You're Invited: St. Pete Pride    
On Thursday, June 23, Mayor Kriseman will raise the Pride Flag over City Hall. T o view the Mayor's Facebook event for the Pride flag raising,  click here .

Please join Mayor Kriseman, city staff and the citizens of St. Petersburg for Pride events next week. Learn more about events throughout the city from the St. Pete Pride organization by clicking here. 
Participate in the Process: FY 2017 City of St. Petersburg Budget 

Following the FY 2017 City Budget Open House, citizens are encouraged to participate in the process by sharing thoughts and ideas with city leaders on the city's online meeting room, St. Pete Innovision at  www.stpeteinnovision.com.

In case you missed attending or wish to review the conversation, StPeteTV will rebroadcast the Budget Open House throughout the summer on Bright House Channel 641, WOW! Channel 15 and Verizon Fi0s Channel 20 before the budget is considered for adoption during two public hearings September 8 and 22.

For information on the city budget and to review FY 2017 city budget booklets, visit  www.stpete.org/budget.
Public Highlights for the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and the Sunshine City
June 18 through June 25, 2016 
Saturday, June 18, 9:00 am Book Sale, Mirror Lake Library,
Learn more here.
Saturday, June 18, 11:00 am Mayor Kriseman, St. Pete Crab & Music Festival, Vinoy Park
Learn more here.
Monday, June 20, 6:00 pm  A Tribute to Buster Cooper, The Palladium Theater
Learn more here.
Tuesday, June 21, 8:00 am
Mayor Kriseman, Welcome remarks at the Small Business Salon , Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Tuesday, June 21, 9:30 am 
Mayor Kriseman & Deputy Mayor Tomalin, Ribbon Cutting, Tampa Bay Black Business Investment Corporation
Thursday, June 23, 10:00 am Mayor Kriseman & Deputy Mayor Tomalin, Pride Flag Raising, City Hall
Thursday, June 23, 1:00 pm Mayor Kriseman & Deputy Mayor Tomalin, Small Business Tour , ending with Grand opening of Kozuba & Sons Distillery
Friday, June 24, 11:00 am Deputy Mayor Tomalin, Panelist, Business & Professional Women Association of Pinellas/St. Petersburg, Annual Conference, Grand Ballroom Vinoy
Saturday, June 25, 7:00 pm Mayor Kriseman & Deputy Mayor Tomalin, Pride Parade
Learn more here. 
In The Media : 
Sunday, June 12
Creative Loafing: Reactions pour in, blood donors sought after 50 are killed in an Orlando nightclub shooting
Skains said the event will go on as scheduled, and that his organization is working closely with law enforcement to keep parade and festival-goers safe, as it has since the Boston Marathon bombing.

"We can't let a single act of hate deter us as a community," he said.
      
[Read full article] 
Sunday, June 12
Orlando Sun Times: Bay area vigils honor victims of Pulse shooting tragedy 
Vigils in St. Petersburg and Ybor City Sunday night gave area residents opportunities to honor the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, as well as support one another and share their sadness and grief. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman: "an attack in St. Pete's backyard" Petersburg, Mayor Rick Kriseman led a gathering of several hundred people at a candlelight vigil on the steps of City Hall.
       
[Read full article] 
Thursday, June 16
SPB Anne Lindberg: Rick Kriseman: 'I'll be damned if we're going to let violence stop us' from celebrating St. Pete Pride weekend
St. Petersburg Mayor  Rick Kriseman and police Chief  Anthony Holloway met with members of the community and media Thursday to reassure them that Pride weekend would go ahead as planned, but with a bit more security.

The reassurances became necessary in the wake of Sunday's shooting at the gay Pulse nightclub in Orlando that left 49 dead and more than 50 wounded. Officials said they'd gotten many questions from people wondering if the June 25 Pride parade and the June 26 street festival would go on. Others questioned the safety precautions.
       
[Read full article]
Thursday, June 16
Tampa Bay Times: Police vow to step up security for this year's St. Pete LGBT Pride Parade 
Last year, tens of thousands packed the city's streets during the annual St. Pete LGBT Pride Parade and celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage.

