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🌱 Patch AM: St. Pete Launches $42M Affordable Rental Housing Program

And on the St. Petersburg Patch calendar - Being Piaf

Tuesday May 19th Patch AM

Hey there, St. Petersburg! Let's get started with what's happening in and around town. Read on and stay in the loop. ☕️️

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In today's newsletter:

  • St. Pete opens $42M fund for new affordable rental housing
  • Why the Rays’ new Tampa stadium now costs $1 billion more
  • What Michael Twitty shared with a packed crowd in South St. Pete

Also on today's calendar: Being Piaf and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: Why does a cow wear a bell ? 🤔 (Answer below!)


Weather forecast:

  • Tuesday: A stray afternoon t-storm, with a high of 92 and low of 78 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
  • Wednesday: Showers around in the p.m., temps: high: 91, low: 78.
  • Thursday: A t-storm around in the p.m., with a high of 90 and low of 79 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. St. Pete Launches $42M Affordable Rental Housing Program (patch.com) — St. Petersburg is rolling out a $42 million affordable rental housing program to help residents recover from Hurricanes Idalia and Helene, and developers can now apply for funding. The Sunrise St. Pete initiative will support building or rehabilitating rentals for households earning up to 80 percent of area median income, with applications due June 12. Local developers and housing advocates may find significant opportunities in this competitive process.    

2. John Romano: What $2.3 billion stadium price buys Rays (orlandosentinel.com) — St. Petersburg readers face a major shift as the Rays’ once-approved $1.3 billion ballpark and redevelopment plan on the city’s downtown edge has given way to a new $2.3 billion stadium proposal in Tampa. The column explains why projected costs jumped 77%, from cutting-edge roof technology to construction delays and luxury amenities aimed at higher-spending fans, and what that means for public funding and team revenues.    

3. From Africa to America: Michael Twitty Examines Heritage Through Food and Storytelling (jewishpresstampa.com) — St. Petersburg residents recently packed the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg to hear James Beard Award–winning historian Michael Twitty explore African and African American food traditions. Through stories, humor, and local dishes prepared by South St. Pete chefs, he connected ancestry, identity, and multicultural American life, while a community expo highlighted local efforts to improve the area’s food system.    

4. Bay Area first responders graduate from mental health program aimed at helping their own: 'It's a new tool' (fox13news.com) — First responders from around Tampa Bay just finished a nine‑month mental health and resiliency program based at St. Petersburg College, aimed at reducing trauma and suicide in the ranks. Graduates will now take what they learned back to their departments, leading peer‑to‑peer trainings that could directly benefit officers, firefighters, and dispatchers working in and around St. Petersburg.    

5. Liz Wagner: ‘A True Blessing' (jewishpressgulfcoast.com) — Local volunteer Liz Wagner, who worships at St. Petersburg’s Chabad Jewish Center and Temple Beth-El, is being celebrated for her tireless work with the Jewish Federation of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Since moving to nearby South Pasadena, she’s focused on combating antisemitism, strengthening ties with Israel, and encouraging neighbors to find their own way to serve the Pinellas Jewish community.    


📸 Around St. Petersburg

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Steve Lampar, Of Parc Center for Disabilities, Tells Rotary About A Place Where Capabilities Shiine —Jon Reynolds Read on Patch
  • The Home Depot, Inc. posted a job opening for Lot Associate in Pinellas Park. Apply here.
  • City of Largo Florida posted a job opening for Custodial Technician I in Largo. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near St. Petersburg here.

Ok St. Petersburg! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Because its horns doesn't work! (Thank you Gary M. for sending it in!)Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!


👉 Help make Patch AM better

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what’s happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.


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