St Petersburg

Early Spanish exploration

The Pánfilo de Narváez expedition landed on the shores of Boca Ciega Bay at the Jungle Prada Site on April 14, 1528. It was the first inland exploration of North America. Of 300 men on the expedition only four survived. One of the survivors of the expedition, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, wrote the first book describing the peoples, wildlife, flora and fauna of inland North America in his Relacion, published in Spain in 1542.

Nineteenth century

The city was co-founded by John C. Williams, formerly of Detroit, who purchased the land in 1875, and by Peter Demens who was instrumental in bringing the terminus of the Orange Belt Railway there in 1888. The first major newspaper to debut in Tampa Bay was the St. Petersburg Times which established in 1884. St. Petersburg was incorporated as a town on February 29, 1892, when it had a population of 300 people.

A local legend says that John C. Williams and Peter Demens flipped a coin to see who would have the honor of naming the city. When Demens won the coin toss the city was named after Saint Petersburg, Russia, where Peter Demens had spent half of his youth, while John C. Williams named the first hotel after his birthplace, Detroit (a hotel built by Demens). The Detroit Hotel still exists downtown, but has been turned into a condominium. The oldest running hotels are the historic Pier Hotel, built in 1921, formally Hotel Cordova and The Heritage Hotel (now named Hotel Indigo), built in 1926.

Philadelphia publisher F. A. Davis turned on St. Petersburg’s first electrical service in 1897. The city’s first major industry was born in 1899 when Henry W. Hibbs (1862–1942), a native of Newport, North Carolina, established his wholesale fish business at the end of the railroad pier, which extended out to the shipping channel. Within a year, Hibbs Fish Company was shipping more than 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of fish each day.

Twentieth century

St. Petersburg was incorporated as a city in June 1903. With this transition, the development of the downtown waterfront had dredging of a deeper shipping channel from 1906 to 1908 which opened St. Petersburg to larger shipping. Further dredging improved the port facilities through the 1910s. By then the city’s population had quadrupled to a population of 4,127 citizens. F. A. Davis was instrumental to bringing the first trolley service in 1904.

In 1914, Al Lang invited the St. Louis Browns to move their spring training into the city, then worked tirelessly to make Grapefruit League training in and around St. Petersburg the destination for baseball teams and their fans by the 1920s. Lang eventually became mayor and ambassador for the city, and helped its permanent population grow tenfold in just a decade.
St. Petersburg’s first library opened on December 1, 1915 which still operates to this day as the Mirror Lake Library.
In 1914 an airplane service across Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg to Tampa and back was initiated, generally considered the first scheduled commercial airline flight. The flight took former mayor Abe Pheil to Tampa. The company name was the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line, and the pilot was Tony Jannus flying a Benoist XIV flying boat. The Tony Jannus Award is presented annually for outstanding achievement in the airline industry.

The city and its tourism industry burgeoned in the 1920s, with up to a quarter million visitors annually coming from Canada, the North and the Midwest by automobile, yacht, and railroad. The city was the principal Gulf Coast destination for long distance trains of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad’s Southland (from Chicago and Cincinnati) and Gulf Coast Limited (from New York, succeeded by the West Coast Champion), and Seaboard Air Line Railroad trains such as the Southern States Special (from New York, succeeded by the Silver Meteor). Travel time from across the bay was cut due to the Gandy Bridge’s opening in 1924, allowing direct access to Tampa and the rest of central Florida.

The city took on a Mediterranean flair, with Old Spanish Trail style architecture promoted by Snell Isle founder Perry Snell, whose new country club island homes adopted many elements of Moorish design. Those same elements were echoed in the city’s new Vinoy, Jungle Country Club, Don Cesar and other fine hotels, as well as in Snell’s new skyscraper office building downtown. The 1926 opening of the Million Dollar Pier marked the peak of the boom, adding an attraction that brought both tourists and townspeople together to enjoy fishing, amusements, trolley access and even a local radio station.

The St. Petersburg flag was created in 1927 and was designed by Mayor C.J. Maurer along with a committee of other public officials. It featured an array of colors symbolic of St. Pete’s culture including the sunshine, water and land. The idea came after officials called for a new logo which later became the design for the flag. The pelican featured in the center became a symbol for the “Feed the Pelican Fund” which has supported the birds during the winter months.

