Frank Peterman

[1] His appointment spurred a special election to serve out the remainder of his term that was won by Darryl Rouson, former St. Petersburg NAACP president.

His father, Frank Sr., a graduate of Morehouse College and Howard University Law School, was a civil rights attorney.

In 1968, Frank Peterman, Sr. was the first African American in Pinellas County to win a primary election in a race for the Florida House of Representatives.

He was then program director for Blacks Against Dangerous Drugs (BADD) and worked as a crime prevention specialist with the Pinellas County Urban League.

The Times praised both candidates for running positive, issue-based campaigns and for their ability to serve the community however, they felt Peterman could better continue the work began by Welch, building bridges to alienated African-American voters and bringing economic development to the district.

[12] Peterman became the second Democrat to file to run for State House District 55 for the 2000 election, against Earnest Williams and incumbent Republican Representative Rudy Bradley.

Bradley felt he could better serve the residents of District 55 because he had switched to the Republican Party, which controlled the Legislature and the Governorship, and would be better connected with those in power.

[17] He ran for re-election opposed by Republican Vincent K. Hopkins and Libertarian Party Thomas William Kilmon.

Peterman's platform included economic development, better pay for teachers, small businesses financial and technical assistance, and support for an amendment to limit class sizes.

He also said he would be able to balance his ministry with his family life and his work as a legislator and as a director for Juvenile Services Program Inc.[21] Almost immediately, Peterman was criticized by Bill Maxwell, a columnist for the St. Petersburg Times for accepting and then giving up a position on the education appropriations committee.

[23] In March, he sponsored a bill to protect migrant farm workers from exploitation in the form of pesticide exposure and denial of a minimum wage.

In turn, Peterman and fellow Democrat Arthenia Joyner announced their intentions to run for the seat vacated by Miller.

They had sued the Department of Juvenile Justice after the fourteen-year-old died while being beaten by guards at a DJJ boot camp in Bay County, Florida.

[35] Following the acquittal of the seven guards and the nurse accused of aggravated manslaughter in the case, Peterman said that "'people who believe in justice,'" should protest the verdict with an economic boycott of Bay County.

[1] He said he would accomplish his goals by such measures as authorizing local review boards and councils to redirect first-time offenders to community-based punishments.

He also pledged to staff all detention centers with registered nurses and make sure public defenders were provided to children at their first hearings.

[39] In 2009, Peterman came under fire for using state tax dollars to travel to and from his home in St. Petersburg and not being in his office in Tallahassee on a routine basis.

[43] In 2009, a complaint was filed on the same matter to the Florida Commission on Ethics, alleging Peterman violated the state law under the provisions of "misuse of public position".

[44] Peterman remains adamant that his commitment to his ministry and family were top priority and led to his split time between the cities as he did not wish to uproot his wife and children.

He continues to pastor at the Rock of Jesus Missionary Baptist Church and has recently re-entered politics, running for the Pinellas County Commission, District 7.