Charlie Crist's no-show looms over St. Petersburg mayor forum

State of play: Suncoast Tiger Bay, a nonpartisan political club known for hosting discussions with Tampa Bay's elected leaders and candidates, invited all six contenders to Tuesday's ticketed event at the James Museum.

• That morning, Crist's team announced the former governor wouldn't attend, citing the ticket cost as a barrier to civic engagement. Tickets cost $25 for members and $35 for non-members. Memberships are $200 a year.
• Instead, Crist, who has the fundraising advantage in the race, hosted a telephone town hall featuring call-ins from allies like former Florida House Rep. Frank Peterman and state Sen. Darryl Rouson. Organizers said it drew 7,500 callers.

Inside the room: Tiger Bay executive director J.C. Pritchett II kicked off the forum, explaining that the ticket fees go toward the cost of meals provided for attendees.

• "We have opened up this space to be the public square to have these conversations, which are very important to our city," Pritchett said. "Unfortunately, one of the candidates chose not to participate."
• Five candidates were seated across the stage, alongside an empty sixth chair.

Zoom in: During a Q&A with Tiger Bay members, the candidates were asked what they'd say to Crist if he were there.

• They hammered a platform they described as vague and laden with platitudes and Crist's absence from St. Pete after his failed bid for governor in 2022. (He split his time between his hometown and his fiancée's house in Minnesota, the Tampa Bay Times reported).

• Incumbent Mayor Ken Welch also called on his opponent to condemn a social media post by Peter Schorsch, publisher of FloridaPolitics.com and the husband of Crist's campaign manager Michelle Todd Schorsch.

Friction point: The now-deleted post suggested that Welch, who has been married for 35 years, had an affair with his former deputy mayor, Creative Loafing reported.

• Welch called it "a disgusting and flat-out lie" in a video he shared Monday on Facebook.
• Crist told Axios on Wednesday that he's "not commenting on it because I don't know what the heck the facts are."

What they're saying: "It's unfortunate that the mayor is lashing out and trying to drag me into something between him and Peter," he said.

• "I don't care about the mayor's personal life. It's irrelevant to me. What's relevant to me is his performance as mayor."