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Economic development program receives international acclaim
Pinellas County Economic Development is having a moment.
The department played a key role in Foot Locker relocating its headquarters to St. Petersburg and received acclaim from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) less than two weeks later. Dr. Cynthia Johnson, director of Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED), believes the recognition will foster further success.
PCED and its Employment Sites Program received the international industry advocate’s Excellence in Economic Development Gold Award and a Best in Show nomination.
“The Employment Sites Program helps us create better jobs so that our citizens can have better communities,” Johnson said. “And when they have better communities, they have better lives.”
Johnson told the Catalyst that the IEDC asked her to serve on its board of directors. She will now share local best practices with an international network of economic developers.
Johnson will also glean insight from global industry leaders. She believes those connections will help ensure Pinellas County remains the “ideal business climate for investment and opportunity.”
Washington D.C.-based IEDC will recognize PCED’s work at its 2024 Annual Conference, Sept. 15 in Denver. “Because economic development is a globally competitive industry, we have to ensure we are on the international radar to attract investment to Pinellas County,” Johnson said.
County officials launched the Employment Sites Program (ESP) in 2021 to help provide industrial and Class A office space that fosters high-paying jobs. Those ongoing efforts received the Gold Award in the IEDC’s Real Estate Redevelopment & Reuse category.
Commissioners have committed over $90 million in Penny for Pinellas tax revenue to the initiative. The department has dedicated nearly $38 million in ESP funding to match $269 million in private investment for 26 projects throughout the county in its first three years.
“And by actively engaging with IEDC and demonstrating a willingness to be innovative, cutting-edge and collaborative, we have gleaned the respect from the industry as a model organization that has effective and transformational programs.”
Johnson said the recognition validates corporate decisions to relocate operations to the area. “It’s part of what makes a community attractive,” she added.
Dr. Cynthia Johnson, director of Pinellas County Economic Development.
The awards and conference will also showcase the local commitment to investing in current and future business infrastructure. Johnson believes the county and its 24 municipal partners have everything a company needs to recruit new talent, expand and reach new heights.
In addition, Johnson said few areas have the countywide collaborative partnerships with municipalities and industry organizations found in Pinellas. ESP then helps provide the spaces companies need to create innovative products and services that “impact the world.”
The program has provided over 1.6 million square feet of business space since 2021. Johnson noted it has “touched communities throughout Pinellas County, from St. Pete to Tarpon Springs.”
“We are 24 unique communities and some unincorporated areas with rich histories,” she said. “But together, we’re just one community, and I like to consider us as one Pinellas.
Footlocker will join Jabil, Raymond James Financial and TD Synnex as Fortune 500 companies in the greater St. Petersburg area. Johnson noted that Clearwater-based MarineMax and KnowBe4 are also industry leaders.
Despite its relatively small size, Johnson said, the densely developed county’s number of manufacturing facilities ranks second in the state. She said the area is also a hub for life sciences, aerospace corporations, financial firms and tech startups.
“Just in the last year, companies in Pinellas County have been awarded over a billion dollars in defense and Homeland Security contracts to create innovative products for our federal government,” Johnson added. “My team is supporting companies that go from the beaches to the Moon.”
She stressed that PCED could not achieve its goals without support from county officials and municipal partners. Kevin Kramer, chair of the IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development Awards Advisory Committee, credited their “remarkable dedication and ingenuity” in the organization’s announcement.
“Pinellas County’s contributions will leave a lasting impact and demonstrate its commitment to creating positive change for its residents,” Kramer said in a prepared statement.
SB
September 15, 2024at8:50 am
Connie, I understand your concerns, but I want to point out that the language you’re using seems like a lot of jingoistic jargon that may be masking the core issue. Your post touches on complex ideas, but its essence seems to focus on the idea of ensuring equal outcomes, which is not only unrealistic but also dangerous when taken to its logical conclusion.
This kind of thinking reflects a modern version of the communist and Maoist rhetoric that emphasizes leveling society to achieve some notion of equity. These ideas have been tried before—in various countries and at various times, and the results have been disastrous. Whether we look at China under Mao, the Soviet Union, or even current examples like Venezuela, attempts to force equality of outcome have led to economic collapse, mass poverty, and the suffering of millions.
By pushing for what you call “economic rhythm” for all people, what you’re advocating is state-enforced equality of outcomes, which inevitably destroys individual incentives to innovate, work hard, or invest in their communities. What we need is equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome. Economic growth and freedom thrive when people have the ability to pursue their own paths, not when we attempt to centrally plan outcomes for everyone.
Segregation, economic or otherwise, is bad—but the solution is not to artificially control markets or push radical economic theories that have consistently failed in practice. We can encourage growth, opportunity, and upward mobility without resorting to the same failed policies of the past.
Connie Davis
September 14, 2024at8:07 am
St Pete is becoming an economic segregation zone. The separation of classes like old segregation days is clear as day. The bias and privilege the downtown waterfront vibe is breeding is extremely concerning while just a few miles away from the heart of the city, Daystar Life Center has over 20,000 people on economic life support via unhealthy food pantries that are creating chronic disease. If there is $90M in Penny for Pinellas tax revenue to bring industrial and Class A office space that fosters high-paying jobs, I’d welcome the definition of Economic Development, where there is a focus and most importantly a balance on the gentrification impacts to marginalized communities projects like this has.
Why can we not be innovative, cutting-edge, and collaborative while also being economically equitable? Let us share more with you about our Emotional Economic Empowerment theory and our Community Center 2.0 initiative. It’s time to restore the economic rhythm of our communities for all people.