Ken Welch

Portrait of Ken Welch
City of St. Petersburg, FloridaSourcePublic domainOriginal image retained; resized only.

Ken Welch is the mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida, and a former Pinellas County commissioner. He is seeking another term as mayor in 2026.

What we have documented

We have documented 1 statement by Ken Welch, in 1 case. Each statement below gives the quotation, its original source and a link to the full case.

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Statements by Ken Welch

Portrait of Ken Welch

Ken Welch

Role at the time: St. Petersburg mayor and 2026 candidate for reelection

Defended or excused

Statement summary

Welch defended continued use of St. Petersburg's Flock cameras, arguing that they help police and that the city has privacy protections.

“Let's talk about it without throwing out a tool that is helping us track down people that make us less safe as a community”
Open the original interview (opens in a new tab)Crist calls for Flock camera moratorium, Welch defends use
Why we used this label

The reference point is whether networked license-plate reader systems such as Flock should exist and be used. Welch said the city should talk about the cameras without throwing out a tool that helps police track down people who make the community less safe. Keeping the cameras fits Defended.

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.

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