Tourism declined by the late 1920s and early 1930s due to the Great Depression. The city recovered later in the 1930s with the help of the Public Works Administration, including a $10 million investment plan in 1939 which helped build the St. Petersburg City Hall. The second World War brought renewed growth, as the city’s Bayboro Harbor became a training base for the U.S. Coast Guard and the Army Air Force chose the city as their technical service training station. The hotels filled for the first time in years, as up to 100,000 troops came to St. Petersburg. After the war, many of those troops who were stationed in St. Petersburg returned as residents or tourists.
In the 1950s, St. Petersburg experienced another population boom, with the return of retiree resettlement to the city. In 1954 the original Sunshine Skyway Bridge opened its first span to link St. Petersburg with Manatee County, connecting the next year to U.S. Route 19 in the city. With a large influx of car traffic, it was decided to remove the city’s streetcar lines.
The development of major transportation continued into the 1960s with the completion of the Howard Frankland Bridge in 1960, creating another connection between St. Petersburg and Tampa. St. Petersburg also received its first stadium named the Bayfront Center which hosted the first professional hockey league in Tampa Bay. A new municipal marina and the Museum of Fine Arts were also built downtown. St. Petersburg is home to one of the world’s largest reclaimed water systems that was built in the 1970s which flows 37 million gallons of water per day to provide for customers located throughout the city.

From May to August 1968, 211 of the city’s sanitation workers struck for higher wages. The strike began approximately one month after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee while supporting that city’s sanitation workers strike.

In 1984, a full-scale flying replica of the Benoist XIV flying boat was constructed by Florida Aviation Historical Society for the 70th anniversary of the flight. This aircraft is now on loan to the St. Petersburg Museum of History in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Contemporary history

Development of the first Major League Baseball team to be located in the Tampa Bay area began in St. Petersburg throughout the 1970s. The city tried to encourage numerous teams through the United States to make St. Petersburg their new home. Designs for a ballpark were first presented in 1983 and construction for a permanent dome stadium began in 1986. The stadium opened in 1990 as the Florida Suncoast Dome, renamed the Thunderdome in 1993. After many attempts to attract tenants to the new stadium, Major League Baseball gave St. Petersburg a franchise in 1995. In 1996, the dome was renamed a third time to Tropicana Field after naming rights were established with Tropicana Dole Beverages. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays was then established in 1998 after the stadium’s renovation and the new team played their first game on March 31, 1998, giving the Tampa Bay area their first professional baseball team.

The city population continued to multiply during the 20th century, booming through the 1970s as a popular retirement destination for Americans from midwestern cities, reaching 238,647 in the 1980 census. Serious urban problems and destruction of historic structures stymied growth in the subsequent decade and a half, but renewed interest in urban living by family aged residents and the expansion of the downtown university and related services has renewed its growth. Even as the average age of the population declined in the early 2000, CNN named St. Pete the #7 Best Place to Retire, and 15 percent of St. Pete’s population still falls over the age of 65.

St. Petersburg is home to more than 100 neighborhoods, with most of the historic districts located near the bay. On the central Eastern edge of the city is Downtown St. Petersburg, which includes the city’s residential and commercial skyscrapers, art galleries, museums, and parks. The downtown area is home to the central business district and to many start-up companies, corporate branches, banks, law firms, and restaurants. Apart from downtown’s business and cultural offerings, the area also includes a branch of St. Petersburg College and the campus of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. The downtown district is home to two professional sports teams, the Tampa Bay Rays, which play in the western part of downtown at Tropicana Field, and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, which play along the downtown waterfront at Al Lang Stadium.

North of Downtown St. Petersburg lie Historic Old Northeast and Snell Isle, which both have Mediterranean style historic and waterfront homes, parks, and recreational areas. Old Northeast is also home to a shopping district, city landmarks, beaches, and small shops as well as small residential high rises. Snell Isle was founded by C. Perry Snell who bought up the land to develop upscale properties in the 1900s, and helped create some of St. Petersburg’s resorts such as the Vinoy Park Hotel and the St. Petersburg Woman’s Club, both of which are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

The far north consists of the Gateway area which overlaps part of Pinellas Park, home to major employers such as Home Shopping Network and currently the site of much construction of residential and business buildings and of new toll roads.

