Latest news with #RickKriseman
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Investment giant Blackstone buys named St. Petersburg marina developer
St. Petersburg has been pursuing a major redevelopment of the downtown marina since former Mayor Rick Kriseman's administration. Kriseman's plan to work with a Tennessee-based developer failed to get City Council support in 2021. Many at the time wondered why the city couldn't just handle the renovations and keep a city asset under public control. That might happen now. Mayor Ken Welch two years ago put out a new bid request, received two proposals and chose Safe Harbor Marinas. But that company has been acquired by Blackstone Infrastructure. City Development Administrator James Corbett told council members in an email Thursday that Blackstone had completed its acquisition of Safe Harbor the day before for $5.65 billion. While the complete transaction means Safe Harbor can now 'direct greater focus toward the Marina redevelopment project,' Corbett wrote, the city will also 'revisit the cost and process of redeveloping the marina independently.' 'This dual-track approach ensures we are positioned to proceed with the redevelopment as quickly as possible following the appropriate City Council approval,' Corbett wrote. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Bending Arc' net sculpture at St. Pete Pier is coming down
The St. Pete Pier's focal point, the 'Bending Arc' sculpture by Janet Echelman, is being taken down to see if it can be rehung in a way that leaves it less susceptible to storm damage. The four-year-old sculpture has suffered damage from three separate storms. Former Mayor Rick Kriseman raised $1.25 million of private money to pay for the sculpture and another $400,000 for its foundation, lighting and four pylons. Echelman, a Boston-based artist, was born and raised in Tampa. But her prestigious art career has taken her around the world, where she installs aerial net sculptures that come alive with the movement of the wind, and with colorful LED lights at night. The name 'Bending Arc' comes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s words: 'The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.' The artist has said that of all the sculptures she's created, 'Bending Arc' is the most meaningful. As soft and airy as the sculpture is, it is intended to be incredibly strong and durable. It can withstand 150 mph winds, the same that a skyscraper must endure.
