Kenneth Welch
Kenneth Welch is the mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida. He assumed office on January 6, 2022. His current term ends on January 7, 2027.
Welch is running for re-election for Mayor of St. Petersburg in Florida. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the primary on August 18, 2026.
Welch was a Democratic member of the Pinellas County Commission from 2000 to 2020.[1][2]
Biography
Kenneth Welch was born and lives in St. Petersburg, Florida. Welch earned a B.A. from the University of South Florida at St. Petersburg and an M.B.A. from Florida A&M University. His career experience includes working as an accountant with Florida Power Corporation, a technology manager for his father's accounting firm, and as a county commissioner.[3]
Elections
2026
See also: Mayoral election in St. Petersburg, Florida (2026)
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for Mayor of St. Petersburg
Incumbent Kenneth Welch (Nonpartisan) and Charlie Crist (Nonpartisan) are running in the general election for Mayor of St. Petersburg on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Kenneth Welch (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Charlie Crist  (Nonpartisan) | |
| ||||
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Nonpartisan primary
Nonpartisan primary election for Mayor of St. Petersburg
The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of St. Petersburg on August 18, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Charlie Crist (Nonpartisan) | 35.2 | 19,436 |
| ✔ | | Kenneth Welch (Nonpartisan) | 20.7 | 11,451 |
 | Jim Large (Nonpartisan) | 17.8 | 9,852 | |
 | Brandi Gabbard (Nonpartisan) | 17.6 | 9,737 | |
 | Maria Scruggs (Nonpartisan) | 5.2 | 2,881 | |
 | Kevin Batdorf (Nonpartisan) | 3.4 | 1,882 | |
| Total votes: 55,239 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
- See also: Our approach to covering endorsements
Kenneth Welch received the following endorsements and voter guide recommendations. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- State Sen. Darryl Rouson (D)
- Tampa Mayor Jane Castor
- 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
- Service Employees International Union Florida (SEIU) Florida
- Elections 365 (Sway voting group by Janet Michelle)
- Equality Florida Action PAC
- Forward Florida (Sway voting group by Renata Bozzetto)
- Ghouls2thePolls (Sway voting group by Patricia)
- Jen's Florida Picks (Sway voting group by Jen)
2021
See also: Mayoral election in St. Petersburg, Florida (2021)
General election
General election for Mayor of St. Petersburg
Kenneth Welch defeated Robert G. Blackmon in the general election for Mayor of St. Petersburg on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kenneth Welch (Nonpartisan) | 60.5 | 40,579 |
 | Robert G. Blackmon (Nonpartisan) | 39.5 | 26,509 | |
| Total votes: 67,088 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of St. Petersburg
The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of St. Petersburg on August 24, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kenneth Welch (Nonpartisan) | 39.4 | 21,827 |
| ✔ | | Robert G. Blackmon (Nonpartisan) | 28.3 | 15,659 |
 | Darden Rice (Nonpartisan) | 16.6 | 9,189 | |
 | Wengay Newton (Nonpartisan) | 7.5 | 4,128 | |
 | Peter Boland (Nonpartisan) | 6.2 | 3,424 | |
| Michael Ingram (Nonpartisan) | 0.8 | 460 | ||
| Marcile Powers (Nonpartisan) | 0.7 | 404 | ||
| Torry Nelson (Nonpartisan) | 0.4 | 212 | ||
| Michael Levinson (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 9 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 88 | ||
| Total votes: 55,400 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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Campaign website
Welch's campaign website stated the following:
PROGRESS AND PRIORITIES
PROGRESS YOU CAN SEE AND FEEL
Since taking office, Mayor Ken Welch has focused on delivering real, measurable progress for St. Petersburg. His leadership is grounded in action, accountability, and a commitment to building a city that works for everyone.
EXPANDING HOUSING ACCESS AND AFFORDABILITY
Under Ken’s leadership, the city significantly increased down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers to as much as $60,000, helping more families achieve stable homeownership. His administration also expanded loan forgiveness options for households earning at or below 80 percent of area median income, ensuring housing programs reach the residents who need them most.
Ken has consistently pushed for development that includes meaningful affordability, pausing and reworking projects when necessary to strengthen community benefit and housing access.
