Making St. Petersburg Best

Working to become the best city in America

resources in an effort to makeSt. Petersburg even better than itpresently is – indeed, the bestcity in America.

This update covers progressmade in each of these areas.Throughout this report,we have included some of the performance measures the cityhas developed to evaluateachievements made in each of these areas. In addition to the charts included here, a com-plete selection of PerformanceMeasures may be viewed online at the city's Web site,www.stpete.org. Every member of our community can play a rolein making St. Petersburg best.The results of our collectiveeffort continue to unfold as St.Petersburg enjoys a renaissanceunlike it has experienced at anytime in its hundred year history.Members of City Council and Iinvite you to share with us ourrecent successes highlighted inthis report.

Sincerely

Mayor Rick Baker

Tish ElstonFirst Deputy Mayor/City AdministratorGoliath J.Davis,IIIDeputy Mayor/Midtown Economic DevelopmentMike DoveDeputy Mayor/Neighborhoods

Rick KrisemanDistrict 1

John BryanDistrict 2

David W.“Bill” FosterDistrict 3Chair 2004

Virginia LittrellDistrict 4

James S.BennettDistrict 5Chair 2004Vice Chair 2003

Earnest WilliamsDistrict 6Chair 2003Vice Chair 2002

Rene FlowersDistrict 7Chair 2001-2003Vice Chair 2000

John “Jay” LasitaDistrict 8

‘

Every day is a great day in St. Petersburg. I believe our city is the best place to live inAmerica.We enjoy a uniquequality of life in St. Petersburg,a city defined by its remarkablebeauty, noted for its wealth ofcultural assets, restored historicneighborhoods, award-winningrecreation programs, expansiveparks, and outstanding city services.

In order to ensure that St. Petersburg remains one ofthe most livable cities in theUnited States, its city govern-ment must be diligent.The basiccomponents of our city’s drivefor excellence include supportingneighborhoods, promoting eco-nomic opportunity – with a special emphasis on Midtown –working for better schools,increasing personal and publicsafety, and improving overall cityoperations.

We have a great City Council inSt. Petersburg.Together, Counciland I have focused the city’s

Making St. Petersburg Best

St. Petersburg City Council

Deputy Mayors

Supporting Neighborhoods

There are now more activeneighborhood and business associations working in partner-ship with the city to improvetheir communities than at anytime in the city's history (108neighborhood associations, 10business associations).The cityhas worked with 22 neighbor-hoods to develop, approve andimplement neighborhood plans,and eight more plans are under-way. In the past two years, thecity has allocated $325,000 tofund 33 different neighborhoodimprovement projects.

Other achievements the city hasmade in supporting strongerneighborhoods include:

n Unveiled CityTrails, a vision-ary plan to make the city morepedestrian and bicycle friendlywith $11.5 million in improve-ments through 2008, including

150 miles of new pathways, 38miles of new sidewalks, and safercrosswalks at 81 intersections.

n Assisted homeowners anddevelopers to buy, rehabilitate orbuild 345 affordable homes and610 multi-family units, a totalinvestment in the city's housingstock of more than $15 million.

n Replaced 15 miles of side-walks, and developed a systemthat eliminated a backlog forsidewalk repairs from 2.5 yearsto less than 30 days.

Average Response Time for Sidewalk Repairs Average Backlog in Miles for Sidewalk Repairs

2002 2003

Months3

Oct •Nov •Dec • Jan •Feb •Mar •Apr •May • Jun • Jul •Aug •Sept •Oct •Nov•Dec • Jan •Feb •Mar •Apr •May • Jun • Jul •Aug • S e p t

Supporting Stronger NeighborhoodsSidewalk Repair Response Time

30

25

20

15

10

5

2

0

Mayor’s Goal 1

1

CityTrails – a visionary planfor future bicycle and pedes-trian improvements citywide

Making St. Petersburg Best:

• Supporting Neighborhoods

• Promoting Economic Opportunity

• Working for Better Schools

• Increasing Personal and Public Safety

• Improving City Operations

20

1.5

18

1615

14

12 11

98

6

9

7.5 7.56 6

54.5

3.82.7

4

11

Enjoying one of St.Petersburg’s five Dog Parks4

The new Skateboard Park at Fossil Park

n Continued the clean-up ofLake Maggiore, obtaining a $2.5million commitment from thePinellas-Anclote River BasinBoard, and introduced a plan to convert underutilized cityproperty on the lake’s northwestcorner into an attractive water-front park.

