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| Business Environment |
Where the Sun Shines on Opportunity Everyday!
Strategically located on Florida's Gulf Coast, St. Petersburg is the gateway to Florida's High Tech Corridor and the hub of one of the most progressive regions for business in the United States. St. Petersburg, roughly 58 square miles and surrounded by sparkling blue water on three sides, boasts 234 miles of exquisite shoreline. With an average temperature of 73.7 degrees and 361 days of sunshine a year, it’s easy to see why St. Petersburg is the “Sunshine City.” |
Ft. DeSoto Park - St. Pete Times Multi Media Tour A Downtown Transformed - St. Pete Times Article St. Petersburg, FL - The Skyline Today Multi Media Tour St. Petersburg is home to a diverse and resilient industry base, which flourishes in the City’s sunny business climate. The City also has a superb transportation, telecommunication and utility infrastructure. All of these factors continue to make the City a favorable economic environment.
St. Petersburg businesses know that they have the advantage over other businesses. They know that the best place to grow their business is in the “Sunshine City.”
The following are some of the many superb rankings given to the City of St. Petersburg and the greater St. Petersburg area:
· America’s Promise – The Alliance for Youth, founded by Chairman General Colin Powell, recently named St. Petersburg one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People.
· "America's Most Livable Community" by the Partners for Livable Communities, a national nonprofit organization that recognizes cities that are innovative in bringing vitality, growth and an improved quality of life to their communities.
· No. 1 Mega-Market in the South two years in a row (Southern Business & Development) · One of the Best Downtowns in the South (Southern Business & Development) · No. 1 in South for Job Announcements (Southern Business & Development) · No. 1 Best Place for Business and Careers in Florida (Forbes Magazine and the Milken Institute)
· No. 1 Airport in the U.S. and No. 3 Best Airport in the World (Conde Nast Traveler)
· St. Petersburg is the 4th largest city in Florida (U.S. Census)
· St. Petersburg is part of the 2nd largest market in the Southeast United States (St. Petersburg Times) · No. 12 Largest market in the U.S. (Nielsen Media Research) · No. 2 Best State in the U.S. to Run a Small Business (www.bcentral.com) · No. 3 Best State for Industrial Diversity, number of new companies and job growth due to new businesses (Center for Enterprise Development) · No. 4 Best U.S. Metro Area in which to live (Place Related Almanac) · No. 4 Best Place to live in the South (Money Magazine) · No. 5 Most Popular Beaches in the U.S. (National Geographic Traveler and Yahoo! Travel) · No. 7 Best State Tax System in the Nation (Tax Foundation) · No. 7 Major Metro Area for Private Construction Intensity (The Philips Institute) · No. 8 Best Place for Small Business (Entrepreneur Magazine) · No. 9 Best Area for Manufacturing Expansion and Relocation (Governing Magazine)
· No. 10 Market for Projected Job Growth (Newsweek Magazine)
· A Top 10 City for Small Business (Dun & Bradstreet)
· St. Petersburg is one of the top 10 cities for entrepreneurs in the South (Entrepreneur Magazine) · No. 12 State in overall graduation rates for universities (Tampa Bay Business Journal) · No. 14 Best Large Region to Start a Business (Inc. Magazine) · A Top 15 Best Logistics Metro Area in the Southeast (Expansion Management) · No. 15 MSA for High-tech and Computer Companies (Business Development Outlook Magazine) · No. 19 Metropolitan Area Health Care Economy in the U.S. (Milken Institute) · A Top 20 Art Destination City (American Style Magazine) · No. 26 Hottest City in America (Expansion Management Magazine) I can provide relocation information, including comparative market analysis, demographics, business resources, job information, market statistics, and more. For information about our area's business environment, call me at (727) 480-5954 or email me directly at GoVida@TampaBay.rr.com.
