St. Pete leaders celebrate community at LaunchPAD forum

Tampa Bay area leaders came together Wednesday to discuss the connections between civic engagement, history, philanthropy and community impact. The panel discussion, held at the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus, was organized by the educational institution through its LaunchPAD (Pathways for Academic Discovery) Career Exploration program. 

The panelists were St. Petersburg City Council member Richie Floyd, St. Petersburg-based restaurateur and philanthropist Steve Westphal and St. Petersburg Museum of History executive director Rui Farias. Dr. Harris Ambush, a USF adjunct professor involved with the LaunchPAD program, moderated the conversation. 

Each of the panelists first discussed a bit about their trajectories and careers. A key theme was the power of community and how it has shaped their personal and professional lives. 

Prior to becoming a City Council member, Floyd was a hardware and systems engineer. He also spent time teaching engineering at Azalea Middle School in St. Petersburg. Floyd was initially elected to the City Council in November 2021. He was reelected to another term this year. 

“You get in thinking one thing about the way the world works,” Floyd said about his time on City Council. “You learn a lot more about how the local government works, how the government functions at all levels and what’s most effective. I’ve since learned a lot of things about transit, housing policy or zoning and land use that I was just not aware of, or local economic development and our relationships with businesses.” 

Floyd added that it takes many people to bring something to fruition. Hard work and collaboration are essential in the process. 

“If you ever see any of the issues that I’m working on it’s because there’s a group of people in the community that are doing the advocacy to get it across the finish line,” he said. “I’m just sort of a tool that they use to make it happen.” 

Floyd explained that there are many ways people can get involved in the St. Petersburg area. People should find something that they are interested in and “go participate in it.” 

“It feels so good to be an active part of my community,” he said. “It’s good for all of our psyches and mental health to go out and experience other people and be a part of something that is bigger than ourselves and really help build a better world and society.” 

Floyd added that “there is a lot of distraction and disconnection in the community right now.” He believes that people are not necessarily treating others with dignity anymore. Individuals should realize that their neighbors are facing similar struggles and challenges in life. 

Westphal, who owns local restaurants including Parkshore Grill, began his career as a busser. By the time he was in his late 20s, he decided to purchase his own establishment. Over time, Westphal would expand his portfolio. 

A sports bar on U.S. 19, with a line out of the door, gave him an epiphany. 

“If there is a message here, it’s to follow the successful ones,” Westphal said. “Look who’s doing something. I’m just a copycat. I found somebody who had a good thing going and more than enough business for himself and I thought ‘well maybe, I should do that too’ because I had experience in that world of selling drinks.”

Connections were essential in his business pursuits. Once Westphal began to network with different people and organizations, he began to get more customers. Westphal believes there’s a great value in starting a business.  

“I tell every bus boy when I give them the pitch ‘my goal for you is, if you like this stuff, to have your own place one day,” he explained. “I tell people that if the dream is yours, if you want to control your destiny, then look for your opportunity, dream your dream and go do what’s necessary to make it fulfilling.” 

Over the years, Westphal has sold some of his establishments including 400 Beach Seafood and Tap House and the Island Grille in Tierra Verde. Now, he is prioritizing philanthropy work and “giving back to the community.” 

Westphal encouraged attendees to join an organization that matters to them. This could be a chess club, a specific nonprofit or even a reading group. He believes this can help individuals become more involved in the community and expand their lives. 

Farias’ career has taken him in many different directions. He spent years in the corporate world prior to becoming a history teacher at St. Petersburg High School. This position eventually led him to become the St. Petersburg Museum of History’s executive director. 

While at St. Petersburg High School, Farias taught students about current events happening in the city. For example, at one point in time, the City Council was considering outlawing skateboarding downtown. 

“As I asked students more questions about the city that they lived in, I realized these kids knew nothing about the history of St. Pete,” he explained. “So I went to the principal for about six months and begged to start a St. Pete history class, which she finally allowed me to do. I spent a summer at the Museum of History basically in their archives and collections preparing the curriculum for the class. One thing led to another and eventually I was invited to be on the board of the museum.” 

Farias believes that sharing history can have a profound impact. Currently, the St. Petersburg Museum of History is recording oral accounts to document segregation in Pinellas County schools. 

“There’s voices in the community that have not been heard,” he said. “I think the ultimate result is now you get to help these people make sure that their stories are told.” 

Farias emphasized that listening is key to help grow as a professional and as a person. 

“I’m at the point now where I try to tell my employees at the museum that I depend on them to come in with new and innovative ideas, but don’t dismiss what the old guys have to say,” he said. “They have been there and done that. So, they’ve made a ton of mistakes. I think that is a skill young people need to improve on today.”