City of St. Petersburg Data Breach

We have learned of a data security incident that occurred between August 11, 2018 and September 25, 2018 that involved some of our customers' credit card information.

The City of St. Petersburg utilizes a third-party software product called Click2Gov to provide our customers with the ability to pay utility bills, parking tickets, business licenses, building permits, and civil citations online via the Internet.

On Thursday, Sept 27, 2018 the Click2Gov vendor informed the city that they had found malicious software on the server. Our payment site was immediately shut down to prevent access. The city preserved the existing system for forensic analysis and immediately worked with our vendor to build a new system. By 1:30 pm on Friday, Sept 28, 2018 the city had a new system configured and was back in a fully operational mode. More details here.

Submit Nominations for Local 'Honored Veteran Award'

For the fifth year in a row, Mayor Rick Kriseman will host the Veterans Day celebration, on Sunday, November 11, and honor a local veteran at Williams Park Veterans Memorial. The Mayor is currently seeking citizen input on who will receive this year's Local Honored Veteran Award during the ceremony.

To submit a nomination for the 2018 Honored Veteran Award, visit www.stpete.org/localvets. Submissions are due to the City by close of business on Wednesday, October 24.

More details about the ceremony to come.

Red Tide Update

According to Pinellas County officials, the county’s coastline has been experiencing negative impacts from Red Tide over the past couple of weeks. Cconditions are expected to deteriorate due to Hurricane Michael. County staff are closely monitoring the situation.

While Pinellas County is the lead agency responsible for red tide testing and cleanup, City staff will be monitoring city property and conducting their own daily cleanup, as needed. St. Petersburg areas that are currently being tested are the waters near Maximo Beach and near Bayboro (roughly between North Shore and Lassing Parks). Jumpsters are located at Jungle Prada and Maximo parks.

Residents experiencing the effects of red tide on their personal property or abutting waterway have the following options:

Report red tide issues to Pinellas County via their website, http://www.pinellascounty.org/reportanissue/, or email watershed@pinellascounty.org. The County is currently only conducting dead fish removal of large quantities.
Residents can double bag any dead marine life and dispose of it in the regular trash bin. Sanitation will collect it during regularly scheduled trash pickups.

Residents seeking more information about the County’s procedures for red tide issues can visit http://www.pinellascounty.org/environment/watershed/red-tide.htm.

Progress With St. Pete Pier

Mayor Kriseman is pleased with how the process is going and construction progress. All 426 pilings have been placed over water and 75% of deck is poured. Site preparation for construction of Pier Approach continues. The old parking lots are being graded and trees onsite are cleared.

Above ground construction begins in October on several structures, including:
- Pier Head building
- Spa Beach Pavillion
- Tampa Bay Watch

RECAP:

All Major tenants have been secured including:
- Tampa Bay Watch, who will operate the Education Center
- Doc Fords, who will operate the restaurant on the south side of the Pier Approach
- Teak, Inc., who will operate the restaurant at the Pier head.
- United Park Services will operate the Pavillion Café at the Spa Beach Pavilion and Gator Jim’s Tackle and Bait Shop at the Pier Head Building.

Duke Energy will provide solar canopies to shade the parking area and provide solar power in the Pier District.

Public Art has been selected for the Pier. Three artists with varying styles will be represented including Nick Ervinck, Belgium, Xenobia Bailey, New York City and Nathan Mabry, Los Angeles. In addition, internationally acclaimed artist Janet Echelman will create a Net Sculpture in the Pier Approach, near the Family Park Area.

The St. Pete Pier District grand opening is late 2019.

Additional information about the St. Pete Pier™ is available on the Pier website at: newstpetepier.com

Amendment 1 Voting Approaching

Amendment 1 is the Third Homestead Exemption, a proposed additional exemption up to $25,000 of Assessed Value for some homeowners. About 29% of the city's residential properties would benefit from the approval of Amendment 1, creating a projected impact of $4.2 M in the city's revenue.

Residents are encouraged to educate themselves on the impact of voting in favor of or against Amendment 1. For more information, click here.