{"id":58779,"date":"2025-11-24T14:06:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T14:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/58779\/"},"modified":"2025-11-24T14:06:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T14:06:08","slug":"st-pete-mayor-ken-welch-shares-major-updates-with-tbbw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/58779\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch shares major updates with TBBW"},"content":{"rendered":"

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch caught up with TBBW<\/a> this week to share updates on the city\u2019s biggest priorities, from infrastructure<\/a> and resilience to economic development, transportation and the future of the Gas Plant District<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The conversation comes at a time when St. Pete<\/a> is seeing record interest from tech founders, corporate relocations and national investors<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In this article, we break down what Mayor Welch told us, why it matters and what leaders across the region should watch in the months ahead.<\/p>\n

St. Pete shifts<\/p>\n

In a wide-ranging conversation, Mayor Welch highlighted several major developments:<\/p>\n

St. Pete\u2019s rise as a tech and innovation hub<\/p>\n

Welch said the region is attracting national founders who see the city as \u201cthe new center for tech, fintech and next generation investment.\u201d <\/p>\n

He pointed to continued momentum from firms relocating from San Francisco, New York and Chicago. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy father and grandfather could never have envisioned something like that happening in Saint Pete,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Transportation remains the region\u2019s Achilles heel<\/p>\n

Welch said Tampa Bay<\/a> is competitive \u201cwith any region in the world\u201d except for one gap: modern transportation. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really our last Achilles heel,\u201d he said. Connecting Tampa Bay and modernizing the I-4 corridor to Orlando is a long-term goal he believes would create a global super region.<\/p>\n

$600 million resilience bond heading to voters<\/p>\n

After last year\u2019s historic storms, Welch said the city must fast-track infrastructure investment. Next year, St. Pete will ask voters to approve a $1 million bond to fund roughly $600 million in sewer system upgrades, tidal flooding solutions and neighborhood-level resilience projects. <\/p>\n

RELATED: Inside Mayor Jane Castor\u2019s plan to fix Tampa traffic<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cInfrastructure wasn\u2019t built to handle the level of impact we\u2019re seeing,\u201d Welch said.<\/p>\n

The future of the Gas Plant District<\/p>\n

Welch confirmed the city intends to begin developing the 86-acre Gas Plant District after 2028. <\/p>\n

If you remove the Tropicana Field dome footprint, the buildable area is about 60 acres. He said redevelopment will proceed regardless of what happens with the Rays<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Two parcels are already moving forward: one for workforce housing and one for the Woodson African American Museum.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the biggest opportunity for economic progress in the city,\u201d Welch said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

A bird\u2019s-eye rendering highlights the full scale of the Gas Plant District proposal, spanning nearly 100 acres with housing, office, retail and open green space.<\/p>\n

\"Rendering<\/a><\/p>\n

A rendering of the Gateway at 13th Street shows how the Gas Plant District redevelopment could blend modern architecture with pedestrian plazas and green space.<\/p>\n

\"Bird\u2019s-eye<\/a><\/p>\n

A proposed plaza within the Gas Plant District would feature walkable streets, public gathering spaces, and cultural programming.<\/p>\n

\"Plaza<\/a><\/p>\n

A proposed plaza within the Gas Plant District would feature walkable streets, public gathering spaces, and cultural programming.<\/p>\n

Rebuilding trust with the Rays <\/p>\n

Welch said the new Rays ownership is \u201ctransparent and easy to work with,\u201d but acknowledged they must repair relationships after walking away from the previously approved deal. <\/p>\n

He said he is open to a short-term extension at the Trop, especially given that repairs are ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n

Workforce and housing remain top priorities<\/p>\n

Welch emphasized that affordability is the biggest challenge for both residents and employers. <\/p>\n

The city is partnering with developers, nonprofits and the school board to expand workforce and affordable housing using new subsidies and creative partnerships.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s happening now<\/p>\n

Several active initiatives are shaping the next year:<\/p>\n

St. Pete\u2019s $1.1 billion budget<\/a> is moving forward with no major changes<\/p>\n

Spark St. Pete and fintech leaders continue to draw national attention<\/p>\n

Infrastructure teams are running neighborhood-level resilience assessments<\/p>\n

Developers are evaluating the Gas Plant District during the alternative proposal period<\/p>\n

Employers and site selectors are increasing relocation site tours<\/p>\n

LEARN MORE ABOUT ST. PETE\u2019S 2026 BUDGET<\/a><\/p>\n

Impact on Tampa Bay business leaders<\/p>\n

Mayor Welch\u2019s updates show a city preparing for its next decade of growth<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Tech migration is accelerating<\/p>\n

Founders relocating from high-cost markets are already serving as ambassadors and attracting more companies to the region.<\/p>\n

Resilience will be a major policy focus in 2025\u20132027<\/p>\n

Businesses should track upcoming bond discussions and neighborhood-level infrastructure plans.<\/p>\n

Even without a Rays agreement, large-scale mixed-use redevelopment is coming.<\/p>\n

Housing affordability will impact hiring and retention<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s partnerships with developers and nonprofits hint at new models for attainable housing.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s at stake<\/p>\n

Mayor Welch\u2019s conversation with TBBW<\/a> offers a clear message: St. Pete is entering a period of significant transformation driven by tech migration, infrastructure investment and long-awaited redevelopment. <\/p>\n

The next 24 months will define the city\u2019s economic future \u2014 and regional leaders should stay close to the updates.<\/p>\n

Stay Connected<\/p>\n

Sign up for TBBW\u2019s newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n

Watch TBBW\u2019s Podcast<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow TBBW on Social Media<\/a><\/p>\n

Read More TBBW stories<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch caught up with TBBW this week to share updates on the city\u2019s biggest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58780,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[1571,4364,7143,3741,16665,596,7797,202,204,203,199,201,200,1526,1703,11445,3815,33150,1798],"class_list":["post-58779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-affordable-housing","tag-community-impact","tag-economic-development","tag-infrastructure","tag-local-government","tag-pinellas-county","tag-real-estate-development","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news","tag-tampa-bay","tag-tampa-bay-business","tag-tampa-bay-growth","tag-tampa-bay-rays","tag-tbbws-top-stories","tag-transportation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58779","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=58779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58779\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}