Latest news with #CoreyGivensJr.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
St. Pete debates downtown 'Clean and Safe' program as calls for police, safety services surge
The Brief St. Pete city leaders are debating a new Clean and Safe Program for downtown. Residents, business owners, and city council members are weighing in on funding, homelessness, and safety concerns. The proposal will head to a full council workshop for further debate. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - St. Petersburg city leaders are taking a closer look at a proposal that would bring extra cleaning crews, safety ambassadors, and homeless outreach to the downtown core. New questions are surfacing, though, about funding, priorities, and how best to serve vulnerable populations living on the streets. What we know The Clean and Safe Program would launch as a pilot focused on Beach Drive, Central Avenue, Williams Park, and surrounding areas. READ: City of St. Petersburg to launch yearlong planning effort for rapidly growing District 2 During the city's Public Services & Infrastructure Committee meeting on Thursday, city staff said the program would supplement existing city services by adding daily sanitation, graffiti removal, power washing, and increased visibility downtown. "As our downtown continues to grow in popularity," District 6 councilwoman Gina Driscoll told the committee, "it's time for us to make some adjustments in the way that our day-to-day operations happen in the city to meet those needs that come with today's popularity." The push for additional safety downtown comes less than three weeks after a deadly stabbing outside a popular downtown restaurant. Police say a man behaving erratically was involved in a violent confrontation that ended with him being stabbed and killed. No charges have been filed at this time. By the numbers Police calls for service downtown have more than doubled over the past two years. According to city data, the number of calls rose from about 5,600 in 2023 to over 12,000 in 2024. If current trends continue, calls could top 20,000 this year. What we don't know While there's broad agreement that downtown St. Pete is seeing more people, more activity, and more strain on services, council members were divided on how to pay for the proposed program and whether homeless outreach should be part of the first phase. "I want to make sure the center of the conversation is our unhoused population," said Corey Givens Jr., who represents the city's 7th district. "Granted, we want to support businesses and keep downtown clean, but we also want to make sure that we are providing those transitional living services to our unhoused population." The initial version of the proposal included homeless outreach as a second phase, but multiple council members pushed back, calling for those services to be front and center. "If we don't have a real conversation about that, we're completely missing the mark," councilwoman Brandi Gabbard told the committee. READ: USPS warning customers of 'brushing' scams Dig deeper The Downtown Partnership outlined several possible funding sources, including: A special district assessment on downtown property owners. Expanded parking meter revenue from nearby districts. Potential renegotiation of CRA funds with the county. Private donations or sponsorships. City administrators said their preference would be for downtown property owners to fund the program directly. "The challenge we have in St. Pete is that the bulk of the property in our downtown area is residential, which is a good thing," explained Jason Mathis, CEO of the Downtown Partnership, "but it also means that you have a very limited amount of commercial property to generate these funds." Several council members expressed concern about creating inequities by diverting citywide tax dollars into one neighborhood. Click to open this PDF in a new window. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source This article is based on public discussions during the June 12 Public Services and Infrastructure Committee meeting, city council transcripts, city-provided data, police information, and previous FOX 13 reporting. Quotes are taken directly from council members, administrators, and members of the Downtown Partnership who participated in the public meeting. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
More possible graves found under Tropicana Field parking lots after expanded radar search
The Brief An expanded radar search at a Tropicana Field parking lot found more possible graves and areas of interest. Archaeologists performed radar searches last summer at the old Oaklawn Cemetery site, which was a segregated graveyard that closed in 1926. St. Pete city councilman Corey Givens Jr. is calling for expanded search areas, as there were three cemeteries that all neighbored each other. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - An expanded radar search at a Tropicana Field parking lot found more possible graves and areas of interest. Archaeologists with Stantec performed the radar searches in July 2024 at the old Oaklawn Cemetery site. The cemetery was a segregated graveyard that closed in 1926. PREVIOUS: Radar identifies three possible graves under Tropicana Field parking lots Dig deeper According to their results, Stantec found seven possible burials and three additional areas of interest. Adding that to what they found during a search in 2021, it brings the total number to 10 possible graves, 11 areas of interest and nine areas of disturbance. Those findings were published in a report in November. Local perspective St. Pete city councilman Corey Givens Jr. questioned why it was not made public. Givens has a personal connection to the site with his family, believing his great-grandfather may be among those lost graves. