committee and as the Treasurer and Vice-Chair of the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization. Rick also was a member of the Special Committee on Wheeled Recreation, the Council Procedures Committee, the Transportation Impact Fee Task Force, The Livable Communities Task Force, the Pinellas County Cultural Arts Advisory Task Force, and served as Vice-Chair of the Legislative Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations Committee. In 2005, Rick was elected by his peers to serve as the chair of city council.
During his six years of service on the St. Petersburg City Council, Rick continuously searched for ways to make St. Petersburg a better place to live. His top achievements in office include leading the charge to expand the city’s Human Rights Ordinance, implementing “Pedestrian Safe Zones” and “countdown crosswalk” signals; moving the city toward a 311 system for non-emergency phone calls and city service-related calls; fighting for “government in the sunshine” by implementing online streaming video of council meetings; calling for an independent audit of the police department; leading the effort to revise St. Petersburg’s code enforcement policy; and establishing the Police In Neighborhoods program, which provides no-interest loans to officers who remain on the force for seven years.
Rick has never been afraid to tackle a controversial issue. Shortly after being elected to council, he cast the deciding vote on the sale of city-owned property in Hernando County. As a result of Rick’s vote, the property was permanently dedicated by the State of Florida as preservation land, and the city was able to set up an endowment fund from the sale proceeds, which have been used to build five dog parks and two skateboard parks at no expense to taxpayers.
Perhaps Rick’s proudest moment came on his very last day on council, when he was joined by the mayor on the steps of city hall to announce a public-private partnership called EcoZones. EcoZone is the flagship brand of EcoMedia, the world’s premier environmental media company dedicated to pioneering marketing and media programs that generate funds to address critical environmental challenges right here in our community. St. Petersburg’s ecosystem is already benefitting from this program, at no expense to taxpayers. Rick’s record of accomplishments during a tenure marked by civility and professionalism prompted him to seek a position in the Florida House of Representatives as a way of expanding his role as a public servant.
In November 2006, Rick not only withstood the opposition’s desperate antics, he cruised to victory with more than 60 percent of the District 53 vote. Councilmember Kriseman became Representative Kriseman. Soon after taking office, Rick was named the Ranking Democrat on the Committee on Energy and was appointed to both the Environment and Natural Resources Council and the Committee on 21st Century Competitiveness. All three assignments continue to give Rick the opportunity to address issues of great concern to our generation, and future generations. And despite being faced with a high number of hot-button issues in his first two sessions, his thoughtful and deliberate manner on these committees has already earned him respect and admiration from colleagues and constituents alike. Whether being one of four members to vote against an unfair performance pay plan for teachers, or being one of 18 to vote against a flawed tax plan, Rick Kriseman is intent on serving the public first – not the Tallahassee power brokers. Because of these stances, he was reelected without opposition in 2008.
As much as Rick strives to be a dedicated and faithful public servant, he puts even greater emphasis on his role as a father and a husband.
Rick recently celebrated his 15th wedding anniversary to Kerry, a St. Petersburg native who currently serves on the boards of the Heart Gallery of Pinellas/Pasco, Great Explorations – The Children’s Museum, and Family Service Centers Inc. Together they have a daughter, Jordan, and a son, Samuel.
