ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. \u2014 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\u2019s use of Flock cameras.<\/p>\n
Crist led Tuesday\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Welch said the runoff will give voters a clearer comparison between the two candidates.<\/p>\n
\u201cFolks will have the opportunity finally to compare two individuals, their plans, their priorities, their vision and what they\u2019ve actually accomplished,\u201d Welch said. \u201cWe\u2019re very confident in what we\u2019ve done and being able to capture two out of three of all of those voters going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crist said he viewed the primary result as a strong sign of support for his campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a great victory and I\u2019m incredibly grateful to the citizens of St. Petersburg for that vote of confidence,\u201d Crist said. \u201cAnd I think it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, 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,\u201d Welch said. \u201cI wouldn’t rule out anybody being inclined to vote for me. We’ve got endorsements from both sides of the political spectrum.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crist said his campaign will continue working to reach voters before November.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt looks promising but we have to work hard,\u201d Crist said. \u201cI\u2019ve already been on street corners this morning waving a thank you sign.\u201d<\/p>\n
The candidates are also split on Flock cameras, which are expected to become a campaign issue. The city installed 50 Flock cameras under Welch\u2019s administration. Police say the cameras only capture photos of license plates.<\/p>\n
Crist said he would support a moratorium on the cameras if elected mayor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a concern about Flock cameras,\u201d Crist said. \u201cI think we ought to have a moratorium on them until we really understand comprehensively what they\u2019re used for, what law enforcement is specifically using them for.\u201d<\/p>\n