St. Pete Mayor Kenneth Welch’s political action committee (PAC) filed its second quarter (Q2) campaign contributions, totaling $114,000, albeit after the required June 10 deadline. The late filing adds to a history of PAC-related mishaps that have marked Welch’s first term as mayor.
According to the report, three developers made significant contributions to Welch’s PAC: $50,000 from Sun Labs USA, $25,000 from Altis Cardinal Skytown LLC, and $25,000 from Reza Yazdani. These donations account for nearly 88% of the PAC’s total fundraising during the reporting period and all come from individuals or entities tied to significant development activity in St. Petersburg.
Developer Ties to City Projects
Sun Labs USA is registered to Srujani Pagidipati, a well-known bay area entrepreneur who invests in philanthropic projects. Pagidipati is also a co-founder of Ellison Development, which is competing for the Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment project. Altis Cardinal Skytown LLC is developing a 34-acre mixed-use project in the Skyway Marina District, while Reza Yazdani is behind the Marina Bay Development Group and the 67-acre Marina Bay community.
The large donations from these developers have raised questions about the appearance of fairness in the city’s redevelopment process. While the contributions may be legal, they create an appearance problem that can undermine public confidence in the process.
Original reporting: St. Pete Catalyst — read the source article.
