ST. PETERSBURG — Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum gingerly steps back onto the campaign trail Friday with a St. Petersburg College town hall meeting that ties the devastation of Hurricane Michael into the closing argument of his campaign. In the afternoon, he is scheduled to campaign in Tampa.

“In the aftermath of the storm, Mayor Gillum was 100 percent focused on keeping citizens safe before, during, and after the storm and our campaign will continue to support our fellow Floridians with the ongoing recovery,” the campaign said of Gillum, who suspended campaign activities 11 days ago.

Gillum, 39, has sought to run a campaign more positive than negative, promoting his progressive ideas for Florida more than attacking Republican nominee Ron DeSantis. The Gillum campaign sees the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, where people unite and work together an help one another, as a metaphor for his vision for Florida.

"On Friday, Mayor Gillum will host a town hall with voters in St. Pete to discuss Florida's resiliency — how Floridians from all walks of life came together after Hurricane Michael, and the importance of coming together to tackle our state's big challenges," the campaign said in a statement. "In the last two weeks, Floridians have come together to lift up one another up as our communities recover and rebuild — and Mayor Gillum will continue to lead by bringing our state together in these final weeks of this campaign."

Doors open at 11 a.m. for the noon event at St. Petersburg College's Gibbs Campus Music Center at 6605 5th Ave N. in west St. Petersburg. The event is free, but the campaign has asked people to RSVP here:

At 5 p.m. Gillum is scheduled to hold a women's rally at Tampa's Water Works Park, 1710 N. Highland Avenue in Tampa. The event is open to the public.

About 700,000 Floridians already have voted, and the election will be over in 18 days.