Many questions remain following Mayor Ken Welch’s selection of the Tampa Bay Rays and Hines partnership to redevelop Tropicana Field and the historic Gas Plant District. Stakeholders await a commitment from the franchise to stay in St. Petersburg, and taxpayers wonder how team, city and county officials will split the tab for a potential $1.1 [...]| St Pete Catalyst
A new Tampa Bay Rays stadium and redeveloping the surrounding 86 acres could generate an $11.9 billion total economic output and create nearly 18,000 sustainable annual jobs over 30 years. Those are just two key findings from an economic impact study commissioned by Pinellas County Administrator Barry Burton. Utah-based Victus Advisors submitted its final report [...]| St Pete Catalyst
Pinellas County officials plan to offer about $300 million in local tourism taxes to a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium in St. Petersburg. That would equate to half of the expected $600 million public-funding request. County Commissioners, administrators and Tourist Development Council (TDC) members briefly discussed the project at Thursday morning’s joint meeting. Administrator Barry [...]| St Pete Catalyst
The Catalyst Community Voices Mission There are multiple perspectives to any issue and each perspective contains its own internal truth. Pragmatic thinking that transcends the truth of any single perspective, and combines the wisdom of many perspectives, drives inclusive innovation of our collective perspective. This platform is a conduit for such thinking. [...]| St Pete Catalyst
A husband-and-wife duo hopes to breathe new life into a neglected, decaying 100-year-old religious landmark in St. Petersburg. Noam Krasniansky bought the Euclid Methodist Church, also known as the Euclid Mansion, for $1.1 million in August 2023. According to adaptive reuse documents obtained by the Catalyst, he is "completely renovating the structure to bring it [...]| St Pete Catalyst
A husband-and-wife duo’s last-ditch effort to transform a decaying religious landmark in St. Petersburg into a unique event space has failed. Noam Krasniansky unveiled his ambitious plans for the nearly century-old Euclid Methodist Church, also known as the Euclid Mansion, in February 2024. The neglected institution has remained vacant since 2005. In November 2024, the [...]| St Pete Catalyst
Demolition once loomed for a decaying religious landmark in St. Petersburg after attempts to transform it into a unique event space failed in February due to concerns over parking and noise. However, an undeterred husband-and-wife duo will soon open the nearly century-old Euclid Methodist Church’s doors to the public for the first time since 2005. [...]| St Pete Catalyst
Spontivly’s cofounders achieved multiple goals with Tuesday’s announcement that the Tampa Bay Rowdies will now utilize the St. Petersburg-based tech startup’s innovative market data analytics platform. Marissa Huggins and Anthony Nagendraraj relocated their company from Alberta, Canada, to St. Petersburg in 2022. Huggins said the latest partnership highlights Spontivly’s growth and that its cofounders are [...]| St Pete Catalyst
St. Pete Catalyst - local St. Petersburg business & civic news. Arts news everyday. City council and county commission news.| St Pete Catalyst
Welcome to the Catalyst’s Community Voices platform. We’ve curated community leaders and thinkers from all parts of our great city to speak on issues that affect us all. Visit our Community Voices page for more details. In today’s world, the path to opportunity feels increasingly uncertain, for adults and especially for young people navigating school, society, and their [...]| St Pete Catalyst
To those considering becoming the next stewards of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay: Baseball is more than a game in St. Petersburg - it’s part of our DNA. For over 110 years, our city has shared a proud, enduring relationship with America’s pastime. From the legends who trained here in the spring to the [...]| St Pete Catalyst
In the State of Florida’s Fiscal Year budget for 2025-2026, the Division of Arts and Culture’s awarded grants – totaling just over $18 million - might seem a bit on the conservative side when compared to years past. Considering Governor Ron DeSantis’ veto of any and all arts grants for 2024-25, however, this year's allocations [...]| St Pete Catalyst
When the cast of freeFall Theater’s The House of Future Memory assembled for the first time, as per tradition each person’s script was waiting for them, the binders named and neatly laid out on the read-through table. The binders were empty. The House of Future Memory is a totally improvised play. Which means that there’s [...]| St Pete Catalyst
The University of South Florida will name its mental health research center after Florida state senator Darryl Rouson, after months of speculation. Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed the center’s name after signing a Rouson-sponsored bill, 1620: Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disorders, into law June 25 at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart [...]| St Pete Catalyst
A new venture fund designed to strengthen the local entrepreneurial ecosystem has officially launched with a strategic investment in St. Petersburg-based Spontivly. Veteran investors Ashby Green and Kim Vogel founded the Coastal Community Fund to support oft-overlooked seed-stage startups throughout Florida. However, the two will prioritize burgeoning Tampa Bay companies. The investment in Spontivly will [...]| St Pete Catalyst
The Tampa Bay Rays have sought a new stadium for 18 years, only for ambitious proposals to fall short like a high-fly ball caught at the warning track. This time is different. St. Petersburg and Pinellas County officials and the Rays/Hines development team have an agreement to build a $1.3 billion stadium near Tropicana Field. [...]| St Pete Catalyst
According to Bank of America, Raymond James Financial and city administrators, St. Petersburg is well-positioned to contribute $287.5 million toward the Historic Gas Plant District’s over $6.5 billion redevelopment. However, some council members remain unconvinced of the city’s ability to service that debt over three decades of economic uncertainty without raising taxes or taking much-needed [...]| St Pete Catalyst
In what is likely a bellwether for final agreement votes, the St. Petersburg City Council passed multiple measures related to the Historic Gas Plant District’s $6.5 billion redevelopment Thursday evening. A $1.37 billion ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays would anchor the generational project. Council members voted 5-3 to extend an area funding mechanism, increase [...]| St Pete Catalyst
For Gwendolyn Reese, the news that St. Petersburg city officials and the Tampa Bay Rays reached an agreement to redevelop the area around Tropicana Field repres| St Pete Catalyst
The debate is over: St. Petersburg City Council members approved a $6.7 billion proposal to anchor a reimagined Historic Gas Plant District with a new Tampa Bay| St Pete Catalyst
