Overview
- Candidates clashed at a St. Petersburg NAACP debate on June 10 over hurricane preparedness, transparency in procurement and rising utility bills, putting Mayor Ken Welch on the defensive.
- Charlie Crist pressed Welch on storm response and announced roughly $1.6 million raised while launching a six-figure vote-by-mail campaign that expands his reach citywide.
- Welch defended refusing more public money for the failed Rays stadium and acknowledged the $250,000 in bonuses to 17 officials as a mistake after the payments were later ruled illegal and clawed back.
- About 125 people attended the debate, former Fire Chief Jim Large did not appear, and challengers Maria Scruggs and Kevin Batdorf used the forum to spotlight steep individual water bills and neighborhood recovery gaps.
- With a July 28 follow-up debate and an August 18 primary on the calendar, Crist's fundraising and mail-ballot push matter because Pinellas County has high mail-voter use and a 2021 law requires voters to renew mail requests each cycle.