n Established the goal of pro-viding a playground within one-half mile of every child in thecity. Worked closely with thePinellas County School Board toincrease joint use of school play-grounds and open space – advo-cating for state legislation tolimit liability exposure thatschools currently experience.

n Aligned all city recreationprograms with character buildingcurricula reinforced through eachactivity, whether athletic, social or educational - called “St. PeteValues.”

n Built a new swimming pool at Childs Park, and opened thenew Wildwood Center, with awing dedicated for a youth artsprogram.

n Created dog parks atCoquina Key, Crescent Lake,North Shore, Lake Vista andWalter Fuller Parks.

n Constructed a new state-of-the-art skateboard park atFossil Park.

There are now more

neighborhood associations

working in partnership

with the city to improve

their communities than

at any time in the city's

history.

“

St.Pete Values

The Dome Industrial Park is adjacent toDowntown St. Petersburg and its vast highway network. 5

n Opened two new libraries:the James Weldon JohnsonBranch in Midtown and the South Branch in Pinellas Point.

n Negotiated to build the city'slargest and most technologicallyadvanced library, a 50,000 squarefoot facility in partnership with St. Petersburg College. Com-pletion is scheduled for 2005.

n Built a new football/soccercomplex at Childs Park andinstalled football/soccer fields at

Sawgrass Lake Elementary,Azalea Middle and MeadowlawnMiddle Schools and assembledland for a future athletic com-plex at Wildwood Park.

n Negotiated a compromisebetween residents of Isla del Soland the Florida Department ofTransportation to build a newelevated bridge on the Baywaywhile addressing the legitimateneeds of the neighborhood.

Promoting EconomicOpportunity

From Midtown to Downtown,from Tyrone to Gateway, eco-nomic growth remains strong.St. Petersburg is at the heart ofthe largest market in Florida, afast-growing region that has beencalled the “megamarket of thesouth.”

Midtown:Midtown is a 5.5 mile area ofcentral and south St. Petersburgfrom 2nd Ave. N. to 30th Ave. S.,between 4th St. and 34th St.

James Weldon Johnson Branch Library

From Midtown to

Downtown, from the

Tyrone area to Carillon

and Gateway, economic

growth remains strong

in St. Petersburg.

“

n Created a Midtown Plan todirect efforts to help stimulatejobs for residents, make commu-nity improvements and supportentrepreneurs and small businesses.

n Assisted existing and newbusinesses with counseling,training and financial assistance,totalling 2,606 clients in the pasttwo years at the St. PetersburgBusiness Development Center.

6

n Assembled a 16-acre busi-ness development site within the Dome Industrial Park (DIP),currently in the developer selection process. In addition,more than $1 million has beenset aside for infrastructureimprovements throughout theDIP, home to more than 10 newbusinesses.

n Preserved significant struc-tures important to the commu-

Assisted existing andnew businesses withcounseling, training and financial assis-tance, totalling 2,606clients in the past two years at the St. Petersburg BusinessDevelopment Center.

“

Business Development Center

Boys & Girls Club performing arts center at the Royal Theater

Days Mayor’s Goal

Promoting Economic OpportunityPlan ReviewTurnaround • New Commercial

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

nity and now home to new ven-tures: the largest clay company inthe U.S. at the St. Pete Clay Co.in the former Seaboard RailroadStation; a new Boys & Girls Club performing arts center at the historic Royal Theater;and a new community healthcenter now under constructionat the former Mercy Hospital.The city has purchased theManhattan Casino and is preparing restoration plans,and has targeted Jordan ParkElementary School for redevelopment.

n Opened St. PetersburgCollege Midtown in the HousingAuthority’s Center for Achieve-ment, offering college preparato-ry, associate degree and collegecredit courses.

n Welcomed new develop-ments in Central Plaza, including

7

St.Petersburg Clay Company

New Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center at the historic Mercy Hospital campus

St.Petersburg College/Midtown

a new YMCA, a PSTA transit hub,and commercial establishments.Hospice of the Florida Suncoastis planning construction on anew St. Petersburg campus with offices and residential care facilities.

n Prepared the new TangerineAvenue Community Redevelop-ment Plan and committed morethan $1 million to develop a newretail complex at the northeastcorner of 22nd St. and 18th Ave. S.The city has approved aproposal for a grocery store andother retail.