The central portion of St. Petersburg includes the Grand Central District and Historic Kenwood. The Grand Central District houses the city’s cafes, art galleries, restaurants, and bars all owing to the Craftsman style architecture. Historic Kenwood is filled with art studios and galleries similarly to the Grand Central District. Kenwood was named “Neighborhood of the Year” in 2020 by Neighborhood, USA for revitalization and beautification.

South of downtown St. Petersburg is Historic Roser Park, which houses historic Mediterranean and Eclectic style housing, parks, and museums. The neighborhood is divided by Booker Creek which flows into Bayboro Harbor.

Much economic activity is concentrated in the Gateway area, which overlaps St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park. The median household income is $55,134. Health care, retail and professional services are the largest industries. The most common positions in St. Petersburg are Office and Administrative Support, Sales, and Management.

Budget

The city’s budget runs on a fiscal calendar beginning October 1 and ending the following September. In order to approve the budget, the city’s mayor submits a proposal to the city council who will make decisions proceeding two public hearings which are in compliance with “Truth in Mileage.” A finalized budget that complies with statues is then posted within 30 days as required by the state of Florida.

In 2017, the city of St. Petersburg has an operating budget of about $514.1 million. The budget contributed to various areas of the city including water resources, Police and Fire Departments, and Emergency Medical Services.

The Commercial Revitalization Program of 2020 provided grants to commercial developments providing future work to the city. Grants are provided to commercial buildings and developments outside of downtown and are provided as matching grants.

The city of St. Petersburg incorporated a Community Cultural plan to continuously develop a climate of diversity and inclusivity among its citizens. Together, the city uses arts and culture to illustrate diverse expression, opportunity, and vibrancy. St. Petersburg is home to nearly 500 murals across the entire city created by both local and international artists.

The main intent behind this project is to highlight St. Petersburg’s dedication to diversity and inclusion.

Events

St. Petersburg has a variety of e-newsletters dedicated to different components of the city including sustainability, business growth, Mayor Rick Kriseman and the city’s events.

One of the first of many major events of the year that takes place is the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade, in January. The parade hosts a Battle of the Bands, and drum line extravaganzas that have been duplicated in other cities.

In March the city hosts the annual Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. This is located in downtown St. Petersburg and is the first round of the IndyCar Series. It usually lasts three days with practice rounds, qualifications, and two main races. Firestone extended its sponsorship of the Gran Prix up until 2023. The sponsorship began in 2014 and the extension was announced at the beginning of the 2020 event.

Bluesfest, hosted in the Vinoy Park, hosts multiple live blues artists, offers views of the Tampa Bay waters from the park, and provides drinks and free food.

One of the many art festivals, called the Mainsail Art Festival, is a free entry art exhibition at the Vinoy Park, which offers art sold by local artists. It also provides live music, awards, and food courts.

The Saint Petersburg Art Festival takes place every February.

Every year, the Shine Mural Festival occurs around the city of St. Petersburg. This event includes an art exhibition of colorful murals throughout the city, which include different themes each year. This event is hosted by the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance.

The downtown triathlon event is hosted by St. Anthony’s Hospital and involves a 1.5k swim through Tampa Bay, a 40k bike along the waterways, and a 10k run through the neighborhoods.

The Green Thumb Festival, which originated in 1986 to promote tree beautification and planting in the city of St. Petersburg, is currently held in Walter Fuller Park.

A major event that takes place in June is the St. Pete Pride weekend, when the LGBT community and supporters celebrate in the streets with festivals, the 27/82 concert, and an LGBT pride parade. The weekend also hosts a variety of block parties, food stands, DJ stands, art festivals, local hosted parties, and the LGBT welcoming center.

Juneteenth celebrations are hosted on June 19 to honor the end of slavery in the United States. Peace Protests followed by a celebration in Williams Park take place in St. Pete to honor the holiday.

In July, the 4th of July firework celebration invites the citizens to downtown St. Petersburg.