www.stpete.org Visit the Pinellas County website for demographic, regional government, county commissioner, tax collection, property appraisal, hurricane and emergency management, utility, and other important community information. www.PinellasCounty.org SOURCE: Information used on this webpage courtesy of the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County official websites referenced above. |
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| Tourism & Local Interest |
St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg and Pinellas County offer an unequaled environment for work and play. Wonderful weather and miles of sandy beaches, a relatively low cost of living, agreeable taxes and progressive employment opportunities draw people to the area from around the nation and the world. Add to these amenities quality schools, colleges and universities, topnotch health care, affordable housing, and outstanding arts and recreational facilities and it is easy to see why we are so attractive to new residents and visitors alike. Florida's beaches are where you want to be! Close to everything, yet miles away. A beautiful peninsula located on Florida's West coast, the area is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the west and by Tampa Bay to the east. The area offers 35 miles of white-sand beaches on some 20 barrier islands. We're within minutes of many popular Florida attractions. Just 30 minutes to Busch Gardens in Tampa and 90 minutes to Walt Disney World Resort, Sea World and Universal Studios Escape in Orlando. In the southernmost portion of Pinellas County, Tierra Verde & Isla del Sol are the gateway to one of the world's best beaches at historic Ft. Desoto Park! Come experience the warm Gulf sunsets, our unique cultural heritage, the enormous sporting and recreational activities, our fresh seafood and some great shopping. For information, check out these helpful websites: St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce www.stpete.com. St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Vacation & Visitor's Guide www.floridasbeach.com. To view community profiles and property information www.MyPinellas.com.
Or, contact me at 727-480-5954 or email at GoVida@TampaBay.rr.com. |
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| General Info |
St. Petersburg, Florida - "The Sunshine City" City Population
248,232 (4th largest city in Florida)
City Median Age
39.3 years (2000 census)
Pinellas County Population
921,482
Metro Area Population
2,395,997
City Land Mass
60.9 square miles Highest Elevation
61 feet above sea level
Waterfront
244 miles of shoreline along Tampa Bay, Boca Ciega Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and intracoastal waterways. Largest municipal marina in the southeast with 610 boat slips. Nine boat ramp locations, open year round. Ft. DeSoto Park in Tierra Verde is home to one of the nation’s top ranked beaches.
Sunshine
Average temperature - 73.7 degrees. Average days of sunshine per year - 361. The "Sunshine City” holds a Guinness World Record for logging the most consecutive days of sunshine - a stretch lasting 768 days that began in 1967.
Sister City
Takamatsu, Japan
Twin City
St. Petersburg, Russia
Founded
June 8, 1888
Incorporated
February 29, 1892
Re-Incorporated
June 6, 1903
Form Of Government
St. Petersburg operates under the strong mayor form of government - a system that combines the strong political leadership of a mayor with an elected city council. The mayor is responsible for running the daily affairs of the city, The City Council has a chair and a vice chair and must approve city policies, city budget and the mayor’s choices for city administrator and city attorney.
Number of Employees
3,628 full and part-time employees, including 539 sworn police officers and 303 uniformed fire personnel.
Parks
125 city parks on 2,500 acres, including a seven mile preserved downtown waterfront. Unique parks include the 245-acre Boyd Hill Nature Park preserve, the botanical attraction Sunken Gardens, and the historic Weedon Island Preserve. The Pinellas Trail, a 47-mile hiking/biking trail, connects St. Petersburg with central and north Pinellas County-the longest urban linear trail in the Eastern U.S.
Special City Facilities
City venues include The Pier, Tropicana Field, Mahaffey Theater, Coliseum, Albert Whitted Municipal Airport, Port of St. Petersburg, 18 recreation centers, and six public libraries.
Schools
The Pinellas County School System is the 7th largest district in Florida and 22nd largest in the nation. More than 148,000 students are enrolled at 140 public schools, 72 private schools and 5 vocational/technical schools. Universities include St Petersburg College, Eckerd College, University of South Florida St. Petersburg, Pinellas Technical Education Center, and Stetson University College of Law.
Tallest Building
Bank of America tower, 28 floors, 330,000 square feet
Attractions The Pier, Tropicana Field, Sunken Gardens, Tampa Bay Walk of Fame, Baseball Boulevard, and St. Petersburg Times Walk Through History.
Famous Firsts St. Petersburg is the birthplace of scheduled aviation with the flight of the Benoist Airboat and the birthplace of Major League Baseball Spring Training, both in 1914.
Records
St. Petersburg’s Water Reclamation System is not only the first to be built in the U.S., it remains one of the largest in the world. The city’s innovative system provides more than 20 million gallons a day (annual average) to 10,483 customers for lawn irrigation. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge, at 4.1 miles across, is the largest cable suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere, rising 19 stories above Tampa Bay (at midpoint).
