October 2026 Work Plan Update

Thanks to support from our members and board, we made progress on many of the priorities we identified in our 2026 Work Plan and kept momentum in our mission to champion community prosperity through purposeful, transformative projects. This Work Plan update will share what progress has been made over the last month. ‍

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Downtown Improvement District‍

City legal has finalized the DESZ contract and planning for a Nov. 5th City Council date to review and approve budget. The website, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram profiles for the District have launched. Operations Center lease, District Manager candidate, and all material/equipment has been identified and are in the process of being secured, contingent on the contract with the City.‍

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Williams Park Partnership‍

State funded appropriation funding has been launched with phase 1 construction in advance of Winter Wonder.  Marketing launched on October 7th with a media event in Williams Park as well as the official launch of the website, Instagram, and Facebook profiles for Winter Wonder.  Bandshell completion, state funded improvements and Winter Wonder build out have all been synchronized for a Nov. 20th launch, running through Jan. 3rd.‍

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Historic Gas Plant‍

The Partnership commissioned a report curating all the studies that have been devoted to the Historic Gas Plant for the past 16 years, which completes Phase 1 of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Advisory Services Panel (ASP). Thanks to Jack Feldman for his work on this project. The ULI ASP group will be visiting St. Pete in early December to continue their research through tours of the site and face-to-face interviews with local stakeholders. ‍

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Updated Downtown Land Use‍

The Partnership will be presenting our recommendations for updated Downtown Land Use Zoning changes to the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce on October 14th. These include creating a developer fund to support local arts, promoting greater retail activation with B street to A street conversions, and incentivizing the development of office space and hotels.‍

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Central Ave Walkability‍

The City is currently evaluating engineering and final construction costs of the sidewalk improvements on Central Ave between 200 and 300 Street that we have been working on for two years. The project is anticipated to move forward in early 2027. We appreciate Forward Hospitality for providing private sector matching funds to complete the project.

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Center for Coastal Resiliency / Hub2 ‍

We are working closely with the City of St. Petersburg and the Innovation District on a grant application with the federal Economic Development Administration. This will supplement a grant we are pursuing with Pinellas County through their Employment Sites Program.  

On November 3, voters will be asked to support a referendum that will expand possible leases on the Port of St. Petersburg from 10 years to 25 years. Click here to read the St. Pete Rising editorial about the referendum. The Partnership strongly supports this referendum as an important economic catalyst for the Innovation District and St. Petersburg. It is also supported by the Tampa Bay Times. This referendum will allow for Hub2 to be developed, bringing together some of the top minds in academia, nonprofit, and businesses who are focused on the Blue Economy in a new facility. ‍

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Digital Wayfinding‍

We are continuing to work with the IKE staff to determine locations for digital wayfinding signage as well as with City staff to clarify an existing ordinance allowing the placement of kiosks in St. Petersburg. This project will continue in 2027.