Get to Know Darden
Tradition of Public Service
Darden with her uncle Everett Rice
My family has been in Pinellas County for over 50 years and has a long history of civic involvement and service here. My grandmother, Louise Rice, was a lifelong educator who taught at Southside Middle School and later St. Petersburg Junior College. My uncle was our County’s Sheriff for 16 years and then served in the Florida House of Representatives. Many other members of my family live and work here, and since moving here almost 20 years ago from my childhood home in North Carolina, I have continued the family tradition of loving and serving the Suncoast.
Conservationist
After attending USF and graduating from Eckerd College, I got my start doing community organizing for the Sierra Club. I worked throughout Florida to raise awareness and spur citizen and government action on cleaner energy solutions and conservation of our resources and environment. I worked hard and learned a lot, and in time I became a National Field Director for the Sierra Club’s Cool Cities project. In this job I worked with dozens of cities and counties to implement energy efficiency and conservation policies, helping them reduce their pollution and carbon footprint as well as save taxpayers’ money. We also put in place systems to hold leaders accountable, so that their words would be followed by real action. Today, I am proud to be continuing my conservation work with Oceana, an international ocean protection group that works to protect healthy fisheries and habitat to protect our economy and conserve precious resources.
Through these jobs and experiences, I have learned not only about conservation issues but also about how we work together to make progress. How it takes government, business, and most of all people to make a real difference. Because the environment, like so many things, is not a single, self-contained issue. Some of the biggest regional issues facing Pinellas County involve conservation issues in one way or another: growth management, water supply, transportation, clean energy, land use policy, urban pollution, and how we allocate budget and tax resources to fund responsible policies to protect our quality of life. I have studied and worked with all of these issues and I have worked with our community to push forward many of the ideas that city and county governments are adopting now.
Civic Leader
Additionally, I have built upon my professional experience through my community service and leadership.
As Vice President of CONA, the Council of Neighborhood Associations, I have been a leader on neighborhood issues in St. Petersburg and I know firsthand how deeply our residents feel about reducing crime, promoting public safety, gaining more affordable housing, and bringing about more responsible development. CONA works closely with many city and county leaders and agencies, helping them make great strides for better and safer neighborhoods.
I have also served as Vice President of the League of Women Voters, working on good government issues and educating the public about complicated ballot initiatives and amendments dealing with budget and taxation matters. And I am very proud to serve on the board of the YWCA, aiding their mission to empower women and eliminate racism.
My service extends to creating whole new community institutions as well, where I volunteer my time, energy, and professional expertise to promote green values and practices at the grassroots level. As Co-Founding Officer of Pinellas Living Green and the Pinellas Living Green Expo, I work to bridge economic interests with green interests in a way to meet mainstream demand. We have met extraordinary success as we finish our third year and get bigger and stronger every year.
I also served as the first Co-Chair of the Pinellas County Environmental Science Forum, created by the County. During my leadership on the Forum, we pored through scientific and policy documents, detailed presentations, and studied management plans to advise the Board of County Commissioners on controversial conservation decisions, and we made strong recommendations to protect Brooker Creek Preserve and Shell Key Preserve.
Ready to Serve
Over the years, I’ve learned a tremendous amount about how our local government works and have worked closely with people like you who want to see it work better. I’ve learned about the issues that matter to people in Pinellas County. And I have seen time and time again that we are at our best when we work together.
For me, there is nothing more fulfilling than giving back to the community and believing in the people who work to make our world a little bit better. My varied civic background provides the kind of insight, innovation, and leadership to prepare me for serving you on the Commission.
We face many challenges, but there is nothing we can’t solve through hard work, openness, listening, and teamwork. It’s time for New Leadership on the County Commission, and that is why I am taking the next step to run for public office, to be your voice and work for the issues we care about as a community.
I am proud and excited to be running countywide in Pinellas, and I look forward to hearing from you on the campaign trail!
