ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Mayor Ken Welch has filed to run for a second term in the City of St. Petersburg.

“I have just filed for reelection because there is more work to be done,” Welch said.

St. Pete man found dead in Boca Ciega Bay with lifejacket on: PCSO

The mayor’s campaign said that work includes more focus on housing and public safety.

“I’m proud to have the union representatives from our police and fire here today,” Welch said.

The mayor’s campaign highlighted efforts in his first term. For one, staffers put an emphasis on affordable housing initiatives. Also, Welch’s campaign website shows the mayor fulfilling a promise from his first campaign to expand down-payment assistance for first-time home buyers.

“Our city moved forward and we did the work,” Welch said.

Welch joins the race months after former NAACP St. Pete President Maria Scruggs filed.

“While I called for the mayor not to seek reelection given the number of public challenges he has experienced, he obviously chose to ignore my advice. It won’t be the first time and now we will see if the voters shared my advice,” Scruggs said.

The mayor responded to the remarks from Scruggs.

“Maria and I go back a ways. She’s given me that advice in other elections, even for county commission. I look forward to the campaign and talking about what we’ve done in our city,” Welch said.

The mayor has faced some criticism over his handling of hurricane recovery efforts, although his campaign and supporters applaud his efforts. The mayor also dealt with managing high water billing errors.

City leaders also saw a ballpark deal collapse that impacted initial redevelop efforts of the Historic Gas Plant District.

Just last week, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said Welch and the city council were collecting and wasting millions of taxpayers’ dollars.

“This was not a real audit. This was an audit to build a narrative for property tax legislation that they couldn’t get through the legislature last year,” Welch said.

The mayor’s political action committee has also accused its former treasurer of misspending more than $200,000. Welch said the FBI has been contacted.

Former Gov. and Rep. Charlie Crist and St. Pete City Councilwoman Brandi Gabbard are expected to file.

The election is in August, and runoff is scheduled in November.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.