08/13/2026
**St. Petersburg Mayoral Election: Our Candidate Assessment**
The Libertarian Party of Pinellas County hopes you’ve already determined who you wish to vote for Mayor of St. Petersburg on **Tuesday, August 18th**.
If you haven’t, here is **our assessment of the candidates**.
**This is not a formal endorsement of any candidate.** Our assessments are based in particular on the candidates’ responses to issues we consider important, including the use of Flock cameras.
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# # # **Kevin Batdorf — SATISFACTORY**
Mr. Batdorf is reasonably well-spoken and appears to have a sufficient background to handle being mayor.
He is extremely hesitant about Flock cameras, particularly regarding the distinction between deterrence and government surveillance. We personally find the deterrence aspect negligible in the face of mass surveillance.
However, he was decidedly concerned and hesitant about the issue, which we consider a passable stance.
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# # # **Charlie Crist — UNSATISFACTORY**
While we were unable to determine Mr. Crist’s position on Flock cameras, we would like to point out the following:
Mr. Crist has received a substantial amount of money for his campaign. Almost certainly, some sources of that money are expecting to profit off such an investment—and that profit will ultimately come from money spent by the City of St. Petersburg itself.
**Do you think St. Pete is going to get sufficient value from the tax money it will end up spending to benefit Crist’s benefactors?**
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# # # **Brandi Gabbard — NEUTRAL**
Mrs. Gabbard emphatically has no stance on Flock cameras, instead redirecting the issue to her intent to end the city’s 287(g) agreement.
She has also served for many years on the City Council, so she is clearly politically capable.
While we are amenable to her desire to end the 287(g) agreement, we would prefer that she also have a position on Flock cameras.
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# # # **Jim Large — UNSATISFACTORY**
Mr. Large’s administrative experience comes from leading the Fire Department.
He is not as adept at speaking and was willing to admit that he did not know enough about Flock cameras to have a position on the issue.
We are ambivalent about him.
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# # # **Maria Scruggs — NEUTRAL**
Mrs. Scruggs is a practiced speaker who is trained in public management.
She also admits that she does not know enough about Flock cameras to have a position on them.
We think she is probably best suited for a position as a city manager.
**Consider the potential differences in the job description between a city manager and a city mayor.**
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# # # **Ken Welch — SLIGHTLY UNSATISFACTORY**
If you are looking for more of the same in St. Pete, then we would encourage you to support Mr. Welch.
He is certainly responsive in communication and understands the challenges that the position has faced—and will face in the future, especially with the potential change to property taxes.
He did not have a position on Flock cameras, but took note of the issue and indicated that he would research it further.
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**Again, this is NOT a formal endorsement of any candidate.**
We encourage St. Petersburg voters to **do their own research, consider the issues that matter to them, and vote on August 18th.**
[1]: https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2026/07/27/local-man-protests-flock-cameras?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Bay area man protests Flock cameras"
For years, local law enforcement has maintained these cameras are only used to scan license plates and that privacy shouldn’t be expected on a public road.
