St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch Highlights Strength and Resilience at 2026 State of the City Address

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch Highlights Strength, Resilience, and Continued Progress at 2026 State of the City Address

Feb. 18, 2026 - Today, Mayor Kenneth T. Welch delivered the 2026 State of the City address from the Palladium Theater. The State of the City included accomplishments from 2025 and highlighted strength, resilience, and continued progress for the upcoming year.

"2025 was a year of recovery and as we continue in 2026, the State of our City is strong, resilient, and focused on continued progress," said Mayor Kenneth T. Welch. "Our commitment to Principled and Inclusive Progress is part of our DNA. And as our city grows and evolves, we will continue to plan and act in ways that ensure everyone can participate in and benefit from that progress."

The Program

• Pre-program music was presented by Alejandro Arenas' Trio Mixtura and vocalist Allison Nash.

• The State of the City program began with a montage video of highlights from the past year that illustrate the City's progress.

• St. Pete Police and St. Pete Fire Rescue Honor Guards presented the colors.

• The Pledge of Allegiance was led by students from the Cathedral School of St. Jude.

• Allison Nash was backed by Alejandro Arenas' Trio Mixtura for the National Anthem.

• Invocations were provided by faith leaders Imam Mounir Bourkiza, School Principal of Arqam's Academy; Rev. Dr. Kenneth F. Irby, Faith and Community Justice Liaison for the City of St. Petersburg; and Rabbi Philip Weintraub from Congregation B'nai Israel of St. Petersburg.

• Students from Arts Conservatory for Teens gave a special performance.

• Denzel Johnson-Green, the City's newly-appointed Poet Laureate, debuted his poem entitled "The Spider-Woman of St. Pete."

• St. Pete City Council Chair Lisset Hanewicz spoke on behalf of City Council.

• Mayor Welch delivered his State of the City address to the audience.

• Mayor Welch's remarks featured videos with residents who directly benefited from City programs and initiatives throughout the year.

The Principles & Pillars

Mayor Welch's Principles, also known as the "Six I's," have guided the mayor's administration during his tenure: In-touch Leadership, Inclusive Governance, Informed Decision Making, Innovation, Intentional Equity, and Community Impact. The Principles support the City's five Pillars for Progress: 1) Education and Youth Opportunities; 2) Equitable Development, Arts and Business Opportunities; 3) Neighborhood Health and Safety; 4) Housing Opportunities for All; and 5) Environment, Infrastructure and Resilience.

"These guiding principles, along with our pillars for progress, set the framework of our City team's work," said Mayor Welch. "Everything we do - our planning, budgeting, and operations - reflects these principles and pillars. And our commitment to equity is foundational to our work."

More information on Mayor Welch's Principles and Pillars for Progress is available at https://www.stpete.org/mayor.

Accomplishments from 2025

In 2025, Mayor Welch's administration focused on recovering from the back-to-back storms of 2024 and continuing to make progress on key City programs and investments.

"Over the past year, we have continued the hard work of recovery," said Mayor Welch. "We have moved with urgency, but also with intention, knowing that resilience is not simply about restoring what was - it is about preparing for what lies ahead."

• In 2025, 434 multifamily affordable/workforce units, 122 accessory dwelling units, and 24 affordable homes were completed and 189 affordable townhomes were in development on city-owned land.

• St. Petersburg became the first city in Florida to adopt the "Yes in God's Backyard" provision, which empowers faith-based organizations to use underutilized land to expand affordable housing opportunities.

• The City's library system reopened the President Barack Obama Main Library in September 2025 and launched the St. Pete Bookmobile.

• The Early Learning Literacy Guide connected more than 1,000 St. Pete families to free literacy tools and City libraries engaged nearly 18,000 youth through reading, play, and learning activities.

• St. Pete Parks and Recreation provided safe, engaging spaces for teens and launched the Friday Night Teen Flex program.

• The City launched a new five-year partnership with the USF College of Marine Science to support the Clam Bayou Marine Education Center, providing $100,000 annually to give local students and educators access to hands-on learning experiences.

• The Mayor's Future Ready Academy began working with its fourth cohort in 2025. The Mayor's Future Ready Academy is an innovative job-training program providing full-time pay, benefits, and additional certification at Pinellas Technical College.

• To reduce childhood homelessness and support young people during critical transitions, the City created targeted programs that promote housing stability and long-term opportunity - investing $260,000 in the Childhood Homelessness Project and $1 million ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) dollars in Youth Opportunity Grants.

• City teams continued their focused work to make neighborhoods healthier and safer. As a result, total crime in general was down 16 percent in 2025 and St. Pete recorded the lowest number of homicides since 1967.

• The St. Pete Community Support Hub served 573 residents with mental health, navigation and outreach services and expanded access with the opening of a second location.

• Rapid Resolution funding provided over $60,000 to 29 residents for critical needs such as rent and utility payments, helping prevent eviction and displacement.

