Spotlight: Ken Welch, candidate for St. Petersburg mayor

Spotlight

Oct 18

Photo: City of St. Petersburg official portrait (public domain)

Ken Welch, St. Petersburg's mayor since January 2022 and the first Black person to hold the job, is seeking a second term. He faces former Gov. Charlie Crist in a citywide runoff on Nov. 3 (WUSF). The race is officially nonpartisan. Both men are Democrats.

Who he is

Welch is a third-generation St. Petersburg resident (City of St. Petersburg). He grew up in the Gas Plant neighborhood, the mostly Black community cleared for Tropicana Field and Interstate 175. His family's church was displaced for the ballpark, and his grandfather's wood yard for the interstate (FOX 13).

His father, David Welch, ran an accounting and tax business from 1966 and served 12 years on City Council starting in 1981. He lost a 1991 run for mayor and died in 2013 (The Weekly Challenger).

Ken Welch earned a bachelor's degree from USF St. Petersburg and an MBA from Florida A&M University. He worked as an accountant at Florida Power Corp. and as a technology manager at his father's firm (City of St. Petersburg). He and his wife, Donna, have two daughters (The Weekly Challenger).

He served 20 years on the Pinellas County Commission, from 2000 to 2020, and chaired it three times (St Pete Catalyst). In 2021 he beat council member Robert Blackmon with about 60% of the vote (WUSF).

His record as mayor

The Rays and the Gas Plant. Welch picked the Rays and Hines to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District in 2023. City Council and the County Commission approved public money for a new ballpark in December 2024, but the Rays backed out of the roughly $1.3 billion deal in March 2025, citing the county's delays and hurricane costs (Axios). The team's new owners are now building in Tampa (WUSF).

On July 2, 2026, Welch picked a new team, "The Burg Bid," led by Blake Investment Partners with Related Group. The plan calls for about $8.1 billion in development over roughly 58 acres, more than 3,600 income-restricted housing units, a 13-acre park and the Woodson African American Museum. City Council must still approve the final agreements (St. Pete Rising).

Hurricanes. Hurricane Milton tore the roof off Tropicana Field in October 2024. The city replaced it, and the Rays returned for the 2026 season (WUSF). Both city sewage plants shut down during the 2024 storms, and the city later put $7 million into hardening them (FOX 13). Welch has said the city's storm-repair permitting "could have done better" (FOX 13).

Housing and taxes. In his 2025 State of the City, Welch reported 281 new affordable units in 2024 and a $159 million federal disaster-recovery housing grant (The Weekly Challenger). The city has cut its property tax rate three years in a row (Axios).

Controversies. In 2022, his deputy mayor resigned after bullying allegations from a staff member, and Welch eliminated the post (FOX 13). His political committee has said its former treasurer took about $207,500 (St Pete Catalyst). FMNN found no ethics finding against him.

Where he stands

Gas Plant: Finish the redevelopment with The Burg Bid. "We have studied this to death for 40 years," he said at the Oct. 13 debate (WUSF).
Resilience bond: Supports the up-to-$600 million bond on the Nov. 3 ballot for wastewater, drinking water and flood protection. The city estimates it at about $96 a year per $100,000 of taxable value (Tampa Bay Observer).
License-plate cameras: Keep the city's Flock cameras, with a review of privacy rules (FOX 13).
Amendment 3: Opposes the statewide homestead tax amendment, as does Crist (WUSF).

What he says about his opponent

Welch says Crist has offered no plan, moved back to the city a year before the race and is backed by out-of-town money (Bay News 9). On Crist's proposed tax cut, Welch said many of the city jobs Crist cites are paid by utility revenue, not property taxes (FOX 13).

The race

In the Aug. 18 primary, Crist led with 35.2% and Welch finished second with 20.7%, ahead of Jim Large at 17.8% (Decision Desk HQ). A St. Pete Polls survey of 379 likely voters on July 18 had Crist at 44% and Welch at 28%, with a margin of error of 5 points (Poliverse). Later surveys reported by Florida Politics show Crist ahead by wider margins. St. Pete Polls surveys are conducted for Florida Politics, whose publisher is married to Crist's campaign chair (Creative Loafing Tampa).

The money

Crist raised more than $2 million before the primary; Welch raised less than $500,000 (Creative Loafing Tampa).

Who's backing him

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, the Suncoast Police Benevolent Association, St. Petersburg firefighters (IAFF Local 747) and council members Deborah Figgs-Sanders and Copley Gerdes have endorsed Welch (Axios), as has Equality Florida (Axios).

How to vote

The runoff is on the Nov. 3, 2026 general election ballot, and every St. Petersburg voter can vote in it. The Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections has information on mail ballots, early voting and polling places; its Elections Service Center is at 727-464-8683. See our Spotlight on Charlie Crist and our Pinellas County voter guide.

How we reported this: This profile was drafted with AI assistance from the sources linked above, and every fact was checked against those sources. FMNN Spotlight profiles are not endorsements. See an error? Contact us and we'll correct it.

Florida Man News Network endorsed Welch in a separate opinion piece; this profile is straight news.

Joseph Jackson