TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Former congressman Charlie Crist will attempt to unseat incumbent St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch on Tuesday.
Crist and Welch edged out four other candidates in August’s election, advancing to the November runoff.
Crucial issues in this race include fortifying the city against storms, affordability and cost of living, and the future of the historic Gas Plant District.
Welch, who served as Pinellas County Commissioner for 20 years, is a St. Pete native. Raised in the Gas Plant area, a historically Black community that was demolished to build Tropicana Field, Welch aims to be the mayor who fulfills the promise of renewal that was made to residents, after years of planning and deliberation.
With the Tampa Bay Rays moving their stadium and operations across the bay, the city selected a developer for the site earlier this year. Welch hopes to secure a second term to see it through to completion, and also plans to tackle high housing costs and infrastructure improvements.
Crist, a former Republican governor who is now a registered Democrat, has set his sights on running for mayor in his hometown after an unsuccessful attempt at securing a second gubernatorial term in 2022. He has claimed that if he were mayor, he would have acted differently to keep the Rays in St. Pete.
Crist has also vowed to cut down on spending and the city’s property taxes. Neither candidate supports the Florida constitutional amendment that would expand the homestead exemption.
Polling conducted by St. Pete Polls indicates Crist is favored in the race, but a large chunk of voters are still undecided. Will Crist’s name recognition and lengthy political tenure carry him to City Hall, or are voters sticking with their incumbent mayor?
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