Every year in October, an annual folk festival known as SPIFFS is held at Vinoy park. This event includes different ethnic cultures that share their food, crafts, and music. During the event, there is a parade that each country participates in, along with performances by their folk dance groups.

Greenhouse and USF St. Pete’s College of Business host an annual event known as “St. Pete Pitch Night” in October. The event highlights up and coming entrepreneurs by providing participants the opportunity to stand before judges and pitch innovative business plans.

In November, the annual Ribfest is held at Vinoy Park. It includes family fun zones, drinking vendors, and two stages hosting many country music artists.

SHINE St. Pete Mural Festival is an annual event hosted by the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance. The event began in 2015 and since has contributed to nearly 93 murals designed by artists from across the globe. 2020 marked the first event entirely composed of Florida-based artists, more specifically from the Tampa Bay area.

From the end of November through December are holiday events. A tree lighting ceremony starts the celebrations. The Santa Parade is followed by Snowfest with “glice” skating, toboggan slides, and Kiddyland. Kids meet Santa and ice skate in the North Straub Park. North and South Straub Park are decorated with holiday lights and decorationsm while the Vinoy Park is decorated with large greeting cards created by the recreational centers in St. Petersburg.

In mid-December, the city hosts an annual NCAA football game in Tropicana Field entitled the St. Petersburg Bowl.

On December 31, St. Petersburg has the year’s last event, First Night St. Petersburg, where people celebrate the arts from venues across the city. In 2020, the event is set to be a three-hour virtual event with a variety of entertainment options. This is the first time in its 28 years that the event will be held virtually.

The American Stage in the Park hosts many different shows at the Demens Landing Park throughout the year.

St. Petersburg hosted the Miss Florida Pageant eleven consecutive years from 2004 to 2015, until the pageant was moved to Lakeland.

The city hosts a year-round event known as the “Second Saturday ArtWalk” where over 200 artists display their art in Downtown. Nearly 40 studios and galleries participate in the event which also includes local live entertainment and food.

Demonstrations and protests

St. Petersburg consistently plays home-base for peaceful protests and demonstrations revolving around an array of social issues to bring awareness to the community.

Pride month takes place annually throughout the month of June to celebrate and recognize the identities of LGBTQ+ persons. The city of St. Petersburg hosts a variety of events to celebrate Pride Month including the annual Pride Parade. Nearly 5,000 people participate in the parade down Bayshore Drive in St. Petersburg with thousands participating on the sidelines. Due to COVID-19, the city decided to cancel this year’s parade, however, intend on continuing large celebrations in 2021.

The annual Women’s March in the month of January typically takes place in Williams Park where thousands of individuals gather to march for female rights and equality. The last documented Women’s March in St. Pete dates back to 2018 following the resurgence of the #MeToo Movement.

More recently, in 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement has swept through the state of Florida, specifically in St. Petersburg where protests and demonstrations continue to take place. On June 19, 2020, Terri Lipsey Scott along with sixteen artists unveiled a “Black Lives Matter” mural on the street across from the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum. Demonstrations and protests began following the murder of George Floyd to raise awareness of systematic racism and demand social justice.

Tourism

The city has a children’s museum (Great Explorations) and a Museum of Fine Arts. Additionally, the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement was expected to open in 2017, but is yet to be opened to the public following delays in breaking ground, construction, and other complications. The St. Petersburg Museum of History has a full-size replica of the Benoist XIV seaplane and is located near the approximate spot by the St. Petersburg Pier where the first scheduled commercial flight departed. St. Petersburg is home to the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum which highlights the life of Carter G. Woodson who founded the Associated Publishers and is the author of nearly 30 books still prevalent today. Past exhibits and events featured in the museum include the Ray McLendon Exhibit, a discussion of race and politics series, and a seminar on the conviction of Michael Morgan. The city also has the Holocaust Museum, and the Salvador Dalí Museum, which houses the largest collection of Dalí’s works outside of Europe, including a number of famous and large-scale paintings such as The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. The Chihuly Collection, located on Central Avenue, houses glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly. There are various other smaller art galleries and entertainment venues, especially in the downtown area, which has seen a boom in development since the mid-1990s; these include the Mahaffey Theater complex, American Stage (an equity regional theater), The Coliseum, Palladium Theatre, Midtown Royal Theater, the Arts Center, and the Florida Craftsmen Gallery.

