Foster wins St. Pete Mayor election

Click here to get results of the mayor race, as well as other Pinellas elections.

St. Petersburg, Florida -- Bill Foster has won the election to be the next mayor of St. Petersburg. Unofficial results show him defeating Kathleen Ford by a 52.8 percent to 47.2 percent margin. Ford gave her concession speech at 7:56 p.m.

Foster, who had the support of the city's business and political establishment, including outgoing mayor Rick Baker, tallied 24,289 votes. Ford, who lost to Baker in 2001 as well, campaigned for change but tallied just 21,761 votes.

Baker was limited to two four-year terms. Foster will officially take office in early January.

Foster excited about election victory

Bill Foster said he felt excited and relieved after defeating Kathleen Ford in the race to become the next mayor of St. Petersburg.

"We're just going to enjoy the moment and kind of let it sink in," Foster told reporters as he hugged his wife.

But while Foster wanted to enjoy the victory, he also told supporters gathered at Ferg's Sports Bar and Grill in St. Petersburg that there will be challenges ahead, including public safety and budget issues. He also made it clear, he's not about to support building a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays in the near future.

"We're not going to build any stadiums anytime soon. We will respect the Rays and talk to them, but we've got to tackle some of those pressing issues (first)."

RELATED STORY: What Foster win means for the Rays

Among those who showed up to congratulate Foster on his victory Tuesday night was outgoing Mayor Rick Baker. He said voters made the right choice and predicted Foster would be a successful in his new job.

"He's going to be a great leader for our city. He wants to move us forward, continue the progress we've made, I feel absolutely confident he will be able to do that," Baker said of Foster.

Ford vows to stay active in stadium saga

Speaking to a group of her supporters at the Garden Club of St. Petersburg, Ford said she was proud of her effort and promised to remain the city's watchdog when it comes to a possible new baseball stadium for the Rays.

"This issue of a new baseball stadium will continue to be an issue," said Ford. "I will continue to work with 'Preserve Our Wallets and Waterfront' to make sure the public is really looked after in that whole issue."

Ford said first, she's determined to sneak away for a kayak ride with her family.

Other elections

There were other elections across the Bay area too, including St. Pete City Council.

Steve Kornell won the city's open Dist. 5 seat, becoming St. Pete's first openly-gay councilmember. Incumbents Leslie Curran, Jim Kennedy, Jeff Danner, and Karl Nurse also all won easily.