Ken Welch officially enters St. Petersburg mayoral race, seeking second term

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has officially filed for re-election, seeking a second four-year term as the city heads into a closely watched mayoral contest.

Welch, elected in 2021 as the city’s first Black Mayor, focused his first term on affordable housing, equity initiatives and efforts to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District — a project deeply tied to his personal history growing up in the neighborhood displaced to make way for Tropicana Field. 

Welch formally filed paperwork Monday morning at City Hall and was joined by supporters. His campaign announced endorsements from the Sun Coast Police Benevolent Association and the St. Petersburg Association of Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 747, two public safety unions that cited Welch’s support for neighborhood investment and public safety staffing.

Welch previewed plans to focus his campaign around his record in comments made during the State of the Bay forum last week, and highlighted his leadership Monday in a social media post announcing his campaign.

“Today, I am officially launching my campaign for re-election as Mayor of St. Petersburg because I believe deeply in the direction our city is heading and in the people who make this place so special. When I took the oath as Mayor, I made a commitment to lead with integrity, listen with intention, and deliver real progress for St. Petersburg,” Welch said on Facebook.

“Over the past several years, we have faced extraordinary challenges together — historic storms, a changing economy, tough decisions about housing, infrastructure, and our city’s future — and through it all, we kept moving forward. We expanded affordable housing opportunities. We invested in jobs and workforce training. We strengthened our infrastructure and prepared our city for the realities of climate change. We showed that progress is possible when leadership is steady, thoughtful, and focused on results. That work is not finished.”

Welch’s re-election bid comes amid continued debate over the future of the Gas Plant District site following the collapse of a redevelopment agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays and development partner Hines earlier this year. That deal unraveled after Hurricane Milton destroyed Tropicana Field and local officials delayed bond votes tied to the project.

Welch and his allies have rejected claims that City Hall caused the deal to fall apart, noting that it was the Rays that ultimately withdrew from the deal. An open request for new proposals to redevelop the district closes Tuesday.

Welch’s campaign website emphasizes progress on housing, public safety, infrastructure and storm recovery. His campaign points to expanded housing assistance, reduced violent crime, major resilience investments following back-to-back hurricanes, and an equity-centered approach to redeveloping the Historic Gas Plant District under a framework he calls “Pillars for Progress.”

“These hurricanes changed our community forever,” Welch said in a video that accompanied his campaign announcement. “It’s in the immediate aftermath of these hurricanes that we saw the true spirit of St. Pete.”

He then tried to promote his record during his first term while talking about future plans.

“We cleaned up after the storm and we’re restoring this community. We set records in creating affordable housing, and there’s more to do. We’ve dealt with crisis. We set in motion the redevelopment of the historic gas plant district, we’ve kept this city moving forward,” Welch said.

“Part of being Mayor is doing everything you can for the people of this city. Don’t quit, keep leading, working for progress for our city. We are investing in infrastructure, paving potholes and bridges, water and sewer, sidewalks, and stormwater drainage, $160 million in the Sunrise St. Pete fund, including cash payments directly to citizens to help them rebuild. Through all that we remained who we are, we rebuilt, we got stronger, and we rose.”

The filing also comes just days after Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia criticized the city for overtaxing residents, in his estimation, by $49.4 million. Welch pushed back, calling the Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight audit politically driven and designed to build a case in favor of property tax cuts proposed by state legislators — an effort Welch cautions could undermine public safety and infrastructure funding.

Even before launching, the Mayor’s campaign has already generated headlines after a political committee supporting his re-election reported more than $200,000 in unauthorized expenditures last year. Committee officials terminated their relationship with former Treasurer Yolanda Brown and have said they are pursuing next steps with law enforcement.

Welch has not been accused of wrongdoing, and candidates are prohibited under Florida law from coordinating directly with independent political committees, but the debacle has invited renewed scrutiny of his campaign operation.

Despite those challenges, Welch continues to point to his administration’s record on housing, storm recovery and neighborhood investment, as well as steps taken toward redevelopment of the Gas Plant District despite the failed deal with the Rays.

Welch previously served 20 years on the Pinellas County Commission and has frequently emphasized that his roots the Gas Plant neighborhood are central to his governing philosophy and approach to redevelopment, and his re-election campaign will largely reflect voter’s trust in Welch to see plans to redevelop the district through without the support of the Rays — who seem poised to relocate to Hillsborough College Dale Mabry campus in Tampa if negotiations fall into place.

Monday’s filing formalizes Welch’s candidacy as the field begins to take shape ahead of the election. City Council member Brandi Gabbard has announced plans to challenge Welch for the seat, positioning herself as an alternative within the city’s Democratic establishment — even though city seats are nonpartisan.

Former Governor and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist is also openly weighing a bid for the mayoral seat. A political committee expected to support Crist’s campaign, St. Pete Shines, was established in November and reported raising more than $725,000 in its first seven weeks.

Neither Gabbard or Crist have officially filed to run for the mayoral seat. Perennial candidate Maria Scruggs, a longtime St. Petersburg community activist and former NAACP leader, has filed to run for the race.