There are seven distinct art districts in St. Petersberg. The Waterfront Museum District features independent galleries and museums. The Central Arts District is known for its music scene. The Grand Central District is a retail district surrounded by historic neighborhoods. It hosts one of the largest LGBTQ parades in the country every June. The Edge District has a variety of murals, historic buildings, restaurants, and a collection of mid-century modern furniture. The Warehouse Arts District includes artists spaces. The Deuces Live District is home to the city of St. Petersburg’s African American heritage, and includes locally owned art galleries and other specialty businesses. The location is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the historic neighborhood where many famous African Americans performed and lived. The M.L. King North District includes restaurants and cafes.

The old St. Petersburg Pier was a popular tourist attraction which closed in May 2013, and has been replaced with a new pier that opened in late 2020. The Bounty, a replica of HMS Bounty that was used in the 1962 Technicolor remake of Mutiny on the Bounty, starring Marlon Brando, was permanently docked near the pier for many years until the ship was sold to Ted Turner in 1986. The Bounty, however, sometimes visited St. Petersburg for the winter in the following years before its sinking in 2012. In 2010, the St. Petersburg City Council voted to demolish and rebuild the pier. The new pier will be opening “in phases” in 2020. A ceremony celebrating the opening is scheduled for the 4th of July. In November 2020, the new St. Petersburg Pier finished second in USA Today’s 10Best nationwide competition for “Best New Attraction 2020.”
The Moorings partnered with Sailing Florida in Winter of 2020 to begin St. Petersburg’s first ever sailing charter. This event took place in response to COVID-19 which restricted travel and left many Americans with the desire to leave their homes. The seven day itinerary takes occupants roundtrip from St. Petersburg to many islands around the Florida area.

The city had a Madame Tussaud Wax Museum between 1963 and 1989. Tussaud’s St. Petersburg location housed 120 wax figures, one of which included Freddie Kreuger. When the building was demolished, city commissioners expected to reopen the museum in another location, however, the concept was denied after debate over the building’s size.

The Imagine Museum holds two-floors worth of glass art collected from all over the world. While the museum features visiting exhibits, the American Masters in Glass, Glass Now, and 1000 Buddha Installation are just three of the permanently installed galleries. Imagine Museum was created in 2016 with its first collection, American Glass Family Tree, on display.

The downtown Sundial shopping complex opened in May 2014. It contains an IMAX Muvico 20-screen movie theater, as well as many chain restaurants and retail shops, catering to a middle- and upper-class audience. The Sundial St. Pete has nightlife destinations, as does the block surrounding Jannus Live. Restaurants serving ethnic and domestic culinary specialties can be found throughout the downtown area.

Every Saturday morning from October to May, the downtown area hosts a farmers’ market in the parking area of Al Lang Stadium (formerly Progress Energy Park). Local vendors sell the fruits of their labors (whether edible or decorative) alongside artists of all kinds including live music.

West of downtown on Central Avenue is the 600 Block Arts District, which contains Bohemian art and clothing stores. The eve-N-odd gallery is located in the historic Crislip Arcade built in 1925. The refurbished shopping arcade is one of 13 original city arcades built in the city. Only three are left, and only the Crislip arcade is still being used as a place for small businesses to set up shop. Further west is the Grand Central District located within Historic Kenwood District. It is known for its artistic community, LGBT presence, and the annual St. Pete Pride parade. Haslam’s Bookstore can also be found in the Grand Central District. It is the largest independent bookstore in Florida, with over 30,000 square feet. As its name implies, Old Northeast is adjacent to downtown from the northeast. It is known for its historic status and eclectic architecture.

St. Petersburg boasts two historic neighborhoods: Roser Park, located just south of the downtown area, and Grenada Terrace, in the Old Northeast Neighborhood. Both are known for stately architecture, and together comprise the urban core of St. Petersburg.

St Petersburg is home to the War Veterans’ Memorial Park which honors military veterans with five plaques and the official armed forces flags representing each branch of the U.S.military. The memorial is home to the Battlefield Cross Monument honoring local fallen military members who died in the Gulf War Eta. Aside from the memorial, the park houses other amenities for visitors.

