Hours Mayor Welch Spends At St. Pete City Hall Questioned: Report

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — An investigation by the Tampa Bay Times found that Mayor Ken Welch only went to St. Petersburg City Hall 34 percent of his workdays since taking office in January. The news outlet reviewed his key swipes from Jan. 6 — the date of his inauguration — to Sept. 7, learning that the mayor entered the building on 60 workdays during the time.

The Times also learned that Welch slept in his own home on Sept. 28, the night that conditions from Hurricane Ian were at their worst locally. Other staff members, including his interim chief of staff, the city administrator, communications workers and other employees, spent the night at the city’s emergency operations center, which is located at the St. Petersburg police headquarters, according to reports.

“If folks are expecting me to be tethered to my office and City Hall 24/7, that’s not the way that I approach it,” he said. “I’m here when I need to be. We meet virtually, when that makes sense. And I’m out in the community. … I just want to be clear that the taxpayers are getting their money’s worth. Every waking moment I’m working for this city.”

Read the full story at the Tampa Bay Times.