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Dr. Shelly Wagers (left), director of USF’s Trafficking in Persons Risk to Resilience Lab, and representatives of the Tampa and Miami field offices of Homeland Security Investigations signed a groundbreaking agreement on May 22. Photo: USF. By merging federal muscle with academic innovation, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the University of South Florida are launching a new offensive against human trafficking that prioritizes victim support. On May 22, the HSI Ta

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his long-awaited property tax reform plan on Wednesday, despite significant concerns from local government officials. Image: Screengrab. ​Gov. Ron DeSantis has unveiled what he believes is a palatable, phased approach to property tax reform that would immediately raise the homestead exemption on primary residences to $250,000. ​His framework, announced in Tampa on Wednesday morning, would then require lawmakers to enact a plan that eliminates prop

Hillsborough County, Florida, native Henry Lee Parker, Jr. became the first student to complete a degree through Bethune-Cookman’s new fully online program, ‘B-CU Global.’ Lee Parker, Jr. is the official first graduate of ‘B-CU Global,’ the university's new program designed to expand degree-completion opportunities for working adults, military service members, veterans, and re-admits. His successful matriculation through their program marks a key milestone for the institution

Attorney Kimberly G. Jackson (left), former executive director of the Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions at St. Petersburg College, will help former U.S. Rep. David Jolly make educated policy decisions as he campaigns to become Florida’s next governor. Photo: kimberlygjackson.com, davidjolly.com. With multiple polls confirming his frontrunner status among the Democratic field in Florida’s gubernatorial race, former Congressman David Jolly is establishing a new arsenal

Governor Ron DeSantis held an unveiling ceremony in April in Bok Tower Gardens for a statue of President Calvin Coolidge. Later that day, he announced that the special session on redistricting would be delayed. Florida’s new congressional map remains in play, at least, for now. On Tuesday, a Leon County judge denied a request to block the controversial new map from going into effect while a case from voting rights groups is heard. Plaintiffs, including the League of Women Vot

From left: Sakeya Donaldson, founder of the Science of Beauty; Mayor Ken Welch; Robyn Donaldson, founder and CEO of STEM Xposure; and Dr. Sheron Brown, director of education and youth opportunities for the City of St. Petersburg. Photo: City of St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg has made a $750,000 investment in its youth after selecting a local nonprofit to design and deliver a new hands-on afterschool experience - the Genius Lab. ​City council members approved a three-year con

Pictured: Florida A&M University “Marching 100,” blossomed under the wings of Dr. Julian White, band director from 1998-2012. Image: Screengrab. This summer, Mt. Zion Progressive Missionary Baptist Church and Mt. Zion Human Services bring “Summer Band Camp 2026” to St. Pete youth from June 8–12, an experience senior pastor, Rev. Louis M. Murphy, Sr., calls “a turning point.” “This camp is personal for me. The HBCU band experience shaped who I am — as a leader and as a man,” s

The nine-week College for Kids summer program returns to St. Petersburg College’s Gibbs Campus on June 1. Photos: SPC. ​For over 40 years, St. Petersburg College has been planting seeds of ambition in local youth by combining the fun of summer camp with the look and feel of higher education. ​College for Kids is returning to SPC’s Gibbs Campus, its oldest, on June 1. Participating children, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, will spend nine weeks exploring a wide range

The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg in South St. Petersburg will host a grant information session on Tuesday, June 23rd (Photo: Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg) The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg just announced the launch of two new responsive grant opportunities. Local nonprofits, grassroots groups, and community changemakers are invited to a special kick-off and information session on Tuesday, June 23rd. The session will introduce two distinct fundi

Mayor Ken Welch speaks at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for an affordable housing development. His administration has opened a program that will provide similar projects with up to $15 million. Photo by Mark Parker. ​St. Petersburg officials have launched a $42 million competitive race for developers to replenish the city’s affordable rental housing stock, which has suffered multiple blows from hurricanes in recent years. ​Funding for the new Affordable Rental Housing Program (A

Pinellas County Commissioner Renee Flowers (left, podium) was among the public speakers who urged the local Juvenile Welfare Board to scrap its current search for a new leader. Image: Screengrab. Five months of infighting over who should lead the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County came to a grinding halt three hours into a tense meeting on Thursday. Members also selected a new interim CEO. ​In a dramatic reversal, the taxpayer-funded agency voted to scrap its current

Allen told Breakfast Club co-host Charlamagne tha God in a May 20 interview, the battle has never been about “black or white…It's always been green.” (Image: The Breakfast Club) In a candid interview withThe Breakfast Club, media mogul Byron Allen — worth an estimated $800 million to $1 billion and one of the largest Black media owners in the U.S. — broke down his strategies for media dominance and challenged the nation to recognize that in order to become “one America,” we

