St. Pete mayor begins building reelection war chest 

While St. Petersburg’s Mayor Ken Welch will not officially launch his reelection campaign for another year, fundraising season is now in full swing. 

Donations to his political action committee, Pelican PAC, are already nearing the six-figure mark. Rev. J.C. Pritchett II called those early results “record-breaking numbers” Thursday evening at a private fundraising event. 

Welch said he briefly pondered a reelection bid after an “unusual” four years in office: “Is this really what I want to do?” he asked himself. The answer was “absolutely.” 

“Where else would you rather be than leading your hometown through a challenging time?” Welch told the Catalyst.

His tenure began during a pandemic – Welch was sworn in virtually, after testing positive for Covid-19. He has since led the city through a devastating hurricane season and yet another chapter in an ongoing saga with the Tampa Bay Rays. 

However, Welch believes those challenges have strengthened the city. He said internal and external stakeholders “now know we can execute a super big deal” like the Historic Gas Plant District’s $6.5 billion redevelopment. 

In March, the Rays walked away from long-negotiated plans to transform Tropicana Field and its sprawling parking lots into a vibrant mixed-use community anchored by a new ballpark. Welch said St. Petersburg is now in a better position with “those development rights back in the city’s hands.” 

“We’re not going to waver from equitably developing the Historic Gas Plant,” he continued. “Our strength is our diversity.”

Welch said his administration has learned how to promote diversity, equity and inclusion without drawing the ire of state and federal leadership. He used the city’s Hometown Recovery Haulers initiative as an example.

Small businesses and private citizens using whatever vehicles were available collected tons of vegetation, construction materials and flooded appliances from neighborhood curbs. The impromptu storm cleanup crews earned $1.574 million for hauling 5,247 loads to collection sites.

“That’s equity, but folks on both sides of the aisle are saying that’s the way you should do things,” Welch said. “So, we need to keep living our truth. We need to keep knowing who we are in St. Pete.” 

Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders said Welch’s 20-year tenure as a Pinellas County commissioner and four years as a mayor provided a unique understanding of the community’s needs. She believes his “pillars of progress” have fostered groundbreaking equitable practices. 

Figgs-Sanders also credited Welch’s measured demeanor. “With what we are dealing with in the City of St. Petersburg, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he has to return for four years,” she said.

Council Chair Copley Gerdes echoed that sentiment. “I think being able to take the emotion out and really look at the facts is what makes Ken (Welch) exactly what St. Petersburg needed. And needs today.” 

Welch, 60, became St. Petersburg’s first Black mayor in 2021. Voters approved a city charter amendment the following year that moved municipal elections to even-numbered years to align with state and national races. Elected officials gained another year in office. 

Welch’s father, David, was the first Black man elected to the city council. The self-proclaimed “child of the Gas Plant” has prioritized helping fulfill long-deferred promises to the African American community that once called the neighborhood home during segregation. 

“Ken Welch is not playing games – he wouldn’t accept a bad deal,” Pritchett said of his refusal to offer the Rays additional funding. “He has also not forgotten about our ancestors.” 

No one has formally stepped forward to run against Welch. He would remain mayor through 2030 if reelected in November 2026. 

Challengers will undoubtedly arise. Welch’s negotiations with the Rays and response to back-to-back hurricanes will likely dominate debates. 

He credited his administration, including St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway and new Fire Chief Keith Watts, for strengthening the community. “I see nothing but progress for our city going forward, even the Historic Gas Plant,” Welch said. 

“That whole process of working with the county really hasn’t happened on a project anywhere near that size,” he added. “Building those relationships – we know we can put that kind of a package together – really puts us in a better position.”