Kelly Kirschner

Kelly Kirschner is the Democratic nominee for the open 16th District seat and a former Sarasota city commissioner and mayor. A Georgetown graduate and former Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala, he worked in higher education and nonprofit leadership before and during his time in local office. He says he is running on lowering costs, defending health care and ending price gouging by oil, utility and grocery companies.[1][2][3]

Kirschner is a third-generation Floridian who, according to his campaign website, grew up near the Sarasota-Bradenton airport and worked after school and on weekends at his family's fruit stand, Blue Heron Fruit Shippers.[2] He graduated from Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School and from Georgetown University in 1998.[1][2] His campaign website says he earned bachelor's and master's degrees at Georgetown on a full scholarship, working as manager of the men's basketball team.[2] He then joined the Peace Corps in 1999 and served in northern Guatemala, where he says he helped Mayan farming families reach new markets.[2]

Kirschner worked in sales at Bio-Pro Research in Manatee County, according to WGCU, which also reports that he later served as a vice president at Eckerd College; his campaign site says he led executive leadership development and lifelong learning programs there.[3][2] He also founded a nonprofit, UnidosNow according to his campaign website, that he says has helped more than 1,000 first-generation students gain debt-free admission to universities.[1][2]

Kirschner won a seat on the Sarasota City Commission, which WGCU reports made him the youngest commissioner in the city's history, and later served as mayor of Sarasota.[3] His campaign site says he first won by defeating an incumbent with 75% of the vote after organizing residents against a proposed ten-story condominium project.[2] He says he led passage of local campaign finance reforms approved by more than 80% of voters, pushed Florida Power & Light for resident concessions, and exposed a lease at the Marina Jacks marina that he says cost taxpayers money.[1][2] He describes himself as a single father of two.[1][2] Kirschner won the August 18, 2026 Democratic primary for the open seat with 43.3% of the vote in a five-candidate field.[1]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.