The Tampa Bay district council of the Urban Land Institute has released a   report  with recommendations for how St. Petersburg can become a more resilient city by strengthening its defenses against climate change and significant weather events.

St. Petersburg, which has 60 miles of coastal frontage, is known as one of the most vulnerable cities in the nation to wind damage, coastal flooding from storm surge and rising sea levels.                      

            

             

            

             

As Director of Education and Community Engagement for the City of St. Petersburg, two budget commitments highlighted in Mrs. Scruggs' editorial fall under my scope of responsibility. 

Accurate information is critical, so please note the following corrections.Recognizing that access to quality education early in a child's life is a key factor of success, Mayor Kriseman made a $100,000 request in the Fiscal Year (FY) '18 budget to fund initiatives that support Early Childhood Education.  This $100,000 will bring the total investment for FY18 to $250,000, via the carry-forward of funds unused in FY17.              

"You can do this!" was the simple message that resonated with Daisha Gardner, an 18 year old who will be the first in her family to attend college. She was one of the nearly 80 young adults who attended the 2017 Success by Choice Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship Expo by the 2020 Plan Taskforce, and she was not alone in feeling inspired after the day-long event.

Tailor-made for young adults ages 16-24, and supported by 40 workshop facilitators, vendors, employers and volunteers, the Expo provided soft skills training to include marketing your own brand, social media do's and don'ts with vital training in job etiquette and simple professional courtesy.              

Students usually look forward to the end of the school year when they can spend time away from the daily grind of the classroom. But some 50 local youths have taken a different approach to summer.

The Summer Training in Youth Leadership & Employment (S.T.Y.L.E.) program is underway, and local students aged 14-16 are learning skills that will last them a lifetime.          

The St. Petersburg College (SPC) Midtown Center hosted the second quarterly Pinellas County African-American Leaders Conference, assembled by Congressman Charlie Crist (D-St. Petersburg). Community leaders took part in an hour-long discussion focusing on the issues impacting the African-American community such as inadequate education and lack of employment.

"It's important to know what's on your minds and the concerns you have," said Rep. Crist, "and how things are going within the community."