During the 2024 hurricanes 20 inches of intense rainfall and a seven-foot surge flooded between 10,000 and 15,000 homes, many businesses, and city critical facilities. Damage estimates from Hurricanes Helene and Milton exceeded $2 billion. The lion’s share of this, between $1.3 and $1.5 billion, impacted neighborhood homes. And some $500 to $700 million is still under construction or awaiting repair. Many residents lost or have not yet returned to their homes. 

Sadly, such devastation was not a “one off” but part of a pattern of accelerating extreme weather. The 2024 hurricanes highlighted infrastructure vulnerabilities and water service disruptions. The storms threatened two of St.… Read More

Following the red brick roads, most paved with Augusta Block, will not get you to the land of Oz. But it will lead to an enchanting walk in time back to early St. Petersburg. That’s what Polita Glynn does with her recent film, The Brick Roads of St. Petersburg.

Glynn is a documentary filmmaker, screenwriter, and creative storyteller, with a background in American studies and history. Glynn says she has “always been drawn to the past,” and is “enthusiastic about storytelling as a way to get people to see our community and city with different perspective.” She studied film and television as a way to tell those stories. … Read More

The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art recently held an exhibit celebrating the work of acclaimed photographer and ethnologist Edward S. Curtis. Best known for his monumental early 20th-century publication of the North American Indian, Curtis took photos of indigenous Americans over 23 years beginning in 1907. The publication includes twenty volumes, features more than 100 native nations and tribes, and contains over 2,200 images. The original work is exceedingly rare with fewer than 300 sets printed. In 2021 a set sold for $950,000.

While this work is an important archive of the culture of native peoples at the beginnings of the last century, it is also a reflection of Curtis’s artistry and mastery of photographic mediums.… Read More

Featured image: Lodwick created publicity stunts like the “Purity League,” which had Mayor Frank Pulver measuring the length of ladies bathing attire to assure it complied with a (fictitious) city ordinance, image c 1922. Courtesy of St. Petersburg Museum of History

Babe Ruth is rightly credited with putting St. Pete on the national map, as early St. Pete Mayor and baseball booster Al Lang reflected, “The Yankees with Babe Ruth and their stars meant millions to this town.” But there was another promoter diligently working to do the same. His name was John Lodwick.

Lodwick was born in 1890. He began his career as a messenger boy at age 13 for the Associated Press in Cleveland, Ohio.… Read More

Want a New Year’s resolution that doesn’t require a diet? Perhaps consider getting to know and appreciate some of our city’s historic buildings a little better. Only one percent of the city’s buildings is designated a local historic landmark, however many residents and visitors know little about them. Let us take you on a virtual tour of a few.

Detroit Hotel (215 Central Avenue) 

It is said that the history of a city may be read on its buildings. That is certainly the case with the Detroit Hotel, the first building constructed in the city.… Read More

Ever since Lincoln declared an annual day of Thanksgiving in 1863, it became customary for presidents to issue a Proclamation of Thanksgiving each year. And in 1925, Calvin Coolidge did so on October 26th. His proclamation spoke to a year of national prosperity, noting that the nation was blessed with “resources whose potentiality in wealth is almost incalculable” and that the nation’s people “should set ourselves against evil and strive for righteousness in living, and observing the Golden Rule we should from our abundance help and serve those less fortunately placed.” (Coolidge incidentally made a visit to St. Pete with his wife Grace after he left office and stayed at the Vinoy Hotel.… Read More

James Franklin Oliver, Sr., known popularly as Jim Oliver, was an amazing shortstop who played with the National, Florida, and local Negro Leagues and clubs from the 1940s to the 1950s. Equally noteworthy, he was a role model and mentor to hundreds of Black youths during the era of segregation. In addition to baseball, Oliver played semi-pro football and was an excellent golfer. Born near Waycross, Georgia in 1919, Oliver moved to St. Petersburg with his family at the age of 7. He attended Davis Elementary, but did not go on to high school and began working at about age 13.… Read More

Last year, three major hurricanes – Debbie, Helene, and Milton – had a huge impact on our city. Debby was a near 100-year storm event, dropping almost 12 inches of rain in parts of the city in 30 hours, and generating a 3.4-foot surge. While Hurricane Helene landed 172 miles north of St. Petersburg, it generated a surge as high as 7.2 feet in some areas. Hurricane Milton was predicted to generate a devastating surge of as much as 10 to 15 feet.  Fortunately, Milton wobbled to the south, and Tampa Bay instead experienced a 3-foot negative surge rather than total devastation. Nevertheless, our city experienced a record “1,000-year” rainfall event with 18.75 inches of rain falling in parts of the city in 24 hours.… Read More

One of our city’s leading environmentalists and preservationists was Mayor Charlie Schuh. Charles E. Schuh served on the city council from 1971 to 1974, and then as mayor from 1975 to 1977. At that time, the city had what is known as the “weak mayor” form of government. While the mayor held the title, he really served as a “first among equals” on the council, and true executive power was invested in a paid city manager. The mayor’s salary in 1975 was $5,000 per year, about $30,000 adjusted for inflation. As Schuh said later about the job: “You preside over council meetings, and you have a couple of other ceremonial functions and that’s it.”… Read More

Babe Ruth Day and the centennial of Ruth’s first year of spring training in St. Petersburg was celebrated with great gusto last month. George Herman “Babe” Ruth, Jr. played baseball during spring training in St. Pete with the New York Yankees from 1925 to 1934, and again with the Boston Braves in 1935.

Festivities began with Mayor Ken Welch issuing a proclamation at the city council meeting on February 6 declaring Saturday, February 8, “Babe Ruth Day,” honoring how Ruth’s presence in our city greatly magnified St. Petersburg’s profile as a town of sport, outdoor leisure, “and just plain fun,” and greatly contributed to the city’s sense of place.… Read More