St. Petersburg’s Chief Equity Officer Quits After One Month

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA — The City of St. Petersburg’s first chief equity officer has resigned after less than a month of working the position. Lenice C. Emanuel started the position on October 2 and subsequently walked away from the $185,000 per year salary. She did not state a reason for her departure. 

“Thank you for the opportunity to serve as the city’s inaugural chief equity officer,” Emanuel wrote in a letter to St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch obtained by the Catalyst. “Wishing you and your team the very best in your future endeavors.”

The city worked to fill the chief equity officer position for two years after the release of the 2021 Structural Racism Study that focused on “structural racism on the lives of black people in the City of St. Petersburg, Florida.” 

The 200-page report claimed to have looked back on the history of St. Petersburg’s settlement in the 19th century and the policies that were implemented by the “settlers and city fathers” through the modern era. 

“With greater awareness and acceptance of the city’s heart-rending history and lingering indifference concerning generational impacts of differential racist policymaking, intentional policies can be enacted which will safeguard overall health and well-being of this and future generations of black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) citizens of St. Petersburg,” the report stated. 

When she was hired, Emanuel lauded the progressive character of St. Petersburg’s culture. 

“At its core, St. Pete is rich in diversity, inclusiveness and progressive intention, making it perfectly poised to lead in the area of equity,” Emanuel said. “We are committed to leaving no one behind, where all of us will rise, together, as one St. Pete.”

The city is now looking for Emanuel’s replacement.