Like the debris after Helene, the St. Pete Beach mayoral race attacks are piling up

First, a resident video surfaced raising questions about incumbent Mayor Adrian Petrila’s access to the island following Hurricane Helene. Then, a contentious candidate forum led to admonishments from the host. Now, a website outlines numerous complaints about Petrila, including claims he attempted to profit from Hurricane Helene’s massive devastation.

A website backed by the group Restore St. Pete Beach includes a roundup of news clippings, a trove of opposition research, and an advertisement released last week slamming the St. Pete Beach Mayor for having “Perks for Petrila” to the detriment of beach residents.

The ad outlines a resident video first reported last month showing workers present at Petrila’s home with blowers used to dry out flood damage. At the time that the workers — and, the video shows, Petrila — were present at the home, access to the beach was still prohibited as officials worked to ensure safety following massive storm surge and widespread flooding.

Petrila claimed the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department allowed access after he reported a gas leak. But as Bay News 9 reported, TECO said it did not have any natural gas infrastructure on the island and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said it had no record of the emergency call. TECO suggested it was possible the gas leak could have been propane.

The ad opens with a female narrator declaring that “politician Adrian Petrila’s motto” is “public service, private perks.”

“While Petrila was serving himself, residents were suffering — no food, no water, supplies washed away,” she continues.

The anti-Petrila site also includes video of an advertisement it claims Petrila made in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in which Petrila can be seen offering discounted real estate services to homeowners wishing to offload their flood-damaged properties.

“It’s tough. It’s emotional. And I know that on top of it, figuring out what’s next can be just overwhelming,” he says in the video with a large debris pile sitting behind him.

In the ad, Petrila offers “something special” to help, including offering his service for just a “half a percent commission fee,” which he noted would still include “the full listing experience,” such as lockboxes, social media promotions and expert negotiations.

“That is the only way to ensure that you get the best possible outcome,” he says in the video.

The Restore St. Pete Beach-backed website attacking Petrila also includes links to several news stories outlining criticism of the Mayor’s administration.

One story says “St. Pete Beach residents and business owners waited months for permits after the hurricanes,” referring to Hurricane Milton, which hit just a couple weeks after Helene. Another report says the city failed to “move permits efficiently after the storms, leaving families displaced and businesses unable to reopen.”

One of the cited reports, from 10 Tampa Bay on Nov. 19, 2024, noted that as of Oct. 1 of that year, the city had received more than 570 permit applications. But by the time the story was published more than a month and a half later, only about 75 of the requested permits had been issued.

The website also cited a report from Fox 13 on Dec. 9, 2024, chronicling St. Pete Beach residents who, two months after the hurricanes had passed, found it “extremely frustrating” that permits were still not being issued. By the time of that report, the city said it had received about 600 applications, with fewer than 80 issued.

Even a St. Pete Beach internal analysis of its storm recovery processes outlined deficiencies, with a presentation from a community meeting on Jan. 15, 2025, finding the city was meeting just 45% of its daily permit processing goal.

The anti-Petrila site also tackles a contentious issue facing the beach town. It links to news coverage about, and video of, Petrila pitching tolls at the north, central and southern access points of the island to fund ongoing infrastructure repairs and improvements following the back-to-back hurricanes in late 2024.

Despite his plan exempting residents, employees and business owners, it has been controversial, with some worrying such tolls would reduce tourism and other revenue-generating traffic on St. Pete Beach.

“Petrila is now resorting to tolls and higher costs to cover for his poor planning,” the website attacking the Mayor reads.

Restore St. Pete does not list support for any particular candidate for office, but the site it’s backing no doubt benefits Scott Tate, Petrila’s challenger this year. The group’s website lists its mission as supporting “local candidates who believe in responsible government that listens to its residents and supports the small business economy while protecting the unique character of St. Pete Beach.”

While not as direct in its attacks against Petrila, the Restore St. Pete Beach site under its section listing issues takes aim at Petrila without using his name directly.

It references “short-sighted proposals, such as a visitor toll,” and blasts “the current Mayor’s adversarial relationship with our local business community,” arguing that “threatens our economy, revenue, and way of life.”

The site refers to St. Pete Beach as a “city in disarray.”

As of Dec. 31, 2025, Petrila and Tate were locked in a close race from a fundraising perspective, with Tate nearly matching Petrila’s fundraising. Fourth-quarter reports showed Tate had brought in just over $14,000, only $1,300 less than Petrila.

While the race is nonpartisan and candidates’ political affiliations won’t appear on the ballot, both are Republicans.

It’s rare in the age of Florida GOP dominance to see a Republican challenge another. So the fact that a challenger has not only emerged, but managed in less than three months to gain near-parity with the incumbent in fundraising, suggests broad community support and possible frustration with the status quo.

Tate has positioned himself as a change-maker who can fix administrative bottlenecks and address infrastructure priorities that have stalled recently. He’s a project management professional offering organizations insight into complex challenges and helping deliver projects on time and on budget.

Tate is already involved in the St. Pete Beach community, serving on the St. Pete Beach Police Pension Board and the Belle Vista Civic Association Board. He also plays in a local band.

Petrila is facing his first re-election contest after first being elected in 2023, when he unseated then-incumbent Alan Johnson.

The St. Pete Beach municipal election is March 10.