Overall EconomicDevelopment:n Working with Congress andthe Metropolitan PlanningOrganization to secure funds to link U.S. 19 with I-275, via118th Ave. N., to create acontrolled access north-southcorridor through the county.

he heart of Midtown: Along 22nd St. S.,structures have been refurbished,such as Petersburg Clay Company (right),and a new shopping plaza with a grocery store has

een approved.

8 BayWalk and the Millennium Gateway public art sculpture

New grocery store at Downtown’s

University Village

New events to the city

included Americas’ Sail

tall ship festival, Miss

Florida Pageant, Cirque

du Soleil, an International

Triathlon Union world cup

event, a weekly open-air

fresh market and Florida

Huddle.

“

n Streamlined the city's per-mitting process, reducing thetime it takes to review a com-mercial plan from 27 to less than12 days, with the mayor making apledge to meet with any appli-cant personally if plans aren’treviewed within established timeframes.The city also has all con-struction and permitting formsonline. Construction permitapplicants and customers cancheck current status of planreview at www.stpete.org.

n Attracted more than 1,000new housing units in Downtown,ranging from urban townhousesand lofts to upscale highrise

condominiums. Several othercondominium projects have beenannounced, and UniversityVillage, a retail center with aPublix grocery store openednearby.

n Opened the new HamptonInn & Suites, while otherDowntown hotels expandedconvention facilities and renovat-ed properties. A recentlyformed Bed & BreakfastAssociation markets a dozensuch guest properties in thearea.

n Recruited new headquartersto St. Petersburg’s fast-growing

9

Gateway Region. In 20 years, thisarea has grown from four busi-nesses with 26 employees tomore than 350 companiesemploying 30,000 people.Corporate citizens includeHome Shopping Network,Raymond James, Bright HouseNetworks and others. Newhousing units, a shopping centerand Hilton Carillon Park (underconstruction) add to the diversemix of the Gateway neighbor-hood.

n Beautified the BayboroHarbor area with $3.6 millioninvestment in streetscapeimprovements.

n Sold the city-owned Sod Farm site for $4.9 million.Future development plansinclude an industrial park withapproximately 1,800 new jobs.Proceeds from the sale havebeen allocated for future eco-nomic development in the city.

n Provided Downtown andMidtown business owners with$2.5 million in Enterprise Zonetax credits.

Cirque du Soleil

Carillon is located in the fast growing

Gateway Region.

Miss Florida Pageant

n Hosted the city's inauguralGrand Prix of St. Petersburg,attracting worldwide TV viewers.Other new events to the cityincluded Americas’ Sail tall shipfestival, Miss Florida Pageant,Cirque du Soleil, an InternationalTriathlon Union world cup event,a new weekly open-air freshmarket and Florida Huddle (aninternational tourism market forbuyers who booked more than$1 million in business while atthe show).

Working for BetterSchools

While school-age children in St. Petersburg comprise 25 percent of the city's population,our youth are 100 percent of St. Petersburg's future.The cityhas stepped out of its traditionalrole of delegating the importanttask of educating its youth to thecounty school board.ThroughMayor’s Mentors & More, thecity has offered full supportto the Pinellas County SchoolBoard and has recruited corpo-rate and community partners toundertake the critical task ofsupporting St. Petersburgschools.

n Raised nearly $1 million in private funds, matched by thestate, to provide 300 full collegescholarships to financially needySt. Petersburg sixth grade stu-dents in St. Petersburg schools.These students are required tomaintain a C average and remaindrug and crime free. As part of

10

While school-age

children in St. Peters-

burg comprise 25

percent of the city's

population, our youth

are 100 percent of

St. Petersburg's future.