A bronze statue in honor of St. Pete resident Elder Jordan stands on 22nd Street and Seventh Avenue as of October 2020. Jordan was a slave from birth up until the age of 15 when he bought his slavery and moved to St. Petersburg where he created a successful business. He is a notable figure in the St. Pete community as he became the richest African-American in St. Petersburg and provided 26 acres of land to the city dedicated to creating affordable housing. The bronze statue is a tribute to Jordan and the impact he had on the St. Petersburg community.

North of downtown is the Great Explorations Children’s Museum, an interactive museum featuring a Children’s Village with giant pretend stores, fire house and pet vet clinic, and preschool, science, music, art, and water exhibits. It is located next to Sunken Gardens.

4th Street as a whole, from Downtown up to Gandy Boulevard, is home to many restaurants and bars running the gamut from fast food to haute cuisine. This area is called the “Garden District”, although as of 2010 this name is not widely in use.

Boyd Hill Nature Park, located on Lake Maggiore, is a 245-acre (0.99 km2) preserve where one can see many of the endangered plants and rare wildlife of Tampa Bay. A bird exhibit houses bald eagles, owls, hawks, and other species.

St. Pete is well known for its canoe and kayak trails. The CityTrails BlueWays is an environmental and occasionally historic opportunity while visiting the city. Ramps, wash stations and kayak/canoes racks are available as well as nearby attractions.

St. Petersburg is well regarded for its beaches. In 2005, Fort De Soto was rated the number one beach in America by the annual Dr. Beach rankings. TripAdvisor ranked it number one in the nation for 2008. Also noted for its arts community, St. Petersburg regularly places top 25 in the nation among arts destinations. St. Petersburg has become known and regarded as one of America’s most livable cities.

The area’s main shopping mall is Tyrone Square Mall, constructed in 1972 and is located in the northwestern part of the city.

Saint Petersburg is considered the Kava capital of the United States.

Cinema

St. Petersburg has been used as a filming location for films over the years, including Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Summer Rental (1985), Cocoon (1985), Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Loren Cass (2006), Dolphin Tale (2011), Magic Mike (2012), Spring Breakers (2013), Dolphin Tale 2 (2014), and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016).

In 2019, the Hallmark Film Garden Party was filmed around St. Petersburg.

Other movies that have used St. Petersburg as their filming location include: Bernie the Dolphin (2018), Love in the Sun (2019), and True Love Blooms (2019)

The St. Petersburg Library System consists of seven branch locations:

• President Barack Obama Library
• Childs Park Library
• James Weldon Johnson Community Library
• Mirror Lake Library
• North Community Library
• South Community Library
• West Community Library

The Mirror Lake Library, built in 1915, is one of only two Carnegie libraries still operating in Florida.

The Tampa-St. Petersburg area is represented by teams in four major professional sports (soccer, football, baseball, and hockey). Two teams, the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball and Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League, play in St. Petersburg proper, while the other two teams play across the bay in Tampa. As their names suggest, all of the teams represent the entire Tampa Bay area and seek to draw fans from both sides of Tampa Bay.

The Tampa-St. Petersburg area hosted the Super Bowl LV, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took on the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium on February 7, 2021.

The Rays began play in 1998, finishing last in the American League’s East Division in nine of the first ten seasons they played, including their last year known as the “Devil Rays”: 2007. In 2008, their 11th season, they held off the Boston Red Sox and won the AL East Division Championship for the first time. In the playoffs, they again faced the Red Sox in the ALCS. They defeated Boston and won the American League Pennant. However, they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2008 World Series. The Rays also made an appearance in the 2020 World Series where they faced the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, they eventually lost the series to the Dodgers in six games.

From their inception until 2008, the Rays played their regular season games at Tropicana Field and their spring training games at historic Al Lang Stadium, formerly Progress Energy Park, giving them the unique distinction of being the only team in Major League Baseball that played its spring training games in their home city in more than 70 years. Beginning in 2009, the Rays have held spring training at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, ending a 94-year streak of springtime baseball in the city. Tropicana Field, the home venue of the Rays, played host to the 1999 Final Four. Despite not having a team in the city since 2000 (with the St. Petersburg Devil Rays), St. Petersburg is home to Minor League Baseball’s main headquarters.

