HOT  STORY  IDEAS  FROM  ST. PETERSBURG

St. Petersburg, Fla. (Spring 2007) – Rediscover St. Petersburg, the Sunshine City. The glamorous starlet of Florida’s land boom of the 1920s has entered its second golden age, offering one of the most surprising cultural climates on Florida’s coast, a major league sports market, and a gateway to the state’s impressive high tech corridor. Included below are several stories, ripe for media coverage. Please explore, and rediscover a  St. Petersburg that will surprise you.

Median Age

The median age for St. Petersburg is 39.3 and one of the lowest in the county. St. Petersburg is no longer regarded as a retirement city as its emphasis on culture, sports, education, business, and tourism have diversified its appeal and economy.  There are now more residents age 35 and younger than 65 and older. Pinellas County, where St. Petersburg is located, boasts the 22nd largest school district in the nation

Hottest New Neighborhood

What was once one of the area’s largest employment sectors is now also one of the area’s hottest neighborhoods. Downtown St. Petersburg is currently amid a residential building boom with more than 40 developments recently completely or announced. Projects range from the Signature – soon to be the city’s tallest building and newest luxury condo – to urban-style lofts, townhomes and mixed use residential/retail developments. Downtown is also now home to students, as USF St. Petersburg opened its first dormitory.

The Marine Scene

St. Petersburg is the largest marine research center in the south. More than 10 oceanographic institutes make the downtown’s Bayboro Harbor area their home, anchored by University of South Florida’s Department of Marine Science. In January, internationally renowned SRI, one of the world’s leaders in research and new technologies, opened a marine research center in St. Petersburg.

Neighborhood Revitalization

St. Petersburg neighborhoods offer Mediterranean style haciendas, 1920s bungalows and wood frame houses with spacious porches.  Older neighborhoods have made a comeback in the midst of a city renaissance. An innovative Neighborhood Partnership Program has energized the city’s neighborhood associations, now numbering 110 – more than at any time in the city’s history. Find out why the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development called St. Petersburg a national model for the success of its revitalization efforts.

Baseball's Legacy

While St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field is home plate for Major League Baseball’s Devil Rays, the city has collected springtime memories for 90 years. As the birthplace of spring training in Florida, St. Petersburg has developed a love affair for America's pastime. Throughout the century, six teams have trained in the Sunshine City, including the New York Yankees. “Baseball Boulevard” chronicles the city's history of baseball in a mile-long historical walkway from Progress Energy Park/Home of Al Lang Field to Tropicana Field. Home plate plaques in the sidewalk tell a year-by-year history of baseball's highlights from the arrival of the St. Louis Browns in 1914 to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays inaugural season in 1998.class=Section2

Tropicana Field Record Breakers

It was once maligned for being an empty ballpark without a team. But while Tropicana Field now houses the Devil Rays, sports-crazed fans packed the dome and have set attendance records for collegiate basketball, NHL hockey, arena football, Davis Cup tennis and more – one reason St. Petersburg has been touted by CNN as the sports capital of the south.

City on Fast Track

In St. Petersburg, street racing is legal – at least for three days each spring as the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg roars into town. The world’s best IndyCar and Le Mans racers navigate the 14-turn, 1.8  mile race circuit on the streets of St. Petersburg’s downtown waterfront.

Birthplace of Scheduled Aviation 

Its harrowing flight lasted just 18 minutes and skimmed the wave tops of Tampa Bay, en route from St. Petersburg to Tampa.  The historic Flight of the Benoist was the first scheduled commercial aviation flight in history.  See a full-size replica of the airboat that made that flight in 1914 at the St. Petersburg Museum of History.

Model Programs in Race Relations – Midtown Initiative

St. Petersburg, like all cities across America, deals with racial issues and has developed a model program to revitalize the inner city. The Midtown Initiative is working to create jobs and grow new businesses, improve education, build partnerships in the community, continue neighborhood improvements and build relationships between police and residents. Since 1997, the Midtown Initiative has met many of its targets and was recognized with a national award from the National League of Cities Black Caucus.

Reclaimed Water

In a water-scarce state, St. Petersburg is leading the way in conservation with the largest recycled water system in the United States. The city now uses less water than it did 30 years ago. Government, local residents and businesses draw an average of 19.9 million gallons daily of reclaimed waste water to irrigate their yards and properties. The system, which enhances vegetation and offers a reduced water rate for treated wastewater, has been recognized with prestigious awards.

The Poynter Institute for Media Studies

This private, non-profit school is dedicated to raising levels of excellence in the news media. Founded as a school in 1975 by the publisher of the St. Petersburg Times, the school is dedicated to excellence, editorial integrity and independent ownership. Classes are taught in four areas:  reporting, writing, and editing; visual journalism; media leadership; and ethics. Its unique arrangement with the Times also ensures that one of America’s leading newspapers will remain independently owned and operated.

Great Schools

Mayor Rick Baker’s “Mayors Mentors & More” initiative has won national awards and has earned the city a reputation for its work in supporting its schools. Hundreds of scholarships, corporate partnerships with every public school in the city, and cash bonuses for principals are just a few of the components of the mayor’s innovative initiative.