Nancy Dunham, known throughout the community as Fancy Nancy, is the owner of Fancy Nancy’s Professional Services and Fancy Nancy’s Bail Bonds. In Pinellas County and surrounding communities, she is known as a connector and resource for families and individuals. Photo retrieved from Fancy Nancy’s Facebook page. An arrest can throw a family into panic before they even know what questions to ask. There is paperwork to understand, money to gather, and a loved one waiting to come

First elected to Congress in 2004, Wasserman Schultz's switch to run in Congressional District 20 gives her a stronger chance of winning re-election, but would dilute Black representation in the U.S. House ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA — Florida’s 20th Congressional District has been represented by a Black American for more than 30 years. Whether it will be in future is an open question, now that Wasserman Schultz has entered the chat. Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz

The Clearwater Urban Leadership Coalition has received approval to build a small business village out of shipping containers in the North Greenwood Community Redevelopment Area. Image: CULC. A nonprofit dedicated to uplifting a long-neglected, predominantly African American community in Clearwater has received the green light to create a culturally rooted economic engine out of shipping containers. ​Tentatively dubbed The Village, the Clearwater Urban Leadership Coalition’s (

If you live in zip code 33712, you could be eligible for up to $10,000 in home renovation support, the Pinellas County Urban League (PCUL) announced on Wednesday. The funding is part of the Home Resilient & Ready Collective (HRRC), an initiative led by the PCUL and funded by Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. The goal of the initiative is to make the city’s homes and neighborhoods safer and healthier. The HRRC will support home improvements such as repairing roofs and

Stetson Law Pathways to Justice Academy for teens application is now open to students ages 15 to 17 in the Tampa Bay area. Photo courtesy of Stetson University College of Law Stetson University College of Law’s Pathways to Justice Academy youth summer application is now open to students ages 15 to 17 in the Tampa Bay area. Local high school students will have the chance to participate in this immersive, hybrid program that provides real-world experience in the legal system an

Video of a Hillsborough County teacher hanging a Black doll from a television on Monday has since gone viral. Images: Screengrabs, Facebook. An art teacher in Hillsborough County has been removed from her classroom following a disturbing incident where she appeared to wrap a charger cord around the neck of a Black doll and hang it from a television. ​The incident, which occurred on Monday, was captured on video by a student and subsequently shared by their mother on Facebook

The Tallahassee resident and Parliament-Funkadelic superstar takes on a music industry giant George Clinton, the funk pioneer who has called Tallahassee home for more than three decades, filed a federal lawsuit on May 15, against UMG Recordings, alleging the record company unlawfully froze more than $1.1 million in royalties owed to Clinton. The 20-page complaint — available at via Music Business Worldwide — accuses UMG of breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant

From left to right: Christian Pyror Hurst, Mendee Ligon, Tamisha Darling-Roberson, Carolyn Brayboy, and Shawntavia Turner at Black Leaf Cigar & Wine Lounge for W.I.R.E. Photo by J.A. Jones. Last month, the Pinellas County Chapter of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) hosted the W.I.R.E. (Women Investing in Real Estate) event at Black Leaf Cigar & Wine Lounge in St. Pete. Pinellas County Association of Realtists (PCAR) President Tamisha Darling-Roberson m

Darlene Hill (fourth from left), founder and CEO of the Wesley Chapel Black Chamber of Commerce, and the organization’s board at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in March. Photos: WCBCC. The Wesley Chapel Black Chamber of Commerce has officially launched, serving as a critical conduit between underserved entrepreneurs and essential resources in one of Tampa Bay’s fastest-growing communities. ​Founder and CEO Darlene Hill said the chamber has already attracted over 30 members in less

Mike Mikurak (right), interim CEO of the Juvenile Welfare Board, has threatened to sue the agency. Photo: JWB. With a high-stakes leadership vote looming, the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County now faces a $100,000 ultimatum. Interim CEO Mike Mikurak also wants the agency to scrap its search process and extend his contract by a year. ​The taxpayer-funded board, which distributed $133 million to youth-focused nonprofits in 2025, has spent the past several months embroi

Nearly 400 people attended the “Ocean of Support” fundraiser for the USF College of Marine Science on Friday evening at the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub. Photos by Mark Parker, unless otherwise noted. While years of invaluable research went up in flames earlier this month, an “Ocean of Support” is proving that St. Petersburg’s marine science sector is too vital to stay submerged for long. ​Nearly 400 people attended the Ocean of Support benefit on Friday evening at th