Ken Welch

Kenneth T. Welch (born August 15, 1964) is an American politician serving as mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida. A member of the Democratic Party, Welch served on the county commission of Pinellas County, Florida. Welch is the city's first African-American mayor. Early life and education Welch was born August 15, 1964, in St. Petersburg, Florida. His father, David, is a former member of the St. Petersburg city council and founded an accounting company, where Ken worked. Welch, a third-generation St. Petersburg resident, grew up in the Gas Plant District, which was repurposed to build Tropicana Field. Welch attended Melrose and Bay Point Elementary, Bay Point Middle School, and Lakewood Senior High School. He later attended University of South Florida where he studied accounting and received his bachelor's degree. He received his Master of Business Administration from Florida A&M University. Career After college, Welch returned to St. Petersburg as an accountant for Florida Power Corporation. He also served as Technology Manager for his father's small accounting firm. After years of community service, Ken became the first Commissioner elected to represent County Commission District 7 in St. Petersburg, only the second African American commissioner in the history of Pinellas County. He served on the county commission for 20 years. The Tampa Bay Times criticized him in 2018 for lobbying on behalf of his wife after she was fired from a publicly funded faith-based reading program. Questions were raised over expenditures she made on behalf of the organization.