{"id":427511,"date":"2026-10-14T10:56:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T10:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/427511\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T10:56:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T10:56:08","slug":"st-petersburg-mayoral-debate-5-key-takeaways-on-taxes-bonds-and-pride-murals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/427511\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Petersburg mayoral debate: 5 key takeaways on taxes, bonds, and Pride murals"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"St. \"St. St. Pete mayoral debate<\/a> <\/p>\n

The race for St. Pete mayor is getting personal with former Governor Charlie Crist and St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch going after each other during a televised debate on Tuesday night. FOX 13\u2019s Matthew McClellan reports.\u00a0<\/p>\n

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist challenged each other’s leadership and outlined competing plans for the city’s future during a televised debate Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

With the Nov. 3 election less than three weeks away, the candidates sparred over property taxes, government spending, police surveillance, hurricane recovery and the future of Tropicana Field.<\/p>\n

The debate was hosted by Spectrum Bay News 9 and moderated by anchor Holly Gregory.<\/p>\n

Property Taxes Spark Heated Exchange <\/p>\n

What we know:<\/p>\n

Crist proposed cutting St. Petersburg’s property tax rate by 0.4 mills, which he estimates would save property owners about $15 million annually.<\/p>\n

He pointed to 262 city positions added during Welch’s administration and questioned the number of highly paid employees at City Hall.<\/p>\n

“That sounds like a bloated government. That sounds like overspending,” Crist said.<\/p>\n

Welch pushed back, arguing that many of those positions are funded through utility revenues rather than property taxes.<\/p>\n

He accused Crist of misunderstanding the city budget and challenged him to explain how he would make the cuts without affecting services.<\/p>\n

“This is a fundamental, you haven’t done your homework, Charlie,” Welch said.<\/p>\n

Both candidates also opposed Amendment 3, a statewide ballot proposal that would expand homestead property tax exemptions.<\/p>\n

St. Petersburg estimates the measure could reduce city property tax revenue by $33 million in fiscal year 2028 and $54 million the following year.<\/p>\n

Flock Cameras Divide Candidates <\/p>\n

Dig deeper:<\/p>\n

The candidates also disagreed over the city’s use of automated license plate readers operated by Flock Safety.<\/p>\n

Crist said he would temporarily suspend their use while reviewing privacy safeguards with Police Chief Anthony Holloway.<\/p>\n

He cited the recent arrest of a Pinellas County deputy accused of improperly using license plate data to track a woman.<\/p>\n

“At a minimum, I would stop them if I win, make sure that that doesn’t occur again under the city of St. Petersburg,” Crist said.<\/p>\n

Welch defended the cameras, saying they have helped police track violent crime suspects. He said the city already has safeguards but supports reviewing whether additional protections are necessary.<\/p>\n

The city’s Flock program began in 2022 and expanded under a five-year contract approved in 2024.<\/p>\n

$600 Million Infrastructure Bond <\/p>\n

By the numbers:<\/p>\n

Welch and Crist also took opposite positions on a $600 million general obligation bond referendum that would help finance stormwater, wastewater and drinking water improvements.<\/p>\n

Crist said he opposes the measure because residents are already struggling with rising costs.<\/p>\n

Welch argued the damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton exposed decades of inadequate infrastructure investment.<\/p>\n

“You cannot just wish this away. You cannot kick the can down the road. The next storm that comes, we’re gonna have the same problems if we don’t make the investment,” Welch said.<\/p>\n

The city estimates its broader stormwater improvement projects could take 24 years under the current schedule. The bond could shorten that timeline to approximately 19 years.<\/p>\n

Rays and Gas Plant Development <\/p>\n

The backstory:<\/p>\n

The future of the Tampa Bay Rays and the Historic Gas Plant District also prompted disagreement.<\/p>\n

Crist said St. Petersburg should continue trying to retain the Rays until construction begins on the team’s planned Tampa stadium.<\/p>\n

He also proposed appointing a panel to review redevelopment plans for the Tropicana Field property, including opportunities for additional parks and green space.<\/p>\n

Welch defended his administration’s selection of Blake Investment Partners to redevelop approximately 58 acres of the site. He said the city should move forward with plans emphasizing housing, jobs and economic opportunities.<\/p>\n

Pride Murals and Free Speech <\/p>\n

What they’re saying:<\/p>\n

Crist criticized Welch for not challenging the state in court over the removal of Pride street murals.<\/p>\n

He argued the city should have taken a more aggressive approach to defending residents’ free speech rights.<\/p>\n

Welch said his administration worked with state transportation officials and consulted city attorneys before the murals were removed.<\/p>\n

The candidates also discussed Florida’s new restrictions on local government diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, which take effect Jan. 1.<\/p>\n

Mayoral election decision <\/p>\n

What’s next:<\/p>\n

Welch and Crist face each other in the Nov. 3 general election.<\/p>\n

St. Petersburg voters will also decide whether to approve the $600 million infrastructure bond referendum.<\/p>\n

The outcome of both votes could shape the city’s approach to taxes, infrastructure, public safety and redevelopment.<\/p>\n

The Source: This report is based primarily on the Oct. 13, 2026, St. Petersburg mayoral debate hosted by Spectrum Bay News 9, including direct statements from both candidates and debate transcripts obtained by FOX 13. Additional background comes from previous reporting on the city’s redevelopment and infrastructure plans.<\/p>\n

St. Petersburg<\/a>2026 Elections<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"St. Pete mayoral debate The race for St. Pete mayor is getting personal with former Governor Charlie Crist…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":427512,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[114192,47,115,1157,202,204,203,199,201,200,628],"class_list":["post-427511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-elections-2026","tag-fl","tag-news","tag-pinellas","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news","tag-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=427511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427511\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/427512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=427511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=427511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=427511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}