• Through contributions totaling more than $1 million made to the We Are St. Pete Fund, more than 200 residents and 20 small businesses received direct financial assistance to support hurricane recovery.

• Storm-related repairs advanced steadily across major City facilities, with projects at Tropicana Field, Bear Creek Canal, Lake Vista Recreation Center, 5th Avenue North Seawall, Eden Isle Seawall, and Al Lang Stadium completed within budget.

• The City launched the St. Pete Agile Resilience Plan (SPAR), fast-tracking infrastructure projects and advancing more than $545 million in long-term budgeted investments.

• In 2025, 89 resilience and infrastructure projects were completed, delivering more than $47.3 million in improvements while coming in $5.7 million under budget, resulting in approximately 12 percent cost savings for taxpayers.

• Critical infrastructure hardening continued at water and wastewater facilities, including elevating electrical equipment, and installing flood barriers at the Northeast Water Reclamation Facility and Lift Station 85.

• The City launched major flood-mitigation projects in some of the most storm-vulnerable areas, including Basin C improvements, pump station upgrades, lake enhancements, and new backflow installations, with additional projects scheduled to begin in FY 2026.

• The City invested $4.5 million in disaster relief and housing stabilization to address urgent repairs, launched a new Private Lateral Lines Program for homeowners to inspect and repair sewer laterals through one-time rebates, and completed an Advanced Metering Infrastructure pilot program enabling faster leak detection after storms.

• The City improved how residents and visitors move through St. Petersburg by investing in safer streets, smoother traffic flow, and expanded mobility options.

• The City modernized key facilities to improve efficiency and incorporate sustainable features that support reliable public services, including a new laboratory at the Water Resources Department complex and the construction of the new Benjamin F. Shirley Sr. Building at the Joseph E. Savage Sanitation complex.

• The Building Department processed more than 54,000 permits representing $1.44 billion in construction activity.

• Following the hurricanes of 2024, the City took action to help residents and businesses rebuild and recover through targeted permitting relief and direct financial support. The City waived fees for Post Disaster Emergency Permits, issuing 15,635 permits and providing $3.03 million in fee relief.

• The City reached an agreement to acquire a one-mile CSX rail segment to extend the Booker Creek Trail north from the Historic Gas Plant site, creating new recreational access and future commercial opportunities along the corridor.

• The City invested $200,000 in 40 Individual Artist Grants to help local artists sustain their work and grow creative businesses. Level Up Arts Grants helped 10 small nonprofit arts organizations carry out community-based projects, youth programs, and cultural storytelling.

• The South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area Microfund Program concluded after supporting 196 small businesses with education, mentoring, and $1.4 million to implement growth plans without upfront capital.

"St. Petersburg is not defined by the challenges we face, but by the strength of our people and the direction we choose together," said Mayor Welch. "When storms tested us, this community showed its character. From removing record amounts of debris, to repairing the Trop, hardening our infrastructure, and successfully garnering record grant funding for our community, we've proven we can take on big, complex challenges successfully."

More information on 2025 accomplishments can be found in the City's annual progress report, available here: https://www.stpete.org/mayor#reports

Priorities for 2026

In 2026, Mayor Welch's administration will continue to focus on the essential work of building a stronger, more resilient St. Pete. With focus on inclusive progress, priorities include:

• Supporting new technology and innovation by improving City technology platforms. With the implementation of the Tyler suite, decades-old technology will be replaced and improve multiple systems from billing to permitting.

• Moving forward on major enterprise projects, including the Manhattan Casino and the Municipal Marina.

• Focusing on infrastructure resilience and preparing for a $600 million referendum for sewer system upgrades, flooding solutions, and other neighborhood improvement projects.

• Continuing to administer the $160 million Sunrise St. Pete program, with the first round of assistance anticipated to go out to applicants in mid-March.

• Expanding Housing Opportunities for All by bringing on additional affordable and workforce housing units. To date, there are 238 workforce units under construction and 571 affordable units under construction, with many of these units coming to completion before the end of 2026.

• Completing Tropicana Field repairs before MLB Opening Day in April 2026.

• Evaluating redevelopment proposals and forging ahead on the Historic Gas Plant District Redevelopment project.

"In the year ahead, we will continue doing the work that matters most - creating opportunity, protecting neighborhoods, strengthening infrastructure, expanding access, and ensuring that growth benefits everyone who calls this city home," said Mayor Welch. "We will stay focused, we will continue the work, and we will stay committed to progress that is principled, inclusive, and built to last."

A full copy of Mayor Welch's remarks and the City's annual progress report can be found at https://www.stpete.org/mayor#reports.

PHOTOS: https://stpete.canto.com/b/OQGRC

VIDEOS SHOWN DURING MAYOR WELCH'S REMARKS: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1P8mOfOLBsDezv3W4YQ3xNPR7gbCEnL08?usp=share_link