Celebrating SPF15


Enjoy highlights from the celebration of the St. Petersburg Festival with the SHINE Mural Festival, Carmada, and the St. Pete Food and Wine Festival.

Click the image above to watch, or here
North Shore Aquatic Complex Ribbon Cutting Ceremony


On Monday, October 12, at 8:30 a.m., Mayor Kriseman will cut the ribbon at the North Shore Aquatic Facility.  The facility has undergone major renovations including the men's and women's restrooms/locker rooms; ADA improvements; individual changing and shower stalls; family restrooms; climate controlled locker room space; and improved plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems. Light refreshments served. Please join us.
Kauffman Mayors Conference on Entrepreneurship comes to St. Pete 

St. Petersburg, Florida has been chosen as the site of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation's 2016 Mayors Conference on Entrepreneurship. The Mayors Conference on Entrepreneurship brings together mayors and entrepreneurship experts from around the country to share best practices about promoting startup activity and to discuss ways to encourage higher levels of entrepreneurship in their cities.
 
"One of the great things about holding the Mayors Conference on Entrepreneurship in a new city each year is that mayors get to experience and learn about what different host cities are doing to support new business creation and growth," said Jason Wiens, policy director at the Kauffman Foundation. "The Kauffman Foundation is excited to partner with Mayor Rick Kriseman to bring the Mayors Conference to St. Petersburg next year."
 
Said Mayor Kriseman: "This conference will showcase the Sunshine City to mayors and visitors from across the country. They will see up close that St. Petersburg is a city of opportunity for entrepreneurs, a place where dreamers can become doers."
 
The fourth annual conference will be held December 1-2, 2016. Previous host cities are Kansas City, Mo., Louisville, KY, and Albuquerque, NM.
 
The conference is held in a different city each year in collaboration with that city's mayor.

Learn more about the Kauffman Foundation Mayors Conference here.
   
Mayor Kriseman Names Leah McRae to Serve as Director of Education and Community Engagement 

Mayor Rick Kriseman named Leah McRae as the city's Director of Education and Community Engagement.
 
In this capacity, Ms. McRae will work with students, families, faculty, as well as community groups and leaders to advocate on behalf of St. Petersburg's public schools. She will also serve as a liaison with the Pinellas County School Board and other governmental bodies influencing education policy.
 
Said Mayor Kriseman: "Leah is uniquely suited for this role. She has deep roots in St. Petersburg, is a product of our public schools, and knows how to mobilize people to work together for the greater good. Her recent service on the Citizen's Advisory Committee for the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment program reinforced our belief that she is the right person at the right time to reconnect our community to our schools."
 
Ms. McRae will also lead efforts on the implementation of the Mayor's Service Learning Initiative, and will serve as a representative of the City and the Mayor on issues of youth, education, and civic engagement. She will work closely with departments throughout the city to engage St. Petersburg schools most in need.
 
Said Nikki Gaskin-Capehart, Director of Urban Affairs, "It will be a pleasure to work closely with Leah to support the needs of our children in schools throughout St. Petersburg, particularly in the five elementary schools and many others in South St. Petersburg that require special attention from the school board and the community."
 
Ms. McRae, an attorney, most recently served as a Court Specialist for the Sixth Judicial District. She has served as a volunteer attorney for the Guardian ad Litem program, and as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County. She has also worked for Lehman Brothers, Hogan and Hartson, Nixon Peabody, and the United States Department of Justice.
   
Ms. McRae was appointed by the County Commission to serve as the Vice Chair of the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Program's Citizen Advisory Committee.
 
Said Ms. McRae: "It is an honor to be called to serve Mayor Kriseman and the Sunshine City. It is a privilege to work for the people of St. Petersburg who only want the very best for their children. I look forward to working with the Mayor, and a great city team. Together, we will create the partnerships to help build a true city of opportunity where the sun shines on all who come to live, work, play, and learn."      
Public Highlights for the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and the Sunshine City
October 10 through October 17, 2015 
October 2 - October 11   Fire Prevention Week.
Learn more here.

Saturday, October 10, 5:00 pm  Second Saturday Art Walk
Learn more here.  

Saturday, October 10, 8:00 pm   Florida Orchestra: A Night at the Oscars, Mahaffey Theater
Learn more here.

Sunday, October 11, 12:00 pm 
Tampa Bay Bridal Show, The Coliseum
Learn more here.
 
Monday, October 12, 8:30 am  Mayor Kriseman & Deputy Mayor Tomalin, North Shore Pool Ribbon Cutting

Tuesday, October 13, 10:00 am  Tampa Bay Senior Expo, The Coliseum, Learn more here.

