Charlie Crist Archives - Creative Loafing Tampa

A news photo showing Mayor Ken Welch at The Hub Innovation District in St. Petersburg, Florida on March 27, 2024. Captured in a medium shot over the shoulders of attendees seated around a conference table, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch sits at the head of the meeting wearing a light pink button-down dress shirt, a red tie, and glasses with a gray beard, looking forward as a colleague in a black blazer seated beside him listens intently under bright indoor office lighting near a window.

St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch deserves another term

Charlie Crist is likeable, but I don’t trust his reasons for running.

by David Warner and CL Staff October 19, 2026October 19, 2026

Mayor Ken Welch has been up against it during his nearly five years at city hall. Two hurricanes took an unprecedented toll on city services. The roof blew off the Trop in the midst of negotiations with the Rays, and the team decided to leave St. Pete for Tampa. A governor and state legislature wrested […]

St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch will defend his seat in November runoff against Charlie Crist

Crist earned 35% of the vote Tuesday night, with Welch bringing in 20.5%,

by Ray Roa August 19, 2026August 19, 2026

Tampa Bay Journalism Project

Charlie Crist to skip St. Pete mayoral candidate forum known for hardball questions

The former governor cited ‘affordability’ as his reasoning, but is still slated to attend an Aug. 6 forum that costs $40 for non-members.

by Valerie Smith July 28, 2026July 28, 2026

‘Condemn the lie’: Ken Welch slams Charlie Crist after Florida Politics publisher spreads affair rumors

Crist has been widely criticized for his ties to Florida Politics publisher Peter Schorsch, who is married to Crist’s campaign chair.

by Valerie Smith July 27, 2026July 28, 2026

Rouson drops Ken Welch endorsement, gives full support to Charlie Crist in St. Pete mayor’s race

The reversal comes at a pivotal moment in a race only six weeks from Election day.

by Liam Oliver July 9, 2026July 10, 2026

A photograph of Ken Welch and Charlie Crist smiling during an outdoor event. Ken Welch is on the left wearing sunglasses and a dark button-down shirt; Charlie Crist is on the right in a blue striped polo shirt.

Charlie Crist enters St. Pete mayoral race, says he would’ve taken state to court over mural removals

The former governor of Florida is one of five candidates hoping to unseat Mayor Ken Welch.

by Jasmin Parrado April 30, 2026April 30, 2026

Joe Biden wants to make former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist an ambassador

The nomination to the aviation post would require U.S. Senate confirmation.

by News Service of Florida June 8, 2023September 28, 2023

As new Florida Democratic Party chair, Nikki Fried says she wants to end ’30 years of losses’

The Republican Party of Florida responded to Fried’s victory in a press release calling the Democrat a “serial grifter.”

by Jim Turner and News Service of Florida February 27, 2023April 25, 2025

Florida Democrats are really bad at this

We look forward to the 2026 gubernatorial race between Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Randy Fine.

by Alex Galbraith November 9, 2022November 20, 2024

Nearly 4.92 million Floridians cast votes ahead of Election Day

The data showed that 2,125,330 registered Republicans and 1,809,482 registered Democrats had voted.

by News Service of Florida November 8, 2022August 3, 2023

‘I know he had a rough night, but I’m happy to give him a do-over’: Charlie Crist wants more debates with Ron DeSantis

This isn’t a new stance for Crist, who sought multiple debates to no avail earlier in the campaign.

by A.G. Gancarski and Florida Politics October 26, 2022August 3, 2023

Crist, DeSantis clash over immigration, Biden, abortion and more in Florida debate

Outside the theater, hundreds of DeSantis and Crist supporters paraded in the hours before the debate.

by Jim Turner and News Service of Florida October 25, 2022August 3, 2023

In the race for Florida governor, it’s either Crist or the big adult baby boy currently in charge

There’s no such thing as a ‘perfect candidate.’

by Colin Wolf October 24, 2022February 23, 2025

‘This is Florida under Ron DeSantis’: Charlie Crist ad slams governor over incest report

“This is Florida under Ron DeSantis, children forced to give birth to children,” reads the ad.

by Renzo Downey and Florida Politics October 20, 2022August 3, 2023

In the race for Florida governor, Ron DeSantis and Charlie Crist clash on education issues

Crist is betting on his ability to convince voters that he can reinstate “respect to educators.”

by Ryan Dailey and News Service of Florida October 17, 2022August 3, 2023

Florida Gov. DeSantis says ‘national regime media’ wanted Hurricane Ian to hit Tampa

His General Election opponent condemned the “disgusting” remarks.

by A.G. Gancarski and Florida Politics October 4, 2022July 24, 2025

‘Vile political stunt’: Charlie Crist joins Florida Hispanic leaders to slam migrant flights

“Ron — you trafficked these people. You lied to them.”

by Kelly Hayes and Florida Politics September 21, 2022August 3, 2023

Charlie Crist demands all info behind Florida Gov. DeSantis’ Martha’s Vineyard ‘political stunt’

The gubernatorial candidate filed a public information request under Florida’s Sunshine Law for all communication regarding the re-location effort.

by Jacob Ogles and Florida Politics September 16, 2022March 11, 2025

‘Disgusting and vile’: Charlie Crist slams Florida Gov. DeSantis for treating Martha’s Vineyard refugees like ‘cattle’

“When you are this inhumane in how you treat human beings, you’re not qualified to be Governor of anything.”

by Renzo Downey and Florida Politics September 15, 2022August 3, 2023

‘It’s in collapse’: Charlie Crist slams Gov. DeSantis over Florida property insurance crisis

DeSantis called a special legislative session in May to try to bolster the market, but problems have continued.

by News Service of Florida September 8, 2022August 3, 2023