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge

It made headlines when a cargo freighter knocked one of its twin spans into the choppy waters of Tampa Bay. Now, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge features one graceful arch, a cable suspension bridge that spans Tampa Bay in a civil engineering marvel. The 4.1 mile Sunshine Skyway Bridge is one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the Western Hemisphere.

Dali Museum

He might have hailed from Spain, but the largest concentration of his work is right here in St. Petersburg. Take a look at the surrealist artist’s works at the Salvador Dali Museum, overlooking Bayboro Harbor in downtown St. Petersburg. Also worth noting: extensive gift shop with attractive gifts from watches to tee-shirts, prints to jewelry, featuring Dali scenes. The museum anticipates breaking ground on a new museum on St. Petersburg’s waterfront this year.

Arts & Culture

The arts are nearly a $100 million business in St. Petersburg – and compare to communities three to four times St. Petersburg’s size. Highlights of the city’s cultural climate include seven downtown museums, including the world famous Salvador Dali Museum. Soon, construction will begin on the first permanent Chihuly Museum in the world. More than two dozen downtown art galleries, a newly renovated Mahaffey Theater, acclaimed professional theaters, the regional headquarters of the Florida Orchestra and more round out the arts offerings in the Sunshine City.

The Pier

Get a panoramic view of sparkling waters and St. Petersburg from the fifth floor of The Pier.  This five story, unique inverted triangular shaped Pier is the seventh in a succession of public Piers to occupy its predominant site on St. Petersburg’s downtown waterfront since the 1890s.

Mediterranean Architecture

Along St. Petersburg’s 30-block waterfront, Mediterranean-style towers dot the city skyline with some of the country’s most prolific examples of Mediterranean Revival architecture. Strollers steal glimpses of hidden courtyards through wrought iron gates and sidewalks lined with graceful archways. Developer C. Perry Snell has left a legacy of graceful Med-Rev style homes, called “Spanish Castles.”

Local Corporate Headquarters

One-third of all Fortune 500 companies have a presence here in the greater St. Petersburg area, boasting a business-friendly climate and a variety of businesses that are known nationally and internationally.  Some of the city's prominent corporate citizens include the St. Petersburg Times, Progress Energy, Raymond James Financial, Franklin Templeton Group, the Home Shopping Network, Danka Industries, Catalina Marketing, Raytheon, Ceridian, SRI International and Jabil Circuits.

Sunken Gardens

What was once the four-acre backyard garden of George Turner opened as one of Florida’s first roadside attractions in 1935. The lure of Sunken Gardens endures, delighting visitors with its mixture of tropical gardens and wildlife. Saved from closing by city voters in a referendum, the attraction was purchased and renovated by the city of St. Petersburg. New additions to the Gardens include a butterfly aviary, a banquet facility overlooking the gardens, ongoing educational programs and special themed festivals.

Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum

This free, two-acre park along North Shore Park on the city's downtown waterfront has more than 200 palm trees representing 45 species. Visitors wander along brick pathways and can relax underneath shaded gazebos or spread a picnic blanket atop lushly manicured lawns.

Festival of States

For more than 80 years, the nation’s leading high school marching bands have converged upon the "Sunshine City" for the annual Festival of States. Extending over 10 days each spring, it features parades, tournaments, a blues festival, exhibitions, KidsArt, a bicycle race, car shows, and fireworks. Contact: Lane Hosmer, 727-321-9888.

Women’s Tennis Association

The Women’s Tennis Association, with offices in downtown St. Petersburg, brings tennis stars and professionals, lessons and tournaments to the St. Petersburg area.

History

In 1888, a Russian immigrant, Peter Demens, began successful efforts to bring a railroad system here. The city was eventually named after Demens’ birthplace in Russia, and later hailed by the American Medical Association as the nation's health spot. A sunshine and tourism haven in the 1920s, the city is currently undergoing a renaissance as an emerging cultural, sports, business and tourism Mecca.

The Pinellas Trail

The longest linear trail in the United States – more than 50 miles -- runs from St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs.  Created from an abandoned railroad track, it provides walkers, cyclists, and fitness lovers a winding trail through cities, small towns, and green space.

Tough on Graffiti

With an aggressive graffiti ordinance in place, St. Petersburg is able to avoid unsightly graffiti within its beautiful city limits. Clean-up occurs within 48 hours at no cost to the citizen. Calls have come from around

the country to inquire about the ordinance and the program.  More than 20,000 cases have been removed – most within 24 hours since the program started in 1994.

Looking Out for Pedestrian Safety

To combat one of the country’s highest pedestrian fatality rates, the city has embarked on a multi-departmental effort to promote bicycle and pedestrian safety. A new mayor initiative, called CityTrails, is creating one of the United States’ largest networks of bicycle and fitness trails. In addition, the EEE committee combines education, engineering and enforcement to improve safety on the streets of St. Petersburg.