Brandi Gabbard launches St. Pete mayoral bid with focus on infrastructure, housing, energy and critique of Ken Welch

St. Petersburg City Council member Brandi Gabbard kicked off her mayoral campaign with a pointed critique of what she described as reactive leadership by Mayor Ken Welch.

Speaking to a crowd gathered at 15th Street Farm, Gabbard pitched herself as a more proactive, forward-looking alternative to Welch and other candidates for Mayor. Gabbard argued she brings a unique blend of business-minded perspective and City Hall experience and is ready to lead the city into its next chapter.

“Our city stands at a crossroads, and the decisions that we make this year both in City Hall and at the ballot box will determine if we become a place where future generations can thrive, or if we become a place that we no longer recognize,” Gabbard said.

“St. Pete is rapidly changing before our eyes, and while change can be good, it must be met with practical leadership that is actively engaging every day in shaping how that change impacts the lives of our residents. We are at a moment in our city’s history where reactionary leadership will no longer do. Our neighborhoods are vibrant and our residents work hard every day to build better lives in this city, and they deserve a City Hall that will match their energy.”

Gabbard also leaned into contrasts with both Welch and potential candidate Charlie Crist, arguing she is the only contender who combines private sector experience with nearly a decade on the City Council.

Other candidates include former Shore Acres Neighborhood Association President Kevin Batdorf, former St. Petersburg Fire Chief Jim Large, and perennial candidates Paul Congemi and Maria Scruggs. 

“I am the only candidate who combines the unique perspective of an experienced business leader with the success of a dedicated public servant,” Gabbard said.

“I am the only one who is ready to step into the role and hit the ground running Day 1. I don’t need a learning curve; you have given it to me over the last nine years to be a City Council member. I am ready to lead. I have strong relationships with our entire city team, a deep understanding of our city processes, a firm grasp on our budget and an intimate knowledge of every corner of our city.”

The kickoff comes at a key moment in the race, just days before first-quarter campaign finance reports are due April 10. Early polling shows Gabbard running behind both Crist and Welch, but with a large share of voters still undecided.

The same polling suggests Crist — who has yet to formally enter the race but has a major fundraising edge — holds an early advantage in name recognition, setting up what could become a three-candidate contest at the top of the field if Gabbard is able to keep pace with the two men and stay ahead of the rest of the field.

Money raised at Gabbard’s kickoff event Tuesday will not appear until the next reporting period, as the April 10 deadline is only for money raised through March. But it could go a long way toward recruiting more voters to her corner in the coming months.

Gabbard also collected signatures during the event to meet her campaign qualifying requirements.

Gabbard said the kickoff event is about more than a showcase of political allies. It was planned as a community gathering that brought those who have been impacted by Gabbard’s work to a community farm and event space that reflects the kind of neighborhood-driven work she said has defined her time in public office.

Gabbard talked about the time she brought longtime legislator and outgoing St. Petersburg Democratic Sen. Darryl Rouson to experience 15th Street Farm and meet its owner, Emmanuel Roux, who spoke glowingly of Gabbard in front of the audience during the kickoff. Gabbard said Rouson quickly turned around and introduced legislation to support community farm spaces like the St. Petersburg business.

“He had just been named the Chair of the Agriculture Committee for the state Senate, and we saw a unique opportunity to make sure that urban agriculture was part of his initiatives. So we brought him here to this site,” Gabbard recalled.

“We let him tour around. Emmanuel fed him out of the garden, and no sooner did that happen until we had a bill that we filed that year. We named urban agriculture in the state statute that year, and for those reasons, Emmanuel, you have changed the game when it comes to urban agriculture in the state of Florida.”

The event itself blended policy and personal narrative, with speakers and supporters highlighting Gabbard’s work in neighborhoods and communities across the city. The kickoff drew a mix of local advocates, residents who have worked with her on issues such as storm recovery to housing, and long-term connections Gabbard has made in St. Pete.

“When the state chose to cover up the progressive pride mural in the middle of the night, it was Brandi who stood up and said something had to be done,” Realtor Dan Casper said during his remarks at the event.

“Brandi sees us, and she recognizes the positive impact the LGBTQ+ community has on the city and its growth. When the city chose to install the pride bike racks and the secrecy of the day during the City Council meeting — without notice to anyone, by the way — it was Brandi who asked why are we so afraid of our Governor that we couldn’t even publicly celebrate a small win for the gay community. St. Pete deserves a Mayor that understands the city’s diversity is what makes it special for so many of us.”

Another supporter, Courtney Stein, delivered remarks praising Gabbard’s hands-on work during hurricane recovery efforts.

“I saw it firsthand. Here we were at our lowest point, covered in floodwater up to our elbows, picking through a lifetime of memories that were beyond salvageable. We were navigating insurance, rebuilding, permitting, FEMA, housing shortages — all while exhausted and processing this loss, and with many asking, ‘Where are we going to live? Where are we going to go? And how in the heck are we going to afford it?’” Stein said.

