St. Petersburg mayoral candidates, from left: Kevin Batdorf, Jim Large, Maria Scruggs, Charlie Crist, City Councilmember Brandi Gabbard, and Mayor Ken Welch participate in a forum on Thursday evening. (Photo by Mark Parker / Power Broker Magazine) All six St. Petersburg mayoral candidates shared a stage for the first time on Thursday evening. The forum’s format forced them to focus on policy rather than trading barbs, which they did in abundance at last week’s debate. The event, hosted by...

All photos courtesy of Alexia McKay The Power Broker Media Group - publisher of The Power Broker Magazine and PowerBrokerNews - is pleased to announce the addition of veteran journalist, media strategist, and entrepreneur Alexia McKay to its growing team as Senior Multimedia Producer and News Correspondent. She joins the company with 15+ years in the industry, Alexia brings a wealth of knowledge and creativity we are excited to integrate in our expanding editorial and broadcast platforms. As...

Pinellas County Commissioner Rene Flowers (left), incoming president of the Florida Association of Counties, and her daughter, Kyesha, after a tribute to her election and service on Tuesday. (Photo submitted by Dr. Rene Flowers) During a moving tribute that highlighted her compassion as much as her policy expertise, Pinellas County colleagues celebrated Commissioner René Flowers, who is preparing to lead the Florida Association of Counties. ​ A visibly emotional Flowers was in shock over the...

Two local restaurateurs and a real estate investor are purchasing The Chattaway for $1.8 million. The 75-year-old restaurant will remain mostly unchanged. (Photo courtesy of the City of St. Petersburg) Mark Ferguson didn’t want to see The Chattaway, a South St. Petersburg staple since 1951, meet a wrecking ball. So, he joined a new ownership group that will maintain the city’s longest-running restaurant. Ferguson, owner of Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill, and a group of local investors will...

Sen. Rick Scott (podium), Sen. Ashley Moody (left), and several other political and Jewish leaders speaking against upcoming Kanye West concerts in Tampa from the Florida Holocaust Museum. (Screengrab via Facebook) For U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, the question of whether Kanye West should perform in Tampa isn't a referendum on free speech - it's a matter of moral duty. Scott stood between a boxcar that once transported Jews to death camps and a Danish fishing boat used to smuggle them to safety as...

Pastor Philetha Tucker Johson (second from left), president of the Tampa Bay Juneteenth Coalition, solemnly watches as Benjamin Haith, designer of the national Juneteenth Flag, presents the colors at Tampa’s annual Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony. (Photo courtesy of the City of Tampa) As the national Juneteenth Flag was recently unfurled in Tampa, its creator, Benjamin Haith, stood alongside local leaders to remind a new generation that the story of liberation is still being written. ​Haith,...

From left: Maress Scott, founder of Quis for Life; Brian Lamar Stokes, a local therapist and social worker; B.J. Daniels, former NFL player and mental health advocate; and Antonio Brown, founder of the Competitive Readers Coalition, discuss mental wellness on Saturday at the third-annual Six Thirteen Community Block Party. (Photo submitted by Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County) The silence surrounding male mental health is often a survival mechanism for those plagued by trauma. A...

Pat Mack (left), founder and CEO of analytics firm PVM, with Yolando Goodloe, government contracting consultant for the Florida APEX Accelerator at Pinellas County Economic Development. Mack is among local business leaders who have embraced artificial intelligence. (Photo courtesy of PVM) A groundbreaking research initiative in Tampa Bay will help determine if artificial intelligence, often considered a great equalizer, is mitigating racial and economic gaps or widening entrepreneurial...

CEO of Pinellas County Urban League, Nikki Gaskin-Capehart. (Photo by Kaylen Ross/ Power Broker News) As the Pinellas County Urban League (PCUL) prepares to celebrate its milestone 50th anniversary in 2028, the organization is “looking back” to move forward. This Juneteenth weekend, PCUL invites the Tampa Bay community to the Sankofa Freedom Conference, a two-day event designed to blend the celebration of heritage with the practical tools necessary for community transformation. The term...

Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders (third from right) presented several community stakeholders with Distinguished Citizen Awards on Thursday for their role in making St. Petersburg’s Hometown Haulers program a state-recognized success. (Photo courtesy of the City of St. Petersburg) A first-of-its-kind recovery initiative that turned disaster into opportunity by funneling $1.6 million directly into the hands of local small businesses and residents continues receiving state and local acclaim....

