‘The people of St. Petersburg elected me to move our city forward, and that is my focus,’ expressed Mayor Ken Welch. The mayor and Fire Chief Keith Watts at Fire Station 9 in Lake Pasadena.
BY KENNETH T. WELCH | Mayor of St. Petersburg
ST. PETERSBURG — I’ve been blessed to serve for 23 years as an elected official. In that time, I’ve learned to appreciate the value of constructive criticism and healthy debate, and I encourage honest dialogue, as long as facts guide the conversation. However, I have also seen the damage that misinformation — “loud and wrong” as the saying goes — can have on progress.
That is why, as much as I value and utilize productive dialogue, including opposing viewpoints, I am equally resolute that I will not govern based on misinformation, rumors, social media posts, or politicized opinion columns, regardless of their source. The people of St. Petersburg elected me to move our city forward, and that is my focus. The evidence of our progress, particularly in the space of equity and equal opportunity, is self-evident.
Judge Pamela Campbell, Fire Chief Keith Watts, and Mayor Ken Welch at Watts’ swearing-in ceremony last November.
On June 20, St. Petersburg Fire Rescue (SPFR) held a promotional pinning ceremony for 12 individuals who had undergone a rigorous exam process and met the criteria to advance to the next position. In multiple Weekly Challenger opinion columns, Dr. Goliath Davis has made several unfounded and misleading accusations related to this ceremony and Chief Keith Watts’ leadership of the fire department that I will address in this response. It is unfortunate that Dr. Davis chose to criticize Chief Watts’ decision-making when a simple phone call to Chief Watts or me would have answered the “questions” Dr. Davis presented, supposedly from “the community.” I appreciate the Challenger providing me with this opportunity to provide the community with the facts on SPFR and our approach to increasing opportunities for advancement for minorities.
One conspiratorial comment was that I was absent from the promotional ceremony. The fact is that I attend as many promotional ceremonies as possible, including the probationary firefighter graduation the previous week, where a diverse class of 17 new recruits graduated from a 12-week new hire orientation class and joined the SPFR team of first responders. I would have attended the June 20 ceremony as well, however, my presence was requested at the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), annual meeting held in Tampa, where I served on a disaster management panel with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, State Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie, and two other mayors — the subject was disaster recovery and the future of FEMA, hence the importance of my participation on this critical panel. I have since been appointed to the USCM’s Intergovernmental Emergency Management Task Force. Again, my calendar is public, and a simple phone call to my office would have explained why I was not at the SPFR pinning ceremony.
Facts matter, and for those interested in the promotion process, including testing, within the St. Pete Fire Rescue organization, I will detail it below. However, the more pressing issue is that my administration has excelled in creating a diverse leadership team and instilling a culture of diversity and equal opportunity in the city organization, and will continue to do so. The hiring of Chief Watts was another example of our commitment to equal opportunity, as he is the first Black fire chief in St. Pete’s history.
Mayor Ken Welch and Fire Chief Keith Watts at the Hurricane Expo earlier this year.
Chief Watts has a plan for ensuring equal opportunity in the department, and in the eight months since he became chief, he has begun implementing it. In fact, Chief Watts was hired as a result of a recruitment process that emphasized the diversity of the department and opportunities for advancement for minorities and women. Of note, the president of the St. Petersburg NAACP chapter and the Tampa Fire Rescue chief, both of whom are African-American women, served as members of the fire chief interview panel.
Chief Watts’ plan is being implemented in his first year, and the approach is intentional. The goal is to increase diversity through a process that is fair and objective, expands minority recruitment, and builds the capacity of firefighters to acquire the skills and complete the testing required for advancement. In this era of anti-diversity rhetoric and laws, it is vital that we have a process that is intentional, objective, and sustainable.
Chief Watts has also unveiled an organization restructuring plan, released new leadership development and officer development guides, celebrated his first group of new hires in March, promoted 12 team members in June, and will recognize new fire cadets in July. He has supported the Fire Cadet program and is in the second year of Camp Ignite, a summer program for female high school students, most of whom participated in conjunction with the Pinellas County Urban League.
In terms of recruitment, Chief Watts has held a special recruitment night at Lakewood High School, appointed a diverse, six-member recruitment team that represents St. Pete Fire Rescue at community events and job fairs and collaborates with the department’s Inclusivity Council committee, and will be hosting an internal “Climbing the Ladder” job fair this fall. That’s in his first eight months as fire chief.
Intentional Equity has been one of my administration’s Guiding Principles from the start, and that has not changed. For the first time in the history of St. Petersburg, three African Americans simultaneously hold key leadership positions at the city: Keith Watts as the Chief of St. Pete Fire Rescue, Anthony Holloway as Chief of the St. Pete Police Department, and me as the mayor.
Chief Holloway has set the standard for equitable advancement opportunities in the St. Pete Police Department, and I have done the same as mayor with several high-level hires that were the first female or minority to serve in their respective positions, including administrators, directors, and the fire chief. Chief Watts will have similar success over time, but to expect massive results in less than a year is unrealistic. As mayor, I will support Chief Watts’ implementation of his plan without being impeded by a sideshow of misinformation and politics.
Additional Information on testing for St. Pete Fire Rescue
Fire Chief Keith Watts held a promotional ceremony on June 20, during which 12 firefighters were promoted.
The following tests are offered to St. Pete Fire Rescue personnel for career advancement: fire lieutenant, fire captain, and fire district chief. For each test, one must meet specific criteria to advance in the ranks. While colleagues and/or mentors might encourage their participation, individuals must self-determine whether they are prepared to take the annual exam. Each test taker’s score is considered in comparison to other test takers, and everyone on the eligibility list is qualified to be considered for advancement. It is imperative that firefighters take these tests and that we provide them with full access to tools and support, such as the department’s Leadership Development and Mentor Guides, to do so successfully.
The following is a review of test results from 2023 and 2024. No tests have been administered to date in 2025:
- Of the 13 people who took the 2023 Fire District Chief Test, two were white females. No Black males or females took the exam.
- In 2023, a Fire Lieutenant Test was not given due to the previous fire chief extending the June 2022 Fire Lieutenant List through June 2024.
- Of the 13 people who took the 2024 Fire District Chief Test, all were White males.
- Additionally, in 2023, the Fire Captain Test was not administered because there were no vacancies for fire captains.
- In 2024, of the 36 people who took the Fire Lieutenant Test, the highest-scoring Black male was promoted during the last promotional cycle.
- Also, in 2024, of the 13 people who took the Fire Captain Test, one was a White female, one was a Hispanic female, and one was a Black male.
My questions were answered. thank you Mayor Welch. Take the tests to get promoted….