A new independent St. Pete Polls survey found Charlie Crist widening his lead over Mayor Ken Welch in the St. Petersburg mayoral race, with Crist ahead 44% to 28% in a head-to-head matchup. The poll also showed Crist leading the six-candidate field with 31% support, rising to 35% with leaners, while no other candidate reached 13%. The survey of 379 likely voters was conducted July 18 and has a margin of error of plus or minus five percentage points.