The Tampa Bay Partnership's President/CEO Rick Homans will speak about the Partnership's regional advocacy efforts at the upcoming Public Policy Council meeting. Members will also receive  city updates on the Pier and stormwater management system.

Over two-dozen Chamber members had an engaging conversation on mental health reform with State Representative Kathleen Peters at St. Petersburg General Hospital. Rep. Peters has been the leader in reforming Florida's mental health and addiction treatment systems.

 

The St. Petersburg City Council voted unanimously to not designate the Cheese Grater building as a historical landmark. This vote came after St. Petersburg Preservation and the owners of the Cheese Grater building came to an agreement on moving forward without designating the property historical.

Speed network with candidates running for Senate District 19, House District 68, Property Appraiser and Pinellas County School Board. This is a great setting to actually have a face-to-face conversation with the candidates, while having a good time.

If you could pay to shorten your commute, would you? The Chamber will be crossing the bay on June 22nd to support the Tampa Bay Express (TBX) project, a $3.3B interstate project that will add optional express lanes and reduce congestion at the I-275 interchanges at West Shore and I-4.  

The Chamber wants to know how likely you are to use the TBX toll lanes.

"This is an awesome project," enthused County Commissioner  Sandy Murman, who has been a strong supporter of the proposal.  "I wholeheartedly support this," added Commissioner Victor Crist, who said such a partnership was "well overdue," and said it will be more successful and profitable than most people realize.

(Ross) Preville, St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Chris Steinocher and Chris Ballestra, the city's managing director of development coordination, have met with the Beach Drive business owners.  "We told them that we are exactly in the phase where we should be having discussions about the programming out at the pier, and I told them that nothing they've seen so far is set in stone and that all of it is subject to change, based on the will of the public," Preville said.