Senior Fellow

Richard Murray “Rick” Baker is an American attorney and politician who served as mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida. Elected in 2001, he was reelected in November 2005 with more than 70% of the votes cast. Born in Chicago, Baker is married to wife Joyce. 

While attending Florida State University, Baker was the President of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He also served as the school’s senior class president and president of the Student Senate. Baker has a background in management and law. Baker received a BS in management, an MBA and Juris Doctor (honors) from Florida State University. He also studied comparative law for a term abroad at University of Oxford. Baker has practiced corporate and business law for 20 years, serving as president of Fisher and Sauls, P.A., a St. Petersburg law firm. Prior to his election as mayor, Baker served as the chairman of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce. He is also the author of two books, “Mangroves to Major League,” a historical account of the development of the city of St. Petersburg and “The Seamless City,” a summation of Baker’s time as Mayor where he lays out his vision for smart urban renewal.

From 2010 to 2013 he served a Vice President for Economic Development at the University of South Florida. From 2013 to 2018 he served as president of the Edwards Group. Since 2018 he has been a development consultant for Coast Autonomous.