It’s no secret that workplace culture under St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has been questionable.

The writing was on the wall less than one year into his administration, when his then-Deputy Mayor resigned amid allegations of creating a culture of hostility and retribution. Welch claimed he didn’t know about those issues. But shortly after, a leaked letter from campaign staffers given to him before he was even elected showed he absolutely did.

And that wasn’t the only turnover. The senior staff member who leveled the allegations against former Deputy Mayor Stephanie Owens , former Communications Director Janelle Irwin Taylor (who, full disclosure, is now a senior staff member for Florida Politics) resigned due to the culture she divulged. And her successor, Bay News 9 r

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