Citing affordability concerns, Charlie Crist declines Tiger Bay, will host tele-town hall instead

Former Gov. Charlie Crist will not attend the sold-out Suncoast Tiger Bay mayoral forum set for Tuesday evening in downtown, and instead will host a tele-town hall open to anyone free of charge.

Suncoast Tiger Bay is holding a candidate forum Tuesday evening at 5:30 p.m. at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, located at 150 Central Ave. Crist’s tele-town hall will take place at 5 p.m. digitally. Details about joining have not yet been released.

Crist, in a press release announcing he would not participate in the Tiger Bay forum, cited affordability concerns.

“St. Petersburg residents deserve to learn more about the candidates in this important race and I want to make sure all residents, not just those willing to pay $35, are able to learn more about my campaign and how I plan to put St. Petersburg back on the right track. My pledge to you has always been to find innovative ways to improve affordability in our beautiful city, and this tele-townhall is one of them. Democracy should not come with an admission fee,” Crist said.

“With our tele-town hall, families can participate in the democratic process from the comfort of their own home, without having to find child care, take time off work or pay for admission they might not be able to afford. That is the kind of city I want to lead. One where your voice is heard whether or not you can open your wallet.”

In addition to counterprogramming the Tiger Bay forum, Crist has also pledged to donate the amount his affiliated political committee would have spent on admission for himself, campaign staff and select supporters to a nonprofit organization that helps families obtain infant necessities. BabyCycle provides diapers, wipes and other essentials to families in need, and serves the greater St. Petersburg area.

Four of six candidates have confirmed their attendance at the Tiger Bay forum, including businessman Kevin Batdorf, St. Pete City Council Member Brandi Gabbard, jail administrator Maria Scruggs and incumbent Mayor Ken Welch. Former St. Pete Fire Chief Jim Large did not respond to a Florida Politics inquiry about his attendance.

While Crist cited affordability as the reason for his alternative event, the decision also makes strategic sense. J.C. Pritchett II, the Executive Director for Suncoast Tiger Bay, is one of Welch’s top supporters, and he’s married to Welch’s cousin.

Speaking to the Tampa Bay Times in June, Pritchett compared Crist to U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a White woman who, after mid-decade redistricting, decided to run in the state’s only remaining majority-Black congressional district and faced massive backlash from the Black community over it.

Crist is far and away the top fundraiser in the race, with nearly $1.7 million raised to his affiliated political committee, St. Pete Shines. He has more than $878,000 on hand, as of July 17. Welch, meanwhile, has raised just over $354,000 to his committee, St. Petersburg Progress, and retains just $149,000.

Polling is also on Crist’s side so far. 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.

If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote on Aug. 18, the top two finishers will advance to the Nov. 3 General Election.