Tuesday, October 13, 12:00 pm  Mayor Kriseman & Deputy Mayor Tomalin, Florida Trend Lunch, Ruth's Chris, Sundial

Tuesday, October 13, 6:00 pm Mayor Kriseman & Deputy Mayor Tomalin, St. Pete Stories, Sunken Gardens
Learn more here.

Wednesday, October 14, 1:00 pm  Mayor Kriseman, Florida Young Realtors Professional Network Leadership Summit

Wednesday, October 14, 6:00 pm 
 
Mayor Kriseman and Deputy Mayor Tomalin, Florida Trend Dinner, Ruth's Chris Steak House

Thursday, October 15, 5:30 pm 
Mayor Kriseman, Heels to Heal Anniversary Party
Learn more here.

Friday, October 16, 9:00 am 
 
Mayor Kriseman, First Pitch for St. Petersburg Half Century Softball Club Opening Day

Friday, October 16, 6:00 pm  Food Trucks Around Town, Third Friday, Port of St. Petersburg
Learn more here.

Friday, October 16, 6:00 pm  Localicious, Eat LOCAL Drink LOCAL Week
Learn more here.

Saturday, October 17, 9:00 am  Mayor Kriseman, St. Petersburg Science Festival, Poynter Park

Saturday, October 17, 10:00 am  MarineQuest 2015, FWC Research Institute
Learn more here.   
Saturday, October 17, 10:30 am  Mayor Kriseman, Celebrate Outreach Community Forum, Unitarian Universalist Church

In The Media
Monday, October 5
Tampa Bay Times: Kriseman names lawyer to new education post 
 
Mayor Rick Kriseman added to his executive team Monday, hiring Leah McRae to the city's newly-created position of Director of Education and Community Engagement.

McRae, 42, will act as an advocate for St. Petersburg schools and serve as a liaison with the Pinellas County School Board and other education-policy institutions.She'll also lead the mayor's service learning initiative where school children engage in service projects in the community.

Tuesday, October 6
St. Petersburg Tribune: Time for St. Pete to end stadium stalemate with Rays 
 
A discussion by Pinellas County commissioners about a sports complex proposed for the Toytown landfill on Tuesday shifted abruptly to the commission's frustration with St. Petersburg's inability to resolve its stadium issues with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The $662 million SportsPark LLC project, which includes a spring training home for the Atlanta Braves, could eat up as much as $10.5 million a year in county tourism tax money - the same source of money the city would want if the Rays decide to build a new stadium in Pinellas.

[Read full article]
Tuesday, October 6
Tampa Bay Times: Kriseman in Albuquerque for entrepreneurial conference 
 
Mayor Rick Kriseman is attending a conference in New Mexico on how cities can foster entrepreneurship.

The trip, paid for by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which organized the conference, will continue until Thursday.
 
Wednesday, October 7
The Gabber: Cleaning Up on Common Ground 
 
For the second year in a row, the mayors of St. Petersburg and Gulfport met at the cities' boundary on 49th Street to clean up the trash and talk about common ground. Gulfport Neighbor's Mayors' 49th Street Cleanup, Saturday October 3, saw participants from both city administrations, including Gulfport council members and St. Petersburg's Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin, as well as law enforcement officers and residents from both cities.

Thursday, October 1
The Weekly Challenger: Mayor Kriseman names Leah McRae to serve as director of education 

Mayor Rick Kriseman will name Leah McRae as the city's Director of Education and Community Engagement Mon., Oct. 15.

In this capacity, McRae will work with students, families, faculty, as well as community groups and leaders to advocate on behalf of St. Petersburg's public schools. She will also serve as a liaison with the Pinellas County School Board and other governmental bodies influencing education policy.
Thursday, October 8
Albuquerque Journal: Mayors from across the country visit ABQ to discuss entrepreneurship  
 
Nearly 30 mayors from across the nation are in Albuquerque this week to learn about supporting entrepreneurs and startups.

It's part of a conference sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the country.

[Read full article] 
Friday, October 9
Tampa Bay Business Journal: St. Pete chosen to host mayors' entrepreneurship conference in 2016 
 
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation's 2016 Mayors Conference on Entrepreneurship will be held in St. Petersburg next year, a decision announced on Thursday.

This year's conference - held this week in Albuquerque - hosted nearly 30 mayors from across the country, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

[Read full article]
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Mayor's Office
City of St. Petersburg
 
175 5th Street North 
St. Petersburg, FL 33701 
Phone: 727-893-7201