Gulfport pet mayor race helps raise money for St. Pete animal shelter, Gulfport Arts and Heritage
GULFPORT, Fla. - It’s election season in Gulfport, but the campaign trail looks a little different.
Ten candidates are running for Gulfport pet mayor. Gulfport Arts and Heritage runs the annual election, and it raises money for Friends of Strays Animal Shelter in St. Petersburg and for Gulfport Arts and Heritage.
"Me and some of the other board members were actually reading about how some other sort of small towns throughout the U.S. had either kind of a pet mayor by tradition, or had even used the pet mayor idea as kind of a way for non-profits to do a little bit of fundraising," Amanda Hagood, a Gulfport Arts and Heritage board member, said.
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"The idea made so much sense to us, because if you've ever been to Gulfport, it's hard to imagine a more pet-friendly town," Hagood said. "I mean, everybody's got a dog or a cat. Some people have reptiles. Many people have parrots. We are just a town that really, really loves our animals."
Friends of Strays is expanding the shelter and working to finalize renovations for a cat adoption center. Jessica Salmond, the communications and marketing manager for the shelter, said the election will help them immensely.
"We're just really thrilled to see that this race is highlighting the need for rescue in our community and the need for going to your local shelters and your local rescues to adopt an animal," Salmond said.
"We are entirely reliant on the community to help us raise the funds that we use to care for the thousands of animals who come through our shelter every year," Salmond said. "So, the money that we receive from all the votes for the pet mayor is hugely beneficial to our program."
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Anyone can vote. Each vote costs $1 and voting is unlimited. People can cast their votes at ballot boxes at businesses in and around Gulfport, the Gulfport Public Library, the Gulfport Senior Center or on the Gulfport Historical Society’s website.
"They are all so charming. It would be kind of hard to know who to vote for. Everyone is a winner. So, yeah, I am definitely expecting a pretty tight competition," Hagood said.
"It's especially meaningful for us in the Gulfport election, the Gulfport pet mayor election, because so many of our candidates this year are rescues," Hagood said.
Polls close at 11:59 p.m. on Feb 21. Last year, the election raised $6,000. This year, Hagood said their goal is $10,000.