Latest Charlie Crist ad blasts ‘mess’ from current admin, vows to clean up City Hall

St. Pete Shines, the political committee supporting Charlie Crist for St. Petersburg Mayor, has launched a new digital ad describing the catastrophic damage resulting from back-to-back hurricanes in 2024 and a mayoral administration “missing in action.”

The ad, titled “Mess,” features images of hurricane damage throughout the city, including flooded streets, damaged structures, debris piles and a devastated Tropicana Field with its roof in tatters.

“After Milton and Helene hit, St. Pete was a mess. Water mains busted, homes destroyed, and City Hall was missing in action,” Crist narrates in the ad. “Recovery funds got delayed. Piles of debris never collected. Construction permits unapproved, and neighborhoods left to fend for themselves.”

The ad ends with a positive message from Crist, a former Governor.

“We can do better, a lot better. I know that when a hurricane hits, you don’t sit at home, you act. As Mayor, I’ll never abandon our city during a storm. That’s not a promise — that’s the job,” Crist adds.

The ad builds on criticism leveled against incumbent Mayor Ken Welch over his administration’s response to various hurricanes throughout his tenure. Following Hurricane Helene in 2024, residents in neighborhoods that flooded had debris piles that sat untouched for weeks, leading some to nickname them “Welch Piles.”

Before that, during Hurricane Ian in 2022, Welch faced criticism for leaving the city’s Emergency Operations Center to return home to his family, even as other top city staff slept at the facility, as is protocol. Welch has defended his decision, arguing he did not leave until after the path of the storm shifted and the city was no longer in harm’s way.

But the issue has come up frequently, with a previous St. Pete Shines ad targeting Welch over a Tampa Bay Times report finding he had swiped into City Hall on just 34% of work days.

“Residents deserve a Mayor they can trust to show up when disaster strikes, not one who runs home even as his top employees sacrifice time with their own families to ensure yours is protected. I won’t run. I won’t hide. Because your safety, and your property’s safety, are important to me. That’s why I’m asking for your vote on August 18. Better yet, that’s why I’m asking you to cast your vote by mail or vote early. Progress can’t wait,” Crist said of the latest ad push.

It comes as Crist continues to gain momentum in the race, leading Welch in both fundraising and polling.

A St. Pete Polls survey taken last week found Crist leading Welch in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup 44% to 28%, a 16-percentage-point advantage that has doubled since previous polling at the end of June.

Meanwhile, Crist continues to dominate fundraising, giving him an advantage in sharing his message. Crist has a cash-on-hand advantage over Welch of more than $882,000. In the most recent fundraising period covering July 4-12, Crist raised $61,000 to his political committee while Welch raised just $15,000 to his, St. Petersburg Progress.

Crist is also leading fundraising to his official campaign account, with $11,000 raised in the most recent period covering June 26 through July 10. Welch raised just $8,000 to his campaign during that same time.

The latest ad push, paired with funding and polling advantages, comes as voting is already underway for the Aug. 18 Primary. Vote by mail ballots went out last week and early voting begins Aug. 8, running through Aug. 16. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to the November General Election.

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Ed. note: Michelle Todd Schorsch is the Chair of St. Pete Shines, a political committee backing Crist for St. Petersburg Mayor. Todd Schorsch is married to Peter Schorsch, the publisher of Florida Politics.