About the Districts
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St. Pete is quickly becoming known as one of the most desirable places to start, relocate, or expand a business. Across St Pete, there are opportunities for development and growth, and each neighborhood and area offers something different—appealing to a wide range of people, businesses, and development ideas.
Major Development Areas
Downtown
The greater Downtown area is flourishing with a rapidly evolving retail and arts scene supported by a growing population of residents and daytime office employees. Revitalization of the Downtown core continues with projects that include new retail shops, restaurants, research facilities, residential towers, craft breweries, and cultural facilities. Key areas of Downtown include the Innovation District with the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg campus; Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital and Research Center; Bayboro Harbor, with a concentration of marine institutions; a museum district of seven institutions; and several major arts districts from the waterfront up Central Avenue.
The Downtown Partnership developed a Downtown Development Guide, which is designed to help citizens, developers, business leaders, and policy makers better understand the current state of Downtown as they plan for the future.
Downtown has two redevelopment areas: Intown and Intown West.
Major Downtown projects include:
- The long-vacant Pheil Hotel site at 400 Central Avenue underwent demolition and will be developed as a mixed-use project by the New York developer, Red Apple Group.
- The Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement is under construction on 3.5 acres at 4th Avenue N between 3rd and 4th Streets. The $70 million, 5-story museum will have 172,000 SF of space, making it the largest museum in Tampa Bay.
- City Council approved the Downtown Waterfront Master Plan, which provides a vision for the future of the Downtown waterfront from Coffee Pot Bayou to Lassing Park. The plan ties the waterfront together with a continuous trail of activities and amenities and makes more extensive use of important economic development assets including the Port and Marina.
Gateway
The Gateway area lies at the crossroads of Tampa Bay in north St. Pete. It is home to the region’s top employers including Raymond James Financial, Home Shopping Network, and Jabil. The Gateway area supports more than 2,700 businesses and 60,000 employees.
The geographic location of the area makes it highly accessible to regional transportation assets including two international airports, three seaports, four bridges, and six major roadways. With an ideal location, businesses have access to a large and talented workforce population of over 712,000 within a 30-minute drive time. The Gateway area also benefits from a strong customer base. Nearly 1.5 million Tampa Bay residents can access Gateway driving 30 minutes or fewer. This 1.5 million population represents $1.8 billion in entertainment spending, which Gateway businesses are advantageously located to capitalize on.
A group of business leaders representing the Gateway area's top companies have gathered under The Gateway Business Council. The group meets with city staff on a quarterly basis to share business news and discuss development updates, transportation projects, workforce development, and place-making. Individuals interested in participating in the Gateway Business Council can contact business@stpete.org.
Major Gateway projects include:
- Power Design, a national electrical contracting business, is expanding its 70,000 SF headquarters with an investment of over $3 million. Plans include a 34,326 SF manufacturing and distribution center and a 19,600 SF office. The expansion project is expected to create 60 new jobs.
- Jabil is remodeling a 69,000 SF building at 10001 16th Street N as a new research and development lab to house engineers working on wearable technology.
- FedEx is constructing a new 236,976 SF distribution center at 1960 102nd Avenue N.
- Echelon City Center is a proposed mixed-use development in Carillon Park with 2.8 million SF that will include office space, apartments, retail, and a boutique hotel. Echelon predicts a five to seven-year buildout with development costs ranging between $600 and $700 million.
Innovation
Immediately south of Downtown, the Innovation District is a cluster of higher education, marine science, healthcare, business incubation, and media institutions. Within the Innovation District, St. Pete’s marine and environmental sciences institutions flourish in Downtown’s Bayboro Harbor area. Anchoring the district is the St. Petersburg Ocean Team—the premier consortium of marine science, oceanographic, and environmental research agencies and institutions in the Southeastern United States. View aerial locator map.
Main Streets
The Florida Main Street Program is administered by the Florida Department of State Division of Historical Resources and is structured around the Main Street Approach, a revitalization strategy that targets economic development, design, promotions and organization components. This preservation-based approach builds on the community's inherent assets: architecture, small businesses, a connection with the past, and a sense of place, to physically and economically revitalize business districts.
The Florida Main Street Program seeks to successfully combine historic preservation and economic development in local revitalization initiatives and is a grassroots self-help program. The City and state provide financial assistance and technical assistance, but the credit and responsibility for success rests with the volunteers who offer their time, expertise, and enthusiasm to improving St. Pete’s Main Street areas. St. Petersburg is the only city in Florida to have three Main Street areas—at Deuces Live, and the Grand Central and EDGE Districts.
The Deuces Live District, designated a Florida Main Street in 2001, is located from 2nd Avenue South to 18th Avenue South along 22nd Street. The Main Street office is located at 823 22nd Street S Suite A. For more information, contact the Deuces Live Program Manager, Veatrice Farrell, at 727-433-8237 or email deuceslivestpetemainstreet@gmail.com or visit the Deuces Live District’s website.
