Chapter Notes: October 2026
BOO, comrade! An extra-spooky Halloween edition of Pinellas DSA Chapter Notes is here!
We hit another exciting milestone in September — our chapter is now officially more than 400 members strong! That’s 400 friends and neighbors who’ve made the choice to stand up and say “I believe that a better world is possible.” And, as long as we keep doing the day-to-day work of building our organization and growing the international movement for socialism, we will transform possible into inevitable.
Read on to learn more about what our chapter was up to over the last month, and what we have coming up next!
September Highlights
September was a month of steady progress for our ongoing campaigns. Perhaps the biggest development came early in the month when DSA comrades behind the Dump Duke campaign held a press conference in Williams Park to announce the launch of a petition campaign to place an amendment for public power on the 2028 ballot.
Meanwhile, organizers behind the No on 3 initiative wasted no time, launching a series of door-to-door canvasses, lit drops, and more to get the word out about the threat Amendment 3 poses to our communities. We also established a social media presence for our DeFlock St. Pete campaign, which has already seen a major win with a new business item in front of the St. Pete City Council, introduced by Councilmember and DSA comrade Richie Floyd, to allow for the discussion of the city’s Flock contract.
We also published the first in a fantastic new series of videos from our International Solidarity Working Group, with the aim of educating the masses on the legacy of US imperialism in the Caribbean. Check it out on the official Pinellas DSA YouTube channel (and subscribe while you’re at it)!
Lastly, we want to also spotlight the Pinellas DSA blog, which is where you can find updates and official statements published on behalf of the chapter. We’re also accepting submissions for the blog from any active member in good standing; email us at dsa.pinellas@gmail.com if you’d like to pitch your article!
CAMPAIGN UPDATE: Dump Duke
On September 2, Pinellas DSA members held a press conference to announce the launch of a petition campaign to place a charter amendment on the 2028 ballot. If successful, the initiative would give St. Pete voters the opportunity to decide whether the city should establish a publicly owned electric utility.
The event, which was held in Williams Park — directly across the street from Duke Energy headquarters — was also the official launch of Public Power St. Pete, a coalition aimed at advancing the #DumpDuke mission. Besides Pinellas DSA, other coalition members include the CLEO Institute, Sierra Club Suncoast Group, Florida Youth Action Fund, People Power for Florida, and Florida Rising.
At the heart of this campaign is a simple goal: making electricity more affordable, reliable, and locally controlled for St. Pete residents. It won’t be easy, though: organizers will need to collect 16,200 petitions with verified signatures from St. Pete voters, with the aim to secure over 20,000 signatures.
Learn more about the petition drive here
CAMPAIGN UPDATE: DeFlock St. Pete
As mentioned above, Councilmember Richie Floyd introducing a business item during a meeting of the St. Pete City Council at the end of August to allow for the discussion of the city’s Flock contract. Specifically, how we can eliminate it.
You might reasonably assume that this initiative would see pushback from at least a few of the council’s more conservative members. However, St. Pete City Council voted unanimously to pass this item, and advance the discussion to the city’s Public Services & Infrastructure Committee. Richie sits on the committee, as do Councilmembers Hanewicz, Harting, and Gerdes.
Organizers with the DeFlock St. Pete campaign are asking anyone who is “passionate about preventing our little slice of Florida from becoming part of the surveillance state” to reach out to the three committee members in question, thank them for backing Richie’s business item, and let them know that you want to #DeFlockStPete! You can reach the officials in question using the contact information provided below:
- Copley Gerdes: copley.gerdes@stpete.org | (727) 551–3528
- Mike Harting: mike.harting@stpete.org | (727) 551–3305
- Lisset Hanewicz: lisset.hanewicz@stpete.org | (727) 893–7412
CAMPAIGN UPDATE: No on 3
Organizers behind the No on 3 campaign hit the ground running last month, launching into a series of door-to-door canvasses, lit drops, and “public service stakeouts” to rally Pinellas residents to defeat Amendment 3 on the November ballot.
If Amendment 3 passes, Pinellas County residents will suffer from millions of dollars in public funding cuts each year, impacting EMS, fire and rescue, flood mitigation, infrastructure repair, libraries, parks, public transit, and more. This campaign was spun up on short notice, withe less than three months to get the word out. But, organizers have done a phenomenal job so far!
Check out upcoming No on 3 events
Upcoming Events
“No On 3” Public Service Stakeout
Monday, October 5 from 6:00–7:30pm. Meet at the Largo Public Library (120 Central Park Dr. in Largo). RSVP for updates: https://sldr.it/s/NoOn3Events.
Program Committee Meeting
Tuesday, October 6 from 6:30–8:00pm. Location TBD; check the Discord for more details.
Book Study: NATO: What You Need to Know
Wednesday, October 7 from 7:00–8:30pm at Pistil House (2533 1st Ave S. in St. Pete). Join us for a discussion of the book NATO: What You Need to Know by Medea Benjamin and David Swanson!
Dump Duke Petitioning
Thursday, October 8 from 6:30–8:00pm. Come help us collect petitions downtown (location TBD).
PDSA Steering Committee Meeting
Thursday, October 8 from 7:00–8:30pm. Zoom only.
Health Justice Working Group Meeting
Friday, October 9 from 6:00–7:30pm at Allendale United Methodist Church (3803 Haines Rd N. in St. Pete). Meeting in the Hybrid room.
