Latvala remembers his father: ‘He never worried about the consequences’

For more than two decades, few politicians wielded as much influence over Pinellas County in Tallahassee as State Senator Jack Latvala.

Latvala, who died Wednesday at age 74, represented Pinellas County in the Florida Senate from 1994 to 2002 and again from 2010 until 2018, rising to chair the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and becoming known for his ability to bring state funding home to local projects.

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Markus Gottschlich leaving the Warehouse Arts District Association

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St. Pete advances housing plan for vacant city lots

St. Petersburg City Council unanimously approved the first reading Thursday of an ordinance that would ask voters to remove the protected park designation from nine city-owned vacant lots in the historic Methodist Town neighborhood, just west of downtown. This will potentially clear the way for up to 41 affordable or workforce housing units.

If approved on second reading, the proposal will appear on the Nov. 3 municipal election ballot. Voters would decide whether to remove the lots from the city's Charter Park and Waterfront Map, a change city officials say is necessary before the properties can be considered for future housing.

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Brent Burish

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