[3] Sink also ran as the Democratic nominee in the 2014 special election for Florida's 13th congressional district, losing to Republican David Jolly on March 11, 2014.

[19] The audit found excessive and ethically questionable spending on the new judicial building—which she referred to as the "Taj Mahal"—for the First District Court of Appeals.

[19] The Florida CFO's office subsequently admitted that money may have been misused and that as much as $16 million may have been spent in a financial raid on the state's Workers' Compensation Trust Fund.

[19] A $33.5 million bond for construction was attached to a transportation bill and passed on the last day of the 2007 Florida legislative session.

"[21] In January 2009, Sink announced she would not run for either seat, preferring to stand for reelection as CFO.

She faced health care executive Rick Scott in the general election, as well as an independent (NPA) candidate, urban designer and policy analyst, Michael E. Arth [de; es; fr; ja; zh].

On October 30, Sink told the Tampa Bay Times that she would run in the special election to replace him.

The only other declared Democratic candidate, Jessica Ehrlich, who had faced Young in the 2012 general election, dropped out of the race on November 6, effectively handing the nomination to Sink.

She addressed a group of 300 gay and lesbian advocates at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale.

"[35] In 2008, Sink founded Ruth's List Florida, named in honor of United States Representative Ruth Bryan Owen,[36] the first woman to be elected to the United States House of Representatives from Florida and the second to be elected from the American south.

[9] Since her two unsuccessful electoral campaigns, Sink has become involved in mentoring tech startups in the Tampa Bay area.

[41] In 2020, Sink was named 2020 Citizen of the Year by University of Florida's Bob Graham Center for Public Service in an online ceremony, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[43] She also sits on the boards of The Dali Museum, Junior Achievement, United Way Suncoast and the Tampa Bay Waves.