Mayor Ken Welch

In his State of the City Address, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch celebrated achievements from 2024 and highlighted strength, unity, and resiliency for the upcoming year. He underscored key achievements in affordable housing, economic growth, workforce development, infrastructure, and community resilience.

Under Mayor Welch’s leadership, St. Petersburg made significant strides in housing affordability and economic support. In 2024, the city helped develop 281 new affordable housing units and provided critical repairs to 193 homeowners. Initiatives such as the Down Payment Assistance Program and the Renter Utility Relief Program eased financial burdens for residents, benefiting first-time homebuyers and thousands of renters. Small businesses also thrived, with $1.5 million in funding supporting nearly 200 companies implementing their newly developed business plans.

Economic growth remained strong, with $1.4 billion in new construction and the relocation of Foot Locker’s Global Headquarters, bringing over 150 high-paying jobs to the city. The city also invested in community and cultural initiatives, including $3.23 million in arts funding to offset state budget cuts. Meanwhile, the St. Pete Agile Resilience Plan set an accelerated approach for infrastructure improvements, aiming to advance $750 million in investments over the next five years to enhance climate resilience and sustainability.

In the future, the city will advance new workforce housing projects in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and break ground on developments at the former Ceridian and Raytheon sites, each adding 100 affordable housing units. The city will expand support for small businesses through the Office of Supplier Diversity and launch a new Technical Assistance Program. Additionally, sustainability remains a top priority, with the upcoming opening of a net-zero energy Sanitation complex.

Watch the Mayor’s full remarks here.