St. Petersburg Election: Crist wins mayoral bid

Former Florida governor Charlie Crist defeated incumbent Mayor Ken Welch to take the St. Petersburg mayoral office. With all 86 precincts reporting, Crist captured 62 percent of the vote. Welch finished with 38 percent. This result marks a wider margin of victory than the August primary. In that earlier contest, Crist earned 35 percent and Welch received 20.5 percent. Neither candidate secured a majority in the primary, forcing a runoff.

Crist spoke to supporters Tuesday night shortly after the polls closed. He stood beside his fiancée, Chelsea Grimes, during the address. Crist described the campaign as the most unifying political experience of his life. He noted that the nonpartisan nature of the race allowed diverse groups to come together. “It’s a nonpartisan race, and I can’t tell you how sweet that’s been, because as you all know, it’s a little toxic out there politically,” Crist said.

The campaign featured several points of friction. Crist, who is 70, declined to join Welch for a traditional one-on-one debate with a live audience. The two candidates agreed to only one televised forum. During that event, Crist criticized Welch’s management of hurricane recovery efforts. He also pointed to the Tampa Bay Rays breaking their lease to build a new stadium in Tampa. Additionally, Crist cited the lack of affordable housing creation under Welch’s tenure.

Welch, 62, defended his record during the debate. He argued that Crist lacked specific plans to back his campaign promises. A major sticking point involved the future of the Tropicana Field site. The 86 acres will become available when the Rays’ lease expires at the end of the 2028 season. Welch supports a mixed-use development in the area, which is being called the Historic Gas Plant District. Earlier this year, Welch selected The Burg Bid, led by Thompson Whitney Blake, for the project.

Crist prefers to gather more information before moving forward. He suggested sending the project back out for new bids. This approach mirrors what Welch did when he first took office. At that time, Welch rejected the proposal submitted by his predecessor, Rick Kriseman. The Rays initially agreed to rebuild on the Tropicana site. They later backed out after Hurricane Milton damaged the dome’s roof. The dome has since been repaired and hosted last week’s World Series. However, the team has agreed to build a new stadium in Tampa.

Crist argued that the city should continue pursuing the Rays until construction actually begins in Tampa. Welch called that strategy unrealistic. He pointed to previous city efforts to retain the team. On the budget front, Crist proposed a property tax cut. He suggested recouping funds by cutting what he called unnecessary positions at City Hall. Crist stated that 262 positions were added during Welch’s administration. He labeled this growth a bloated government.

Welch countered that many of those positions are funded by utility fees and taxes rather than property taxes. He challenged Crist to specify exactly which roles would be cut. Crist has also faced criticism for switching from the Republican Party to the Democrats. He has said city spending is out of control. Both candidates opposed Amendment 3, a statewide proposal to expand homestead property tax exemptions. Amendment 3 passed Tuesday with 62 percent of the vote.

Steve Newborn is a reporter with WUSF, the bay area’s NPR affiliate. Eva Liguori contributed to this report.