Mayor Rick Kriseman said at a news conference Thursday that there will be an increased police presence when more than 200,000 are expected to attend the June 25 parade and festival from June 24 to 26 in the city's Historic Kenwood and Grand Central District neighborhoods.
       
  [Read full article] 
Thursday, June 16
FOX 13: St. Pete Pride organizers say events will go on as planned
St. Pete Pride will go on as planned. Organizers said the attack at Orlando's Pulse nightclub will not silence one of the biggest LGBTQ events in the south.

"We immediately knew we were going to continue the event, moving forward," St. Pete Pride CEO Eric Skains said, adding he expects attendance at this year's celebration to be higher than ever. "We've received so many outpours on Facebook, emails, phone calls saying, 'I've never been to Pride before, but this is the year that I'm going to come. This is the year the community needs me to come out.'"
        
 [Read full article]
Thursday, June 16
Tampa Bay Times: St. Petersburg, preservationists agree on demolition of "cheese grater" buildings
Demolition will go forward of two historic buildings on prime downtown property considered ripe for redevelopment.
Preservationists, who sued to save the buildings on Central Avenue's 400 block, have agreed to drop their lawsuit. The announcement came Thursday evening, minutes before City Council members were to vote on a request by St. Petersburg Preservation to designate the former Pheil Hotel and Theater and Central National Bank as local landmarks.
     
 [Read full article]
Thursday, June 16
Tampa Bay Business Journal: With preservationists' blessing, a prime block in downtown St. Pete is poised for redevelopment

Today, St. Petersburg Preservation, Inc. agreed to withdraw their petition against the city of St. Petersburg, allowing for the proposed demolition of the Pheil Hotel and Central National Bank buildings to proceed pending a final designation decision by the City Council on June 16. The non-profit organization and the City of St. Petersburg have also agreed to work together in pursuing shared goals related to historic preservation in St. Petersburg. One example relates to the procedures for demolition of historic resources that are both located within the downtown center and included on the list of potentially eligible properties for designation. 
     
[Read full article] 
Thursday, June 16
Tampa Bay Business Journal: James Museum in St. Pete grows in size and cost, clears key hurdle

About a year and a half after  revealing plans for a downtownSt. Petersburg art museum,  Tom James is giving the community a first look at what's to come.

The Tom &  Mary James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art is shaping up as a little larger and a little pricier than originally envisioned by James, executive chairman of  Raymond James Financial Inc. (NYSE: RJF).
     
 [Read full article]
Thursday, June 16
Tampa Bay Times: Philanthropists Tom and Mary James unveil plans for new St. Petersburg museum

Looking for spectacular? Philanthropists Tom and Mary James are bringing it to downtown with a new museum that will make a commanding architectural statement and be filled with works from their  vast art collection.

Plans for the grand project came one step closer to reality Thursday when the Jameses revealed their vision and never-before-seen details to St. Petersburg's City Council. The $55 million Tom and Mary James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art will be at 100 Central Ave. Their desire, said Tom James, executive chairman of Raymond James Financial, "is to create a real arts destination in St. Pete with another high-quality museum."
     
[Read full article] 
Thursday, June 16
Tampa Bay Times: Hollywood producer Will Packer comes home to St. Pete for BurgBorn

Will Packer heard "no" plenty of times on his unlikely path from St. Petersburg to Hollywood. He just never listened.

The producer of Straight Outta Compton, Ride Along  and the recent remake of Roots  urged other dreamers to do the same at Thursday's inaugural BurgBorn, showcasing a dozen homegrown businesses known far outside city limits.
     
[Read full article] 
Friday, June 17
Tampa Bay Reporter: Crab & Music Festival is Saturday (June 18) in St. Pete's Vinoy Park

Featuring local personalities, plenty of good sounds and fresh food, a crab and music festival is 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday (June 18) at the Vinoy Park, which is at the end of Fifth Avenue NE. Tickets are priced at various levels. Advance general admission is $20. At the gate is $25. For information, visit www.crabandmusicfestival.com.

Mayor Rick Kriseman will be a guest DJ. St. Petersburg's own boxing champion Winky Wright is a host and Tampa Bay Bucs No. 18 Louis Murphy is billed as a special invited host.
     
[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