“No On 3” North County Canvass
Saturday, October 10 from 10:00am — 1:00pm. Meeting in Clearwater (location TBD). RSVP for updates: https://sldr.it/s/NoOn3Events.
Dump Duke @ Fall Fest
Sunday, October 11 from 11:00am — 7:00pm at the St. Pete Pier. Come help us collect petitions at Fall Fest.
Growth & Development Committee Interest Meeting
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Monday, October 12 from 6:30–8:00pm. Location TBD.
54th Ave S Apartment Canvass
Monday, October 12 from 6:30–8:00pm. Meet in the parking lot at 2822 54th Ave S. in St Pete. Join Pinellas DSA and the St Pete Tenants Union to organize tenants and demand safe and sustainable public housing.
Property Tax Townhall With Richie Floyd
Tuesday, October 13 from 6:00–8:00pm at Allendale United Methodist Church. Meeting in the Community Center; a Zoom option will also be available. RSVP for the event: https://sldr.it/s/amend-3-town-hall.
“No On 3” Public Service Stakeout
Wednesday, October 14 from 6:00–8:00pm at the President Barack Obama Main Library (3745 9th Ave N. in St. Pete). RSVP for updates: https://sldr.it/s/NoOn3Events.
North County Meeting
Thursday, October 15 from 6:30–8:00pm. Zoom only; RSVP for updates: https://sldr.it/s/PDSA-NorthCounty.
Dump Duke Canvass — No Kings Day
Saturday, October 17 from 10:00am — 12:00pm. Meeting at Spa Beach on the St. Pete Pier to collect Petitions at the No Kings Day Event.
Bradenton-Sarasota Interest Meeting
Saturday, October 17 from 3:30–5:00pm at the South Manatee Branch Library (6081 26th St W. in Bradenton). Helping comrades in the South Bay Area to launch a Bradenton-Sarasota DSA chapter!
PDSA Steering Committee Meeting
Sunday, October 18 from 7:00–8:30pm. Zoom only.
Dump Duke Pollathon 2.0
Monday, October 19 from 7:00am — 7:00pm. Meet across from St. Pete City Hall (175 5th St N. in St. Pete) to collect petitions during Early Voting! More info TBD.
“No On 3” Public Service Stakeout
Tuesday, October 20 from 6:00–8:00pm at the President Barack Obama Main Library (3745 9th Ave N. in St. Pete). RSVP for updates: https://sldr.it/s/NoOn3Events.
Housing Working Group & SPTU Joint Meeting
Wednesday, October 21 from 7:00–8:30pm at Allendale United Methodist Church. Meeting of the Pinellas DSA Housing Working Group and St. Pete Tenants Union to decide action on tackling the exploitative capitalist housing system.
Dump Duke Pollathon 2.0
Thursday, October 22 from 7:00am — 7:00pm. Meet across from St. Pete City Hall (175 5th St N. in St. Pete) to collect petitions during Early Voting! More info TBD.
“No On 3” North County Canvass
Saturday, October 24 from 10:00am — 1:00pm. Meeting location TBD. RSVP for updates: https://sldr.it/s/NoOn3Events.
Dump Duke @ Mezzo Market
Saturday, October 24 from 11:00am — 1:30pm. Meet at the corner of Central Ave & 11th St. to collect petitions at the Mezzo Market before the new member orientation.
October Interest Meeting & New Member Orientation
Saturday, October 24 from 2:30–4:00pm at the Barbara S. Ponce Public Library (7770 52nd St N. in Pinellas Park). We’ll be in Meeting Room 2. RSVP: https://pinellasdsa.solidarity.tech/new-member-orientation
Halloween On Central
Sunday, October 25 from 7:30am — 5:00pm. Location TBD. We’ll be set up on Central Ave to share info about our ongoing campaigns and collect Dump Duke petitions. The signup link will be available soon if you’re interested in taking a shift — check back with the Discord for more info!
International Solidarity Working Group Meeting
Monday, October 26 from 6:30–8:00pm. Zoom only: https://dsausa.zoom.us/j/84002106080
“No On 3” Public Service Stakeout
Thursday, October 29 from 6:00–8:00pm at the President Barack Obama Main Library (3745 9th Ave N. in St. Pete). RSVP for updates: https://sldr.it/s/NoOn3Events.
Dump Duke Pollathon 2.0
Friday, October 30 from 7:00am — 7:00pm. Meet across from St. Pete City Hall (175 5th St N. in St. Pete) to collect petitions during Early Voting! More info TBD.
“No On 3” Pollathon
Saturday, October 31 from 9:00–11:30am. Location TBD. RSVP For Campaign Events: https://pinellasdsa.solidarity.tech/no-on-3-campaign-volunteer-events
“No On 3” Pollathon
Sunday November 1 from 10:30am — 3:00pm. Location TBD. RSVP For Campaign Events: https://pinellasdsa.solidarity.tech/no-on-3-campaign-volunteer-events
PDSA Steering Committee Meeting
Sunday, November 1 from 7:00–8:30pm. Zoom only.
Health Justice WG Meeting
Monday, November 2 from 6:30–8:00pm. Zoom only; see the Discord for the Zoom link.
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NOTE: All dates and times are subject to change, so check the website regularly for updates!
