Former Gov. Charlie Crist and St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch will square off Tuesday night in a televised debate, putting their competing visions for St. Pete on display just three weeks before voters choose its next Mayor.
Crist finished nearly 15 percentage points ahead of Welch in August and has since maintained a commanding fundraising advantage, collected endorsements from prominent St. Petersburg political figures and led by 25 points in a September poll.
The one-hour debate, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Spectrum Bay News 9, will give both candidates an opportunity to challenge each other on taxes, infrastructure, redevelopment and the city’s direction over the next four years.
Welch enters the final weeks of the race facing some significant challenges, including a substantial fundraising disadvantage. Campaign finance reports covering Sept. 26 through Oct. 2 showed Welch raised less than $10,000 between his campaign and political committee, compared with nearly $100,000 raised by Crist’s operation. As of Oct. 2, Crist had nearly $411,000 remaining between his two accounts, compared with just over $41,000 for Welch.
Crist has secured endorsements from all four living former St. Petersburg Mayors — Rick Kriseman, Rick Baker, Bill Foster and Bob Ulrich — along with Sen. Darryl Rouson, former Rep. Ben Diamond, sitting City Council Members Lisset Hanewicz, Gina Driscoll and Mike Harting, former Council Member Ed Montanari and several former candidates. Notably, Kriseman, Rouson and Diamond previously supported Welch.
Welch has retained some of his most loyal supporters, including Rep. Michele Rayner, Pinellas County Commissioner Rene Flowers, City Council Members Deborah Figgs-Sanders and Copley Gerdes, and the city’s police and firefighters unions. But with much of St. Petersburg’s current and former political leadership backing Crist, Welch has also highlighted endorsements from outside the city — including Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and Miami Rep. Ashley Gantt.
Tuesday’s debate will give Welch an hour of equal airtime and a chance to challenge Crist directly.
The candidates offered a preview of their differences during a late-September forum hosted by the Tampa Bay Breakfast Club, where Welch challenged Crist’s criticism of his accessibility and questioned proposals he said the city was already pursuing. Crist maintained that City Hall had become disconnected from residents and criticized Welch’s handling of major city priorities.
Property taxes, infrastructure, hurricane recovery and the future of Tropicana Field are among the issues likely to surface Tuesday. Crist has proposed a 0.4-mill property tax cut that he estimates would save property owners $14.8 million annually. Welch argues the reduction would jeopardize funding for essential services.
The candidates also disagree over redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District, with Welch advancing The Burg Bid proposal while Crist has called for reconsidering other options.
Crist has also criticized Welch’s handling of hurricane recovery, the collapse of the Rays stadium agreement and the abandoned Moffitt Cancer Center project. Welch has defended his administration’s record, pointing to investments in infrastructure, affordable housing and neighborhood improvements.
Unlike the September forum, Tuesday’s debate will not provide candidates with questions or topics in advance.
Spectrum Bay News 9 anchor Holly Gregory will moderate the one-hour debate, with candidates allotted 30 seconds for opening statements, one minute for closing remarks and opportunities to respond directly to each other.
The debate will air live Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. on Spectrum Bay News 9 and stream free through the Spectrum News website, app and YouTube channel.
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Ed. note: Michelle Todd Schorsch is the Chair of St. Pete Shines, a political committee backing Crist for St. Petersburg Mayor. Todd Schorsch is married to Peter Schorsch, the publisher of Florida Politics.