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<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019ve known Charlie for decades. He leads with compassion, integrity, and he has always put people before politics. He shows up. And he\u2019ll do that for every neighborhood in this city,\u201d Rouson said.<\/p>\n
That sentence is full of subtle potential digs on the incumbent. A recent ad launched by St. Pete Shines, the political committee supporting Crist\u2019s bid for Mayor, spotlighted a 2023 Tampa Bay Times exposes outlining how in his first year in office, Welch swiped his keycard into City Hall just 34% of workdays. The comment about Crist that \u201che shows up,\u201d seems relevant.<\/p>\n
Rouson also mentions that Crist will show up for every neighborhood, another possible critique on Welch\u2019s tenure that has seen some constituents argue Welch is prioritizing neighborhoods on the Southside and in Black communities, while other areas of the city go at least somewhat ignored, a contention Welch has disputed.<\/p>\n
But the ad is most significant because it offers a more full-throated endorsement than what was previously on offer<\/a>. In June, Rouson endorsed both Crist and Welch, offering praise for both and saying he had not yet decided to vote for.<\/p>\n In the ad, Rouson puts the ambiguity to rest with a call to action.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease join me in supporting Charlie Crist for Mayor of St Petersburg with your vote by mail, early or at the polls. That\u2019s my choice and I hope you make it yours,\u201d he wrote, signing off with \u201cGod bless you and God bless St. Petersburg.\u201d<\/p>\n Rouson was elected to the House in 2008 and to the Senate in 2016. He will\u00a0leave office<\/a>\u00a0this year because of term limits, ending a legislative career of about 18 years.<\/p>\n Rouson is a highly trusted leader in the city\u2019s Black community. By supporting Crist, he sends a strong message to Black residents, some of whom may not want to stop supporting the city\u2019s first Black Mayor.<\/p>\n That is especially impactful now, after recent polling showed Welch\u2019s support among Black voters waning.<\/p>\n A St. Pete Polls survey<\/a> conducted in the final days of June found Crist 12 percentage points ahead of Welch overall.<\/p>\n But what\u2019s 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\u2019s Black voters.<\/p>\n Rouson\u2019s exclusive support also comes as 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,\u00a0St. Pete Shines<\/a>. Welch has less than $260,000 available between his campaign account and his St. Petersburg Progress political committee.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PinpointAd_728x90.jpeg\")
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