ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Former Gov. Charlie Crist and incumbent Mayor Kenneth Welch are heading to a November runoff in the St. Petersburg mayoral race, with both candidates already drawing contrasts over the city’s use of Flock cameras.
Crist led Tuesday’s primary with 35% of the vote, while Welch received 20%. According to the Pinellas Supervisor of Elections, 31% of St. Petersburg voters turned out for the primary, up from 27% in the 2021 primary.
Welch said the runoff will give voters a clearer comparison between the two candidates.
“Folks will have the opportunity finally to compare two individuals, their plans, their priorities, their vision and what they’ve actually accomplished,” Welch said. “We’re very confident in what we’ve done and being able to capture two out of three of all of those voters going forward.”
Crist said he viewed the primary result as a strong sign of support for his campaign.
“It was a great victory and I’m incredibly grateful to the citizens of St. Petersburg for that vote of confidence,” Crist said. “And I think it’s a vote of no confidence as it relates to the mayor, about 79 percent of the people of the city that voted yesterday voted against him.”
Crist said he believes many Republicans who supported candidates Kevin Batdorf and Jim Large in the primary will back him in the runoff. Batdorf has already endorsed Crist.
Welch said he received a call from Large after the election and that he has support from Republicans as well. Welch also pointed to endorsements from police and firefighter unions.
“Obviously, we want to capture as many of those voters as we can, because we think we have more in common with them than with Charlie Crist,” Welch said. “I wouldn’t rule out anybody being inclined to vote for me. We’ve got endorsements from both sides of the political spectrum.”
Crist said his campaign will continue working to reach voters before November.
“It looks promising but we have to work hard,” Crist said. “I’ve already been on street corners this morning waving a thank you sign.”
The candidates are also split on Flock cameras, which are expected to become a campaign issue. The city installed 50 Flock cameras under Welch’s administration. Police say the cameras only capture photos of license plates.
Crist said he would support a moratorium on the cameras if elected mayor.
“I have a concern about Flock cameras,” Crist said. “I think we ought to have a moratorium on them until we really understand comprehensively what they’re used for, what law enforcement is specifically using them for.”
Welch has defended the city’s use of the surveillance system and said the city has privacy protections in place.
“Let’s talk about it without throwing out a tool that is helping us track down people that make us less safe as a community,” Welch said. “That’s kind of knee jerk political theater that we do not need. Let’s understand what Flock cameras actually do in our community first… If there’s a strong enough argument that it’s such an invasion, then we can take it down. I haven’t seen that.”
City Council Vice Chair Richie Floyd has placed Flock cameras on the agenda for the St. Petersburg City Council meeting on Aug. 27. Floyd has requested a referral to the Public Services and Infrastructure Committee to discuss the city’s contract with Flock Safety and the use of the cameras.