Ken Welch

Early life and education

Welch was born August 15, 1964, in St. Petersburg, Florida. His father, David, is a former member of the St. Petersburg city council and founded an accounting company, where Ken worked. Welch, a third-generation St. Petersburg resident, grew up in the Gas Plant District, which was repurposed to build Tropicana Field.

Welch attended Melrose and Bay Point Elementary, Bay Point Middle School, and Lakewood Senior High School. He later attended University of South Florida where he studied accounting and received his bachelor's degree. He received his Master of Business Administration from Florida A&M University.

Career

After college, Welch returned to St. Petersburg as an accountant for Florida Power Corporation. He also served as Technology Manager for his father's small accounting firm. After years of community service, Ken became the first Commissioner elected to represent County Commission District 7 in St. Petersburg, only the second African American commissioner in the history of Pinellas County. He served on the county commission for 20 years. The Tampa Bay Times criticized him in 2018 for lobbying on behalf of his wife after she was fired from a publicly funded faith-based reading program. Questions were raised over expenditures she made on behalf of the organization. Although the Times called the move an "obvious conflict of interest", Welch was "unrepentant" and insisted he was simply defending his wife. In October 2021, the Florida Ethics Commission found no probable cause that Welch misused his position while lobbying fellow elected officials

Mayoralty

Welch ran for mayor of St. Petersburg in the 2021 election. He defeated Robert Blackmon in the general election on November 2, and was sworn in to the role on January 6, 2022. He announced the cancellation of a previous request for proposals (RFP) for the Tropicana Field site where the Tampa Bay Rays play. Welch said a new RFP would include a stadium for the Rays and affordable housing.

Welch increased the amount of down payment assistance the city offered individuals that are first-time home buyers from $40,000 to $60,000.

Citing what he considered to be an insufficient amount affordable housing in the project's plans, Welch canceled approval of a redevelopment of city-owned land which had been approved prior to his mayoralty. The cancelled project would have included residential development, a hotel, and a Moffitt Cancer Center campus to downtown St. Petersburg. The denial was due to the quantity of affordable housing units that would accompany the development, with 35 of the 120 total units earmarked as income restricted not meeting goals. “This was a strategic decision based on community benefit, shared priorities and the significant value of the subject city land,” Welch said. “While we welcome the addition of this facility and hoped we could successfully negotiate this plan to meet our community benefit goals, negotiations did not meet needed affordable housing". In September 2024, the city announced developer Third Lake Partners was awarded a contract to purchase the site below appraised value for "condos, offices, shops and hotel space", despite the project having no affordable or workforce housing component at all.

Welch established a $500 monthly stipend for lower-paid municipal employees whose positions hold residency requirements. Approximately 250 employees were eligible at the time this was implemented.

Welch advocated for the city to study the impact of Albert Whitted Airport. Decommissioning the airport for recreation or development use has been proposed multiple times, dating back to 1935. The notion of reassessing the airport proved controversial among those who support retaining the airport.

The Junior League of St. Petersburg cancelled their Mayoral Ball, thrown for every Mayor since Rick Baker's reelection in 2006, when Welch declined to attend. The event was to be circus themed, titled "Under the Big Top", prompting third party accusations of racism and inappropriateness, as Welch is St. Petersburg's first Black mayor. Upon hearing of Welch's displeasure, the Junior League offered to change the theme, but did not receive a response from Welch or his team. "He has nothing to do with a circus, clowns, animals," said Rev. J.C. Pritchett, president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance. "He's a gentleman. A kind gentleman and a public servant."

Personal life

Welch and his wife, Donna, have two daughters.