One thing about Naturi Naughton-Lewis is that she is always evolving. And in many ways, most of us have evolved with her. We’re talking to our millennial ladies, the same ones who had 3LW posters hanging on bedroom walls next to B2K and later made Power part of their Sunday night self-care routine. For more than two decades, we’ve watched Naturi grow from singer to actress to Broadway, producer, wife, mother, and entrepreneur, continuously redefining what success looks like on her own terms....

Attorney Ben Crump speaks about his book, “Worse Than A Lie,’’ with WFLA’s Deanne King at Allen Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church in Tampa on June 8. PHOTO BY ALEXIA MCKAY/FLORIDA COURIER “What’s worse than a lie? It’s telling the truth and no one believes you.” Ben Crump recounted the words of wisdom his grandmother spoke to him during a conversation and book signing on Tuesday night at Allen Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church in Tampa. The famed civil rights attorney is...

Students at Academy Prep Center of Lakeland participate in a lesson on vision science. (Photo submitted by Kimberley Couts/Tampa Bay Rays) ​Academy Prep Center of Lakeland students traded in their typical curriculum this week for unique lessons on the science behind baseball - led by the Tampa Bay Rays. ​The team’s Science of Baseball program, now in its fifth year, offers a fun and engaging way to supplement traditional classes at Academy Prep campuses in Lakeland, Tampa, and St. Petersburg....

Kevin Daves (left), the developer behind 1000 North Sarasota, and the brand’s most prominent co-founder, Michael Jordan. (Photo submitted by Alex Elshimy/1000 North) A luxurious private club and restaurant co-founded by basketball icon Michael Jordan is proving to be a slam dunk, as 1000 North is already expanding in downtown Sarasota before opening its doors. ​Under construction on the ground floor of the BLVD tower at 520 N. Tamiami Trail, 1000 North’s celebrity backers also include golf...

​The St. Petersburg branch of the NAACP is challenging local healthcare providers to go beyond routine reviews of racial discrimination claims that often mask deeper systemic failures. ​Branch President Esther Sanni first formally communicated concerns to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital last week after several community members found an All Children’s contractor’s social media comments offensive. The remarks stated that those participating in “teen takeovers” should be bribed with...

A sign advertising “easy living” sits atop a parcel of land that many stakeholders believe holds unmarked graves. (Photo courtesy of Aileen Henderson) A Tampa architect who once promised to protect a historic cemetery has received the city’s blessing to build homes on what many consider sacred ground. Concerned residents are now rallying to stop construction. ​Marti-Colon Cemetery is the final resting place for thousands of the city’s Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican, African American, and...

Maiya Stevenson - founder of Afro Opera Productions, hosts upcoming “Songs of the Soil, Songs of the Soul” at Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association on June 14. (Photo by Maiya Stevenson/The Crow's Nest – at USF St. Petersburg ) Maiya Stevenson celebrates Juneteenth by hosting “Songs of the Soil, Songs of the Soul — an Afro Opera Production Experience,” a cultural performance where music takes center stage. The concert will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 14, 2026, at the...

From left: Mayor Ken Welch, Maria Scruggs, Brandi Gabbard, Charlie Crist, and Kevin Batford at St. Petersburg’s first mayoral debate on Tuesday night. Welch is the lone candidate to receive an “A” grade from independent evaluators. (Photo by Mark Parker/ Power Broker Magazine) Mayor Ken Welch weathered a storm of criticism from four challengers during Tuesday night’s debate among contenders for mayor of St. Petersburg. But how did the audience perceive their performances? ​St. Petersburg...

From left: St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, Maria Scruggs, Brandi Gabbard, Charlie Crist, and Kevin Batdorf participate in the city’s first mayoral debate on Tuesday night. (Photos by Mark Parker/ Power Broker Magazine) St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch spent most of his first debate absorbing blows from challengers. He also landed some counterpunches. ​A capacity crowd of 125 people - dozens were turned away - attended Tuesday night’s mayoral debate, hosted by the St. Petersburg branch of the...

Competing historic Gas Plant District redevelopment teams say they are willing to accommodate the Tampa Bay Rays remaining in St. Petersburg after their lease terminates in 2028. (Photos by Mark Parker/ Power Broker Magazine) The three development teams competing to reimagine the Historic Gas Plant District, currently home to Tropicana Field, are willing to accommodate the Tampa Bay Rays remaining in St. Petersburg after their lease terminates in 2028. ​Rays officials hope to open a new...