Mayor of Kenneth City and Sports Coach

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On the evening of March 19, Megan Zemaitis noticed dozens of missed calls on her phone, but she couldn’t answer them.

“I was coaching a flag football game and I was on the sidelines yelling at my girls,” Zemaitis said. “I look over and it’s my dad. He keeps calling me.”

She replied: “Dad, I’m a coach!”

“You win!” he said.

She didn’t immediately realize she had won the Kenneth City mayoral election. Election results showed Zemaitis had won over former Kenneth City Mayor Robert Howell.

She said the girls’ soccer game had her full attention at that moment.

“My players would ask me, ‘Did we hear that, right?’ Or, ‘Are you the mayor now?’” Zemaitis recalled.

Unfortunately, his team lost the match, but they supported their coach’s victory.

“We all celebrated a little bit together afterwards,” she said. “And my team made me feel good. So it was nice to be able to take some time to…let things calm down.”

That same night, The Gabber Journal called Zemaitis about his victory.

“I’m looking forward to getting out there and making the changes that our city really needs,” she said after the game.

On April 11, City Attorney Ralf Brookes swore in Zemaitis as mayor at the Kenneth City City Council meeting. She became Kenneth City’s fourth female mayor. Zemaitis also made Kenneth City history by becoming the city’s first openly lesbian mayor.

Who is Megan Zemaitis?

Zemaitis lives in Kenneth City with his wife, Megan. Together, they go by the nickname “Megan and Megan.” They married five years ago after meeting on a dating app. While his wife is from Tallahassee, Zemaitis has been a Kenneth City resident for decades.

Born in Queens, New York, she moved to Pinellas County at age five. Her family members also moved to Florida.

“It was pretty much the whole family that moved from New York to Florida. Aunts, uncles, my grandparents, you know, everybody, we all moved together,” Zemaitis said. “I really loved growing up in that community.”

From a young age, she knew she wanted to buy a house and start a family in Kenneth City.

“I find it really funny, but my dream house when I was little, like my favorite house in Kenneth City, is now the house that I own,” she said. “I’ve come full circle and I’m living my childhood dreams in the house that I wanted to live in.”

A Past and a Future in Kenneth City

In the early 2000s, Zemaitis’ mother, Teresa, was a city council member. Teresa later became mayor, serving from 2009 to 2015. Ever since she was young, Megan has wanted to serve her city, too.

“I honestly feel like this is a goal I’ve always wanted to achieve,” Zemaitis said. “Ever since I was a little kid, I was like, ‘I’m going to be mayor like my mom.’”

Today, Megan is the second Zemaitis to serve as mayor of Kenneth City.

“I grew up participating,” she said. “I remember picking out equipment at James V. Ernst Park. I gave my mom all my opinions on what playground equipment looked like fun, you know, giving her a kid’s perspective.”

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Megan Zemaitis, Board Member

Zemaitis began her public service as a council member in March 2020. She said The Gabber Journal that she did not want to rush headlong into a mayoral position.

“I needed to get a little familiar with the world of work, to learn on my own,” she said.

Since the age of 16, she has held leadership and management positions. Zemaitis credits those past opportunities for her ability to do her job today.

“I think that translates into politics because we’re a small town, and it really takes all of us coming together to get something done, and we may not have all the resources that our neighboring communities have,” she said.

Zemaitis said her mother prepared her for her own position in the city today.

“I loved being in all the meetings and I loved watching her, you know, take phone calls or work on her grants,” Zemaitis said. “I think I learned a lot that way, too.”

She notoriously keeps the public informed about Kenneth City affairs via her Facebook page.

“During my last term as a council member, I felt like this city really needed change and progress, that it needed to look forward and catch up in the 21st century,” Zemaitis said. “I just felt like I was the right person to help this city get there.”

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Mayor Megan Zemaitis

Zemaitis is clearly a determined mayor. Shortly after being sworn in, Zemaitis proposed firing former City Manager Lacy LaFave. At another meeting, she began the process of finding a replacement.

At the same time, she is keenly aware of the public’s perception of Kenneth City.

“We’ve built up a lot of reputations over the years,” she said. “I think I just want people to think, ‘Wow, this is a great community.’”

Additionally, Zemaitis said she has already started working on her vision for the city. She said The Gabber Journal She has a beautification project underway as well as new signs. , and has already started

“I’m also focusing on that ice cream cone on the corner of 58th and 54th streets,” Zemaitis said.

While beautification is important, Zemaitis also believes that having more clarity about the city’s boundaries is a priority.

“These houses you can see are not the ones in Kenneth City. It’s weird, isn’t it?” she said, referring to the houses across the street from the community center and located outside of town.

She also wants the city limits to be more visible. She said she hopes for a “clear distinction, like saying, ‘Yes, I’m in Kenneth City now.'”

Zemaitis said The Gabber Journal that she hopes Kenneth City residents think she is doing “a good job” as mayor.

“I never had an agenda or I guess I always do what’s best for our residents, our community, our council,” Zemaitis said.

Megan Zemaitis: More Than a Municipal Politician

Zemaitis isn’t just involved in city politics. She works as a training and implementation manager for an Australian tech company. In addition, she coaches the Dixie Hollins High School boys’ and girls’ swim teams and the girls’ soccer team.

“I really like riding my motorcycle,” Zemaitis said. “I like playing video games. I like kayaking. I also like swimming for myself; not just as a coach or as a competitive swimmer, but just hanging out in the pool and floating. It’s probably one of my favorite things.”

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