Latest news with #FoundationforaHealthySt.Petersburg
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
After Rays stadium deal fallout, what's next for Tropicana Field?
Now that the Tampa Bay Rays have pulled out of a deal to build a new stadium and redevelop its surrounding acreage in honor of the historically Black community that preceded it, what's next for Tropicana Field? It's the question that has gone asked but not answered for nearly two decades. Join the Tampa Bay Times, in partnership with the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, on Tuesday for a free community conversation in the latest Spotlight Tampa Bay event, Beyond Baseball: New Perspectives and Possibilities for St. Pete's 86 Most Contemplated Acres. Longtime residents, local leaders and place-making experts will participate in a panel discussion reimagining the future of the Trop's land and its effect on St. Petersburg's future. The event will begin at 5 p.m. at the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg's Center for Health Equity, 2333 34th St. S., St. Petersburg. 'We have a rare moment to pause, listen and dream big together,' said Conan Gallaty, chairman and CEO of the Tampa Bay Times. 'Let's imagine what this space can become for everyone in St. Petersburg. By uniting residents, experts and local leaders, the Tampa Bay Times is convening thoughtful ideas of what will benefit our community for generations.' Featured panelists include Mozell Davis, a St. Petersburg resident and longtime educator; Peter Kageyama, author of 'For the Love of Cities'; Erica Hall, a member of the Sierra Club's board of directors; Jillian Bandes, an executive board member at Urban Land Institute Tampa Bay; and Dr. Elizabeth Strom, associate professor at the University of South Florida. The conversation will be moderated by Colleen Wright, who covers the city of St. Petersburg as a reporter for the Times. The event begins with an exhibition of St. Petersburg through the ages from 5 to 6 p.m. Participating organizations include Zulu Painter, Pinellas County Schools, Reimagine 175, Saturday Morning Shoppe, RaceWithoutIsm Inc., Sofia Forte's Catering, the Pinellas County Urban League, The Innovation District and the Florida Small Business Development Center at Pinellas County Economic Development and the Times. 'The environments in which we live, work, play and grow help shape our health,' said Dr. Kanika Tomalin, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. 'Right now, we have a tremendous opportunity to reimagine this vital part of our city in a way that honors historic promises and catalyzes a healthier, more equitable future for our city's residents.' The panel discussion, including questions from the audience, will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Attendees should register ahead of time at Admission and parking are free.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
$1M to tackle health inequity in St. Petersburg. Can it make a difference?
ST. PETERSBURG — Pinellas County residents were, on average, slightly healthier than most other counties in Florida and across the nation last year, a national study found. But the data hides a grimmer truth for areas of St. Petersburg. Black residents in neighborhoods south of downtown live 5 years fewer than the average Pinellas resident. They're twice as likely to experience struggles with transportation and access to food, data compiled by the Foundation for a Healthy St. Pete shows. Their children are almost 40% more likely to die as infants. Those are some of the inequalities that the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg hopes to address through a new partnership with Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital. The two organizations announced Wednesday they are making up to $1 million available in grants for initiatives aimed at reducing poverty and health disparities in three St. Petersburg zip codes. The impetus for the grants came from a five-month long health equity analysis that combined data from several studies and also U.S. Census Bureau and state data to identify economic and health well being among different neighborhoods. The findings were bleak. Residents of some southern St. Petersburg communities had far higher rates of liver cancer and diabetes than the rest of the county. Almost 500 of every 100,000 residents has chronic heart disease compared to the countywide average of 262. The community also has higher rates of homicide and drug-related deaths. 'One thing that was really telling was chronic disease, not just the disparate rate at which people of color in those zip codes experience it, but the impact it has on their lives,' said Kanika Tomalin, foundation president and CEO. 'We want a situation where equity is the given, a community where good health allows all people to thrive.' The funding is intended to draw nonprofits and other organizations. Their initial submissions should include details on how they will partner with local government, community groups, individuals and others to tackle issues in those communities. Four grants of $250,000 each are scheduled to be awarded by Oct. 6. Among the issues the foundation wants to address are chronic disease, infant mortality and high rates of injury and violence. It wants groups to come up with proposals that will result in systemic changes. 'We have so much work to do,' said Tomalin, who is a former deputy mayor of St. Petersburg. 'We welcome anybody who wants to innovate do the hard work, wants philanthropy as a partner, and is looking to plug in and commit.' The three zip codes highlighted by the health disparity study are 33705, which includes Bartlett Park, 33711, which includes the Child's Park neighborhood, and 33712, which reaches the Skyway District. Other initiatives have also set out to tackle issues like poverty, food deserts and lack of employment opportunities in historically depressed neighborhoods of St. Petersburg. The 2020 Plan, a 5-year effort to reduce poverty by 30% launched in 2014. It included initiatives to increase incomes through job training, to engage parents, especially fathers, and to strengthen families in the city's Midtown area. Census data from 2020 showed St. Petersburg's rate of poverty among Black residents was 16.7%, the lowest on record. That's down from almost 35% in 2014. Tomalin said parts of the plan such as St. Pete Works, a workforce development initiative, are still bringing benefits today and show that a collaboration of private and public groups can shift the needle when it comes to reducing generational poverty. 'In that time frame, poverty was reduced to a historic low, the lowest the city has ever seen,' Tomalin said. 'People are getting jobs every day, right now today because of it.'
