Impact
Welch blasts Crist tax-cut pledge as mayoral race sharpens
“Charlie Crist’s out-of-touch proposal puts him in the same camp as Ron DeSantis.”
St. Petersburg’s mayoral race is beginning to take shape around an issue dominating political conversations around Florida, from City Hall to Tallahassee: property taxes.
Days after mayoral candidate Charlie Crist pledged to reduce St. Petersburg’s operating millage rate by 0.40 mills and return roughly $14.8 million annually to residents and small businesses, Mayor Ken Welch fired back, arguing the proposal threatens the very services local governments are expected to provide.
Crist announced the pledge this week on social media, saying his first budget as mayor would deliver “real money” and “real relief” while keeping police, fire, affordable housing, storm recovery, parks, libraries and after-school programs fully funded.
“Property taxes help fund the first responders who power public safety in St. Petersburg, from the police officers and firefighters to the emergency personnel who respond during hurricanes and other crises,” Welch told the Catalyst.
“Charlie Crist’s out-of-touch proposal puts him in the same camp as Ron DeSantis when it comes to undermining the resources cities depend on to serve their residents. After spending years bouncing between Washington, cable news studios and campaign trails, Charlie apparently thinks local governments can operate without one of their primary funding sources. The people who actually run cities know better.”
The exchange comes as Gov. DeSantis is simultaneously pushing a statewide proposal that could eventually eliminate property taxes on homesteaded properties altogether.
Under the governor’s “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes” proposal, lawmakers would immediately increase Florida’s homestead exemption from $50,000 to $250,000 while creating a pathway for future reductions and eventual elimination. DeSantis has argued local governments have become too reliant on property tax revenue, noting collections statewide have grown from roughly $32 billion to $60 billion over the past seven years.
That argument has been met with increasing resistance from local officials. Last week, St. Petersburg City Council members warned that significant reductions in property tax revenue could jeopardize funding for police, fire rescue, infrastructure, stormwater systems and resiliency projects.
Councilmember Lisset Hanewicz recently cautioned that losing tens of millions of dollars in revenue would force difficult decisions about services residents expect city government to provide.
The debate carries particular weight in St. Petersburg, where the city has dramatically increased spending on storm recovery, flood mitigation and infrastructure upgrades following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Welch has made those investments a central part of his administration through initiatives such as SPAR, or St. Pete Agile Resilience, a long-term strategy focused on accelerating stormwater, sewer and water infrastructure improvements throughout the city.
“Cities cannot run on slogans and wishful thinking,” Welch said in a statement released by his campaign. “The problem is these revenues fund critical services, including police and fire services, emergency response, neighborhood safety initiatives, arts support and youth and senior programs, roads, drainage and storm protection.”
The mayor also pointed to support from public safety organizations: Richard Pauley, president of the St. Petersburg Association of Firefighters, said stable local funding remains critical for maintaining staffing, equipment and emergency response capabilities.
Sun Coast Police Benevolent Association Board President Jon Vazquez similarly warned that deep reductions in local revenue could impact how law enforcement agencies recruit, equip and retain officers.
Crist’s total elimination and phased reduction charts a middle course between maintaining current tax rates and the governor’s more sweeping property tax overhaul.
His campaign argues St. Petersburg has the highest property tax rate among major Pinellas County cities and says residents deserve relief as housing and insurance costs continue climbing, but what remains unclear is how the city would absorb a $14.8 million annual reduction in revenue while maintaining existing service levels.
That question is likely to become a central point of debate as the mayoral race unfolds.
At stake is more than a tax bill, but how much revenue can local governments afford to give up before residents begin noticing the difference in the services they receive.
S. Rose Smith-Hayes
June 4, 2026at12:10 pm
Property Taxes are necessary, however they need to be looked at differently as to how they are assessed. A review of the needs of the City need to be done and a determination of how much property tax funds are needed. Perhaps property tax rates need to be adjusted. We need the funds for the Police, Fire Dept, Schools and EMS and other necessary amenities. Maybe the Pay for Play items need to be looked at.
