Despite being out fundraised four to one, incumbent St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch is headed to a runoff against Former Florida governor Charlie Crist.
The runoff happens as part of this fall’s general election, which wraps on Election Day, Nov. 3.
Crist—who’s come under fire for his connections to controversial figures and his time spent in Minnesota in the wake of back-to-back hurricanes—earned 35% of the vote as the Florida primary wrapped last night.
Welch, facing scrutiny over his own response to the 2024 storms, was elected as St. Petersburg’s first Black mayor in 2021 and earned 20.5% of the vote.
Former St. Pete Fire Chief Jim Large finished third (18%) with City Councilwoman Brandi Gabbard (17%), former St. Pete NAACP president Maria Scruggs (5%) and former Shore Acres Civic Association president Kevin Batdorf (3%) rounding things out.
Data from the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections says 55,239 ballots were cast in the race.
Crist raised more than $2 million for the primary while Welch raked in less than $500,000.
In the race for St. Petersburg’s District 6 City Council seat, Linsey Grove has advanced to the runoff where she’ll face Trevor Mallory.
Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.
Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | BlueSky
This article appears in August 13 – 19, 2026.