“

Azalea Middle Raytheon

Bay Point Middle Eckerd College

John Hopkins Middle Verizon

Lealman Intermediate America II

Meadowlawn Middle Franklin Templeton

Riviera Middle Catalina Marketing

Southside Fundamental Mercantile Bank

Thurgood Marshall Home Shopping Middle Network

Tyrone Middle Progress Energy

Mayor’s Mentors & MoreCorporate Partners

the program, the city has recruit-ed mentors to work with these students, including more than100 city employees who are pro-vided with one hour per weekfor mentoring or tutoring.

n Also raised more than$100,000 in private donationsfor SAVE scholarships that pro-vide tuition and supplies for over100 students for vocational andtechnical education.

n Provided additional mentor-ing and tutoring programs at cityrecreation after-school campsthrough St. Pete Reads.

11

Corporate partners sign on to support schools.

As St. Petersburg's crime

rates continue to decline,

emphasis has been

placed on St. Petersburg's

philosophy of community

policing and improving

community relations.

“18

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

1990

Tampa OrlandoSt. Petersburg

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Crime Rate Comparison of 5 Cities

Ft. Lauderdale Miami

Bicycle Safety Rodeo

n Recruited a corporate part-ner for each of St. Petersburg'snine middle schools. Corpora-tions pledged to support eachschool by providing employeesfor mentoring, completing serv-ice projects, providing computersand technical assistance, or fund-ing special school needs.

n Created a housing programthat provides St. Petersburg public school teachers andemployees with financial assistance to buy a home in St. Petersburg ($14,000 to buy a home in the city, $18,000 when in Midtown).

n Adopted an interlocal agree-ment with Pinellas County

Schools that streamlines the city'sdevelopment regulations and ear-marks regulatory fees paid by theschools to beautify and landscapeschool property.

Increasing Personal &Public Safety

In the wake of September 11,2001, St. Petersburg created a localHomeland Security Task Force,leading to many significant changesin its emergency plan that will helpprotect the city and its citizensnot only from a potential terror-ism threat, but also from a hurri-cane or other natural disaster. AsSt. Petersburg's crime rates contin-ue to decline, emphasis has been

12

St.Petersburg Fire & Rescue

St.Petersburg Police

The city opened two new fire stations at Shore Acres and Central Oak Park.

n Recorded crime rates thatare nearly 20 percent lowertoday than they were 10 yearsago.

n Improved communicationwith regular interaction betweenthe city's police and fire unitsand among local health organiza-tions, county, regional and stateemergency agencies to monitorpotential terrorist or otherthreats to the community.

n Received funding and estab-lished a communication systembetween hospitals and firstresponders, provided antidotekits, decontamination units andprotective equipment for all first

placed on the city's philosophy ofcommunity policing and improv-ing community relations.Somerecent achievements:

n Hired and stationed moreofficers on the city’s streets thanat any time in the city’s history –47 positions over authorizedstrength at press time.

n Completed two new fire sta-tions – Shore Acres and CentralOak Park – and opened a newPolice Resource Center atMaximo.

n Received full accreditationfor both Police and Fire &Rescue Departments.

Weapons of Mass Destruction training exercise

13

responders, and implemented anew infectious disease surveil-lance system to track potentialhealth or bioterrorist epidemicsin the community.

n Hosted several emergencyexercises preparing for aweapons of mass destruction(WMD) incident, including bio-terrorism. Hosted regional WMDtraining by the federal govern-ment and provided training forall city employees.

n Increased drug arrests, par-ticipating in joint operations with the FBI, Drug EnforcementAgency, the Bureau of Alcohol,Tobacco and Firearms and theSheriff ’s Office.

n Provided the most significantincreases to sworn/certified staffin 16 years to bring salaries, pen-sions and benefits for police andfire personnel in line with otherregional agencies.

n Enhanced the city’s panhan-dling ordinance. Addressed theongoing issues of the homeless bycontinuing support of the PinellasCounty Homeless Coalition andthe St. Petersburg Homeless TaskForce. Supported the recentlyopened 88-bed Sophie SampsonCenter of Hope and FoodCenter.

n Secured state funding for the new Bradley/Davis Drug Treatment Center, offering rehabilitation and transitionalservices for drug offenders.Successfully worked to changestate laws to provide substanceabuse treatment and alternativesentencing for those convicted ofprostitution.

n Reduced time between lifesafety fire inspections of commer-cial properties from every fiveyears to two years.

n Started a new automaticexternal defibrillator (AED) program.