“As we’re setting up our home to be a neighborhood resource center for supplies, in walks Brandi with her family and a small army of people. … And for weeks I watched Brandi get her hands dirty every single day. She was ripping up sopping wet carpets that weighed 1,000 pounds, she was pulling out flooded appliances, and day in and day out she showed up for her people.”

Gabbard used much of her own remarks to lay out her vision for the city, focused on infrastructure, affordability and government efficiency.

She emphasized that City Hall must take a more active role in preparing for growth and environmental pressures, pointing to the city’s vulnerability to flooding and climate impacts. She said nearly half of St. Petersburg’s land faces some level of risk and argues that permitting delays and bureaucratic hurdles are slowing needed improvements. Gabbard said her administration would prioritize streamlining permitting, accelerating stormwater projects and fully implementing the city’s resilience plans.

She also highlighted her work on housing and economic policy, pointing to past efforts on affordable housing initiatives and calling for deeper partnerships with the private sector to stabilize workforce housing needs.

Gabbard said she wants to expand options like accessory dwelling units, reduce outdated zoning restrictions and ensure public land is used for projects that deliver community benefits rather than simply going to the highest bidder — a theme that echoed her broader message on redevelopment across the city.

On energy policy, Gabbard signaled support for a proposal to dump Duke Energy as its primary provider, an issue gaining traction among Council members as the city studies the feasibility of a municipal electric utility. She framed the discussion around resilience and local control.

“Resilience might also mean independence, so we’re going to continue to explore how we can possibly end our reliance on private power companies and move forward to local sustainable energy solutions that put the power back where it belongs, in the hands of you, the residents,” Gabbard said.

Gabbard continued with plans to treat food access as “essential infrastructure,” pledging to work tirelessly to “once and for all end food insecurity in south St. Pete.”

“We’re going to continue to champion cooperative business models like the One Community Grocery Co-Op that will empower our local workers and keep wealth right here in our neighborhoods, providing a sustainable community driven alternative to the corporate everyday business as usual,” Gabbard said.

Gabbard pledged to address affordability and livability by collaborating with the private sector. She also called for modernized zoning code to foster redevelopment by cutting regulations like “outdated parking mandates that do nothing but drive up the cost, and ultimately your cost of living.”

“We need a housing vision that moves beyond old housing models and embraces true cross-sector collaboration,” Gabbard said.

“I’m going to bring our business community to the table to mirror the success that we have found when I first brought forward the employee assisted housing program for city workers in 2018. We will create a partnership with our businesses where they will look to invest directly in the stability of their own workforce. Our business community is wanting to get involved in this work, we just need to lead the way.”

She added that she would work with private sector partners to secure “affordable live/work spaces for our artists, assuring that St. Pete can maintain its reputation as a city of the arts in reality and not just in name only.”

Gabbard saved the most high-stakes issue for last. She has been highly critical of Welch’s handling of the Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment project, but said her recent calls to pump the brakes should not be seen as intent to stall the project. She plans to see redevelopment of the Gas Plant District through if elected Mayor, but with a clear vision that goes beyond selecting the highest bidder.

Since the collapse of a stadium deal tied to previous Tampa Bay Rays ownership, Gabbard has pushed to incorporate additional third-party planning before selecting a developer. That could push back the timeline for selection of a developer long enough for a new Mayor to take control of the deal.

Her efforts recently culminated in a 6-2 City Council vote backing her push to slow Welch down long enough for additional consulting. But Welch has pledged to move forward with plans to select a developer as early as July — just weeks before the election.

“I want to be very clear about my vision for the Historic Gas Plant District,” Gabbard said.

“My goal is not to halt process or to halt progress, it is to fulfill it. This land had carried our hopes, our dreams and our promises for generations, we owe it to our future to make sure we get this right. We’ve got one more chance. I think sometimes things work out the way they’re supposed to, and this has given us another opportunity to take a deeper look at this vital resource because once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.”

While much of her focus Tuesday highlighted contrast with Welch, when asked by Florida Politics, Gabbard did throw her support behind a proposed $600 million infrastructure bond that could appear on the same ballot as the mayoral race.

The proposal, which is also backed by Welch, is aimed at addressing stormwater resilience and sewer system upgrades. Although the proposal could garner support from the City Council as well, Gabbard said opinions about how exactly to use funds could be a bit mixed.

“City Council will be discussing that very shortly,” Gabbard said.

“For me, it’s important that if we are going to put this before the voters that we’re very clear and we’re very transparent about exactly what we want to use it for because I think there’s a lot of differences of opinion as to what we should be using those dollars for. We have a $700 million stormwater master plan that needs to be invested in, so I believe that when the rising seas are the biggest vulnerability for our community, that is what we should be spending those dollars on if the voters decide to give them to us.”

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