Peter Schorsch
It’s been a rough several months for St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, and the troubles faced in that time are likely why Welch saw a bit of a backslide on the list of Tampa Bay’s Most Powerful Politicians, from No. 4 last year to No. 10 this year.
But make no mistake, while Welch has had to navigate challenges and public frustration over back-to-back hurricanes and the resulting debris problem, and from the tanked stadium deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, St. Pete’s Mayor knows how to get back up again, and he’s already began his ascent.
There’s not a lot of winning to be had when a hurricane skirts the Gulf Coast and brings storm surge high enough to inundate entire neighborhoods, as happened with Hurricane Helene in late September. And it’s even harder to win when another hurricane comes along just a couple of weeks later, bring tropical storm-force winds strong enough to tear the roof from the iconic domed Tropicana Field stadium. It gets harder still when that specific damage directly leads to the unraveling of a historic deal reached after well over a decade of failed attempts.
But those are the mountains Welch has had to climb over the past nine months. It hasn’t been easy for the Mayor, or his staff.
“Leading the city through the two worst storms in hit our region in a generation, Ken Welch has persevered and helped position St. Pete as a leader in recovery efforts across the state,” said Preston Rudie, Founder and CEO of Catalyst Communications Group. “He has also cleared the deck with regard to the Historic Gas Plant District — bringing back development rights to the City and allowing for maximum flexibility moving forward after the Rays terminated their agreed-to deal with the City and County for a new stadium.”
While Helene was about 100 miles offshore from Pinellas County, and wind was only a minor concern during the storm, flooding in coastal and low-lying areas throughout the city led to giant mounds of debris as people dragged the waterlogged contents of their homes to curbs. The scenes of people’s entire lives being stacked along streets was heartbreaking, but it was only the beginning of Welch’s troubles.
As the city was working with state and federal officials on storm recovery, including debris collection, another storm was brewing. As Hurricane Milton got closer and closer, the reality set in — what if a storm hits the city and all these debris piles are still here? The mounds sat like ticking time bombs, waiting for hurricane-force winds to send them as dangerous projectiles as residents hunkered down for round 2.
“’We Are St. Pete’ isn’t just a slogan, it’s a part of a proud and effective leadership strategy that has elevated the City of St. Petersburg under Mayor Welch,” said U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, referencing the Mayor’s token slogan. “His ability to partner at the local, state, and federal levels, has continued to pay dividends with more resources and opportunities for residents.”
And with collaboration at his side, the city, under Welch’s leadership, did its best to collect as much debris as possible before Hurricane Milton made landfall in early October, but with landfall just south of the city, driving winds from strong storm bands created even more. In the aftermath, as many residents were still staring down giant mounds of household items and various yard debris, people started calling them “Welch piles.”
And the trouble was still not done. Faced with home turf that now had a moon roof, the Rays had to find an alternative place to play the 2025 season. They chose Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, and the decision rankled some in Pinellas County, who felt snubbed. There were a series of delays to the already approved deal between the city, county and Rays development team to build a new baseball stadium and surrounding development. Bonds needed for the plan were eventually approved, but the Rays claimed the delays drove up project costs too much, and backed out, taking with them what was to some Welch’s legacy.
But while none of that sounds particularly promising for St. Pete’s Mayor, consider the resiliency it takes to weather those storms — both figuratively and literally — and still keep showing up for the people of the city.
Welch perked himself up and got to work. The debris piles were eventually all cleared, and a temporary dumping ground on the west side of the city is now completely cleared. The future of the Rays is still an open-ended question, but Welch and his team are still working on it, even if they’re doing so quietly.
And Welch got to work on something else, too — finding legislative victory in the face of partisanship that he finds himself on the wrong side of these days. As a Democrat (though his position is technically nonpartisan), it’s not easy for Welch to snatch victory in a GOP-dominated Legislature. Yet, he managed.
The city celebrated a trio of victories in this year’s Legislative Session, including provisions limiting wake on flooded streets, increasing affordable housing opportunities and improving building safety during storms.
