Spotlight On: Kenneth Welch, Mayor, City of St. Petersburg

Key points:

• • St. Petersburg is balancing hurricane recovery with long-term investments in infrastructure and resilience.
• • The city is proposing major upgrades to stormwater and water systems to address rising climate risks.
• • Mayor Kenneth Welch says regional collaboration and community engagement remain central to the city’s progress.

May 2026 — Invest: spoke with Kenneth Welch, mayor of the City of St. Petersburg, about how the city is navigating storm recovery while advancing long-term growth and resilience. “The key word is progress,” Welch said.

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What key changes over the past year have had the greatest impact on the city?

The last 18 months since hurricanes Helene and Milton have been about recovery. We are well down the road, but there is still significant work to do, with more than 15,000 homes and businesses impacted, ranging from minor damage to total devastation. There are pockets of the city that still need meaningful support.

We are working at the federal, state, and local levels to provide assistance, including the $160 million we were allocated through the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery fund. That funding will help strengthen infrastructure and provide financial assistance to residents for home repair and even elevation.

We remain focused on continuing the progress we have seen while building greater resilience. Whether it is supporting neighborhood businesses, helping residents recover, or addressing major projects like rebuilding Tropicana Field, the work spans many levels. Getting the stadium repaired on an aggressive timeline so the Rays could return had a significant economic impact on the city.

We are proud of how the community has come together and how the city has performed in connecting people to resources while tackling major challenges like debris removal and infrastructure repair. We remain in a progress and resiliency mode.

What specific projects or investments are being prioritized to strengthen resilience?

The concept of resilience has evolved significantly based on what we have experienced. I am the first mayor to face this level of storm impact. We had situations where we had to shut down two of our three sewer plants because of storm surge levels we had never seen before.

That raised a fundamental question: how do we upgrade our infrastructure to handle the level of environmental challenges we are now facing? Much of our infrastructure was built for moderate impacts projected decades into the future. Instead, we are experiencing more severe impacts right now.

We are seeing flooding in areas that have never flooded before. We are dealing with aging infrastructure that was not designed for this level of stress. That is what led to the St. Pete Agile Resilience plan. The idea is that we must be flexible and adaptive, building systems that can respond to changing conditions rather than relying on static assumptions.

Our goal is to upgrade infrastructure to handle up to 15 feet of storm surge so we do not have to shut systems down during that level of major storms. That includes investments in plants, pipes, and pumps, as well as neighborhood-specific solutions depending on the type of flooding each area faces.

We are proposing a $600 million investment, likely through a referendum, similar to the long-standing Penny for Pinellas model. This would be dedicated to stormwater and water infrastructure, including digital water meters, plant upgrades, and targeted neighborhood programs.

We are a peninsula within a peninsula, with more than 40% of our land in a coastal high-hazard area. If we want to sustain our economic growth, we have to ensure our infrastructure is built to handle the realities we are facing today.

How are regional partnerships evolving to support major initiatives?

Regional collaboration across Tampa Bay is strong. We work closely with partners through organizations like the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council and the Tampa Bay Partnership. We also participate in international missions to promote the region as a unified economic hub.

Leaders from Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Pasco counties, along with mayors from across the region, regularly coordinate efforts. While each city has its own identity, we are stronger when we present ourselves as a unified Tampa Bay region.

That collaboration is critical when competing with other regions for investment. By aligning our messaging around workforce, education, infrastructure, and quality of life, we can present a more compelling case to businesses and investors.

How is the city strengthening community engagement and ensuring residents remain involved?

Community engagement is central to how we operate. Two of our guiding principles are being inclusive and staying in touch with residents. We have created several initiatives to bring City Hall into the community rather than requiring residents to come to us.

One example is City Hall on Tour, where we bring all 25 city departments to neighborhood locations. Residents can speak directly with staff from different departments while also participating in a community event. We even incorporate local food vendors to create a welcoming environment.

We also host Coffee with Ken, where residents can sit down with me and discuss any issue. In addition, we hold quarterly breakfast meetings with neighborhood associations and organize Word with Welch sessions that bring together specific community groups to discuss targeted issues.

These efforts allowed us to build trust before the storms, which proved invaluable afterward. We were able to use these same channels to communicate recovery resources effectively because residents were already familiar with and trusted the process.

What are your key priorities for the next two to three years?

The key word is progress. That has always been my focus, and it remains the guiding principle moving forward. We have to remain flexible and responsive to the challenges that arise.

Over the past several years, we have faced COVID-19, multiple hurricanes, and major shifts in economic conditions. Each of those events has required us to adapt while continuing to move the city forward.

Resilience will now be embedded across all of our priorities, including housing, economic development, infrastructure, the environment, youth services, and public safety. We have identified gaps in both our infrastructure and our systems, including permitting and water billing, and we are upgrading those with modern technology.

We are also continuing to advance major projects like the redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District. While the initial agreement did not move forward as planned, we now have development rights back and are reviewing strong proposals. This puts us in a better position to shape that development in alignment with community priorities.

Ultimately, resilience is the foundation for everything else. Our economy cannot function without reliable infrastructure. By strengthening that foundation, we can continue to drive economic growth and deliver on opportunities for jobs, housing, and community development.

Despite the challenges, I am optimistic. We have a strong team, we are making data-driven decisions, and we are committed to building a more resilient and prosperous St. Petersburg.

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