{"id":23157,"date":"2026-06-11T17:34:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T17:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/11\/political-committee-backing-ken-welch-misses-campaign-finance-reporting-deadline-florida-politics\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T17:34:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T17:34:41","slug":"political-committee-backing-ken-welch-misses-campaign-finance-reporting-deadline-florida-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/11\/political-committee-backing-ken-welch-misses-campaign-finance-reporting-deadline-florida-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"Political committee backing Ken Welch misses campaign finance reporting deadline – Florida Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"

The political committee backing St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch\u2019s<\/strong><\/a> reelection campaign missed the latest campaign finance reporting deadline, adding another wrinkle to a fundraising operation that has already faced scrutiny this cycle.<\/span>
St. Petersburg Progress<\/strong><\/a>, the political committee supporting Welch, missed its latest finance report deadline due to a family emergency, <\/span>PC Chair<\/span> Adrienne Bogen<\/strong><\/a> told Florida Politics.<\/span>
\u201cDue to a family medical emergency we will be filing a day late,\u201d Bogen said.<\/span>
The missed deadline comes as Welch works to build support for a second term in a race that includes former Gov. <\/span>Charlie Crist<\/b><\/a> \u2014 the fundraising leader with <\/span>$1.6 million raised<\/b><\/a> for the race \u2014 City Council Member <\/span>Brandi Gabbard<\/b><\/a>, former St. Petersburg Fire Chief <\/span>Jim Large<\/b><\/a>, <\/span>Maria Scruggs<\/b><\/a>, <\/span>Kevin Batdorf<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Paul Congemi<\/b>.<\/span>
The late report follows previous campaign finance issues tied to political committees supporting Welch. Florida Politics previously reported that Welch launched <\/span>St. Petersburg Progress in January<\/b><\/a> after his previous committee, <\/span>The Pelican Political Action Committee<\/b><\/a>, became mired in allegations that a former treasurer stole more than $200,000.<\/span>
That took place after Welch\u2019s first committee, <\/span>Pelican PAC<\/b><\/a>, had its registration revoked by the state in late 2024 after warnings and fines tied to missed, late or improper filings.<\/span>
Welch trails Crist\u2019s political operation in fundraising, and tension between the two candidates was palpable during the first St. Petersburg mayoral debate this week.\u00a0<\/span>
In the first quarter, Welch raised just under $220,000<\/a><\/strong> between his campaign account and St. Petersburg Progress \u2014 though $85,000 of that came from a transfer connected to a prior committee. Without the transfer, Welch raised about $135,000 in new money during the quarter.<\/span>
Crist\u2019s affiliated political committee, St. Pete Shines, raised nearly $500,000 in the first quarter and entered April with about $1.1 million on hand. The committee recently announced it had reached $1.6 million.<\/span>
The election is August 18. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a likelihood given the number of candidates running, the top two finishers will advance to a November runoff.<\/span>
Jesse Mendoza is a Tampa Bay reporter for FloridaPolitics.com, focusing on the intersection of government, community, and the ground-level effects of the state’s political scene. He has extensively covered government accountability, environmental issues, hurricane response, and complex federal and state legislation. You can reach Jesse Mendoza at [email protected]<\/a> and on Twitter\/X @Reportographer.
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