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...

Congresswoman Kathy Castor (right) at a St. Petersburg Housing Authority check presentation ceremony in March. (Photo by Mark Parker / Power Broker Magazine) With long-awaited federal affordable housing legislation in limbo, two Tampa Bay congresswomen remain starkly divided. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is leading efforts to stall the bill, while Rep. Kathy Castor decries the bureaucratic roadblock. ​ President Donald Trump, to the dismay of many Republicans, refused to sign the 21st Century ROAD...

Natasha Walker, founder of Soul Steppers, has a no-judgment policy in the class. (Photo by Kaylen Ross/Power Broker Magazine) Since 2009, Nu Body Fitness and Soul Steppers have helped residents across Tampa Bay turn fitness into something that feels less intimidating and more fun. Founded by Natasha Walker, the St. Petersburg-based program combines exercise and line dancing to create a space where people of all fitness levels can improve their health without the pressure. Walker’s journey...

Dana Ashley Lavender was a Tampa Bay resident for over a decade (Photos Courtesy of Jehan LLC Photography) Boots on the ground advocacy Former Tampa Bay resident Dana Ashley Lavender is bringing thousands of women together in the name of healing, prevention, and self-care through one of the nation’s largest Black women’s health events in Ohio this week. Having lived in the Tampa Bay area for over a decade, she now resides in the Columbus, Ohio, area and is continuing her mission of...

Children play in the splash pad at the St. Pete Pier. Residents are prohibited from any “wasteful and unnecessary water uses” during an ongoing extreme shortage. (Photo by Mark Parker/Power Broker Magazine) Counties and cities throughout Tampa Bay will remain under strict watering restrictions until at least Oct. 1 as the region struggles to overcome a historic drought. Violators face mandatory fines. ​ On Tuesday, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (SWFWMD) governing board...

Residents at a North Greenwood Community Advisory Committee meeting in March. Clearwater officials are extending the review process for a redevelopment district overlay to address stakeholder concerns. (Photo courtesy of the City of Clearwater) Faced with the prospect of gentrification, a historically Black community in Clearwater is organizing to demand a seat at the table and insisting that any redevelopment must prioritize residents over investors. ​ City officials are advancing a plan to...

A spring sunset at St. Pete Beach. Tourism officials and stakeholders are celebrating a record-breaking “high season” this year. (Photo by Mark Parker / Power Broker Magazine.) Pinellas County’s tourism industry set multiple new benchmarks during the lucrative spring season. The resulting economic impact will extend far beyond local beaches and attractions. ​ Visit St. Pete-Clearwater (VSPC) announced on Monday that April’s surge in visitation poured a record-breaking $11.4 million into...

Shundra Allison, owner of Urban Drinkery, has a huge love for mixing spirits, but doesn’t like the taste of alcohol much! (Photo courtesy of Shundra Allison/Power Broker Magazine) In a city constantly evolving with new restaurants and bar concepts, Urban Drinkery has carved out its own lane in St. Petersburg by focusing on something different at 2184 9th Ave South, Suite B in St. Petersburg, two blocks east of the Woodson African American Museum of Florida. For owner Shundra Allison, known...

Mayor Ken Welch (right) and a new homeowner at a Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside dedication ceremony in South St. Petersburg on June 18. The organization received $482,000 in gap funding for the project earlier this month. (Photo courtesy of the City of St. Petersburg) For the first time ever, housing production in St. Petersburg has outpaced demand, according to a report by the City of St. Petersburg. However, much of the city’s workforce cannot afford market-rate prices. ​...

From back left: Hillsborough County Commissioners Harry Cohen and Gwen Myers, former Judge E.J. Salcines, and his wife, Elsa, celebrate the reopening of Salcines Park on April 28. The governor’s property tax plan may force officials to eliminate all discretionary spending. (Photo courtesy of the City of Tampa) Proposed property tax cuts could jeopardize parks, aging, and children’s services in Hillsborough County. Hiring freezes, layoffs, and additional taxes and fees are also on the table. ​...

Early voting begins August 8th and ends August 16th (Stock Photo/Power Broker News) The City of St. Petersburg is expanding its civic engagement efforts with the relaunch of the “St. Pete Votes!” initiative ahead of the 2026 election cycle, a year city leaders are calling one of the most consequential local election periods in recent history. Building on the momentum of its 2024 rollout, the renewed campaign is designed to strengthen voter education, increase registration awareness, and help...