Mayoral hopefuls take aim at Welch in St. Pete’s first debate
- Mark Parker
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch spent most of his first debate absorbing blows from challengers. He also landed some counterpunches.
A capacity crowd of 125 people - dozens were turned away - attended Tuesday night’s mayoral debate, hosted by the St. Petersburg branch of the NAACP. Attendees inside the President Barack Obama Main Library’s auditorium heard the candidates clash over city spending, crisis response, and whether Welch’s administration has truly put residents first.
Another 230 people watched online as former Gov. Charlie Crist, two-term City Councilmember Brandi Gabbard, former NAACP branch President Maria Scruggs, and Kevin Batdorf, former president of the Shore Acres Neighborhood Association, sought to outline a brighter future for St. Petersburg under their leadership.
Welch faced an onslaught of barbs regarding storm recovery and preparation efforts, with he and Crist, who questioned his overnight availability at the city’s Emergency Operations Center, providing most of the night’s heated exchanges. “We need leaders who will be on the job,” Crist said. “I will be on the job.”
Welch noted that Crist was in Minnesota during an unprecedented 2024 hurricane season. “I just want Charlie to be more specific about how the response could be better," Welch said.
“You were not even in the state during those hurricanes, so what specifically are you talking about?” he added. “There were 15,000 damaged properties; no preparation would stop those properties from being damaged. I want you to be clear about how the response would have been better if you were in town?”
Crist, in a sharp rebuttal, said he and his fiancée were at their home in Shore Acres. “I’m disappointed in you, mayor.”
“Got to be more candid with folks, and be more honest, and take care of places like Shore Acres and Southside,” Crist continued. “You talk about what’s going on in the Gas Plant area, what’s changed?”
Crist later told attendees that several stakeholders “called me to be here to run, and I answered the call.” He also criticized the mayor for failing to bring a Moffitt Cancer Center campus downtown.
However, Crist admitted he did not know “all the ins and outs of what was going on” while noting that most people have lost a loved one to cancer.
Welch explained that Atlanta-based developer TPA Group was behind a proposal that included a 30-story luxury residential tower, a 14-story hotel, and a three-story cancer center. The firm offered to build 35 affordable and 35 workforce housing units in exchange for a $19 million discount on the land.
“They would not budge, they would not add additional affordable housing,” Welch said. “They also wouldn’t just make a payment that we put in our own affordable housing fund. We stood on principle.
“The governor [Crist] says he doesn’t know the ins and outs of the deal - well, you shouldn’t be talking about it.”
Scruggs, who uniquely chose to stand when speaking, and several others frequently bemoaned the administration’s perceived lack of transparency. She cited concerns over procurement processes, water billing issues, and staff bonuses, later rescinded, for those who worked on the previous Gas Plant redevelopment deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Scruggs also critiqued efforts to revitalize South St. Petersburg and questioned why she, a resident with extensive qualifications, has yet to be appointed to a city committee that represents the area. “It wasn’t until our communities became gentrified that we started to see some attention,” she said.
Gabbard, who took a more measured approach than other challengers, shared similar concerns. She said the city has overlooked food insecurity issues in South St. Pete for “far too long.”
“These are the kind of issues that everyday people are pleading with us to solve,” Gabbard said. “We can solve this challenge, and we can make life better for everyone who lives in the city of St. Petersburg.”
Welch noted that the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) has provided $70 million for hundreds of affordable housing units in the city. His administration inherited several challenges, he said, and “didn’t point the finger and blame earlier administrations.”
When asked if the city overlooks certain neighborhoods, Batdorf said, “If you piss off the mayor, you’re going to feel it.” He also criticized Gabbard for holding a “secret” storm recovery meeting, which she vehemently denied.
“So yeah, Shore Acres suffered after [Hurricane] Helene because I was very critical of the process of what was happening,” Batdorf said. “Services were withheld.”
Batdorf, who came across as affable but ill-prepared, drew a chorus of boos for his response to a question about police Chief Anthony Holloway signing an agreement to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“I believe that our police department needs to provide safety for all of our residents,” Batdorf said. “And if that means helping with taking criminals out of our city, then they have to do their job.”
Redevelopment of the Gas Plant was a frequent flashpoint. Crist, who has said he would work to keep the Rays in St. Pete, believes the failed deal is part of a “history of failures in the last five years of this current administration that I think a lot of people are tired of.”
“I’m not the only one running for this office; there’s quite a few of us up here,” Crist added. An attendee later questioned his lack of local engagement, given his criticism of the city’s problems.
Crist, in a partial answer, said that residents elected Welch five years ago and that he is now offering an alternative. “I’m in the game, and I’m on the field, and I’m doing it for you,” said the former congressman, governor, and attorney general.
Welch subsequently noted that the Rays, under former owner Stuart Sternberg, walked away from an arduously negotiated deal when local officials rebuffed their request for additional funding following the 2024 hurricane season.
“I stood on principle, and said, ‘Not another dime,’” Welch replied. “We were a traumatized community. Now we’re in better shape because we have all of that land back and the development rights the Rays had for 25 years.”
Gabbard, who mostly used the debate to outline her platform rather than critique, highlighted her efforts to pause the selection process for a Gas Plant developer. “The residents of this city deserve for us to have a comprehensive planning exercise that tells us the right move forward with the most vital resource we will ever have,” she said.
Gabbard also believes the heightened focus on that project was detrimental to the city. “We had very few wins because all of our eggs were in the basket of the Gas Plant,” she said.
As the candidates moved toward their closing remarks, the debate underscored a fundamental choice facing St. Petersburg voters. Welch advocated for continuity and proven leadership, emphasizing that his administration successfully navigated some of the most challenging years in recent history.
“I’m really going to push back on folks talking our city down,” Welch said. “Of course, they have to have something to run on, and they have to say how bad it is.”
The field of challengers argued for systemic reform. Whether through Crist’s emphasis on executive accountability, Scruggs’ demand for radical transparency, or Gabbard’s call for more integrated community advocacy, the candidates positioned themselves as a necessary change to ensure a brighter future.
“While the media would have you believe everything in St. Petersburg is beautiful, I contend it is not,” Scruggs said. “There is a lot of work to do.”
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