ST. PETERSBURG — Charlie Crist has been governor, a congressman and a candidate for just about everything in Florida. Now he's going to be mayor of his hometown.
Crist beat Mayor Ken Welch on Tuesday, 64,036 votes to 39,221, or 62% to 38%, with all precincts reporting, Spectrum Bay News 9 reported. The results are unofficial.
“People would say to me, ‘You know, you've been governor. Why are you going to run for mayor?’ Because it's home,” Crist, 70, said in his victory speech, according to WUSF. “It's hometown, and you know, home is where the heart is.”
He called the nonpartisan race the most unifying campaign he'd been part of. “It's a little toxic out there politically,” Crist said. “But we have Republicans, we have Democrats, we have independents … Saint Petersburg comes together.”
Welch, 62, conceded Tuesday night and said he wishes Crist “the best in his next administration,” Axios Tampa Bay reported. Crist thanked Welch in his speech and called him a good man.
A bigger win than August
Crist led a six-way primary in August with 35% of the vote to Welch's 20.5%. Since no one topped 50%, the two went to a runoff on the November ballot. Crist's margin only grew.
It's a sharp turn for Welch, St. Petersburg's first Black mayor, who won City Hall easily in 2021 with support from many local leaders, Crist included.
What Crist ran on
- Hurricane recovery: Crist criticized how the city handled the recovery from hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.
- The Rays: He faulted Welch for losing the team, which backed out of a deal to build a new stadium at the Tropicana Field site after Milton tore up the dome's roof and has since agreed to build in Tampa. Crist said the city should keep pursuing the Rays until construction actually starts across the bay. Welch called that unrealistic.
- Property taxes: Crist proposed a property tax cut, paid for in part by trimming what he called unnecessary City Hall jobs. He said 262 positions were added under Welch. Welch said many of those jobs are paid for by utility fees, not property taxes.
What it means for the Trop site
The 86-acre Tropicana Field property, in what was once the Historic Gas Plant District, frees up when the Rays' lease ends after the 2028 season. Earlier this year, Welch picked a group called The Burg Bid, led by Thompson Whitney Blake, to redevelop it.
Crist has said he wants more information first and could send the whole project back out for bids, WUSF reported. Welch did the same thing to his predecessor Rick Kriseman's pick when he took office. Axios noted one open question: whether Welch tries to move his plan forward before he leaves.
Voters approve $600 million for flooding, sewer and water
St. Pete voters also said yes to borrowing up to $600 million for drainage, stormwater pump stations, flood protection and upgrades to the sewer and drinking water systems. It passed 74% to 26%, Florida Politics reported.
The bonds will be paid back with a property tax over as long as 30 years. The city estimates that will cost about 0.96 mills, or roughly $96 a year for every $100,000 of a property's taxable value, according to the city's bond page. The city says more than half the money is meant to protect water and sewer plants from storm surge so outages and sewage spills are less likely in the next big storm.
The other four city measures passed too:
- Nine vacant city lots near Jamestown come off the protected parks and waterfront map, so they could be used for affordable or workforce housing (53%).
- Harborage Marina can be leased for up to 30 years, with the operator paying for new docks, boat lifts and restrooms (75%).
- Port of St. Petersburg leases can run up to 25 years without a citywide vote (64%).
- Technical charter changes tied to the city's move to even-year elections (78%).
New faces on City Council
Two term-limited council members are being replaced. Hillsborough assistant public defender Gabriel Hament won District 2, in the northeast part of the city. Nonprofit consultant Linsey Grove won District 6, which includes downtown, Historic Uptown and neighborhoods from Roser Park to Bayou Shores and Coquina Key, Axios reported.
When Crist takes over
Crist and the new council members will be sworn in Jan. 7. That gives Welch about two months left in office and Crist time to name his transition team.