Community members speak at City’s budget open house

The City of St. Petersburg hosted an open house Monday evening at City Hall. Residents were given an opportunity to comment on the fiscal year 2027 budget and discuss what they would like to see prioritized.

Prior to the lengthy public comment section, Mayor Ken Welch and the City’s budget director Liz Makofske provided a general overview of the budget. It will become effective Oct. 1. 

The budget process can ensure that resources are provided to initiatives that support Mayor Welch’s five pillars of progress, Makofske explained. These pillars include education and youth opportunities; neighborhood health and safety; equitable development, arts and business opportunities; environmental, infrastructure and resilience and housing opportunities for all. 

The FY 2026 budget focused on “resilience,” she added. This year’s efforts will “build on that foundation” by “advancing” economic and community resiliency projects as the City “continues to recover” from Hurricanes Helene and Milton (2024). 

Key capital improvement investments in the draft budget include funding for stormwater infrastructure and the St. Petersburg Agile Resilience Plan (SPAR program). According to the City’s website, this initiative is designed to “prioritize” and “fast-track” infrastructure projects that “will provide immediate and lasting impacts.”

Additional investments include affordable housing land acquisitions, street and road enhancements and bridge and seawall improvements. 

Resident and business owner Meiko Seymour advocated for the Complete Streets program. According to the City’s website, the effort was designed for the “purpose of planning, designing, operating and maintaining street operations for the community’s use.” 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street S.’s condition, he explained, has become dangerous. Street updates and traffic control enhancements are necessary. Seymour requested that funding is allocated this budget cycle, “not next year or in some future phase in a plan that keeps getting pushed back.” 

Additionally, he discussed capital improvement projects in south St. Petersburg communities, such as Historic Roser Park and Campbell Park. 

“These neighborhoods do not need pity,” Seymour said. “They need sidewalks, crosswalks and street lights that work.” 

Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority board member Max McCann also advocated for Complete Streets program funding and improvements on Dr. MLK Jr. Street S. 

“These projects usually take seven to eight years to await funding,” he said. “I just don’t think we have that kind of time. We need to treat our street safety crisis like the crisis it is and respond to it boldly, especially with state funding becoming more tenuous for these kinds of projects.” 

Resident Kristen Ehrlich spoke on behalf of the Complete Streets program as well. She argued that the current initiatives are “running particularly slow,” especially for projects in south St. Petersburg. More funding is required, Ehrlich said. She recommended working with partners such as the Florida Department of Transportation to “address” these “solutions much sooner.”

Kate Johnson’s book store, Pages and Perks, will open at 914 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street S. this summer. Photo: Southwest Florida Lifestyles.

Business owner and resident Kate Johnson is planning on opening a book store, Pages and Perks, on Dr. MLK Jr. Street S. this summer. 

“One of the things that is most important about the area is that it’s not very walkable at the moment,” she explained. “When we go out there to see our space, we have to really pay attention to where we’re at. Our front door is literally right on MLK.” 

Juliana Fisher, Jungle Prada Neighborhood Association president, spoke about the future of the Elbow Lane Pier (also known as the Jungle Prada Pier) in west St. Petersburg. It closed in 2024 after experiencing extensive damage from Hurricane Helene. 

She said that community members want to ensure that the pier is “replaced at its existing length and size even if it takes longer to gather funds.” Rushing the project can lead to a “less desirable finished product.” 

“This isn’t just about a pier,” Fisher added. “It’s about equitable access, public infrastructure and preserving a longstanding community asset. We urge the City to prioritize funding and explore all available options external to City resources that support a full rebuild.”

The Elbow Lane Pier, also known as the Jungle Prada Pier, closed in 2024 after experiencing significant damage from Hurricane Helene. Photo by Bill DeYoung.

Courtney Burt, vice president of community impact for the American Heart Association in St. Petersburg, requested that City leaders allocate funding for a grocery on a go program for residents in Jordan Park and adjacent communities in the FY 2027 budget. 

“The return on this investment will be incredible,” she said. “It will reduce medical resource utilization, improve productivity in the workplace and academic settings and really help bring the community together.” 

Resident Franklin Alves recommended additional funding for youth initiatives. He argued that the City needs to “invest in more opportunities” to help provide resources to parents. This can make it easier for them to sign their children up for programs. As a result, juvenile delinquency can be reduced. 

Alves also advocated for the Complete Streets initiative. “An enormous part of building community is our access to mobility,” he explained, “and being able to move with dignity within our communities and meet our neighbors.” 

Sierra Clark and Jerry Funt were among the individuals who requested funding for the Bay Area Dream Defenders’ Save Our Streets campaign. The effort was designed to help decrease violence in St. Petersburg through youth programs and other resources. 

“More people have been killed from gun violence in St. Pete,” Funt said. “Just a few weeks ago, a young man was killed by another young man.” 

The goal, he explained, is not to be “reactive” but “proactive.” 

“What we’ve heard year after year is ‘we will figure it out next year,’” Funt added. “In that time, more people will die. We have an opportunity to act and if it doesn’t work, we can always adjust later. But, we have too big of a budget that has grown too much in the last few years to not give it every effort we can.” 

Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg executive director and CEO Klaudio Rodriguez advocated for the “continuous support” of the arts. He argued that the museum’s goal is to ensure that “art remains a resource for everyone in the community.” Through educational tours and programs, guests can learn more about creativity, culture and the world. 

“Our administration continues to be intentional when it comes to seeking information and input from our community,” Welch said at the Monday event. “We remain focused on innovation, inclusivity and community engagement as we pursue our goal of inclusive progress for all who call St. Pete home.”