We Made Our Pitch!  

Mayor Rick Kriseman, the City of St. Petersburg and the Baseball Forever Campaign Makes its Pitch to the Rays.

To watch the video, click the image above or click here.   
 
 Living Local: Crescent Lake  

Crescent Lake is a hidden oasis in our bustling city. Join us in learning more about this neighborhood and the magical park at its center.

To watch the video, click the image above or click here.   
 
Public Highlights for the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and the Sunshine City
April 8 through April 15, 2017   
Saturday, April 8, 8:00 am 
Mayor Kriseman, Vyrle Davis  
Student Achievement Awards, The Coliseum

Saturday, April 8, 9:00 am  The Junior League of St. Petersburg Jelly Bean Fling, Great Explorations Children's Museum
 Learn more here.

Saturday, April 8, 1:00 pm 
Mayor Kriseman, St. Pete Brewing/Beer Launch, St. Pete Brewing Company  
 
Saturday, April 8, 8:30 pm 
Tampa Bay Blues Fest After Shows, Downtown St. Petersburg
Learn more here
 
Sunday, April 9, 3:00 pm   Hot Gatherings, Cool Conversations - Nancy Callan, Museum of Fine Arts
Learn more here.

Sunday, April 9, 7:30 pm  Brendan Nolan & Colin Farrell in Concert, The Palladium Theater
Learn more here.

Monday, April 10, 9:00 am  Mayor Kriseman, Address, United Way Key Cities Meeting, The Vinoy

Tuesday, April 11, 2:00 pm   Friends of Decorative Arts - The Art of Circus Protesters, Museum of Fine Arts
Learn more here.

Wednesday, April 12, 10:00 am  Mayor Kriseman, Downtown Civic Association Board Meeting, Bayfront Tower

Wednesday, April 12, 7:30 pm  Palladium Chamber Players Concert, The Palladium Theater
Learn more here.

Thursday, April 13, 5:00 pm  Mayor Kriseman, Grand Opening, Hawthorne Bottle Shoppe

Thursday, April 13, 6:00 pm  Mayor Kriseman, Address St. Pete Young Professionals, Rococo Steak House

Thursday, April 13, 6:30 pm  Testimonies from the Rwandan Genocide - GHRAM Lecture, Florida Holocaust Museum
Learn more here.

Thursday, April 13, 7:30 pm  Community Conversation - Is the Electoral College Good for America? Poynter Institute
Learn more here.

Friday, April 14, 2:00 pm 
Going Coastal: Sharky Science, Weedon Island Preserve, Cultural and Natural History Center
Learn more here
 
Friday, April 14, 8:00 pm  David Amram in Concert, The Palladium Theater
Learn more here

Friday, April 14, 8:00 pm  Rock Stars & Stripes: A Rock n' Roll Road Trip Across America, Mahaffey Theater
Learn more here.

Saturday, April 15, 8:30 am  Shoreline Cleanup, St. Petersburg
Learn more here.

Saturday, April 15, 10:30 am  Palm Talk and Stroll, Sunken Gardens
Learn more here.

Saturday, April 15, 8:00 pm  9th Anniversary Underwater Party, ARTPool Gallery
Learn more here.

In The Media
Monday, April 3
Tampa Bay Newspapers: Future looks promising for ferry service in Tampa Bay   
 
An experiment to see if "water-borne transportation" could be successful in Tampa Bay is doing better than expected. Preliminary data on a pilot ferry project indicates that it could be a viable means of connecting Pinellas and Hillsborough counties in the future.

The Cross-Bay Ferry pilot is a collaboration between the cities of St. Petersburg and Tampa, and Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. The intent is to help determine if passenger ferry service could be a regional transportation option.
 
               
[Read full article]  
Monday, April 3
Tampa Bay Reporter: Ferry Service a Success, Kriseman Says   
 
With a month to go before the pilot is completed, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman is declaring the cross-bay ferry a success.

"The numbers have been more robust than expected," Kriseman told Pinellas County commissioners. "I think this pilot has been far better than expected. ... There is a demand for ferry service in Tampa Bay."
                
 [Read full article] 
Monday, April 3
Tampa Bay Times: Tampa Bay area mayors to Legislature: Hands off our City Halls 
 
The Florida House of Representatives is making an unprecedented effort to seize power and local control from cities that drive the state's growth and economic development, the mayors of Tampa and St. Petersburg said Monday.

"I have never seen the assault on local government on all fronts - our ability to self-govern, our ability to pass laws that are appropriate for our communities - as I have in this legislative session," Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn told a crowd of about 300 at an Economic Club of Tampa lunch. 
               
[Read full article] 
Wednesday, April 5
Tampa Bay Reporter: Cross-Bay Ferry Sets Another Ridership Record in March 
 
The Cross-Bay Ferry carried nearly 8,000 passengers during March and generated significant growth in ridership for both weekday and weekend service between Tampa and St. Petersburg, according to figures released today (April 5).

During March, the Cross-Bay Ferry sold a record 7,990 tickets, which was a 31 percent increase over February, which was also a record month. The six-month pilot project carried a total of 31,362 people as of March 31. Weekend ridership in March increased 17 percent over February, and weekday ridership increased 57 percent.
               
[Read full article]
Wednesday, April 5
Tampa Bay Reporter: Kriseman Makes 'Baseball Forever' Pitch to Rays 
 
Mayor Rick Kriseman and St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce President Chris Steinocher made the city's " Baseball Forever" Campaign pitch to the Tampa Bay Rays today (April 5).

