Growth in St. Petersburg, an evening with former Mayor Rick Baker and J.P. DuBuque

Rick Baker has been a Business Acquisition lawyer, a Law Firm President, a University Vice President and President of a St. Petersburg-based development and entertainment company.  Presently he is an advisor and investor in companies involved in urban development and autonomous vehicle technology.      

From 2001 to 2010, he served as mayor of St. Petersburg - Florida’s fourth largest city.  Under Mayor Baker’s leadership St. Petersburg experienced a renaissance unmatched in city history.  In 2008, Mayor Baker was named America’s Mayor/Public Official of the Year by Governing Magazine, and in 2011, was named “America’s greatest mayor of the decade” in Newsweek Magazine’s Daily Beast.

Baker chaired the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida, Chaired the Florida Statewide Water Congress, chaired the Florida Governor’s Municipal Mentoring Initiative, vice chaired the Florida Governor’s Energy Action Team, and led in transition teams for the Florida Governor, Attorney General and Chief Financial Officer. 

Baker holds a B.S., MBA, and a Juris Doctor (with honors) from Florida State University where he was Senior Class President.  He studied comparative law at Oxford University.  He served as legal intern to Florida Supreme Court Justice Ben Overton, and law clerk to Governor Bob Graham’s special counsel. 

Baker is an adjunct fellow of the Manhattan Institute policy think-tank in New York City.  He has authored three books – Mangroves to Major League in 2000, a history of St. Petersburg; The Seamless City in 2011, about city leadership and urban revitalization; and Beyond the Sunshine in 2018 – a timeline history of Florida.

He enjoys music, guitar, weight training, history, public policy and counts as one of his favorite experiences playing and singing with the Marshall Tucker Band on four occasions. 

J. P. DuBuque is president of the Greater St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation (EDC), the “Storyteller in Chief” for St. Petersburg as a business and career location that connects businesses with the people and programs that will help them grow.

J.P. is a veteran corporate recruiter, innovative leader and experienced economic development authority who provides the strategic vision and directs the efforts of the EDC in its mission to market the City as a business destination.  In addition, J.P. works with local businesses to ensure their success.

Prior to joining the St. Petersburg EDC, J.P. was with the Tampa Hillsborough EDC serving as the VP of Finance & Administration, as well as interim CEO. J.P. is skilled in business operations, human resources, financial management and marketing. He received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics from Hampden-Sydney College and his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Salisbury University where he was inducted in the Beta Gamma Sigma Honors Fraternity.

J.P. is also deeply committed to the community. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce and the United Way Suncoast of Tampa Bay.

J.P. is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management, International Economic Development Council, Florida Economic Development Council, and Southern Economic Development Council. He has been a two-time Finalist for Tampa Bay Business Journal’s CFO of the Year.

When he is not telling others about how awesome St. Pete is, J.P. enjoys this region by spending time engaged in outdoor activities with his wife, Patti, and sons Kellan and Camden. J.P. is also an avid music fan and enjoys as many concerts and festivals as he can.

Sheryl Hunter is the founder of Hunter Business Law, The Entrepreneur’s Law Firm®, based in Tampa, Florida, which was named to the 2019 INC 5000 list of Fastest Growing Companies in America. For over 20 years Sheryl has worked with hundreds of growth-focused entrepreneurs and their business enterprises, from start-up to exit.  Her boutique firm of attorneys was built specifically to meet the unique needs of entrepreneurial clients.  This includes a practical mindset of integrating and balancing business and legal needs, as well as providing to clients the benefits of having dedicated outside general counsel on their team throughout the life cycle of their businesses.  Services include private security offerings, M&A and franchising as well as common transaction work such as contracts. You can reach Sheryl at 813-867-2640,hunter@hunterbusinesslaw.com and connect with her at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherylhunter/