Pinellas County born and raised, Michele Rayner has taken on some of the most pressing civil rights cases as an attorney, stood with bereaved families and friends during difficult personal moments and boldly celebrated friends’ joyous accomplishments. Her infectious spirit of joy and love is coupled with an unequivocally bold voice that centers inclusion and equity.
Being the first Black woman to be openly queer and elected to any office in Florida, especially during a tumultuous year like 2020 is indicative of the trust so many in our community have in Representative Rayner and the progressive representation we desperately need in government.
Her advocacy matches in words and deeds.
The representative often remarks that “how you run is how you lead,” and we learned this to be true from the spokesperson herself. A month after filing to run for the Florida House of Representatives, the state shut down to try and mitigate the alarming number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. While her team scrambled to adjust to campaigning in our “new normal,” her bold voice declared from her spirit of compassion, we were suspending our campaign to serve those most in need: passing out masks and food and as a hub of information and resources across Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota and Manatee counties.
After her historic win in a decided four-way contest that garnered national attention, she continued to show up as she always has to stump for important down-ballot races. She also opened up for then Vice President Joe Biden during a Tampa rally to make the case against bigotry and hatred, helping elect a president that will help our nation build back better by supporting local leaders with shared values.
Floridians have lived through a global pandemic disproportionately impacting Black people with lackluster state leadership that favored corporations and partisanship over livelihood, as well as a nationwide reckoning with racism and abuse of excessive (and too frequently) deadly force by law enforcement this year. These simultaneous realities begged the question for many of “where do we go from here?” Now, folks are demanding that change cannot wait and are looking for leaders with proven experience to shepherd our communities, state and nation through difficult, but necessary conversations to catalyze systemic change.
Representative Rayner’s professional and personal experience has uniquely prepared her to be a zealous advocate for the residents of House District 70 and the people of the great State of Florida.
Her relentless pursuit of justice and fairness are needed now more than ever to ensure equitable access to quality of life needs like intersectional accessibility to affordable healthcare, education, and many others. A known consensus builder, Representative Rayner will prioritize people over partisanship, profits and politics to get stuff done.
To view the full list of Watermark’s Most Remarkable People of 2020, click here.
