Darryl Rouson

Sen. Darryl Rousson has historically supported both Mayor Ken Welch and former congressman and Gov. Charlie Crist. This is simply the first time they have run against each other for the same office.

The longtime St. Petersburg Democrat will serve as a presidential scholar and professor of trial litigation at the conservative-leaning Sarasota school.

“I’m going to miss the Senate,” Rouson said. “But I won’t be far away.”

The facility, one of 15 in the state, offers specialized medical treatments such as transcranial Doppler ultrasounds and IV therapies.

Plaintiffs claimed the district — which in recent years has been represented by Black Democrat Darryl Rouson — was racially gerrymandered.

State Sen. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, and state Rep. Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, are touting state allocations for two major initiatives through the Foundation for Sickle Cell Disease Research.

At this point, Fentrice Driskell’s Democratic opposition in District 16 is state Rep. Michele Rayner, of St. Petersburg, who announced her bid in December. Republican Amaro Lionheart is also running.

USF agreed to name the Center for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Research for Sen. Darryl Rouson weeks after the House outraged senators by removing the proposal for the center from a bill.

A trial involving claims that State Senate District 16 was racially gerrymandered concluded. Although this is about one district, the anticipated decision could potentially shape Florida's future.

The vote came two days after senators angrily objected to the House amendment that killed the funding for a Sen. Darryl E. Rouson Center for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Research.

Lawmakers gave final approval to the redistricting plan in February 2022, and the districts were used in the 2022 elections.

The lawsuit says the Legislature’s plan to connect Black populations in the two counties in District 16 “sacrificed genuine communities of interest” and stripped them from adjacent District 18, reducing their influence there.