St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch’s campaign released his PAC’s final earnings report of 2025 Monday. Covering Q4, the report revealed that Welch ended the year with less than $31,000 cash on hand – and the campaign is actively seeking recovery of more than $200,000 from its former treasurer.
Welch’s The Pelican Political Action Committee raised less than $50,000 for the quarter, and a full year total of just $282,800. While this would typically be considered a significant sum for a non-election year, former Governor Charlie Crist announced a raise of nearly $750,000 in 45 days as he considers challenging his former ally.
That was not the worst news Welch faced, though, as his campaign finance reports indicate that the lion’s share of his 2025 outflows – a total of $207,500 – were listed as “unauthorized transactions.” Eight total transactions in Q3 and Q4 2025, starting with a $100,000 disbursement on Aug. 6, were directed to a firm called Oreilly Business LLC. This was more than 80% of Welch’s total disbursement of $251,802.75 in 2025.
In a statement, Adrienne Bogen, chair of the Pelican Political Action Committee, said, “After reviewing our financial records, we identified improper and unauthorized transactions transferred to “OReilly Business, LLC.” Immediately upon discovering these improper transactions, we terminated our contract with our former treasurer and appointed a new treasurer. We demanded the return of funds from our former treasurer.
“While we assumed the funds would be returned and the former treasurer provided us a transaction receipt for a wire transfer of the funds back to the committee, the funds have yet to be returned. Accordingly, we are in the process of notifying the appropriate state and federal authorities.”
“Oreilly Business LLC” is an entity listed in Welch’s expenditures associated with an address in Coconut Creek, Florida. Oreilly is associated with Yolanda Brown, according to Florida Division of Corporations records; the corporation has the same mailing address listed in Welch’s PAC’s expenditure report.
The Fort Lauderdale address listed for Brown is the same as that with which Welch’s PAC was registered in January, with Brown as Treasurer; Brown remains listed as the campaign’s registered Agent as of Jan. 12.
Oreilly was formed in December 2024 and filed only a cursory annual report in February of 2025, prior to Oreilly’s engagement with Welch’s campaign. It is not clear if Oreilly ever did business with any entities outside of Welch’s campaign. Welch initially employed Brown via Brown Financial Services and Consulting, for compliance consulting services, beginning January 2025 and continuing through at least July 2. Brown Financial Services is also listed to Yolanda Brown at the same Fort Lauderdale address.
According to documents filed with the Florida Division of Elections, Welch’s relationship to Brown goes back to at least 2021. Welch initially employed Brown via Brown Financial Services and Consulting at the same Fort Lauderdale address; he paid more than $25,000 for finance and compliance consulting services through the similarly-named Pelican PAC, Welch’s former committee. Pelican PAC was shuttered by the state for failing to file required financial reports last year; its final Treasurer was Brown.
Brown served as both Treasurer and Chair of the Pelican Political Action Committee beginning June 30, 2025, after Welch’s longtime ally, Reggie Cardozo Jr., stepped aside. This would have uniquely allowed her to distribute funds with little oversight.
Brown resigned as PAC Chair on Sept. 1, 2025, replacing herself with Bogen, but the disbursements to Oreilly continued for more than a month thereafter. Brown appears to have remained Treasurer, until replaced just last week by Brandon Philipczyk.
The document appointing Philipczyk continues to list Brown’s street address as the campaign’s.
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