Mayor Ken Welch took St. Pete City Hall on tour throughout the year. Each quarter, the mayor and his city leadership team hosted ‘open house’ tour stops at four recreation centers to listen to and learn from residents.
ST. PETERSBURG — To our St. Pete community: Thank you for the trust that you’ve placed in me during my 20 years of service as your county commissioner and my current service as mayor. As you know, I have always worked for inclusive progress for our community, which remains my focus.
I’d like to thank our city team, community partners and leaders for the significant progress we’ve made in many impactful areas — from housing to equitable economic development, neighborhood health and safety to minority business inclusion, and many more areas of community impact. We call these focus areas our Pillars for Progress.
That work will continue as we implement our new Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) program, our Housing for All program, and our focus on Education and Youth Opportunities under the direction of our newly hired Chief Equity Officer Carl Lavender and the incoming education and youth opportunities director.
Over 40 University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus students and staff spent time speaking directly with Mayor Ken Welch, attended two career panels tailored to their interests, were recognized by city council and toured City Hall.
One of the most critical issues I have prioritized is the redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District (HGPD), previously named the Tropicana Field redevelopment. Upon taking office, I ended the prior redevelopment process, renamed it to reflect the neighborhood that existed well before baseball — a neighborhood that I worshiped and worked in as a boy — and to emphasize the promises of economic development and job opportunities for the Black community.
I’ve worked intently with my team, our city council and county partners and the Hines-Rays group to shape an agreement that does just that. Pending county commission and city council approval, we will be on the path of developing housing, office space, entertainment and mixed retail opportunities — a total estimated 37,000 jobs and $6.5 billion in private investment generated through that partnership.
Mayor Ken Welch sat down with teens at St. Pete Youth Farm in July to discuss issues close to their hearts and minds. Listening to their ideas and concerns is informative and inclusive — key to making better-informed decisions for our community’s future.
The focus now should be on ensuring that our residents and minority businesses are prepared to participate in that economic opportunity. We must build capacity for our businesses in alignment with our outreach and support efforts under the new MWBE program and we must eliminate barriers to participation for these businesses.
As a county commissioner, I led the effort to garner commission support to address such impediments to business participation in the county’s Small Business Program. As a result, the county experienced exponential growth in minority and small business participation under the visionary leadership of Dr. Cynthia Johnson and her economic development team.
We also have the focus, talent, and resources in the City of St. Petersburg. Our Office of Supplier Diversity (OSD), led by OSD Manager Kourey Hendryx-Bell, and our Economic Development Department under Brian Caper, will reach out to and collaborate with diverse community partners, including Pinellas County, Pinellas Technical College, USF St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg College, St. Petersburg Chamber, St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership, the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, PERC, the Pinellas County Urban League, the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance and other organizations to make sure our residents are prepared to participate and benefit from the unprecedented economic growth that is on the horizon.
Mayor Ken Welch is seen above greeting community members at the inaugural Supplier Diversity Day on Wednesday, Oct 4. The open house-style event was about celebrating the diversity of businesses, forging connections within our community and finding ways of doing business with the city more accessible.
The available job opportunities will run the gamut, from construction and building trades to hospitality, health, the arts and retail. We are also focusing on job opportunities for residents of the south St. Petersburg area, again, true to the promises of economic uplift during the dislocation of the HGPD in the late 1970s.
After 40 years of waiting, the opportunity for inclusive progress in the HGPD is here, and it is real. And to have the most significant impact, we must be focused on the work. I have been firm with the requirement that real jobs, business participation, and tangible investments in rebuilding the community, youth, and educational ecosystem that the Historic Gas Plant District provided be a part of this agreement.
Sixty youths from Community Tampa Bay’s Anytown program participated in ‘A Word with Welch,’ a rich and meaningful conversation about issues facing our youth.
We have established a goal of 30 percent minority participation in the contracting portion of this work. The challenge and the opportunity is making sure that every individual seeking a job and every minority business that wants to participate has the knowledge, skills, and support needed to succeed.
We are finally on the cusp of honoring the promises of jobs and economic opportunity through our agreement with Hines-Rays and Pinellas County. In addition, the agreements include 1,200 units of affordable housing and $50 million in community benefit programs for housing, education and youth opportunities and business support.
We all have a role in this generational opportunity for progress. Whether you are a community leader, educator, faith leader, parent, or resident, you can help us connect the community to the job and business opportunities that are coming. Help us reach your family members, congregations, professional associates and organizations.
On Monday, Aug. 28, Mikalaha Davis-McNair received the keys to her new Habitat for Humanity home from Mayor Ken Welch.
You can sign up by clicking here to receive updates on our upcoming workforce and business readiness programs, and my office will provide regular updates on our progress and opportunities for training and business support.
We are looking to partner with those willing to work for the cause of progress for our community going forward, and every good idea, regardless of the source, will be considered. With so much at stake, we must remain focused on what matters and not lose focus due to distractions, old divisions or political agendas.
This journey has been too long, and the cost too high, to lose sight of the goal. As your mayor, I’m committed to this work and honoring the promises made to the Gas Plant community — a community that is a vital part of my DNA and our city’s. The Hines-Rays agreement that our team has developed is our best opportunity to achieve that goal. Let’s move forward, St. Pete!