The pitch, a 43-page presentation responding to the Rays' 2016 New Ballpark Site Evaluation Process Document, is an overview of the Tropicana Fieldsite's potential as a dynamic forever home for the team, and includes letters of support from many of Pinellas County's largest employers. Home Shopping Network, JohnsHopkins All Children's Hospital, Nielsen, Raymond James, and Valpak are among the 15 corporations that have committed to keeping the team in St. Petersburg.
               
 [Read full article] 
Wednesday, April 5
SPB Drew Wilson: Rays get "Baseball Forever" pitch from Rick Kriseman 
 
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and local Chamber of Commerce President Chris Steinocher pitched a deal to the Tampa Bay Rays Wednesday that would have a new stadium built at the existing Tropicana Field site.

The 43-page "Baseball Forever" pitch
includes letters of support from 15 major employers in Pinellas County, all of which said they were devoted to keeping the pro baseball team in St. Petersburg.
               
[Read full article] 
Thursday, April 6
10 News: St. Pete leaders renew pitch to keep Rays there 
 
With the Rays saying its top choices for a new stadium in Hillsborough County are unavailable, St. Petersburg leaders are making a stronger pitch to keep the team in their city, and on the Tropicana Field site.

The City of St. Petersburg and the Baseball Forever campaign, led by Mayor Rick Kriseman and St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce President Chris Steinocher, met with Rays ownership in a private meeting at Tropicana Field on Wednesday.
               
 [Read full article] 
Thursday, April 6
Tampa Bay Business Journal: Economic development is key to St. Pete's pitch to keep the Rays 
 
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman delivered his pitch to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday to keep the team at the Tropicana Field site near downtown.

The 43-page presentation includes support for keeping the Rays at that site from 15 of the area's top employment centers including HSN (NASDAQ: HSNI), Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN), Raymond James (NYSE: RJF) and Valpak.  
                
 [Read full article] 
Rays 4 up 11
Thursday, April 6
FOX 13: St. Pete mayor makes pitch to keep Rays    
 
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman made his pitch to Rays executive Wednesday, hoping his meeting is a step toward keeping the team at Tropicana Field.

The proposal includes building a new stadium and redeveloping the 86 acres around the Trop into a retail, business, research and hotel complex.  
               
[Read full article] 
Thursday, April 6
WFLA: Mayor to pitch new plan to keep Tampa Bay Rays in St. Pete 
 
The mayor of St. Petersburg intends to present city leaders with a new, dynamic plan to keep the Tampa Bay Rays in the city.

Mayor Rick Kriseman will present the so-called 'Baseball Forever' plan to city leaders at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

On Wednesday night, he unveiled the plan to fans at Ferg's Sports Bar.  They were ecstatic.
                
[Read full article] 
Thursday, April 6
Ballpark Digest: Mayor Touts St. Petersburg for New Rays Ballpark 
 
With a new season underway, St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman is taking the opportunity to tout his city as a long-term home for the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Before delivering the ceremonial first pitch at Tropicana Field on Wednesday, Kriseman made a public presentation of the city's ballpark proposal. The proposal would keep the Rays in St. Petersburg at a new ballpark that is constructed near Tropicana Field, with the team's current ballpark and the surrounding area being redeveloped.
                
[Read full article] 
Thursday, April 6
Tampa Bay Business Journal: St. Pete pier details revealed as Colliers is tapped for management  
 
St. Petersburg City Council gave the OK on Thursday to hire Colliers International to operate the new pier once it's built, as well as manage some pre-opening operations.

The company will oversee a more than $3.2 million annual operating budget, and manage a $600,000 pre-opening budget including a $50,000 grand opening event.
                
[Read full article] 
Thursday, April 6
FOX 13: Council addresses possible pier project upgrades 
 
City council debated for nearly five hours Thursday whether or not to add an additional $14 million to the new pier project.

Council voted unanimously to request the money.

The project is within its $46 million budget, but Mayor Rick Kriseman wants to take TIF money that St. Pete receives from the county government and beef the project up, making it a global attraction. 
                
[Read full article] 
Thursday, April 6
Tampa Bay Times: St. Petersburg City Council wants to boost Pier budget by $14 million, but will choose what gets added 
 
Mayor Rick Kriseman won a partial victory Thursday in his quest to boost the Pier District budget by an extra $14 million, but lost control over what that money will be spent on.

The mayor had sought City Council backing to approach Pinellas County to reallocate $14 million in tax increment financing, or TIF funds, to the $66 million Pier project. That would boost the price tag to $80 million. 
                
 [Read full article]
Friday, April 7
The Weekly Challenger: Fourth Annual Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award Luncheon Voice of Empowerment  
 
Each year the Pinellas County Urban League (PCUL) honors men and women who make a significant impact in the community, and this year was no different. The fourth Annual Whitney M. Young, Jr. Awards Luncheon celebrated those who empower and those who have received empowerment.

Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin expressed how important it is for the city to have outstanding partners such as the PCUL. Thanks to their partnership, the city has seen a record number of youths earning income and gaining valuable workplace experience. Together they have served nearly 1,000 young men and women over the past four years and almost 400 last year alone.  
                
[Read full article] 
The City Hall Broadcast: Claude Tankersley, Public Works Administrator 

Radio St. Pete has partnered with the City of St. Petersburg on the production of a bi-weekly podcast "The City Hall Broadcast." Join host Will Kuncz of The Homemade Broadcast, for this unique, inside and informal view of our city government.

To hear the podcast, click the image above or click here .    

Tweet of the Week

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