ST. PETERSBURG, FL, Nov. 4, 2026 — Former Gov. Charlie Crist will be St. Petersburg's next mayor after defeating incumbent Mayor Ken Welch on Tuesday, winning about 62% of the vote to Welch's 38% with all precincts counted, WUSF reported. Welch conceded 36 minutes after the polls closed, according to WUSF.

"The voters have made a clear choice and selected a different mayor to move us forward. I wish Charlie Crist the best in his next administration," Welch said, according to WUSF.

Crist, 70, served as Florida's governor from 2007 to 2011. "People would say to me, 'You know, you've been governor. Why are you going to run for mayor?' Because it's home. It's hometown, and you know, home is where the heart is," he told WUSF. He also said, "It's a nonpartisan race, and I can't tell you how sweet that's been."

Speaking about his opponent, Crist said, "I want to thank him for serving and offering himself up to serve," according to the Tampa Bay Times, as republished by Tampa Bay Beacons. Welch told supporters, "The plan was approved but not the architect," the Times reported, referring to his program for the city.

How the race got here

Crist led August's primary with 35% to Welch's 20.5%, WUSF reported, sending the two into a runoff. The Times reported that Crist raised more than $2.75 million, a record for a St. Petersburg race.

Crist's party history came up throughout the campaign. He was elected governor as a Republican, later became an independent and then a Democrat, and WUSF reported he faced criticism for those switches. The mayor's race itself is nonpartisan.

Crist had the endorsements of all four living former mayors, Baker, Foster, Kriseman and Ulrich, Florida Politics reported. Welch, 62, was backed by the city's police and fire unions and by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor. (Florida Politics disclosed that the chair of St. Pete Shines, a political committee supporting Crist, is married to its publisher.)

Where the two stood

Florida Politics laid out the main differences between the candidates:

  • Taxes and spending: Crist proposed cutting the city's property tax rate by 0.4 mills, which he said would save taxpayers about $15 million a year, and promised an expert review of city operations without cutting police or fire. He said 262 city positions were added under Welch. Welch responded that many of those jobs are paid for by utility fees and other money rather than property taxes, and challenged Crist to say which ones he'd cut, the Clearwater Herald reported.
  • Affordable housing: Welch pointed to about 3,500 affordable units built or underway, with subsidies typically $60,000 to $78,000 per unit. Crist criticized the Deuces Rising project, which he said cost about $800,000 per unit with about $500,000 in public subsidy.
  • Storm recovery borrowing: Welch supported a proposed $600 million bond after hurricanes Helene and Milton. Crist opposed it.
  • The Tropicana Field site: Welch chose The Burg Bid to redevelop the site, a plan that includes the Woodson museum, a 13-acre park and a first phase of about 95 senior housing units. Crist wants a blue-ribbon panel to reconsider it.
  • The Rays and Moffitt: Crist said he'd keep talking with the Tampa Bay Rays and reopen talks with Moffitt Cancer Center. Welch said the city should move on without the Rays.
  • License plate readers: Crist said he'd suspend the city's Flock license plate cameras. Welch defended them and pointed to a privacy review.

Both candidates opposed Amendment 3, WUSF reported. Statewide, voters approved it, according to AP's projection.

What's next

The Times reported that a city stormwater and sewer referendum on the same ballot was on track to pass. The Tropicana Field site is 86 acres and becomes available when the Rays' lease ends after the 2028 season, the Clearwater Herald reported. The Rays have agreed to build a new stadium in Tampa, according to the Herald, which reported that Crist argued the city should keep pursuing the team until construction starts there, while Welch called that unrealistic.

Across the bay, Castor congratulated Crist on X. "Your love for St Pete shines bright, and I look forward to working together to make Tampa Bay even greater," she wrote, according to Florida Politics.

Results are unofficial until the Pinellas County canvassing board certifies them.

Sources: WUSF; Florida Politics; Tampa Bay Times via Tampa Bay Beacons; Clearwater Herald; AP (Amendment 3 projection).

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