St. Pete City Council Approves Estuary Education Center At Pier

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The St. Petersburg City Council approved a resolution Thursday, May 3, authorizing Mayor Rick Kriseman to sign a lease agreement for the development and operation of an education station and wet classroom at the new St. Pete Pier.

The lease with Tampa Bay Watch Inc., a Florida not-for-profit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Tampa Bay estuary, is for five years.

The lease allows Tampa Bay Watch to operate and manage an education center at the St. Pete Pier, including programs focused on marine and environmental education for families and tourists during summer camps and afternoon and evening programs.

Tampa Bay Watch also will manage the center as an event venue for corporate meetings and specials events.

Established in 1993, Tampa Bay Watch performs a variety of habitat restoration and protection activities throughout the year, using thousands of volunteers to help the bay recover from environmental threats.

In September, Tampa Bay Watch made an unsolicited proposal to the city to operate an education center at the Pier.

"Tampa Bay Watch is perfectly situated to manage the education center,” said Chris Ballestra, city managing director of development coordination. “They have decades of environmental stewardship, programming and a proven ability to provide outstanding environmental education to the Tampa Bay Region."

"Tampa Bay Watch is thrilled to be able to expand our youth education and community outreach programs to the new St. Petersburg Pier,” said Peter Clark, president and founder of Tampa Bay Watch. "The new facilities will advance our mission to protect and restore the Tampa Bay estuary by involving our kids and the community in stewardship and educational activities."

"We are truly excited to bring this educational opportunity to the St. Pete Pier,” said city education director and member of the Pier Education Advisory Team, Leah McRae. “A partnership with Tampa Bay Watch will create a more enriching experience for generations to come. This is an important step forward for the Pier and Pier District citizens young and old."

Additional information about the St. Pete Pier is available on the Pier website.

Image via city of St. Pete