Former St. Pete Fire Chief Jim Large mulling bid to challenge Ken Welch

Former St. Petersburg Fire Chief Jim Large is considering running for St. Pete Mayor, he confirmed to Florida Politics.

“I’m absolutely considering it,” Large said, noting that he would put the odds at about 50/50.

“I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me with encouragement,” he added, saying there will be an announcement soon one way or the other. “I can’t keep waiting.”

Rumors have been circulating that either Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala or his father, former Sen. Jack Latvala, have been unofficially advising Large. Chris Latvala told Florida Politics that he has met with Large, but is not currently working with him.

Both Latvalas are Republicans, as is Large. Chris Latvala made clear that he and his father do not work together. The elder Latvala did not immediately respond to an inquiry about Large’s potential candidacy.

“I think voters in St. Pete want an alternative to the incumbent and someone who has run for 7 or 8 different offices while being a member of 3 different political parties,” Chris Latvala said in a text message.

He was referring to incumbent Mayor Ken Welch and former Gov. Charlie Crist. Crist served as a Republican Governor before running as an independent unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate and then later served as a Democratic U.S. Representative for Florida’s 13th Congressional District. Crist is widely expected to challenge Welch.

Large served with the city of St. Pete’s Fire Department for a half-century, rising to Fire Chief in 2006 under then-Mayor Rick Baker. He served as Chief until retiring in early 2024, with the exception of a brief period in which Large was placed on administrative leave.

Welch placed Large on administrative leave in August of 2023 following an employee survey in which several anonymous tipsters accused Large of sexist, racist and homophobic remarks, which Large denied.

Welch reinstated Large that same month after a “careful review” of allegations found no credible evidence that Large had violated city policy or any “firsthand knowledge or evidence of racial, homophobic or sexist comments from the Chief.”

Large joined the St. Petersburg Fire Department in 1974, at a time when there were no paramedics or specialized teams and instead “first aid wagons” containing basic first aid such as oxygen and Band-aids, according to the St. Pete Catalyst.

In that chronicle of Large’s 50 years of service, the Catalyst explained that when Large started with the Department in the ’70s there were only about 5,000 calls for service annually. By the time Large was retiring in 2024, that number had ballooned to 65,000.

As a registered Republican, if Large were to enter the race, he would offer voters the first GOP alternative to the current slate of filed and expected candidates. Welch and Crist are Democrats, as is St. Pete City Council member Brandi Gabbard, who has said she also intends to run.

While Large would provide an option to the city’s Republican electorate, it’s not clear how much of a lane there would be for him in a citywide election. As of the end of 2025, the most recent month for which voter registration reports are currently available, Democrats account for more than 42% of the city’s electorate, compared with just shy of 30% Republicans. Another nearly 25% of the electorate are registered to vote without party affiliation.

In the last election cycle, Republican Robert Blackmon was able to survive the Primary to face Welch head-to-head in the General Election, but he lost by a wide margin, capturing just 40% of the vote.

It’s worth noting that St. Pete municipal elections are nonpartisan, meaning candidates cannot discuss their political affiliation as part of campaign activities or materials, and their political affiliation does not appear on the ballot. However, voters are often well aware of candidates’ political leanings through media reports and publicly available information, such as campaign contributions.

Only two candidates have so far filed for the Mayor’s race — Welch and former local NAACP leader Maria Scruggs. Welch officially filed this week. Neither Crist nor Gabbard have filed yet, though campaigning seems to be at least somewhat underway unofficially.

Crist has raised more than $725,000 to a political committee expected to support his eventual run. And Gabbard this week scored a political victory over Welch, with a successful resolution opposing any developer selection related to the Historic Gas Plant District. Welch fired back at the resolution’s claim that selecting a developer should wait until after a site study is completed.

It’s not yet clear when Crist or Gabbard might join the race officially, but it’s clear the weeks and months ahead will have plenty of politics to watch locally.