The Grand Central District, designated a Florida Main Street in 2001, includes Central Avenue, and 1st Avenues North and South from 16th Street to 31st Street. The Grand Central Main Street office is managed by David Foote, who is located at 3001 1st Ave. S. For more information, please contact the office at 727-828-7006 or gcda@grandcentraldistrict.org or visit the Grand Central District’s website.
The EDGE District was designated a Florida Main Street in 2014 and is nationally accredited. The District includes Central Avenue and 1st Avenues North and South from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street to 16th Street. The EDGE District Main Street office is located at 11B Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street South. For more information, please contact Barbara Voglewede at 727-329-8869 or info@edgedistrict.org, visit the EDGE District’s website, or download the EDGE District mobile app.
Skyway Marina
The Skyway Marina District Plan represents a collective vision for a south St. Petersburg mixed use center. The community has long desired a destination district in the far southern Pinellas County area as their first option for shopping, dining and employment. A successful district would expand the market from local to regional, improving the business mix and increasing employment opportunities. Strategies have been defined to accomplish the vision, including transportation, streetscape, land use & site design, economic development, marketing and promotions, and implementation.
The Skyway Marina District Association’s office is located at 4601 34th Street South. Skyway Marina District executive director, Misty Bottorff, can be reached at 727-866-2696 or director@skywaymarina.com or by visiting skywaymarinadistrict.org.
Tyrone
The Tyrone area lies west of Downtown with convenient access to area beaches. The area’s character is mostly retail and residential. Tyrone Square Mall is a primary retail attractor for the area and is evolving as a more upscale entertainment and restaurant destination.
Warehouse Arts
The Warehouse Arts District brings together a widely diverse group of artists, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and other creative minds to develop, promote and enhance critical components of this special part of St. Petersburg, “Where Art is Made.” The District is bounded by 1st Ave. N. and 10th Ave. S. between 16th St. and 31st St. Much of this area was industrial, populated with warehouses and small manufacturing companies. For decades, the Seaboard Railroad Station (now the Morean Center for Clay) was an important link between those businesses and their clients. However, in recent times many of the buildings sat empty and the area began decaying and falling into decline. Artists, always seeking studio space, saw potential in the area due to the large warehouses and proximity to other districts and areas in the city. Now, more than 200 artists and studios have found a home in the Warehouse Arts District.
Warehouse Arts District and Deuces Live Joint Action Plan
The City of St. Petersburg, along with the Deuces Live Main Street, the Warehouse Arts District Association, and local businesses & residents, developed an Action Plan for enhancements to the 22nd Street Deuces Live Corridor and the Warehouse Arts District. A segment of the historic 22nd Street South corridor is a certified Florida Main Street striving to revitalize the area, while preserving its cultural heritage.
This plan identifies improvements that are specific to the unique area while working to create a more unified, consistent infrastructure for the overall region:
- Basic infrastructure (sidewalks, street trees, lighting, etc.)
- Progressive steps (streetscapes, road diets, bike lanes, etc.)
- Transformational projects (signature parks and streets)
The plan also identifies opportunities for collaboration between private property and public realm to create shared solutions that encourage a more unified sense of place and urban function.
Target Industries
Through the Grow Smarter Initiative, St. Petersburg has identified the five major industry sectors with the greatest potential to create new jobs and raise incomes. The City will focus on growing businesses in these sectors to maximize its economic development resources.
Marine & Life Sciences
Marine & Life Sciences joins the city’s top-tier healthcare services with the largest marine and environmental sciences community in the Southeast. Major institutions in this sector include Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, Bayfront Health, and the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, as well as various federal and state agencies such as NOAA and USGS. Learn more about the Marine & Life Sciences sector in St. Pete.
Specialized Manufacturing
Manufacturing has always been among the top employment sectors in St. Pete and Pinellas County, indicated by the city's second statewide ranking for manufacturing employment. Specialized Manufacturing is a growing sector in St. Pete, concentrating into two niches: electronics manufacturing and medical devices manufacturing. Learn more about the Specialized Manufacturing sector in St. Pete.
Financial Services
St. Pete has the most concentrated financial services sector in Florida and the region—double that of the average American community. Financial Services is the largest employment sector in St. Pete, employing thousands of local residents in high-paying careers. Notably, Raymond James, the largest financial services firm outside of Wall Street, is headquartered in St. Pete. Learn more about the Financial Services sector in St. Pete.
Data Analytics
Data Analyticsis a quickly emerging sector of businesses that use and manipulate “big data” to optimize business processes. The market is projected to increase 40% annually due to the widespread use of big data in many industries. Several prominent firms in St. Pete, such as Valpak and HSN, position the city to capitalize on this growth by creating a hub for talent and employment in this sector. Learn more about the Data Analytics sector in St. Pete.
Creative Arts & Design
Creative Arts & Design is gaining traction in St. Pete and is an essential economic driver, playing a key role in the city’s tourism by positioning it as the cultural capital of Florida. For tourists and locals alike, the city offers immense opportunities for enjoying the arts with dozens of top-ranked galleries, theatrical and music venues, world-famous museums, and performing artscompanies. Learn more about the Creative Arts & Design sector in St. Pete.
