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St. Petersburg decides: The mayoral race
Election day is upon us here in St. Petersburg, and when the last votes are counted tonight, the city promises to look a little different than it did Tuesday morning – an inevitable change when selecting a new mayor after eight years.
Here is what you need to know.
Current Mayor Rick Kriseman is stepping away from the city’s political scene after more than 20 years. He served as a councilmember from 2000 to 2006, represented the 53rd district in the Florida House of Representatives 2006-2012, and has acted as the city’s chief executive since taking the title from Rick Foster in 2014.
Since 1993, St. Pete has operated under a “strong mayor” form of government, combining the strong political leadership of the mayor with an elected city council. The new mayor will lead 3,500 city employees and about 270,000 residents.
Either Ken Welch or Robert Blackmon will be St. Petersburg’s next strong mayor after the two emerged from a crowded field of eight candidates. Welch garnered the most votes in the Aug. 24 primary with 39% to Blackmon’s 28%. Subsequent polls have shown Welch continues to be the frontrunner in the race.
Welch, 57, is running after serving 20 years on the Pinellas County Commission. Blackmon, 32, has had a successful career in real estate and has been a member of city council since January 2020. Both candidates were born and raised in the city they hope to lead. While the mayoral race is nonpartisan, Welch is a registered Democrat, and Blackmon is a registered Republican. Endorsements have largely followed along party lines.
Pinellas County is decidedly “purple,” with 243,378 registered Democrats, 242,889 registered Republicans, and 205,323 voters not affiliated with the two major parties. However, the City of St. Petersburg does not enjoy such an equal split of voters. St. Pete has over 88,000 registered Democrats and less than 50,000 Republicans.
The candidates have participated in several forums and debates – with varying levels of intensity. Welch has touted his experience and achievements, while Blackmon has labeled his opponent a career politician who is out of touch with a new generation of voters. Blackmon is proud of his fresh ideas and innovative solutions, while Welch has called him inexperienced and criticized his focus on “pet projects” such as the Science Center.
Both candidates have chastised one another for controversial statements made years ago.
Affordable housing, a surge in gun violence, furthering equity and diversity in St. Petersburg, Tropicana Field redevelopment and how to address the Tampa Bay Rays relocation threats have all been issues at the forefront of this mayoral race.
Regardless of who wins, the race will establish a first for the St. Pete mayor’s office. If Welch is elected, he will become the city’s first Black mayor, and if Blackmon is elected, he will become the city’s youngest mayor.
In a Facebook post Tuesday morning, Blackmon encouraged his followers to vote and said, “we have a chance today to build a better St. Pete based on a vision of smart progress, economic opportunity, preservation of our waterfront and innovative solutions for our environment and the affordable housing crisis.”
Welch was more succinct in his Facebook post Tuesday morning, announcing that polls were open and instructing residents to “get out there and bring inclusive progress to City Hall by voting Ken Welch for Mayor.”
Polls opened at 7 a.m., and Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus said on Twitter that 244 voters cast their municipal election ballots in the first 10 minutes. Polling places are open until 7 p.m., and to find your designated polling place, click here and enter your home address.
As of the 12:30 update, the Supervisor of Elections Office reports that 49,386 voters have cast their ballots out of 184,974 active eligible voters. The vast majority were previously sent through the mail, with 7,087 ballots received on election day thus far.
This story will be updated during the afternoon and evening.
