NY developer prefers to spend his next billion ‘down here’

New York-based business mogul John Catsimatidis Sr.'s praise for St. Petersburg is elevating alongside his momentous project downtown, the Residences at 400 Central.

Catsimatidis, founder of the $7 billion Red Apple Group, continues ingraining himself in the local community. A private luncheon Friday hosted by the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership kicked off a weekend of events in the city for the Catsimatidis family.

St. Pete Emeritus: Anne Drake McMullen	Places This Week: Clearwater showroom/warehouse on the market
City gives significant subsidy to propel Deuces development	St. Pete nonprofit launches statewide water pollution prevention program

CEOs help build Habitat home for St. Pete family

15 Tampa Bay business leaders gathered Friday morning to help a St. Petersburg mom build a home from the ground up.

The hands-on help is part of Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties’ CEO Build program, which started in 2022 as an opportunity for area CEOs and local leaders to give back to their communities and advocate for affordable homeownership. Mike Sutton, CEO of the local Habitat affiliate, said the overwhelming success of the first specialty build has helped the program grow.

SPx #97 - Mark Mahaffey

Arts Alive! podcast: Alsace Walentine and Candice Anderson

Today’s Arts Alive! podcast is a conversation with Alsace Walantine and Candice Anderson, owners of Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg. The independent book store on 1st Avenue S. opened in December 2019, just three months before Covid-19 forced businesses far and wide to temporarily shut down.