Political committee backing Ken Welch misses campaign finance reporting deadline

The political committee backing St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch’s reelection campaign missed the latest campaign finance reporting deadline, adding another wrinkle to a fundraising operation that has already faced scrutiny this cycle.

St. Petersburg Progress, the political committee supporting Welch, missed its latest finance report deadline due to a family emergency, PC Chair Adrienne Bogen told Florida Politics.

“Due to a family medical emergency we will be filing a day late,” Bogen said.

The missed deadline comes as Welch works to build support for a second term in a race that includes former Gov. Charlie Crist — the fundraising leader with $1.6 million raised for the race — City Council Member Brandi Gabbard, former St. Petersburg Fire Chief Jim Large, Maria Scruggs, Kevin Batdorf and Paul Congemi.

The late report follows previous campaign finance issues tied to political committees supporting Welch. Florida Politics previously reported that Welch launched St. Petersburg Progress in January after his previous committee, The Pelican Political Action Committee, became mired in allegations that a former treasurer stole more than $200,000.

That took place after Welch’s first committee, Pelican PAC, had its registration revoked by the state in late 2024 after warnings and fines tied to missed, late or improper filings.

Welch trails Crist’s political operation in fundraising, and tension between the two candidates was palpable during the first St. Petersburg mayoral debate this week. 

In the first quarter, Welch raised just under $220,000 between his campaign account and St. Petersburg Progress — though $85,000 of that came from a transfer connected to a prior committee. Without the transfer, Welch raised about $135,000 in new money during the quarter.

Crist’s affiliated political committee, St. Pete Shines, raised nearly $500,000 in the first quarter and entered April with about $1.1 million on hand. The committee recently announced it had reached $1.6 million.

The election is August 18. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a likelihood given the number of candidates running, the top two finishers will advance to a November runoff.