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As DEI comes under attack, St. Petersburg hoists Black history month flag
ST. PETERSBURG — As President Donald Trump blames the worst U.S. air disaster in more than a decade on diversity policies and companies scale back anti-discrimination programs amid conservative political pressure, St. Petersburg raised a Black History Month flag over City Hall Friday for the ninth year in a row. During the ceremony, Mayor Ken Welch, the city's first Black mayor, acknowledged the policies and rhetoric coming out of the new administration. But he said St. Petersburg 'continues to move forward together, undeterred by fear, intimidation or untruth.' Welch announced this week the appointment of a new chief equity officer, a position born out of a city-commissioned study in 2021 that found structural racism remains in many facets of the community. George Smith, the leader of south St. Petersburg's community redevelopment agency, will step into the role in March as the city's third chief equity officer. Carl Lavender, who came out of retirement to serve as interim director when the city's first chief equity officer quit days into the job, is stepping down. 'Let this flag be a symbol of our history, our futures and our shared values as a city, a reminder that St. Pete is a city where we recognize, respect and celebrate the full story of America,' Welch said. Welch said he wasn't aware of the city receiving any pushback from the state or federal government about raising the Black History Month flag, but said he has been concerned about repercussions. After checking with the city's legal team, he said he thinks the city is in good shape and is prepared to address any challenge. Welch said the city is committed to leveling the playing field for all through equity and viewing issues with the city's history in mind, such as in the redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District. Residents of the racially segregated neighborhood were promised jobs and better housing decades ago as part of a redevelopment that never came. Instead, the land was used to build a baseball stadium. The current plan to build a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium and redevelop the surrounding land emphasizes diversity, local hiring and affordable housing. 'Why should an outside entity change what we've already agreed to as a city?' Welch said. 'We know who we are as a city. We've come to consensus on what our history means and how it should inform us going forward, and we ought to stay on that path.' Welch said the recent efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs within public institutions and businesses did not factor into Lavender's departure. He said Lavender's time at City Hall was intended to be temporary and lasted longer than anticipated. Lavender previously worked as the chief equity officer at the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. He referred comment to a city spokesperson. 'As a professional who's worked in equity for so long, the things that are going on in the nation have to be disturbing, but it didn't play into his his departure from the city,' Welch said. Smith said he was excited for his new role and appreciated the opportunity from the mayor. Asked if he was nervous about taking a job whose mission has come under attack, Smith said he didn't know. As for who would take over managing the South St. Pete Community Redevelopment Area, which encourages economic development in a predominantly Black and poor area, a successor has not been named yet. Terri Lipsey Scott, the executive director of the Woodson African Museum of Florida, clipped the flag bearing the name and likeness of Carter G. Woodson, the historian who founded Black history month, to the flag pole. Though she's spoken at the annual ceremony for years, she became emotional. 'At a time when our nation grapples with division and discord, let us take pride in the good fortune of living in St. Petersburg, a city that chooses to celebrate and uplift all people,' she said.