A CLEAR FRAMEWORK FOR PROGRESS
Early in his term, Ken launched the City’s Pillars for Progress, a framework that guides every major decision and investment. These five pillars focus on Housing Opportunities for All; Environment, Infrastructure, and Resilience; Equitable Development, Arts, and Business Opportunities; Education and Youth Opportunities; and Neighborhood Health and Safety.
The framework is rooted in six guiding principles: in-touch leadership, inclusivity, innovation, informed decision-making, impactful service, and intentional equity. Together, they ensure progress is thoughtful, accountable, and community-centered.
HONORING COMMITMENTS TO THE HISTORIC GAS PLANT DISTRICT
Ken has made restoring trust and opportunity in historically impacted neighborhoods a core priority. This includes leading a thoughtful and equity-centered approach to the future of the Historic Gas Plant District, a community displaced decades ago by infrastructure and stadium development. His leadership ensures that redevelopment efforts focus on affordable housing, jobs, and long-overdue community benefits.
SUPPORTING CITY WORKERS
Recognizing that a strong city depends on the people who keep it running, Ken adjusted internal policies and benefits to better support lower-paid municipal employees. These changes reflect his belief that city government should lead by example in treating workers with fairness and dignity.
LEADERSHIP IN TIMES OF CRISIS
When St. Petersburg faced back to back devastating hurricanes and historic storm impacts, Ken guided the city through response and recovery while keeping a long-term focus on resilience. His administration prioritized rebuilding infrastructure, accelerating recovery efforts, and planning for future storms with equity and preparedness at the center.
Under his leadership, the city:
- Cleared more than two million cubic yards of storm debris in record time
- Secured significant federal and state recovery funding to support rebuilding
- Accelerated permitting and inspections to help residents return home faster
- Deployed targeted relief programs to support renters, homeowners, and small businesses
- Launched long-term resilience planning to reduce future storm impacts
Ken believes leadership matters most in moments of crisis. His administration focused on steady coordination, transparency, and delivering results that helped St. Petersburg recover and move forward stronger.
PRIORITIES FOR A STRONGER ST. PETERSBURG
Ken Welch’s priorities reflect what residents care about most right now: affordability, safety, opportunity, and resilience. These priorities guide decisions, investments, and long-term planning.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND STABILITY
Housing affordability remains one of the defining challenges of this moment. Under Ken Welch’s leadership, St. Petersburg has delivered more than 850 affordable and workforce housing units, with 281 new affordable units brought online in 2024 alone.
Ken has also expanded support for first-time homebuyers through increased down payment assistance and homeowner stability programs, helping families stay rooted in the neighborhoods they love. His approach focuses on increasing supply, protecting existing residents, and ensuring growth does not come at the expense of community stability.
SAFER NEIGHBORHOODS AND REDUCED CRIME
Strong neighborhoods are the foundation of a strong city. Under Ken Welch’s leadership, St. Petersburg has made measurable progress in reducing crime while investing in modern, community-focused public safety strategies.
In 2025, St. Petersburg recorded its lowest number of homicides since 1967. That represents a 44 percent decrease from the previous year and is 44 percent lower than the five-year average. Overall crime in the city dropped 16 percent, reflecting sustained progress across the board.
Ken supports a balanced approach to public safety that prioritizes accountability, innovation, and trust. His administration continues to invest in community-based health initiatives, emergency response, and neighborhood improvements that enhance quality of life, from cleaner streets to safer roadways.
Reducing crime is not just about statistics. It is about ensuring families feel safe, businesses can thrive, and every neighborhood has the opportunity to succeed.
JOBS AND WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY
Progress means opportunity. Under Ken Welch’s leadership, St. Petersburg has expanded workforce development partnerships that connect residents to real jobs and long-term careers.
The City has partnered with St. Petersburg College to launch and expand workforce training programs that prepare residents for careers in construction, technical trades, and high-demand industries. Through initiatives like St. Pete Works and the new EDGE workforce program, residents receive job training, industry credentials, and wraparound support that helps remove barriers to employment.