Victories include passage of a bill originally sponsored by state Sen. Nick DiCeglie (SB 350) and state Rep. Lindsay Cross (HB 241) that was ultimately passed through a larger transportation package from DiCeglie and state Rep. Fiona McFarland (SB 462).
Another measure establishes a “Yes In God’s Backyard” (YIGBY) policy, which allows churches to build affordable housing on properties they own regardless of zoning. On that push, Welch’s administration worked with Cross.
Welch’s administration also partnered with DiCeglie and Cross to successfully pass a measure (SB 180) to improve safety related to building cranes, which often tower hundreds of feet into the air for construction projects. It establishes a set of best practices for contractors operating cranes ahead of, and during, storms.
The legislation came after a crane in downtown St. Pete toppled during Hurricane Milton, causing significant damage to a nearby historic building.
And Welch has shown that even though his personal politics are at odds with leaders in Tallahassee and in our nation’s capital, he’s not willing to cave entirely to their agendas. As diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the private and public sectors crumble across the nation amid a new presidential administration intent on dismantling them, Welch made clear during his annual State of the City address that he would maintain his commitment to equity, referencing the St. Petersburg Police Department’s “Courageous 12,” a group of police officers who defied city segregation that required them to work only in predominantly Black neighborhoods by filing a civil rights lawsuit.
“Being informed of that history doesn’t demonize us today, or separate us, or harm us, or cause airplane crashes,” Welch said at the time to applause.
Welch will face reelection next year, offering another test of his political influence and power. Unlike the Tampa Mayor’s race, which is not until 2027, Welch’s 2026 re-election hasn’t drawn much speculation yet about possible challengers. A Republican candidate will no doubt emerge to attempt to capture the executive office that has been blue since former Mayor Bill Foster left office, and there have been rumors that at least some Democrats would like to see another option on the ballot, but nothing solid has so far materialized.
That could be an indication of Welch’s staying power. But for now, St. Pete’s Mayor still finds himself in the Top 10.
“During his time as Mayor, Ken Welch has delivered affordable housing for residents who make St. Pete work, backed public safety with action by investing in infrastructure, youth programs, and resources for our Police and Fire departments, and led the City in recovery from last year’s storms — accelerating debris removal and City support for families and business,” Castor said.
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A special thanks to RSA Consulting Group, the sponsor of this year’s rankings.
As for methodology, we define the Tampa Bay region as Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco, but we can also include Hernando, Polk or Sarasota if the politicians from those counties impact either Pinellas or Hillsborough.
We define a politician as being in office or running for office.
Being first on a panelist’s list earns the politician 25 points, second earns them 24 points, and so on, to where being listed 25th earns a politician one point. Points are added and, voilà, we have a list.
We also want to thank our experienced and knowledgeable panelists, who were essential to developing the 2025 list: Vinik Family Office Chief of Staff Christina Barker; Mercury Public Affairs Managing Director Ashley Bauman; Matt Blair of Corcoran Partners; Reggie Cardozo of The Public Square; Stephanie Cardozo of The Southern Group; Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick managing partner Ron Christaldi; former state Sen. Janet Cruz; political consultant/strategist Barry Edwards; Vicidial Group President Matt Florell; Sunrise Consulting Group President Shawn Foster; businessman Michael Griffin; Clay Hollis of Tucker/Hall; Natalie King of RSA Consulting Group; Moffitt Cancer Center VP of Public Affairs and Communications Merritt Martin; former state Rep. Seth McKeel of The Southern Group; political consultant Chris Mitchell; Mike Moore of The Southern Group; RSA President and CEO Ron Pierce; Tucker/Hall CEO Darren Richards; political consultant Jim Rimes; political consultant Preston Rudie of Catalyst Communications Group; TECO VP of State and Regional Affairs Stephanie Smith; lobbyist Alan Suskey of Shumaker Advisors; Doyle Walsh, Chief of Staff for St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch; and Michelle and Peter Schorsch, publishers of Florida Politics.
