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Extensive Media Enterprises Good Monday morning. St. Pete Polls has former Gov. Charlie Crist ahead of incumbent Ken Welch in the St. Petersburg Mayor’s race, and the voters who have already cast ballots are breaking harder for Crist than the ones who haven’t. Forty-two percent of likely voters say they have already voted. Crist leads them 60%-34%. Among the 58% still planning to vote, Welch is at 30%, with Crist at 45% and a quarter undecided. 
Charlie Crist leads Ken Welch in St. Petersburg polling, leaving the incumbent with some uncomfortable arithmetic. Asked whom they support, 51% pick Crist and 32% pick Welch, with 17% undecided. Add in leaners and Crist rises to 54%, Welch to 34%, and the undecided pool shrinks to 12%. Give Welch every undecided voter, and he finishes at 46%. Welch knows that 34%. A Tampa Bay Times review found he swiped into City Hall on 34% of workdays during his first eight months as Mayor, and his job approval rating was 34% — underwater — in June. Crist is even with Welch among Democrats, 46%-45%, and takes Republicans 62%-21% and independents 62%-29%. Black voters, who gave Welch a 55%-16% lead in March, now favor Crist, 45%-41%. It is the third St. Pete Polls survey since the Primary, and all three put Crist above 50%. The last one, taken Oct. 13, showed Crist at 53%-32%. ___ Tampa Electric has hired Crystal Lilly Pruitt as Regional Affairs Manager for its Storm Protection Program. Pruitt joins TECO from Duke Energy Florida, where she served as Senior Transmission Stakeholder Engagement Manager and supported major transmission and grid modernization projects statewide. She also held senior communications and public affairs positions with Sarasota County, Hillsborough County, and Pinellas County Schools. 
Crystal Lilly Pruitt takes on Tampa Electric’s storm protection mission. Mother Nature, consider yourself warned. "Crystal has strong experience managing grid modernization projects and a true understanding of the unique needs of our region," said Stephanie Smith, vice president of State and Regional Affairs at Tampa Electric. "Her deep roots in Tampa Bay position her well to anticipate and respond to the needs of our customers, especially when storms hit. We're excited to welcome her to the Tampa Electric team." Pruitt will oversee the program, a multi-year resiliency initiative that combines strategic investments with advanced technology to strengthen the electric system and improve performance during storms. The initiative includes hardening power lines, trimming trees, and moving lines underground where possible. Pruitt, a St. Petersburg native, is active in several service organizations, including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, The Links, and Jack and Jill of America. She is an adjunct instructor at St. Petersburg College, where she teaches business communications. |