Still, with mayoral elections approaching in St. Petersburg and Tampa, the political context cast each of their remarks in a different light. “This was a solution that they already knew what they wanted to say, that property taxes should be lowered. “They want to run on this issue of cutting property taxes, when in St. Pete 98.5% of our property taxes go for police and fire,” he said. Beyond taxes, Welch also addressed the future of the Historic Gas Plant District and the Tampa Bay Rays. She echoed Welch’s concerns about proposals to cut property taxes, warning that such measures would force cities to make difficult tradeoffs.