Faces of KNOW: Mayor Kanika Tomalin

Faces of KNOW: Deputy Mayor Dr. Kanika Tomalin

Faces of KNOW: Today’s KNOW spotlight is proudly featuring Deputy Mayor Kanika, 2019 St. Pete featuree. You can find Deputy Mayor Kanika on page 85 of our St. Pete KNOW book.

Mayor Kanika is nothing short of an inspiring leader. She is the second African American Deputy Mayor for the city of St. Pete, with the first being her cousin. She believes her grandmother would be proud, and we wouldn’t disagree! She’s the fifth generation of her family to call St. Pete home, and has more than 200 relatives south of the road Ulmerton!

Would you believe Deputy Mayor Kanika refers to herself as shy looking at this picture on the right!? She admits that she has to give herself a huge private pep talk before public speaking, which makes her work as a public official a daily opportunity for growth. Along with offering personal growth, Mayor Kanika’s work allows to her travel the world, bringing her to 30 cities and 13 countries over the last few years! She’s excited to add South Africa to the list this next year.

When Mayor Kanika is not speaking, traveling, or strategizing how to advance one of Florida’s largest cities towards its goals, she loves to cook and enjoy a great meal with her family. She is even working on a cookbook that highlights awesome ways to prepare healthy, “St. Pete-centric” meals.

Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin has been a speaker multiple times this past year including giving a speech at the League of American Bicyclists National Bike Summit on Creating Healthy, Livable Cities in a Time of Disruptive Change. She was a keynote speaker at PRSA’s Sunshine District Conference – PR & Communications.

Deputy Mayor’s Upcoming Speeches:

When & Where: September 8^th, LocalShops1 Community Awards Ceremony in Tampa Bay Region.

Topic: Community, small business, arts, and economic development in Tampa Bay Region