St. Petersburg is home to the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the inaugural race was held in April 2005. The circuit itself is made of downtown streets passing Al Lang Stadium, the marina, and a runway in Albert Whitted Airport, and streets are temporarily blocked off for the annual Indy Racing League’s IndyCar Series race. The race was postponed in 2020 due to the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, and was rescheduled as the final race of the season, rather than the first race. In 2012, the road intersecting Turn 10 was renamed Dan Wheldon Way in memory of Dan Wheldon, who won the 2005 race thanks to a move made on that turn. Wheldon was killed in an accident at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the 2011 season finale.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies of the United Soccer League began play in Tampa in 2010 and moved to Al Lang Stadium in 2011. The long-time baseball venue is named after Al Lang, a former mayor of St. Petersburg who was instrumental in bringing spring training to the city in 1914. The Rowdies initially shared Al Lang Stadium with various amateur baseball events, but eventually took over operation of the facility and has converted it into a soccer-only facility The Rowdies’ ownership has expressed interest in moving up to join Major League Soccer (MLS) and a 2016 referendum gave the club permission to build a larger privately funded stadium at the site of Al Lang Stadium if the move takes place.

The Bay Area Pelicans Rugby Football Club has made their home in St. Petersburg since 1977.

The city of St. Petersburg has been governed under a strong mayor form of government since 1993. The Mayor of St. Petersburg and the St. Petersburg City Council members are elected to a four-year term, limited to two consecutive terms. Currently the mayor of St. Petersburg is Ken Welch who took office on January 6, 2022. The legislative body consists of eight City Council members representing each of their designated city districts.

St. Petersburg is in Florida’s 13th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Democrat Charlie Crist. In 2020, 49.58 percent of Pinellas County voters cast ballots for Democratic candidate and the 46th President Joe Biden.

Primary and secondary education

Public primary and secondary schools in St. Petersburg are administered by Pinellas County Schools. Public high schools within the city limits include:

• Gibbs High School
• Lakewood High School
• Northeast High School
• St. Petersburg High School
• St. Petersburg Collegiate High School

Private high schools include:

• Canterbury School of Florida
• St. Petersburg Catholic High School
• Shorecrest Preparatory School
• Admiral Farragut Academy

High schools located in unincorporated (outside city limits) St. Petersburg:

• Dixie M. Hollins High School
• Keswick Christian School
• Northside Christian School

The non-profit Science Center of Pinellas County educates more than 22,000 school children annually through field trip classes and offers winter, spring and summer workshops for 2,000 more.

Higher education

St. Petersburg is home to several institutions of higher education. The University of South Florida St. Petersburg is an autonomous campus in the University of South Florida system. The University of South Florida St. Petersburg serves 6,500 students. Eckerd College, founded in 1958, is a private four-year liberal arts college. St. Petersburg College is a state college in the Florida College System. Also in St. Petersburg is the Poynter Institute, a journalism institute which owns the Tampa Bay Times in a unique arrangement. Stetson Law School is located in Gulfport, which is adjacent to St. Pete between the south beaches. The city of St. Petersburg contributed to the school in 2020 by donating to increase diversity in the ocean sciences.

The largest colleges by degrees awarded are USF St. Petersburg, Eckerd College and Pinellas Technical College. Statistically, the most popular majors amongst these three institutions are Nursing, Psychology and Biological Sciences. In 2015, the largest number of degrees awarded went to Biological Sciences students while the second was awarded to Psychology students.

Other colleges and universities in the wider Tampa Bay Area include the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa located in Tampa and Hillsborough Community College, with campuses across Hillsborough County.

St. Petersburg College, founded in 1927, a state college within the Florida College System. It has an average of 65,000 students spread across 11 campuses and centers in the Bay area, four of which are in St. Petersburg.

The city’s main daily morning newspaper is the Tampa Bay Times as well as its free weekly sister publication tbt*. The free weekly alternative newspaper Creative Loafing is also available in the area.

Cable television service is provided by Spectrum (previously Bright House Networks) and Wide Open West (abbreviated “WOW!”, previously Knology), as well as fiber optic service provider Frontier Communications (previously Verizon FiOS).