Richard Bruce
June 4, 2026at12:58 pm
Current application of property taxes is unjust. All use the same municipal services, all should pay an equal amount. I have a house three away from mine that pay 3x the tax I do. Is that fair? I support an one cent city sales tax and a flat rate tax for each residence.
It is also time to reduce City Hall spending and it’s financial influence on our lives. There are 110 people in City Hall that make over $100k/yr, average salary is $57k. The city’s average salary is $52k/yr.
These are the programs I can eliminate ($6.5mil). These are not vital municipal services. Those who support these programs should seek private funding.
Social Action Grants ($700,000)
Rapid Rehousing ($400,000)
Arts Grants Program ($557,000)
Small Business Grants and Programs ($250,000)
The Palladium ($250,000)
Main Street Business Organizations ($220,000)
Citywide Workforce Development Programming ($200,000)
St. Petersburg Economic Development Corporation ($150,000)
The Greenhouse ($150,000)
Woodson African American Museum of Florida ($107,000)
Corporate Relocation and Expansion ($100,000)
Grow Smarter Economic and Workforce Development Incentives Program ($100,000)
Florida Orchestra ($100,000)
Teak Job Creation Incentive ($100,000)
St. Petersburg Museum of History ($75,000)
Individual Artist Grants ($60,000)
Arts Conservatory for Teens ($50,000)
Arts Micro-Grants ($50,000)
Localtopia ($50,000)
Business Recruitment Event Aid ($40,000)
Sister City Initiative ($40,000)
Qualified Target Industry Commitments ($30,000)
Soul Fest ($20,000)
Poetry Festival ($10,000)
Mayor’s Future Ready Academy ($500,000)
Year-Round Youth Employment Programs ($400,000)
Youth Development Grants including Boys & Girls Club ($250,000)
Cohort of Champions/My Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper program ($234,320)
Junior Achievement Class Sponsorship ($45,000)
Shirley Proctor Puller Foundation ($250,000)
USF Science Center at Clam Bayou ($100,000)
Education and Youth Opportunities Community Grants ($80,000)
USF Camp Bulls Eye ($68,750)
SPC CAMP ($32,000)
Community Impact Grants & Programs ($325,000)
Healthy Neighborhood Store Program ($245,000)
Neighborhood Enhancement Program ($225,000)
Healthy Food Action Plan ($122,000)
Community Food Grants Program ($100,000)
Mayor’s Tree Mini-Grant ($100,000)
Neighborhood Partnership Matching Grants ($35,000)
Mayor’s Mini-Grant ($15,000)
Keep Pinellas Beautiful ($15,000)
Greatly reduce. The City should not be in the housing business.
Housing and Community Development Department Operating Budget ($9.7 million)
Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan for Affordable Housing Land Acquisition ($6 million)
Housing Capital Improvement Fund ($1,124,000)
Richard Bruce
June 4, 2026at1:00 pm
Meant a flat tax per residence, not a flat rate.
Alan DeLisle
June 2, 2026at2:12 pm
Steven
You are oblivious
Bradley Nelson
June 2, 2026at1:57 pm
Property tax collections for St Pete have risen 54% from $148 million in 2021 to $229 million in 2026.
In the same 5 year span the city population has grown 1.4% from 261,900 to 265,670.
The per capita tax burden rose from $566.06 per resident in 2021 to $861.60 per resident in 2026.
That pretty poor management looking at those metrics.
Don’t worry Ken, there is a Chamber of Commerce CEO job or a Visit St Pete Clearwater position waiting in the wings.
Too bad your mayoral “legacy” will be one of St Petersburg’s poorest preforming mayors in the city’s history.
Alan DeLisle
June 2, 2026at5:20 am
Two totally different proposals. This exactly shows why Welch can not be trusted. Just like the Trop disaster, he never confronts reality and it brings St Pete down into a swirl of ineffectiveness.
And the Catalyst writes an article without letting the other side respond. Worse than I thought.
