Wednesday’s Pier/Downtown Waterfront Task Force Meeting attracted a robust group of more than fifty members eager to learn more about the progress of the Pier Project. The St. Petersburg business community, Chamber leadership, and a city council member had the exclusive opportunity to receive the most up-to-date information on the proposed development of the Pier uplands and Pier head from city staff, with members of the Pier Project design teams present.

The Pier Project, led by the City of St. Petersburg’s Development Coordination - Managing Director, Chris Ballestra, gave the presentation. The city staff addressed a variety of topics, including design, costs, and timetable. Emphasizing that the city had kept the feedback of the business community and the public at large in mind during the design process, the team discussed some specific areas of concern: restaurants, green space, and parking. The new Pier, for example, will have significantly reduced vertical square footage and parking, in favor of family-friendly natural spaces.

The team then took questions and comments from the attendees, which were constructive and civil. While there was some disagreement regarding specific features, the assembly as a whole agreed that the Pier needed to be built with a forward-thinking mindset as a world-class structure that addresses the needs of families, tourists, and locals while showcasing St. Petersburg’s uniqueness. Interested parties are encouraged to continue giving input via the Pier Survey, which can be accessed here.

Tuesday evening, members of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber and the community had the opportunity to meet face to face with candidates running in the upcoming primary election. Popcorn & Politics, presented by the Tampa Bay Times, offered attendees unique way to connect with candidates: speed networking. This setup allowed for a more intimate setting for valuable conversation.
 
Candidates for Florida Senate District 19, Florida House District 68, Pinellas Property Appraiser, and the Pinellas County School Board presented themselves to the St. Petersburg business community at the St. Petersburg Museum of History. Attendees had the opportunity to interact with the candidates and hear firsthand about their credentials and policies. Candidates and members enjoyed delicious samplings from Urban Brew & BBQ, accompanied by a selection from 3 Daughters Brewing.
 
 
Thank you to the following candidates for attending as our featured guests: 
 
PCSB District 1 - William "Bill" Dudley
PCSB District 1 - Joanne Lentino
PCSB District 1 - Matthew D. Stewart
House District 68 - Ben Diamond
House District 68 - Eric Lynn
Senate District 19 - Darryl Rouson
Senate District 19 - Ed Narain
Senate District 19 - Augie Ribeiro
Senate District 19 - Betty Reed
Property Appraiser - Jim Frishe
Property Appraiser - Mike Twitty
 
 
The event was sponsored by the St. Pete Chamber PAC, which supports single issues and certain legislative committees.

Located on the shores of Boca Ciega Bay, Admiral Farragut Academy is a private military-style college preparatory school. Established in 1945, Admiral Farragut Academy aims to turn a traditional high school transcript into a foundation like no other, producing graduates that are miles ahead of millions of other college applicants.

Because of the prime location on the water, the school has access to sailboats, kayaks, paddleboards, and canoes. The school also offers boarding, with approximately 50% of students living on-campus.

​The school prides itself on its quality of education, boasting a competitive curriculum, as well as what alumni call "The Farragut Experience." Farragut prepares graduates to be critical thinkers, ready to conceive of technology that has yet to be invented and ready to enter careers that do not currently exist. To that end, Farragut has graduated two of the twelve moon-walking astronauts, Alan Shepard and Charlie Duke. Farragut even has a piece of moon rock gifted from Charlie Duke on display.
 
Along with its quality of education, Farragut also offers a world-class education, with students coming from all across the world to take advantage of the school's boarding. On average, Farragut's students represent 32 countries and 17 states each year, providing a very strong global experience. 

Located in Clearwater, Comfort Inn & Suites is a 2015-2016 Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence recipient. Dedicated to its customers and their well-being, the hotel's aim is to constantly look forward to make their guests' stay a great experience. 

