St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch’s approval rating among voters is higher than his disapproval rating, but only barely, all but inviting a challenger to step up and exploit his weaknesses.

A St. Pete Polls survey commissioned by Florida Politics finds that shy of 38% of respondents approve of the job Welch is doing as Mayor, with more than 34% disapproving. This 3.4 percentage point margin puts Welch’s approval rating within the poll’s margin of error.

I don’t recall a Mayor ever having that many constituents against them in recent St. Pete history. But what’s perhaps even worse for Welch is the number of people who aren’t sure whether they approve or disapprove of the Mayor’s job performance, at nearly 28%.

And to put that even further in perspective, the last time an incumbent Mayor l

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