St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said on June 1 that Charlie Crist’s proposal for deeper local property tax cuts could leave the city with “impossible choices” that would ultimately hurt families and communities.
Welch made his comments in response to a video posted by the Crist campaign, which called for reducing St. Petersburg’s property tax rate by 0.4 mills—an estimated $14.8 million cut for residents if Crist is elected mayor. “Charlie Crist is treating property taxes like a cable bill you can just cancel when you feel like it. The problem is these revenues fund critical services,” Welch said.
Welch argued that further reductions in local revenue would threaten public safety, storm recovery, and basic services such as police and fire protection. He said, “Cities cannot run on slogans and wishful thinking. This is the type of policy proposal you get from someone who’s spent more time in Minnesota and Washington DC than someone who is listening to the community.”
Crist responded by criticizing St. Petersburg for having what he called “the highest property tax rate in Pinellas County.” He pledged to deliver relief while protecting essential services: “We will make sure we protect the funds that we need for police, fire, storm recovery — all of the essentials… Working families get real relief, and that’s what they deserve.”
Local first responder union leaders echoed Welch’s concerns about potential impacts on emergency response capabilities if revenues are reduced further. Richard Pauley, President of St. Petersburg Association of Firefighters IAFF Local 747, said stable funding ensures departments have necessary resources: “Stable local funding is critical to ensuring departments have the personnel, equipment and resources needed to protect residents.” Sun Coast Police Benevolent Association President Jon Vazquez added, “Property taxes are how we are paid… Plain and simple, a drastic reduction or elimination of property taxes means that local governments will not be able to pay, equip, or train their law enforcement officers and fire personnel appropriately.”
Welch recently qualified for re-election as mayor amid a field including City Council Member Brandi Gabbard; former Fire Chief Jim Large; Kevin Batdorf; Maria Scruggs; and Paul Congemi. He continues to promote infrastructure upgrades through initiatives such as St. Pete Agile Resilience aimed at improving drainage systems.
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