Ken Welch and Ben Diamond Raise Money Amid Rumors Diamond Will Run for Mayor

ST. PETERSBURG — Ben Diamond may be considering a run for Mayor of St. Petersburg. Diamond has never confirmed this publicly, but rumors have circulated for months. Now Diamond has moved $35,000 from his Congressional committee, Ben Diamond for Congress, to his Florida PAC, Friends of Ben Diamond.

Friends of Ben Diamond also reported $2,890 raised by individuals in the quarter ending June 30th. This is the first time since 2023 that the PAC has reported more than $1,000 raised in a reporting period.

Meanwhile, incumbent Mayor Ken Welch has been even busier. In January of this year, Welch opened The Pelican Political Action Committee. This new PAC reported $75,000 raised from three institutional donors: R.A. Real Estate in New York, Green Savoree Racing Promotion in Indiana, and Sun Labs USA in Tampa. The new Welch PAC also raised $12,175 from other donors including Todd Pressman and Johnathan Stanton.

The Pelican Political Action Committee replaces Welch’s previous committee with a similar name: Pelican PAC. Pelican PAC, headed by consultant Reggie Cardozo, closed after months of Fail to File letters and Notices of Intent to Revoke from the state. Yolanda Brown, who served for a time as Treasurer of the old Pelican PAC, now serves as Chair, Treasurer, and Registered Agent for the new Pelican Political Action Committee.

As of June 30, Welch’s PAC is reporting $77,000 cash on hand and Diamond’s PAC is reporting $50,000 cash on hand. St. Petersburg’s next municipal elections will be held in the fall of 2026.