Rick Baker endorses Charlie Crist, says St. Pete needs a Mayor ‘willing to show up for work’

Former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker is endorsing Charlie Crist for the job he once held, adding another influential voice in St. Pete politics to Crist’s corner.

Baker, a registered Republican, is endorsing Crist despite political differences — Crist is a Democrat — because he said he believes bipartisanship should return to the city, and that the mayoral election should reflect what it is by statute: nonpartisan.

“When I was in office, we treated it that way,” Baker said, naming a number of accomplishments achieved through collaborations with both Democrats and Republicans.

That includes, among other accomplishments, working with former Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson to get funding for marine science after the BP oil spill; a control tower at Albert Whitted Airport that required collaboration with then-Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat; and work with former Republican Gov. Jeb Bush to secure funding for the building at the downtown airport where The Hangar restaurant is located.

“None of the Midtown efforts we would have been able to do without Republicans and Democrats, and that’s why its design is a nonpartisan race. We’ve gotten away from that, but I think it’s time we get back. And I’m confident Charlie Crist will do that,” Baker added.

Crist and Baker have known each other for decades, and they graduated the same year from Florida State University, in 1978. Baker also praised Crist for being “an impeccably honest person and a good human being.”

While Baker did not directly mention incumbent Mayor Ken Welch, who is seeking re-election, he offered a subtle reference to an issue recently spotlighted in a digital ad shared by St. Pete Shines, the political committee supporting Crist for Mayor. The ad notes that in Welch’s first year of office, he swiped in at City Hall just 34% of work days, according to a Tampa Bay Times investigation at the time.

Baker pointed to his work bringing the Grand Prix to St. Petersburg.

“That was an amazing effort to bring IndyCar to St. Petersburg,” Baker said. “But you can’t do it unless you’re willing to show up for work every day, first of all, and you’re willing to put the effort and the time in to do it, and you’re really committed to making your city better. I believe Charlie’s, I know Charlie’s got the passion for St. Petersburg, and I think he’s going to be a great Mayor.”

Baker served from April 2001 until early 2010, winning re-election in 2005 with nearly 70% of the vote. During his tenure, Baker was known for his efforts to revitalize St. Pete’s urban core, including downtown and the predominantly Black neighborhoods just south of downtown, which Baker dubbed “Midtown.” His revitalization work earned Baker respect among the city’s African American population.

Throughout his tenure, Baker was able to secure new infrastructure for long-neglected neighborhoods, and he brought a St. Petersburg College campus and a retail post office to Midtown. The former Mayor also spearheaded robust education and youth mentorship programs.

Baker is largely credited with launching St. Pete’s renaissance, laying the foundation for the city to transition from what some mocked as “God’s waiting room” due to the aging population, into the thriving community of arts, culture and activity that it is today.

His support follows another significant nod from state Sen. Darryl Rouson. Rouson had initially endorsed Welch, but later added Crist in a dual endorsement. This week, Rouson announced that he has decided to vote for Crist.

Crist also recently earned key support from within City Hall. St. Petersburg City Council Member Gina Driscoll this week became the first on the board to back Crist, a decision that bucked both the incumbent and Driscoll’s colleague, Brandi Gabbard, who is also running for Mayor.

Crist also previously unveiled a larger slate of Democratic leaders supporting his campaign for Mayor, including U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, former U.S. Reps. Cheri Bustos of Illinois and Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania, former state Rep. Ben Diamond, former Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary and former state Rep. Frank Peterman, current and former Tampa and St. Petersburg City Council members, and other political leaders.

Endorsements aren’t the only area in which Crist is performing. A St. Pete Polls survey conducted in the final days of June found Crist 12 percentage points ahead of Welch overall.

But what’s potentially worse news for the incumbent is it found him bleeding support among the Black community, dropping from 55% support in March to just 42% in late June. Where Welch dropped 13 percentage points, Crist climbed 14 percentage points, from 16% support in March to 30% in the more recent poll. Now, Welch is just 12 percentage points ahead of Crist among the city’s Black voters.

And Crist continues to dominate fundraising. As of the most recent campaign finance reports last week, Crist has more than $1.2 million available between his official campaign account and affiliated political committee, St. Pete Shines. Welch has less than $260,000 available between his campaign account and his St. Petersburg Progress political committee.

Also running in the race are former Shore Acres Neighborhood Association President Kevin Batdorf, former St. Pete Fire Chief Jim Large and former St. Petersburg NAACP President Maria Scruggs. All are polling in the single digits.

If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the Aug. 18 Primary, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff in the General Election on Nov. 3.