The hotel is part of the Rewards Program, "Choice Privileges", allowing people to redeem points they earn for reward nights, gift cards and more. In addition, points are the way to help those in need, turning points into cash donations.

Following the devastating events in Orlando, Tiffany O'Day, Comfort Inn & Suites Sales Manager, came up with the idea that people should be able to donate their points to Orlando victims. She contacted Steve Joyce, President of Choice Hotels, who liked the idea and implemented it. Thanks to this  initiative, you can help the victims and their families in the Orlando community. For each 1,000 Choice Privileges points you donate through July 20, 2016, $5 will be given to the National Compassion Fund. You can donate as many times as you want through July 20. 100% of the funds received will be distributed directly to victims in Orlando. In order to donate points, you must sign into your Choice Privileges account.
 
Contributions to the National Compassion Fund are held separate from general donations to the National Center of Victims of Crime. For 30 years, this organization has been the most comprehensive national resource committed to advancing victims' rights and helping victims of all types of crime rebuild their lives.  

Cook outs, pool parties and fireworks! It's time to celebrate Independence Day with family and friends around St. Petersburg. Here are a few spots to celebrate and catch the fireworks that will be lighting up our skyline this weekend:

Saturday, July 2nd

Tampa Bay Rowdies Game & FREE Flo Rida Concert
Al Lang Stadium
Match is at 7:30PM with post-match fireworks & free show

Monday, July 4th

4th of July Children's Parade
1800 Coffee Pot Blvd NE
Parade kicks off at 10:00AM

9th Annual MFA Fireworks Buffet
255 Beach Dr NE
​Seating is available starting at 6:30PM

St. Pete's Spa Beach Park
615 2nd Ave NE
Fireworks begin at 9:00PM

St. Pete Beach Access Park
4700 Gulf Blvd
Fireworks show begins at dusk

​Members of the Chamber’s Transportation Task Force met Tuesday for updates on St. Petersburg’s exciting transit initiatives. Eric Trull, who heads the Bike Share Project, was the featured speaker. 
 
Trull discussed the advantages of the program while giving practical details regarding its implementation. Coast St. Pete, as it will be known, will draw even more visitors to the city while decreasing congestion. It will offer attractive urban connectivity, improved quality of life, enhanced economic development, and equitable mobility options. The 300 bicycles on 350 racks will be rented at rates ranging from $8 daily to $79 yearly ($55 for students), and the program will launch in the fall. The ongoing selection process for rack sites is guided by considerations of visibility, round-the-clock access, and connectivity, and driven by community input. 
 
Cassandra Borchers delivered an update on PSTA’s fast-approaching Central Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. Public meetings will be held in August, and the bus-buying process is already underway. Environmental concerns are always in the city’s mind, and the buses will be a mix of hybrid and fully electric vehicles. PSTA is currently seeking input on which beach (Madeira, Treasure Island, or St. Pete Beach) should be the Central Avenue BRT West connection.  
 
Former Hillsborough County Commissioner Ed Turanchik spoke about the St. Pete-Tampa ferry project. Service is projected to start on the first of November, and will run seven days a week until the end of April. The 350-passenger ships will take commuters and sports fans alike across the bay at a brisk 35 miles per hour. On the Pinellas side, the dock will be located at the St. Pete Vinoy Basin near the St. Petersburg Museum of History.  
 
The final part of the meeting included a break out session for the Urban Mobility and Regional Accessibility Subcommittees. Each group identified transportation projects and initiatives that the Chamber could either initiate or convene. The subcommittee Chairs; Martha Boden – Urban Mobility and Mike Funsch – Regional Accessibility are going to host a regularly scheduled conference call with subcommittee members.  If you are interested in serving on either subcommittee, please contact Travis Norton at tnorton@stpete.com.

THE IRON YARD ON SOCIAL MEDIA :

Chamber members and staff gathered early Tuesday morning for an especially informative Public Policy Council meeting. The gathering featured two guest speakers: Rick Homans, CEO of the Tampa Bay Partnership, and Claude Tankersley, St. Petersburg Public Works Administrator.
 
