When the polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, St. Petersburg’s candidates will scatter across breweries, restaurants and a firefighters union hall to watch the primary election results come in.
The city’s mayoral election and the race for the open District 6 City Council seat are among the most closely watched local contests. The mayoral race is citywide, while only District 6 residents vote in that Council primary. District 6 has five candidates competing to replace term-limited Councilmember Gina Driscoll, with the top two advancing to November if nobody wins outright.
Here’s where several of the candidates and their supporters will spend election night.
Charlie Crist, Mayor
Charlie Crist is trying to add St. Petersburg mayor to a political résumé that has included Florida governor, attorney general, education commissioner and a seat in Congress.
Crist will gather with family, campaign staff and supporters at Cassis Restaurant St. Pete, 170 Beach Drive NE, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The campaign is advertising drinks and small bites, with Crist expected to speak after the votes are counted.
Ken Welch, Mayor
Mayor Ken Welch is seeking another term after five years leading City Hall. He faces Crist, Councilmember Brandi Gabbard, former St. Petersburg Fire Chief Jim Large, former Shore Acres Civic Association president Kevin Batdorf and former St. Petersburg NAACP president Maria Scruggs in the nonpartisan contest.
Welch will spend election night at the St. Petersburg Association of Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 747, 5240 First Ave. N.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., a half hour before polls close. His campaign says family, supporters, elected officials, community leaders and members of organized labor will attend, with Welch expected to deliver remarks once the results become sufficiently clear.
Brandi Gabbard, Mayor
Gabbard is making her bid for mayor after two terms representing District 2 on St. Petersburg City Council. Her decision to seek the city’s top job comes as term limits end her time in that Council seat.
Her campaign will hold its watch party at Outcast Brewing Company, 1776 11th Ave. N.
The party runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Jim Large, Mayor
Former St. Petersburg Fire Chief Jim Large is making his first run for elected office after spending 50 years with St. Petersburg Fire Rescue, including 18 years as chief. Large retired in 2024 and has leaned heavily on that experience during his campaign, with infrastructure, public safety and hurricane preparedness among his central issues.
Large will hold his election night watch party at St Petersburg Yacht Club, 11 Central Ave., from 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18.
Large is one of six candidates on the ballot in the nonpartisan mayoral primary, joining incumbent Ken Welch, Charlie Crist, Brandi Gabbard, Kevin Batdorf and Maria Scruggs. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
Maria Scruggs, Mayor
Maria Scruggs, a St. Petersburg native and former president of the St. Petersburg Branch NAACP, is seeking the mayor’s office after more than 40 years in public service and nonprofit leadership. Scruggs currently works as a jail administrator and is founder and CEO of the Phyllis Wheatley Rise to Read Campaign. She qualified for the mayoral ballot through petitions rather than paying the filing fee and has campaigned heavily on affordability, neighborhood investment and access to city government.
Scruggs is taking a more literal approach to election night. Her campaign is hosting what it calls a “good old fashioned house party” at 980 Melrose Ave. S. from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18. 980 Melrose Ave S
Scruggs is one of six candidates competing in the nonpartisan mayoral primary. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
Terri Balliet, City Council District 6
Balliet is one of five candidates competing for Driscoll’s open District 6 seat. She is the CEO of Children’s Network of Hillsborough and has centered much of her campaign on her executive experience and work with children and families.
Balliet is returning to Voodoo Brewing Co., 220 4th St. N., for election night. Her campaign kicked off at the same downtown venue.
The gathering begins at 6 p.m., an hour before polls close, with Balliet advertising “news and announcements” during the evening.
Linsey Grove, City Council District 6
Linsey Grove is one of five candidates seeking the District 6 seat being vacated by term-limited Councilmember Gina Driscoll. A Roser Park resident, Grove has a doctorate in public health, co-owns The Hypatia Collaborative and previously served as president of the League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area. Her campaign has focused on affordability, infrastructure, safer streets and greater access to city government.
Grove will hold her election night party at St Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, 559 Mirror Lake Drive N., from 7 to 10 p.m.
Grove qualified for the ballot by petition rather than paying the qualifying fee, collecting more than 650 petitions and knocking on more than 2,000 doors in the process, according to her campaign. She faces Terri Balliet, Doug Homeyer, Trevor Mallory and Jameka Williams in the Aug. 18 primary, with the top two finishers advancing to the November general election.
Doug Homeyer, City Council District 6
Homeyer is also seeking the District 6 seat in a five-person field that includes Balliet, Linsey Grove, Trevor Mallory and Jameka Williams. Homeyer is a financial services professional and founder and CEO of Benefits Plus Financial.
His campaign will gather at The Hangar Restaurant & Flight Lounge at Albert Whitted Airport, 540 1st St. S.
Homeyer’s watch party runs from 7 to 9 p.m., beginning as polls close.
Kyandra Darling, Florida House District 62
Kyandra Darling is seeking the open Florida House District 62 seat being vacated by Democratic Rep. Michele Rayner, who is running for the state Senate. Darling, a fourth-generation St. Petersburg native who previously worked in former Congressman Charlie Crist’s office and as a legislative aide at St. Petersburg City Hall, faces former state Rep. Wengay Newton in the Aug. 18 Democratic primary.
Darling will hold an election night watch party Tuesday, Aug. 18, from 6 to 9 p.m. The campaign is billing the gathering as a “victory party,” but is not publicly listing the location. Attendees must register through the campaign’s Mobilize page to receive the address.
The HD 62 race is particularly consequential because no Republican is running for the seat, meaning the Democratic primary is expected to determine Rayner’s successor.
Did we miss your watch party?
Poliverse is compiling election night gatherings for candidates appearing on Pinellas County ballots. If your campaign has a watch party that isn’t on this list, email aaron@cityverse.life with the candidate, race, location, address, start time and any attendance or RSVP information to get on the list.