St. Petersburg is in the Tampa-St. Petersburg television and radio markets. WTSP channel 10 (CBS) and WTOG channel 44 (The CW) are licensed to St. Petersburg, with studios in unincorporated Pinellas County in the Gandy Boulevard area just north of the St. Petersburg limits. Spectrum Bay News 9, the local cable TV news service, is based in northeast St. Petersburg. Independent station WTTA is licensed to St. Petersburg, with studios in Tampa. Official city government programming, known as StPeteTV, can be found on Spectrum on Channel 641, WOW! Cable on Channel 15 or Frontier Channel 20 as well as online. City government programming previously aired on city-owned WSPF-CD channel 35 until 2012, when the city sold the station to private interests. Cox Media Group has several brands with headquarters in the St. Petersburg area including 97x, Hot 101.5 and Magic 94.9.

Roads
In Pinellas County’s beginnings, many of the roads followed unusual patterns to link various settlements. Clearwater-Largo Road and Tampa Road are two examples that still exist today. The architects who constructed Pinellas County’s roads developed them in a grid pattern which can be seen in various cities including St. Petersburg.

The city is connected to Tampa by the east by causeways and bridges across Tampa Bay, and to Bradenton in the south by the Sunshine Skyway Bridge (Interstate 275), which traverses the mouth of the bay. Travel Channel named the Skyway Bridge one of the top 10 Best Bridges in the World. It is also served by Interstates 175 and 375, which branch off I-275 into the southern and northern areas of downtown respectively. The Gandy Bridge, conceived by George Gandy and opened in 1924, was the first causeway to be built across Tampa Bay, connecting St. Petersburg and Tampa cities without a circuitous 43-mile (69 km) trip around the bay through Oldsmar.

Airports
Nearby Tampa International Airport provides air transportation for most passengers. Smaller airlines, with destinations to smaller cities and towns, operate at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, with most tenants providing only seasonal services. Albert Whitted Airport provides general aviation services near the heart of downtown St. Petersburg.

Mass transit
Mass transit in St. Petersburg is provided by the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA). A sightseeing trolley, called The Looper, also travels to key downtown destinations daily such as USFSP, Sundial, Vinoy Hotel, and the multiple museums around the city. The Looper costs only 50 cents to ride and provides free drop off points throughout the transit. The City of St. Petersburg offers Coast Bike Share which is a service providing shared bicycles for short-term use between one and three miles. Along the bike paths in St. Pete are terra-cotta planters to create extra space between traffic and bikers to ensure user safety.

It was announced in August 2020 that St. Petersburg would welcome electric scooters to the list of transportation options. 225 scooters will first be introduced and it is expected to increase to 1,500 time goes on. The city created corrals in Downtown St. Pete where users must leave scooters once they are not in use.

St. Petersburg has a program known as “Ride Share” which are affordable options to get around the city. Ride share is a non-profit carpooling service available in the city alongside other services like Lyft and Uber.

Railroads
CSX Transportation operates a former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad branch line which sees daily rail traffic from north Tampa though Safety Harbor, Clearwater, and Largo. As of March 2008, the portion that ran into downtown St. Petersburg and the adjacent western industrial areas was abandoned. There is a small rail yard to the northwest of downtown St. Petersburg at the new end of the rail line with several spur lines serving industries in the area.

The former Seaboard Air Line branch from the western coastal portion of the county was abandoned in the 1980s and converted to a popular recreational trail called the Pinellas Trail.

Notable former stations include the St. Petersburg ACL station, which became an Amtrak station from 1971 to 1983, St. Petersburg Seaboard Air Line Passenger Station, and the St. Petersburg Seaboard Coast Line station.

Port and marinas
One of the main sea transportation areas in St. Peterburg is the Port of St. Petersburg, which is located in downtown St. Petersburg. Boat marinas in downtown St. Petersburg are also available such as the Municipal Marina which located in the Southern and Central Yacht Basins, and Harborage Marina located in the Bayboro Harbor.

Utilities
The city of St. Petersburg’s major electricity system is provided by Duke Energy, the city’s major gas system is provided by TECO Energy in the industrial and commercial parts of the city, and the city’s water services are provided by the city of St. Petersburg.