Mr. Homans presented on the mission and vision of the Partnership. He outlined its efforts to facilitate coordination among Tampa Bay area county and city governments, economic development councils, metropolitan planning organizations, and businesses in order to foster greater efficiency and collaboration on broad agendas. He stressed the importance of having regional alignment and a strong regional identity, in order to showcase the best of the region while strengthening it. Using examples of other vibrant metro areas, Mr. Homans illustrated how a data-focused approach is vital to addressing economic and policy challenges, and defined the Partnership’s longer-term goals for uniting the region.
 
Mr. Tankersley gave an interactive presentation, providing insight into the workings of St. Petersburg’s water and sewage systems, the issues they face, and the process of designing solutions. The information he gave was especially valuable in light of the recent problems caused by tropical storm Colin. Mr. Tankersley finished by detailing the City’s plans for future storm preparedness and emphasizing the importance of public works infrastructure.
 
After the two featured speakers, the attendees received updates on the redevelopment of the 400 block of Central Avenue, plans for St. Pete’s bike share and the Pier, and Chamber sustainability initiatives.

Since 2014, the Skyway Marina District has advocated for businesses within the 34th Street South corridor. It was established by the community and business leaders in South St. Petersburg who wanted to create a destination. Councilman Steve Kornell advocated for his constituents in the area and the Skyway Marina District Plan was put in place in May 2014.

​Executive director, Keri Melshenker and her board of directors work to advocate for the businesses, and depends largely on volunteers (business leaders and neighborhood association leaders) who are working toward the goal of creating economic success in the Skyway Marina District.  

The association's goal is to create a sense of place that is attracting business to open in the Skyway Marina District. Businesses from all sizes are moving into the district like Ceridian HCM, Jabil Circuit, Kobie Marketing, Grand Villa St. Petersburg, and more.

Proud to have their 3 gateway signs installed, the District has plans to revitalize the medians down the corridor with bismarck palms, Florida friendly fauna and pedestrian lighting. 

​Always looking for input from the community, the Skyway Marina District encourages people to come out to their events. BlockbyBlock Skyway Treasures & Trails Ride is the next community event, and will be held on July 16th. exploratory family-friendly bike ride through some less well-known parts of South St. Pete. The bike trip will highlight some of our city's trail network, neighborhoods, and the business district.

St. Petersburg General Hospital was certainly an appropriate location for the Chamber’s latest Coffee Chat with Representative Kathleen Peters of District 69. Around two dozen Chamber members met for an informal talk with the Representative, and left both informed and optimistic.
 
Representative Peters focused her chat on her efforts in the Florida legislature towards mental health reform, impressing the attendees with her passion for the issue as well as the practicality and sound basis of her solutions. She spoke of Florida’s far-reaching mental health problems, including the impact they have on the justice and healthcare systems, families, and community finances. Representative Peters has been researching and developing her initiatives for the past two years, and was able to get all six bills she authored passed in the most recent legislative session.
 
Her reforms go to making mental health treatment more accessible, efficient, and effective. They fund Crisis Intervention Training for law enforcement, develop Marchman Act infrastructure, and call on counties to develop comprehensive care/access plans for addicts and the mentally ill.
 
Representative Peters was first elected to the House in 2012, having previously served as the mayor of South Pasadena. She is the current Vice Chair of the Children, Families & Seniors Subcommittee, and also serves on the subcommittees for Economic Affairs, Justice Appropriations, Transportation & Economic Development Appropriations, and Transportation & Ports. She has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the M.A. Bernstein Award for Mental Health Awareness
 
The next Chamber Coffee Chat is on Tuesday, July 19th with District 70 State Representative Darryl Rouson. The location is the Louise Graham Regeneration Center at 2301 3rd Ave S, St. Petersburg. Register here.