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1 week ago | 
tbnweekly.com | Mark Parker |Pete Catalyst
ST. PETERSBURG — Long-awaited plans to breathe new life into the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina recently hit a snag after Blackstone, a trillion-dollar global investment firm, acquired Safe Harbor Marinas. Mayor Ken Welch selected Safe Harbor Marinas to reimagine and operate the aging 640-slip marina in late December 2023. The city-owned facility along the downtown waterfront suffered extensive damage during Hurricane Helene.
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3 weeks ago | 
tbnweekly.com | Mark Parker |Pete Catalyst
St. Petersburg Fire Rescue had one high-water vehicle to complete hundreds of citywide missions during recent storms. It will soon have four. City Council member Lisset Hanewicz highlighted the “good news” item April 3, initially relegated to the typically overlooked consent agenda. She realized the agency’s need after visiting Station No. 4, which serves the city’s lowest-lying neighborhood, Shore Acres, in Hurricane Helene’s aftermath.
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3 weeks ago | 
tbnweekly.com | Mark Parker |Pete Catalyst
ST. PETERSBURG — Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital did not escape an unprecedented hurricane season unscathed and now hopes to mitigate future impacts. The sprawling St. Petersburg campus sustained $1.51 million in damage during Hurricanes Helene and Milton. About 200 children and families remained at the nearly 100-year-old hospital throughout the storms. K.
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3 weeks ago | 
tbnweekly.com | Mark Parker |Pete Catalyst
An artificial intelligence and robotics-powered manufacturing facility with a local focus is ready to disrupt the furniture industry, from St. Petersburg. Local civic and business leaders celebrated Haddy opening its first microfactory in the city on April 10. The 32,000-square-foot facility is, despite its moniker, the world’s largest 3D printing hub. Jay Rogers, founder and CEO of Haddy, launched his innovative St. Petersburg-based startup in 2022.
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3 weeks ago | 
tbnweekly.com | Mark Parker |Pete Catalyst
Two critical infrastructure projects in St. Petersburg are now in limbo due to the presidential administration’s death-by-a-thousand-cuts approach to federal agencies. Documents obtained by the Catalyst show the city requested $33.82 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding through its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. Director Cameron Hamilton killed the “wasteful, politicized” initiative April 4.
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1 month ago | 
tbnweekly.com | Mark Parker |Pete Catalyst
Builders continue turning to west St. Petersburg for developable space in a city known for its scarcity of vacant land. At their April 3 meeting, city council members unanimously approved plans for the Seventh Avenue North Villas. The property owner, Clearwater Capital Partners, requested a variance to create four buildable lots on a 1.17-acre site that currently features a two-story single-family home with an expansive yard. Three of the lots lack frontage on a public street.
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1 month ago | 
tbnweekly.com | Mark Parker |Pete Catalyst
St. Petersburg is deploying cutting-edge traffic signal technology that increases safety, mitigates congestion and accommodates connected and automated vehicles. The artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced systems adapt to real-time traffic conditions and weather changes. City council members unanimously approved purchasing 15 of the systems April 3. A $1.16 million state grant, which the city must spend by Dec. 31, supports the West St. Petersburg Smart Signal Corridors project.
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1 month ago | 
tbnweekly.com | Mark Parker |Pete Catalyst
The St. Petersburg City Council has approved several code changes to help protect residents from receiving exorbitant water bills — particularly in the wake of a natural disaster. Thousands of households incurred excessive charges for abnormal water usage after hurricanes Helene and Milton. Noreen McClure addressed council members March 27 on behalf of her mother, 92, who owes the city over $10,000 for a vacant home with no detected leaks.
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1 month ago | 
tbnweekly.com | Mark Parker |Pete Catalyst
Athletic apparel conglomerate Foot Locker has secured 110,998 square feet of Class A office space in north St. Petersburg to house its global headquarters, and 150 new high-paying jobs. The Feil Organization, a national real estate investment firm, announced the critical step in Foot Locker’s relocation process March 31. City officials expect the company’s move from Manhattan to create $18 million in new local salaries.
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1 month ago | 
tbnweekly.com | Mark Parker |Pete Catalyst
St. Petersburg’s congressional representatives requested $45.6 million for several community projects in the city. Nearly half would have supported storm recovery and mitigation efforts after two catastrophic hurricanes. That money evaporated March 13 when Republicans, at the presidential administration’s behest, rallied around a stopgap funding extension to avert a government shutdown.
