Members of NAAIA at a networking event. (LinkedIn). As Tampa Bay continues to experience unprecedented growth, local Black insurance professionals are working to ensure the industry's leadership reflects the communities it serves. Earlier this year, the National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA) created a Tampa Bay Chapter. Chartered on Feb. 26, the chapter joins the national organization founded to increase representation and provide professional development, mentorship and...

Jude Bruno is the first Black man, Haitian American, and millennial elected as Florida PTA president in the organization's 103-year history. (Photo courtesy of Florida PTA) Jude Bruno is breaking barriers as the new leader of the Florida Parent Teacher Association (PTA). For the first time in its 103-year history, the organization has elected a Black man, a Haitian American, and a millennial as its president. This historic moment happened earlier this month, starting a fresh chapter for child...

Bishop J Drew Sheard (right) is the Presiding bishop of COGIC. (COGIC Facebook) The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) annual Auxiliaries in Ministry (AIM) Convention has officially announced its next destination, with plans set to head to Tampa, Florida, in July 2027. The Bay Area has COGIC congregations that take part in the day. Bishop Anthony W. Gilyard, bishop of the Southwestern Florida Jurisdiction, shares his excitement via Facebook. “Please know that we have grown, and it’s so much more...

Deanna Joseph continues the fight for justice in her son's memory. The family remains in pursuit of the $15 million judgment awarded in 2022. (Photo by Luis Santana |Times) Twelve years ago, the life of 14-year-old Andrew Joseph, III was cut short, triggering a grueling decade-long saga of grief and legal combat for his parents. The teenager’s death occurred in February 2014 after Hillsborough County deputies expelled him from the Florida State Fair. Left in a dangerous area away from the...

Lonnie G. Bunch III, the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian, speaks on stage during National Archives Foundation Records of Achievement Award Ceremony and Gala 2023 (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for National Archives Foundation/TNS) Smithsonian Secretary Institution Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch, III, has disputed a White House report that accuses the National Museum of American History of promoting “thinly veiled anti-Americanism” and “extreme political activism.” The 162-page report was...

The Woodson Museum reopened to the public on 7/11/26 (Photo by Kaylen Ross) A New Era for the Museum The Woodson Museum African American Museum of Florida in St. Pete celebrated a momentous milestone this week, marking its 20th anniversary with the grand reopening of its facility. Following a six-month, $1 million renovation project, the museum has emerged as a beacon of cultural preservation. It’s a declaration of intent to show the complex narrative of African American history in Florida...

J. Carl Divine joins Carl Lavender Jr. on The Grapevine for a powerful conversation about service, recovery, identity, self-love and community empowerment. Divine shares the story behind the Banyan Tree Project, which is celebrating 20 years of helping people rebuild their lives. He also reflects on nearly 40 years in recovery, the importance of education and civic engagement, and why meaningful activism begins with taking action—even when an issue does not affect you personally. Watch Full...

The Jackson County Sheriff's Department released this photo during the search for Nolan Xavier Wells, 18, in Mississippi. Hundreds of people gathered in Mississippi to remember Nolan Wells while urging investigators to provide more information about the circumstances surrounding the case. Family members, friends, community leaders, and supporters participated in the event, honoring Wells' life and expressing a shared desire for a thorough and transparent investigation. Throughout the...

Andrew Gillum, the former Tallahassee mayor and 2018 Florida gubernatorial nominee, was arrested July 2 in Daphne, Alabama, on charges of possession of dangerous drugs (three packages of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine) and drug paraphernalia, all found in his possession according to an incident report, along with marijuana according to jail records. He was later released, and police have not shared further details. As the news spread, many across social media chose grace...

The list of Black American billionaires features visionaries who have built massive empires across technology, private equity, media, sports, and entertainment. As of 2026, here are 18 prominent U.S.-based Black Americans who have officially entered the billionaire club: Read more at www.thegrio.com.

The Woodson African American Museum of Florida, in partnership with the Smithsonian, commissioned renowned artist Najee Dorsey to create a 30-by-10-foot mural. (Photo courtesy of Black Art in America) As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, the Woodson African American Museum of Florida will help anchor a national conversation on the nation’s diverse history. ​ The Smithsonian has selected the St. Petersburg-based Woodson Museum to present “Many Voices, One Nation:...