Ken has also strengthened partnerships with local employers, workforce boards, and small businesses to ensure training programs align with the needs of a growing economy. When residents succeed in building careers, the entire city benefits.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE
Ken Welch has led St. Petersburg through its greatest environmental challenge, responding to Hurricanes Helene and Milton while accelerating long-term climate resilience. Under his leadership, the City is advancing hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure and resiliency investments to protect neighborhoods and critical assets.
This includes more than $750 million planned over five years through the St. Pete Agile Resilience (SPAR) program, alongside $202 million in capital improvement projects focused on stormwater systems, drainage upgrades, flood mitigation, and hardened infrastructure. These investments help safeguard homes, businesses, and public facilities while preparing the city for future storms.
EQUITABLE GROWTH AND LOCAL PROSPERITY
Economic growth should lift every neighborhood. Under Ken Welch’s leadership, the City has made targeted investments to support small businesses, local entrepreneurs, and equitable development across St. Petersburg.
Ken expanded small business grants and technical assistance, directed millions in funding to minority- and women-owned businesses through programs like the South St. Pete CRA Microfund, and strengthened partnerships that help local businesses start, grow, and stay rooted in the community. These investments support job creation, workforce development, and long-term economic stability.
By focusing on inclusive growth and local opportunity, Ken is ensuring that St. Petersburg’s prosperity is shared, sustainable, and built from the ground up.
— Kenneth Welch's campaign website (July 22, 2026)
2021
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Kenneth Welch did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Welch’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Ken’s agenda for Principled Progress will be based on the guiding principles that informed his public service and ensured the most accountable and responsive government. He calls them the Six I’s:
Ken is an experienced business leader who will promote inclusive and thoughtful economic development that lifts up and improves the quality of life for every neighborhood in St. Petersburg. This includes public-private partnerships and initiatives focused on improved transportation, job-training, education, incubators and mentorships and more effectively using the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area. Development in and of itself is not progress, Ken recognizes, and Inclusive Progress means that everyone in our community feels invested in our progress, not displaced by it. Every decision must be aimed at improving the quality of life in St. Petersburg.
St. Petersburg faces ever-growing challenges from sea level rise that our next leader must tackle head-on. As Mayor, Ken will ensure that St. Petersburg continues its firm commitment to sustainability and that resiliency will drive every decision about the community’s infrastructure and growth.
Ken understands that the people driving St. Petersburg’s economy and quality of life – mom and pop entrepreneurs, contractors, artists, teachers, and first responders – must not be priced out of St. Petersburg’s housing market. Smart growth and preserving what makes St. Pete great, requires innovative and inclusive public-private collaborations.
Ken believes strong leadership is inclusive and collaborative leadership. St. Petersburg does not need rigid, my-way-or-the-highway leadership. Rather, it needs a mayor who strives for consensus building and public buy-in. He will be a mayor to serve and listen to every corner of the city.
Ken understands that too many St. Petersburg residents are concerned about neighborhood safety — he will work to change that. A strong supporter of accountable law enforcement, he has and will continue to support competitive pay and benefits for officers and funding for essential infrastructure.
As a member and/or chair of multiple transportation agencies and committees, Ken has helped to shape improvements to our transportation system — from Sunrunner Bus Rapid Transit, to the Gateway Express, local roads and the Pinellas Trail. Providing diverse transportation options, including bikes and safe pedestrians pathways, will be a priority under the Welch administration. [4] |
” |
| —Ken Welch’s campaign website (2021)[5] | ||
Noteworthy events
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| Coronavirus pandemic |
| Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more.
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Welch announced on January 3, 2022, that he tested positive for COVID-19. He said he was vaccinated at the time he contracted the virus.[6]
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate Mayor of St. Petersburg |
Officeholder Mayor of St. Petersburg |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Florida Politics, "It’s official: Ken Welch is running for St. Pete Mayor," January 15, 2021
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "In mayoral run, Ken Welch wants St. Petersburg to achieve 'inclusive progress,'" June 19, 2021
- ↑ Ken Welch for Mayor, "About Ken," accessed December 11, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ken Welch’s campaign website, “Principled Progress,” accessed September 15, 2021
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "St. Petersburg mayor-elect Ken Welch has COVID-19. His inauguration will be virtual," January 3, 2022
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Mayor of St. Petersburg 2022-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Pinellas County Commission District 7 2000-2020 |
Succeeded by René Flowers (D) |