Professional Sports Tampa Bay Rays (MLB)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL)
Tampa Bay Storm (AFL)
Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) Sports & Outdoor Recreation Three award-winning public golf courses, nine public pools including an Olympic-size training facility located on Tampa Bay, 80 lighted tennis courts, three dog parks, two skateboard parks, a BMX bicycle track, and a Maximo Park flying disc golf playing facility. Major annual events: The St. Anthony’s Triathlon swim/bike/run contest draws ITU (International Triathlon Union) professional triathletes. The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and Regata Del Sol al Sol, a 456-mile yacht race from St. Petersburg to Isla Mujeres, Mexico.
Arts & Culture World-famous Salvador Dali Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg Museum of History, Great Explorations, Florida International Museum, and Florida Holocaust Museum. The Florida Craftsmen Gallery, American Stage, and Palladium Community Theater.
Event highlights Festival of States celebration, Mainsail Arts Festival, American Stage in the Park, Arts Alive! Museum Week, Florida Orchestra in the Park, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. national parade and band festival.
More Information
St. Petersburg Mayor’s Action Center, 727-893-7111, St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, 727-821-4069 St. Petersburg/ Clearwater Convention & Visitors Bureau, 727-464-7200
For information, contact:
St. Petersburg City Hall
175 5th Street North
St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Phone 727- 893-7111
Fax 727-892-5102
TDD 727-893-9524 Photo & Webcam Tour of St. Petersburg
www.stpete.org/pics.htm. Search St. Petersburg neighborhoods, by visiting www.MyPinellas.com. For housing information, click on the Resource Center link located on the homepage of this website. For links to other area websites and resources, click on Recommended Links on the homepage of this website. For a relocation guide or comparable market analysis, call me at (727) 480-5954 or email me at GoVida@TampaBay.rr.com. Excerpts courtesy of the City of St. Petersburg website www.stpete.org. |
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| Education |
Education is a priority in St. Petersburg, where we are serious about the curriculum choices that will enable all students to reach their full potential. St. Petersburg is home to the University of South Florida (USF) St. Petersburg, Eckerd College, Stetson University College of Law, the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, St. Petersburg College, plus some of the finest names in marine science in the southeast. These include the Florida Institute of Oceanography at USF, the U.S. Geological Survey's Center for Coastal Geology, and the Florida Marine Research Institute which is a part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Pinellas County Schools unites with the community to provide a quality education enabling each student to succeed. The mission of Pinellas County Schools is to create systems that align all resources to assure that each student achieves at her or his highest level. This district is the seventh-largest in Florida and the 22nd-largest in the United States. With 140 elementary, middle, high and specialty public schools, it serves more than 113,000 students. Nearly 36,000 adults are enrolled in postsecondary, career, technical and adult education programs. This Internet site provides you with increased access to information about the lively public education that takes place for these students in these schools. |
| Pinellas County Schools general information line is (727) 586-1818. More detailed information about Pinellas County Schools is available online at www.pinellas.k12.fl.us. For a property report, neighborhood guide, employer list, or school report, call me at 727)-480-5954 or email at GoVida@TampaBay.rr.com. As part of my overall client services plan, I can support your local or long distance move by providing a range of complimentary services, including up-to-the-minute information about mortgage rates, days on the market statistics, competitive pricing, marketing support, and tax incentives. |
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| Public Safety |
The St. Petersburg Police Department is one of less than 400 law enforcement agencies that has received national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (C.A.L.E.A.). The Department's personnel are committed to the C.A.L.E.A. ideal of EXCELLENCE. Excellence means going beyond the line of duty, doing more than others expect. This is what excellence is all about. It comes from striving for and maintaining the highest standards, looking for the smallest detail, and going the extra mile. Excellence means caring. It means making a special effort to do more. In order to achieve excellence, the Department practices Respect, Accountability and Integrity, while providing professional service to the community. In addition, the Department is dedicated to the concept of (C.O.P.) Community Oriented Policing, which is predicated on a partnership with the community to mutually identify and resolve quality of life issues. The St. Petersburg Police Department has an authorized strength of 539 sworn officers and 234 civilian support staff, and each of these employees is eager to be of service. Information about the St. Petersburg Police Department is available online at www.stpete.org. For more public safety information, call me at (727) 480-5954 or email me at GoVida@TampaBay.rr.com. |
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