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube "I think one of the reasons that you bury someone in a cemetery is so that you can have a place to go back and to visit, pay your respects, pay your homage. And for families like myself to not have that, it's heartbreaking," said Givens. What's next Stantec recommended more testing be done in and around the site. Givens is also calling for expanded search areas, as there were three cemeteries that all neighbored each other. He said he wants to seek historic designation for the site he considers hallow ground, and there are questions about how that factors into development around Tropicana Field. "I'm all for redeveloping the Historic Gas Plant District, the 66 plus acres around Tropicana Field. But what I don't want to do is disrupt the peace of those folks who are buried underneath lots one and two of Tropicana Field," he said. Givens put it on the agenda to discuss with council next week. FOX 13 reached out to the city and St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch's office and have not received a response. The Source The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Bulldozing and erasing history': More unmarked graves detected at Tropicana Field
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — The uncertainty of Tropicana Field's future is now paired with new developments from the past. Some may not know unmarked burial sites have been discovered under the parking lot over recent years. WATCH: More than a dozen bystanders stop man trying to drive off with children, mother However, new findings are at the forefront of the conversation. The embattled Tropicana Field and its unknown fate in the future is at the forefront of conversation once again. Over the years, radar searches detected unmarked burial sites beneath the parking lot; however, new developments are coming to the surface. 'We know that the city has done further testing,' St. Petersburg Councilman Corey Givens Jr. said. 'We know that there have been some results that have proven that there are at least ten more bodies that have been identified underneath that parking lot at Tropicana Field.' Corey Givens Jr. is shedding light on challenging history under the lot and the survey discoveries of the last five years. 'For me this is personal,' Givens Jr. said. 'I have a great-great-grandfather who may or may not be buried underneath that parking lot. My grandmother passed away not knowing whether her grandfather had been reinterred at Lincoln Cemetery or if his body was buried underneath that parking lot.' Givens Jr. said there were once three cemeteries that existed under the lots. He believed more needs to be done to preserve history. 'Sometimes I wonder if the plans went under because we discovered there were bodies that existed underneath that parking lot,' Givens Jr. said. 'It's just like Indian burial grounds. It's sacred space. You don't want to disturb those bodies.' The St. Petersburg City Council is expected to discuss the recent developments in an upcoming meeting on May 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Pete City Council commits to not 'going backwards' on plastic straw ban
The Brief A St. Pete city council member introduced an agenda item to look at lifting an ordinance that banned single-use plastic straws back in 2018. He cited concerns over the legality of the ordinance following President Trump's executive order that ended the "forced use of paper straws." The issue brought dozens of St. Pete residents to city hall, none of whom were in favor of changing the city's ban. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Many in the St. Petersburg community thought the paper vs. plastic straw debate ended in 2018, because that's when the city passed an ordinance banning single-use plastic straws. However, the issue reignited on Thursday during a council meeting. St. Pete Council Member Corey Givens Jr. introduced an agenda item to look at lifting that ban. He cited concerns with the legality of it, following President Donald Trump's executive order ending the "forced use of paper straws." READ: Mote Marine Laboratory's Coral Gene Bank works to preserve coral species Local perspective The issue brought dozens of St. Pete residents back to city hall. None of them were in favor of changing the city's ban. They all spoke in favor of what the city did seven years ago, and many characterized relitigating the issue as a "waste of time." "This is on the right side of how we need to take better care of this earth," said one neighbor. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube Others pointed to the positive impact it has had on the business community and how non-plastic straw technology has evolved. They voiced concerns about a healthy and clean environment, sustainability and the threats microplastics pose to marine life and humans alike. "In the seven years that have passed, microplastics have become more of a public health crisis in Tampa Bay, we know that trillions of microplastics exist in the environment- working their way up the food chain," said one speaker. The other side During some tense exchanges between council members, Givens spoke about his intentions on the ordinance. "It's pointless to have an ordinance that infringes on individual rights and civil liberties without having the conversation with the entire community," he said. MORE: You can eat these 5 invasive animals to help population control, US Fish & Wildlife Service says Attorneys for the city said that, legally, the president's executive order against the "forced use of paper straws" has no impact on the city's ordinance. "It speaks to federal use for procurement practices," an attorney for the city explained. Dig deeper Several local environmental groups have tacked the impact they've seen since the ban, with a 700% reduction in plastic straws removed from local waterways. No one on council supported revisiting the ban on plastic straws. "I am not willing to go backwards. This is a policy that needs to stay on our books," said St. Pete Council Member Brandi Gabbard. In 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis left the use of plastic straws up to local governments, by vetoing a bill that sought to take that right from local municipalities. The Source The information in this story was gathered during a St. Pete city council meeting. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
