Impact
Mayors address regional challenges at Tiger Bay forum

The mayors of Clearwater, Tampa and St. Petersburg gathered for the annual Suncoast Tiger Bay Club’s State of the Bay event, engaging in a discussion moderated by journalist Ashley Kritzer. The Monday panel featured Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, who addressed regional priorities and answered questions from Kritzer and the audience.
Climate resilience and hurricane preparedness
The event, in the Vinoy Hotel’s Sunset Ballroom, began with a discussion on hurricanes and environmental sustainability, focusing on climate resilience and coastal protection. Welch highlighted St. Petersburg’s climate action initiatives, including investments in stormwater infrastructure and sustainability programs. However, he warned that the city is already behind due to the unprecedented severity of recent storms.
Using the Northeast wastewater treatment plant as an example, Welch explained the challenges of keeping up with climate threats:
“(The plant) is undergoing, I think, a $70 million improvement to raise it, strengthen it, harden it to endure 11 feet of storm surge. Well, guess what? Milton would have brought 15. So we’re already behind the curve on our new investment.”
The mayors agreed on the importance of residents evacuating when instructed. Welch noted that during the last storm, emergency crews had to conduct over 80 high-water rescues, and help was simply unavailable at the height of the storm.
Castor shared a now-famous moment from a CNN interview when she was repeatedly asked about the dangers of storm surge.
“After about the fifth time she had asked the same question, I said, ‘Yeah, you’re gonna die.’”
Rector acknowledged the bluntness of the remark but noted it resonated widely, even coming up in his own interviews.
Tropicana Field redevelopment
Turning to the long-debated redevelopment of Tropicana Field, Kritzer questioned Welch on whether recent delays felt like a setback. She noted that while a deal was reached in July, since then “We had the vote delayed. We had the roof ripped off. It feels like a different environment, a different relationship, than we saw at the end of July. “
Welch, however, placed the delay in historical context:
“I guess trauma just depends on your perspective. The folks who used to live in the Gas Plant had a full community, businesses and a thriving neighborhood that they gave up for the promise of economic opportunity for everyone. That’s been 40 years. A four-month delay really doesn’t compare to that.”
Welch reaffirmed that the redevelopment’s success hinges on ensuring the entire community benefits, particularly those displaced decades ago. He extolled in the project’s potential impact:
“This will be the greatest thing to happen to our community if we can get this closed. Then we can move to getting folks employed, getting folks trained, starting those affordable housing developments, starting that workforce path. We are this close, and I wouldn’t do anything differently than I’ve done as mayor.”
Tampa’s role in the Rays’ future
With uncertainty surrounding the Rays’ new stadium in St. Petersburg, Kritzer asked Castor whether Tampa might make another attempt to lure the team across the bay. Castor dismissed the idea, emphasizing regional unity:
“That would be going against your family member. The choice was made, and once that choice was made, we are standing behind St. Pete, Pinellas and the Rays to keep them here.”
Her response underscored a broader theme of regional cooperation.
Regional transportation and federal funding
The conversation then shifted to transportation challenges, with Kritzer asking Rector how Clearwater could contribute to improving regional transit. Rector pointed to a lack of coordination in securing federal funding as a major issue:

Mayors Castor and Welch.
“The path forward for the success of all of our municipalities in Tampa Bay is to pitch ourselves to the world as a region. What I’ve learned in my 10 months as mayor is that we miss out on a lot of funding at the federal level because we’re competing with projects in Tampa or St. Petersburg.”
He said competing as individual cities against larger metropolitan projects puts us at a disadvantage because larger projects “get more attention in Washington” because they’ve got “multiple Congressmen and women who are supporting the project, and so that’s where we need to get to.”
Castor added a plug for further investigation of leveraging area waterways for transportation saying, “we’re probably one of the only regions that is on the water and just ignores it as a viable form of transportation.” She acknowledged that building marine transportation options would have significant logistical hurdles, and a hefty price tag, but said that doing so still might be easier than adding the equivalent amount of capacity with roads.
Looking ahead
To close out the discussion, each mayor outlined their priorities for the coming year:
- Welch emphasized continued investment in affordable housing and economic equity.
- Castor pointed to transportation and infrastructure improvements as key goals.
- Rector focused on downtown redevelopment and strengthening Clearwater’s economic base.
The conversation highlighted the shared challenges and opportunities facing Tampa Bay’s largest cities. While each municipality has its own unique priorities, the mayors agreed that regional cooperation is essential for tackling pressing issues such as housing, transportation and climate resilience.

Mike
January 29, 2025at11:13 am
The number 1 challenge is Mayor Ken Welch. The number 2 challenge is “attending church” is the sole qualification for half our city council.