How awful are mayoral candidate Rick Baker‘s new television ads? They’re so awful that the Rick Kriseman campaign is paying to sponsor a post on Facebook that essentially promotes them.
After opening to much fanfare three years ago, Wal-Mart is shuttering its Neighborhood Market in the Midtown section of St. Petersburg. First reported by the Tampa Bay Business Journal, the retail giant announced it will close the store at 1794 22nd St. S March 3; its pharmacy will close Feb. 1. The store was formerly a Sweetbay Supermarket. “After a careful and thoughtful review process, we have made the difficult decision to close our Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market on 22nd Street…
Suntrust Bank. Sweetbay Supermarket. Sylvia’s Queen of Soul Food restaurant. Walgreens. Those are all businesses that have closed, or are about to close, in south St. Petersburg, the Rev. Dr. Manuel Sykes said Wednesday. Yet, the city seems to have done nothing to help them stay open or to replace the ones that have closed. City officials could have stepped in with grants or loans or even delayed some actions, Sykes said. But instead of using the city’s power to…
Expressing outrage and concern over a rash of shootings that left seven dead in the closing weeks of 2015, St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman vowed to spend $1 million combating gun violence — particularly in the mostly poor Midtown and South St. Pete neighborhoods. Kriseman took the first step in making good on that promise this week by hiring a community intervention director. During a speech at the Carter G. Woodson African-American History Museum last month, Kriseman announced a position…
St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman took a jab at one of his predecessors during a recent interview on the SPF 15 podcast. “I served on City Council from 2000 to 2006 and that was kind of a period of time that was described as … our first real Renaissance,” Kriseman said. He was asked how the city is “managing this growth in a considerate manner.” Kriseman’s answer in a nutshell: We weren’t, but now we are. The dig is directed…
Mayor Rick Kriseman has selected two companies to expand business operations in the Commerce Park area of North Midtown near 22nd Street South. The two companies, EMP Industries and Euro Cycles, are expected to bring 65 new jobs to the area. The addition also satisfies federal job creation criteria for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The area where the businesses will operate are also part of the newly formed Southside Community Redevelopment Area. “The Commerce Park has been…
St. Pete City Council approved 10 items aimed at lifting poverty and boosting the economy in South St. Pete during its meeting. The vote was 7-0 with Council Vice Chairwoman Darden Rice absent for the vote. Council also approved unanimously a budget to support those items. The items were recommended by the Citizens Advisory Committee to be funded through the first round of appropriations from the newly created Southside Community Redevelopment Area. Five of the proposals would use county-approved Tax…
