Charlie Crist closer to St. Pete mayoral bid, launches political committee

Former U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist is raising funds ahead of a potential bid for St. Petersburg Mayor. A political committee, St. Pete Shines, was established earlier this month, the Tampa Bay Times first reported Wednesday.

Paperwork was filed Nov. 7 and an acknowledgement letter sent Nov. 12 officially establishing the committee, which has not yet reported fundraising totals.

Michelle Todd Schorsch is the registered chairperson. Todd Schorsch previously worked as a special assistant to Crist when he was Florida Governor as a Republican. Crist is now a Democrat. Todd Schorsch is married to Florida Politics Publisher Peter Schorsch.

Schorsch addressed concerns about any perceived conflict of interest in coverage of the 2026 Mayor’s race, given his wife’s role with the political committee.

“While I absolutely retain my right to comment on the state of St. Pete politics, as I have for two decades, I have specifically hired a new reporter to provide independent coverage of the race, offering a fresh perspective and ensuring that Florida Politics’ coverage of the race is fair, accurate and extensive,” Schorsch said.

The recent hire, Jesse Mendoza, came to Florida Politics earlier this month from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune where he covered Manatee County government. Mendoza will be covering the St. Pete Mayor’s race when it kicks into gear. It’s worth noting that neither incumbent Mayor Ken Welch nor Crist have officially filed for the race.

Crist told the Tampa Bay Times in October that he was mulling a bid, but has not made an official announcement.

It’s been reported that Schorsch worked on Crist’s 2010 U.S Senate race, which is not accurate. By 2010, Schorsch had established SaintPetersBlog, the precursor to what is now Florida Politics, and had not worked for Crist since 2008, though he acknowledges they remain close friends.

While fundraising data is not yet publicly available because the St. Pete Shines committee was just formed this month, Todd Schorsch said the reception so far has been good.

“St. Pete Shines was created to build financial support for candidates committed to a brighter future for St Petersburg. I’m pleased with the response we’ve received thus far. We’ll have more to say in the coming weeks,” she told Florida Politics in a texted statement.

Crist told the Times he is “overwhelmed and humbled by the response” so far, and that it “is certainly helping me make a decision.”

The first financial report for St. Pete Shines is due Jan. 12 and will outline fundraising and expenditures. Welch’s political committee, The Pelican Political Action Committee, has raised nearly $235,000 as of Sept. 30, financial reports show.

St. Petersburg City Council member Brandi Gabbard has also announced she plans to run for Mayor, but has also not yet filed for the race. Only one candidate has actually filed: former St. Pete NAACP leader Maria Scruggs, who has run unsuccessfully several times for public office.

If Crist runs, it would be his eighth bid for public office in about two decades, including failed bids for U.S. Senate in 2010 and Governor in 2022. He lost the latter race to incumbent Republican Ron DeSantis by nearly 20 percentage points.

Crist’s political career dates back to the early ’90s, when he served in the Florida Senate as a Republican from 1993 until 1999. He left his seat early to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate. He served two years as Florida Education Commissioner, then an elected post, and as Florida Attorney General from 2003 until he was elected Governor in late 2006.

Crist later lost another U.S. Senate bid in 2010, when he ran as an independent. He ran again for Governor in 2014, as a Democrat, losing to Republican Rick Scott. Crist won election to Florida’s 13th Congressional District in 2016, defeating then-Republican incumbent David Jolly, who is now running for Florida Governor as a Democrat.

Amid unfavorable redistricting, Crist resigned his seat in Congress to run again for Governor, losing in 2022 to DeSantis.

With Gabbard already committing to a bid for Mayor, and Crist mulling one, it’s clear Welch could face a challenge unlike one he has faced in recent memory. His most recent election, against Republican Robert Blackmon for Mayor four years ago, was a blowout. Welch won by more than 20 percentage points.

As a Pinellas County Commissioner, Welch didn’t face opposition at all in 2008 or 2016. In 2012, when he did have a challenger, it was Scruggs, whom he trounced by 29 percentage points.