There are now more

officers on the city’s

streets than at any

time in the city’s

history – 47 positions

over authorized strength

at press time.

“

14

System-wide, city depart -

ments are measuring

their programs and

tightening their delivery of

services to ensure that

they are effective and

efficient.

“

One of St.Petersburg’s 125 neighborhood parks

Improving CityOperations

A final component of Making St. Petersburg Best is to alwaysimprove city government.System-wide, city departmentsare measuring their programsand tightening their delivery ofservices to ensure that theyare effective and efficient.A complete review of theseachievements is available byviewing Mayor Baker’sPerformance Measures,online at www.stpete.org. Hereare some highlights:

n Streamlined the city organi-zation (reducing budget $8.1 mil-lion during last two years and 57

employment positions) to bal-ance extremely tight budgetsthat were the result of a down-turn in the economy and sharpincreases in pension, health careand insurance costs,while at thesame time, reduced property taxmillage from 7.29 mills to 7.09mills.

n Saved city taxpayers $1.4 million annually by negotiatingthe transfer of ownership ofTropicana Field to PinellasCounty at no cost to the countyor its taxpayers.

n Privatized some city opera-tions, including the historicTennis Center (now operated bya foundation) and the ParksDepartment nursery, saving nearly $450,000 annually.

City of St. Petersburg • Millage Rate • 10 Year HistoryFiscal Years ending 9/30

Operating Millage Rate Debt Millage Rate *Includes Sunken Gardens - 0.5 mills

10

9

8

7

6

5

CountyHouseholds

MetroPopulation

CityPopulation

MedianCity Age

F t . L a u d e rd a le

St. Petersburg

Tampa

Orlando

Jacksonville

Florida’s Major Cities

791,196 2,302,769 372,920 37

676,641 1,690,046 169,168 39

421,030 2,452,225 252,246 39

403,702 2,452,225 318,258 34

351,339 1,721,905 201,851 33

312,436 1,134,887 782,381 33

M i a m i

Sources: Applied Geographic Solutions (2002);US Bureau of Economic Analysis (2003); Federal Deposit Insurance

n Reduced the amount ofmoney the city spends on out-side legal services ($1.37 millionto $256,000) and resolved localdisputes related to BayfrontMedical Center, St. Pete Beachsewage disposal fees, Dome construction and the BaywayBridge.

n Annexed an additional 43acres (East Gandy/Snug Harbor)for a multi-family residentialdevelopment, future home to400 new residents and an esti-mated tax value of $5.5 million.

15

The Pier

Improving City OperationsOutside Counsel Costs • Fiscal Years Ending 9/30

Water Resources

1,600,000

1,400,000

1,200,000

1,000,000

800,000

600,000

400,000

200,000

0

Tropicana Field

Bayfront Medical Center

Labor

Workers’Comp

Miscellaneous

$1,370,963

$461,504

$256,328

$981,349

n Took over parking ticket finecollection from the county, gen-erating a $100,000 cost savingsfor the city.

n Improved the city's Web siteat www.stpete.org adding transac-tional services including online utility bill and parking ticket pay-ments, library services, permittingand Action Online. Customerscan request service or informa-tion.They are provided with atracking number and can receivetimely reports on where theirrequest is in the system.

A complete review of these

achievements is available by

viewing Mayor Baker’s

Performance Measures,

online at www.stpete.org.

“

Per CapitaIncome*

Total BankDeposits*

(billion)

Crime RatePer 1000 people

Hometown Average DailyNewspaper Circulation

$26,594 51,297 93.8

$30,702 25,629 76.7

$32,408 15,190 84.0

$28,784 11,744 115.3

$27,257 12,477 111.0

$28,345 11,049 67.8

Ft.Lauderdale Sun Sentinel

St. Petersburg Times

Tampa Tribune

Orlando Sentinel

Florida Times - Union

Miami Herald314,899

248,063

St. Petersburg: One of Florida’s largest cities, and the heart of thestate’s largest and richest metro area.

orporation (2003);University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research and FBI Uniform Crime Report (2003).

* Numbers represent County Figures .

333,702

216,690

257,429

168,351