Janelle Irwin Taylor
The city of St. Petersburg is celebrating the passage of the Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget, which includes significant funding for two major city projects.
The city secured more than $1 million for renovations to the Historic Manhattan Casino and another $1 million for a Shore Acres infrastructure resiliency project. Both survived Gov. Ron DeSantis’ veto pen.
Requested by Sen. Darryl Rouson and Rep. Michele Rayner (SF 2105, HF 1658), both of whom are Democrats representing the area, the Manhattan Casino funding will help pay for renovations to transform the facility into a city-owned and -operated event and entertainment space.
The 22nd Street South corridor was the main street through St. Pete’s historic African American community, and the Manhattan Casino was a popular entertainment hub for dancing and cultural events. It hosted such notable entertainers as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Cab Calloway and others during the segregation era.
Since 2011, several private operators have leased space in the facility, with the most recent lease expiring in 2022. With little success to tout, the city held a community feedback session to gather input from stakeholders on how to best utilize the historic space, finding through that process that an affordable event venue honoring and preserving the facility’s rich history is the best course of action.
The state funding will add to $2.85 million in local matching funds for the project, meaning 73% of the cost will be funded locally, while the state will fund just 27%.
The Shore Acres funding, requested by Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie and Republican Rep. Lindsay Cross, is a third of what was initially requested. Still, funds will provide critical resources to help the city implement a new stormwater pump station, box culverts, and other best practices to mitigate street flooding during heavy rain events.
Shore Acres has always been particularly prone to flooding. But impacts have been worse in recent years, with flooding occurring even during regular rains if they coincide with high tide. Flooding in the neighborhood was among the worst in the region during Hurricane Helene last year, with some homes that had never flooded before experiencing damaging water intrusion.
“I want to thank our State legislative leaders and the entire Pinellas County Delegation in helping us secure funding for critical community projects that will enhance our resiliency and economic development,” Mayor Ken Welch said.
“The partnership of the Florida Legislature and the Governor’s Office with our city is vital as we work to improve our community for all residents. We look forward to implementing these projects throughout the upcoming fiscal year.”
The budget wins are icing on the cake to a successful Legislative Session for the city, with the passage of three policy priorities including “No Vehicle Wakes” as part of SB 462; “Yes In God’s Backyard” as part of SB 1730; and “Crane Safety During Emergencies” as part of SB 180.
“The appropriations that the City of St. Petersburg secured in this year’s state budget reflects the strength of our partnerships and the power of local advocacy. Following an unprecedented hurricane season, resilience, both in our infrastructure and in our communities is more important than ever.” City Council Member Brandi Gabbard said.
“As Chair of the Legislative Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, I was proud to advocate for a legislative agenda that reflected those priorities. I’m grateful for the tireless work put in by our City Council, Administration, and Pinellas County Delegation to secure these wins and bring these dollars home.”
The city had help from its contracted lobbyist, The Southern Group’s Laura Boehmer.
In addition to direct wins for the city this year, other partners in the community also enjoyed budget support. The University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus landed $10 million in the budget for its Environmental and Oceanographic Sciences Center. The Jungle Lake water quality improvement project nabbed $1.425 million. Another $850,000 was secured for improvements to Williams Park in downtown St. Pete.