Steven Sullivan
June 2, 2026at7:59 am
Alan, I knew there was something untrust worthy about you, you being from the Midwest and all. You sound like MAGA, which is intense in states like Ohio and Kentucky your last gig before coming to the Burg. What other
side? And does eliminating property taxes address the root problem of a distorted and inflationary capitalist system driven by a corrupt political agenda driven by Donald Trump along with the austerity ideology of the republican party. That didn’t work so well for Ronald Reagan, who then had to raise taxes twice to fund government. Lets not forget history
Steven Sullivan
June 1, 2026at6:12 pm
Bill Herrmann are you the purveyor of misinformation? Do you think people are dumb or too lazy to check the crap you espouse? You’re ridiculous! The Mayor is not the decider of milliage rates, that is councils duty and mandate. In addition the City of St.Petersburg, has rolled back their milliage rate for property taxes for 4 consecutive yrs in a row. The last being 2025. St.Petersburg is the larget city in Pinellas County by far (200,000) more than Clearwater, the next largest. Naturally they would require a higher tax rate than everyone else and inflation spiked globally to 9.1% in 2022, therefore services and infrastructure costs had to be satisfied. Your credibility is trash and you’re just hating because you don’t like Mayor Welch for whatever reason
Bill Herrmann
June 2, 2026at6:50 am
27 years working in local government has taught me that while council has input. It is the mayor and staff that develop the operating budget. Need proof? Read the mayor’s cover letter presenting the budget to council and citizens here https://cms5.revize.com/revize/stpete/Departments/Finance/Budget%20Documents/2025/FY25%20Adopted%20Budget.pdf
The operating expenses CAN be lowered such that they need only the roll back rate to meet those expenses. Or as this city has done, they can use the same mileage rate.
Steven Sullivan
June 2, 2026at4:28 pm
You did not disprove any statement I made. That the city didn’t increase its mileage and actually rolling back in consecutive years and you were incorrect and dishonest for saying so. You put it in writing where it will outlive you. So if you try and run for anything your bias and credibility are public
John Strauss
June 2, 2026at5:04 pm
Welch can start with eliminating the money being wasted on the DEI office and all the other far left programs plus the excessive subsidies for ‘affordable housing’.
Bill Herrmann
June 1, 2026at3:55 pm
Let’s start with the obvious- Mayor Ken Welch has raised our taxes EVERY YEAR. Each year, Mr. Welch had the opportunity to use the ‘roll back rate’ or the millage rate that would have held the tax bill for existing property owners. Instead, he elected to raise our taxes.
For the neophytes let me explain. Each year property values go up. If the mileage rate is held constant, this results in an increase in the dollar amount of the tax bill for existing property owners. If the city uses the ‘rollback rate’, the mileage is reduced, such that the dollar amount of the tax bill for existing property owners stays constant. But the city’s gross ad valorem tax revenue continues to increase. That increase comes from both the increase in assessed value of properties that are sold, and new construction that is added to the tax rolls. My basic research is that the rollback rate would have covered normal inflation and additional workload from the new construction.
A competent mayor should know this. But, instead of saving existing property owners, Ken Welch put forth budgets that used ALL the increase in property value PLUS, the value of new construction PLUS, the increased assessed value of property that had been sold. But, the mess does not stop there!
I have filed with the clerk for information about utility ‘Payment in Lieu of Taxes’ or PILOT for months. The information requested would be part of the annual budget back-up and should be readily available. I am still waiting for this information.
Staff has informed me that the city’s General Fund charges the Water, Wastewater and Solid Waste fund PILOT and additionally, a ‘Payment in Lieu of Franchise Fee’ or PILOF. While a PILOT is not unusual- the municipal utilities are being taxed for the pipes in the street. It is unclear if Duke or TECO/Peoples are being charged for each pipe, pole, etcetera. It is part of the information I have requested.
It has been over 2 months after my first request. Not sure why it takes this unreasonably long time to answer a simple question.
Ken Welch is great at spending OUR money. Another example of free spending was his attempt to give bonuses to staff for negotiating the Rays deal. It was a bonus for what fundamentally what is their job. The memorable thing about that fiasco is that AFTER he gave some employees the money, he found out it was illegal. A competent manager would investigate before acting.
We need a change! But– sorry Charlie- you are not the answer. We need someone who has run an organization without bailing on it for his own personal betterment.