St. Pete 2.0 Results: Silver linings and surprises from six months of Covid-19 (Part Three)

The St. Petersburg renaissance has been in full swing for more than a decade. We’ve excelled in many areas and struggled in others. In our series St. Pete 2.0, we’re partnering with the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership to explore what lies on the other side of our potential – what will it take to move to the “next level” as a city? Through this series, we’ll dig into specific topics with the hope that you, our thoughtful citizens, will share your insight, experience and wisdom. 

It’s easy to see the negative impact Covid-19 has had in our community. Some of us have lost friends and family members while others were forced to close the businesses they worked so hard to build. And then there’s that pervasive sense of uncertainty that hangs over all of us as the pandemic drags on with no end in sight. But like in most bad situations, there’s usually a silver lining if we’re willing to look hard enough for it, and in part three of our St. Pete 2.0 survey, that’s exactly what we asked people to do. We also inquired about the biggest surprises they’ve experienced since the pandemic began. Here’s what we discovered:

What silver linings have you found since the pandemic began?

One of the most common silver linings people mentioned was having more time to spend with their families without all the distractions of pre-Covid life.

“It certainly confirmed how much my wife and I like each other,” wrote Paul Carder. “It could have been awful confined together for as many hours as we are.”

Despite the reason for it, Crystal Robinson-Fisher is grateful that the pandemic has led to new connections for her family.

“My husband got to spend more time with our one-year-old while he was laid off,” she said. 

Picking up new hobbies and activities – or returning to old ones – was also a bright spot for many respondents. One commenter, Chrissy Jackson, finally found the time to finish her Master’s degree, while Kelly Mullins wrote that she was able to begin school at St. Petersburg College. A number of others mentioned the joy of rediscovering their love for reading and cooking at home. Haley Busch began an ancestry project she’d been thinking of working on for years. M. Ches Applewhite started going through boxes he’s been saving for 50 years.

“I’m sending pictures to the people who were children then and they are delighted to get them,” he wrote. 

Several people shared that the pandemic has encouraged them to get outside and enjoy what St. Pete has to offer – despite the heat. Wendy Lang, a certified fitness instructor, said she’s been giving a lot of park workouts. A commenter going by the name of Jay said he’s also been spending more time outdoors. 

“I’ve loved seeing people interact in old ways – cycling, skating, sitting in parks and being outside together and being more purposefully social,” he wrote. 

Technology, while sometimes the bane of our existence, was also widely praised as a positive. Many people wrote that they’re enjoying being able to work from home and not to having to deal with commuting. Others shared pleasure over discovering virtual get-togethers. 

“Zoom has facilitated connections with family, college classmates and others I hadn’t seen in many years,” one commenter wrote. “My daughter, who lives in another state, and I had never FaceTimed before Covid. Now we do so regularly and I love it.”

Kitty Rawson said that Zoom has given her the opportunity to connect with her grandchildren.

“I watch the broadcast of my grandchildren’s church and take joy in watching their little postage stamp images wave at me,” she wrote. “I wouldn’t see that if I were worshiping in my local church sanctuary.”

What has most surprised you about the pandemic?

This question elicited fairly consistent responses from people lamenting how divisive the virus has become. Many also expressed disappointment in members of the community who they feel are ignoring science and not doing their part to limit the spread of Covid.

“I’m surprised how selfish some people still are. It literally won’t kill you to wear a mask to protect others,” wrote Jennifer Davis Dodd. “We live in a condo community where the average age is probably two decades past ours, and our neighbors are the folks complaining about six-feet guidelines and masks. If they don’t experience it personally, they can’t seem to imagine it or empathize.”

Joelle D. Godwin agreed. 

“I’m surprised by people’s willingness to expose others to danger by insisting on their personal beliefs over science and facts,” she said. “I have friends who think the whole thing is a hoax. I didn’t know they were/are living in a fantasy world.”

That judgment cuts both ways, according to Wayne “Skipp” Fraser.

“I was, frankly, quite surprised by the responses I encountered by various ‘hard core’ people who were downright rude when they found anything less than 100 percent compliance with whatever rigid procedures they thought should have been followed ‘to the letter’ by others,” he wrote. “I was also dismayed by the unreliability of so much of the statistical data put out by the media.”

A number of people commented on the politics surrounding the virus. 

“The divisiveness has brought out an ugliness in our society,” one person wrote. “I’m surprised that there are so many people who are not listening to the science and the facts or just plainly disregarding them for their own selfish concerns rather than the good of all.”

Helen Simon wrote of her disdain for the government’s response to the pandemic.

“I’m surprised at how totally incompetent our federal and state governments have been in responding to it and how much they have politicized the situation with total disregard to the well-being of our country’s citizens,” she said. 

Another commenter wrote that there’s plenty of blame to go around.

“The blatant lies. The misleading. The contradicting of both sides. The massive amounts of fear being spread by officials and media,” the person wrote. “Prior to this I hadn’t really paid attention to news or politics, so watching this all unfold has been quite disgusting to watch these people leading us from the top all the way down on so many levels all jump on board for ‘greater health’ when there are so many things our governments locally and nationally allow to kill us such as chemicals in food.”

Finally, some people are simply still shocked that we’re still dealing with the virus six months later. 

“I didn’t think it would be this pervasive or last this long,” said Janet E. Fusco. “Also, I read about it when it started in Asia but I didn’t think it would come to the U.S. so soon or so ferociously.”

Community resources:

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay

Zero Suicide Partners of Pinellas 

Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County

Pinellas County‘s Covid resource page

To read more of the the Catalyst series The New Normal: Six Months Under Covid, click here. 

Coming next: What does the future hold as we adjust to the new normal?