The Southern Black Girls and Women Consortium’s “Joy and Justice Tour,” its first since 2022, is coming to Florida. (Photo courtesy of Southern Black Girls and Women Consortium.) Research shows that less than 1% of the $4.8 billion in philanthropic funding flowing into the South reaches Black girls and women. A nonprofit consortium is hellbent on closing that gap. ​ Founded in 2017, the Southern Black Girls and Women Consortium has already awarded over $11.4 million to more than 250...

From left: Thompson Whitney Blake, founder of Blake Investment Partners; Neil Brickfield, executive director of the Pinellas County Housing Authority; and St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch discuss the latest plans to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District on Thursday. (Photo by Mark Parker / Power Broker Magazine) Mayor Ken Welch, standing a stone’s throw from where his grandfather once owned a woodyard in St. Petersburg’s former Gas Plant neighborhood, declared that a long-deferred dream is...

Seoul, Korea-based digital design house d’strict is behind the Dalí Museum's new 360-degree, immersive experience, “Surreal Nature.” (Photo by Mark Parker / Power Broker Magazine) St. Petersburg residents and visitors can trade the Florida heat for a digital oasis when the Dalí Museum unveils “Surreal Nature,” a new immersive experience that opens on July 10. ​ The installation fuses Salvador Dalí’s artistic spirit with Seoul, Korea-based digital design house d’strict’s vision and immersive...

Kenny Garcia began his career in comedy as a stand-up comedian. He will soon open Sunshine Comedy Cafe in downtown St. Petersburg. (Photo submitted by Kenny Garcia) St. Petersburg’s burgeoning stand-up comedy scene will soon have an intimate, community-focused new addition from a veteran comic and club owner. Kenny Garcia, currently caught in “permitting purgatory,” now hopes to open Sunshine Comedy Cafe at 443 1st Ave. N., on the ground floor of the Princess Martha building downtown, in...

Cover art for the Hillsborough County DOGE Liaison Committee’s 69-page Fiscal Accountability Report depicts a Shiba inu, the dog breed that inspired the Dogecoin cryptocurrency and served as the official mascot for the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency. (Image courtesy of Hillsborough County) Hillsborough County’s version of the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has identified over $678 million in “potential waste,” as local officials scramble to grasp potential...

It is Minister Parrott’s third school year at Mount Zion. (Photo by Kaylen Ross/Power Broker Magazine) For more than four decades, Minister Kevin Parrott has worked in education. He is currently bringing that experience to the next chapter of Mt. Zion Christian Academy and Performing Arts in South St. Petersburg. Parrott, who serves as principal of the academy, says the school is continuing to grow academically and creatively while preparing to expand to eighth grade next school year. “We...

City Councilmember Naya Young, also board chair of Tampa’s Community Redevelopment Agency, celebrates the start of construction on a new Rey Park Center last week. (Photo courtesy of the City of Tampa) An iconic yet outdated facility in West Tampa is receiving more than a new lease on life; the Rey Park Center is undergoing a $5 million rebirth. ​ The beloved community center opened in 1955 as the centerpiece of a 1.35-acre park at 2301 N. Howard Ave. City officials will soon reduce it to...

The Historic Gas Plant District currently consists of Tropicana Field and a sea of surface parking lots. Mayor Ken Welch recently posed a series of questions to the development teams competing to reimagine the area. (Photo by Mark Parker / Power Broker Magazine) ​Mayor Ken Welch recently received two decidedly different responses to one of several important questions: Are the development teams vying to reimagine the Historic Gas Plant District, currently home to Tropicana Field, willing to...

St. Petersburg’s 30-year contract with Duke Energy expires in August. The city has drafted a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) and a 10-year franchise agreement as it explores the feasibility of a municipal utility. (Photo by Mark Parker / Power Broker Magazine) For the first time in 30 years, the city of St. Petersburg is crafting new agreements with Duke Energy. A draft memorandum of understanding outlines a broad strategy for collaboration, while a franchise ordinance includes a buyout...