It’s been more than a month since Maria Scruggs filed paperwork to challenge St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch next year, and over that time, she’s been talking to voters, honing her messaging and setting goals to take on what will no doubt be an underdog fight.

And it’s not her first rodeo. This will be Scruggs’ sixth time running for office, including a bid for Mayor in 2001, St. Pete City Council in 2005 and 2017 and Pinellas County Commission in 2004 and 2020.

She knows the road ahead is long, and she acknowledged a bid wasn’t always in the cards — she supported Welch in his 2021 race.

But after being approached by a few people about the prospect, Scruggs said she did a lot of praying, talking with her pastor, and ultimately set a deadline for God to send a message. He answered

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