South St. Pete students, families have a new tech hub 

An underserved area of St. Petersburg now has a space dedicated to increasing digital access and literacy thanks to three community partners.

The Digital Education Foundation partnered with Orlando Health and Mt. Zion Human Services to launch its first tech hub, at 945 20th St. S. The facility, in St. Petersburg’s Melrose-Mercy neighborhood, offers 23 computers and equitable technological programming.

Most importantly, the hub will provide a safe and suitable after-school study environment for area youth. Veatrice Farrell, chief community officer at the Digital Education Foundation, stressed the importance of ensuring children and families have the tools they need to thrive in 2025 and beyond.

“This is a way to increase capacity for community spaces because now they have more offerings,” Farrell said. “And the more offerings you have, the more people engage.”

Farrell has long championed access to tech opportunities for historically marginalized communities. In a previous role, she helped the City of St. Petersburg secure a $6.9 million grant recommendation from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration to bridge digital equity gaps.

The Digital Education Foundation (DEF) helps ensure communities have access to technology, training and related resources. A partnership with eSmart Recycling enables the nonprofit to distribute repurposed electronics, reduce e-waste and deploy computer labs.

Stakeholders celebrated the first tech hub opening Tuesday at Mt. Zion’s campus in the South St. Pete Community Redevelopment Area. The faith-based organization has provided education, health, workforce development and youth services for over 40 years.

Farrell noted that Mt. Zion wanted to enhance those efforts and needed a computer lab to help students study for their SAT exams. The organization welcomed DEF’s programming, creating a mutually beneficial match.

“The goal is to have partners teach classes,” Farrell explained. “We will have somebody in to help people learn how to do telehealth. We will have guests who teach financial literacy and a long-term person for basic literacy skills.”

She believes a community-based approach can bolster efficiency and impact. DEF, Orlando Health and Mt. Zion are “co-equal partners because everybody brings something to this project.”

Orlando Health sponsored the nascent initiative. Mt. Zion provided the space, tables, chairs and clients who need what the DEF plans to offer.

While the facility will primarily serve students after school, it will also function as a community-wide tech lab. “We have spaces,” Farrell said. “We don’t have enough of them.”

The facility will primarily serve after-school youth.

Local leaders continue searching for solutions to persistent youth violence. Like many stakeholders, Farrell believes additional safe spaces that foster hope for a brighter future can help mitigate the problem.

She noted that artificial intelligence will likely eliminate some entry-level jobs and create others that require more technical expertise. “But the individuals who are not digitally literate now or comfortable with that have a greater chance of increasing the digital divide,” Farrell said.

The goal is to partner with various local organizations that are willing to share their expertise at the hubs. Farrell envisions the facility becoming a telehealth access point for people who struggle with the process.

DEF hopes to open a new tech hub monthly through a community-based approach. The nonprofit has scheduled another ribbon-cutting later this month in Hillsborough County and continues to search for additional spaces in underserved areas.

“The more people you have, the easier it is to get partners to provide information,” Farrell explained. “Because they want to make sure that when they give information, people are there to receive it. When our community partners say, ‘Hey, I want this, and I have people,’ then we can bring in the resources.”