Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Homelessness topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Downtown business and residents press St. Petersburg Council to enforce Bill 13-65 and fund "clean-and-safe" program
Summary
Residents, businesses and neighborhood groups described repeated assaults, theft and public-health hazards downtown and urged the City Council to enforce City Bill 13-65, add outreach clinicians and create a funded clean-and-safe program to supplement police patrols.
Downtown residents and business owners told the St. Petersburg City Council on June 5 that rising disorder and repeated safety incidents are worsening life and commerce in the city's urban core and urged a stronger enforcement response.
Karen Carmichael, president of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, recounted a recent fatality at 3rd Street and 1st Avenue North and said the episode underscored a sustained crisis of mental-health and substance-use disorder in public spaces. "We need more boots on the ground. We need more clinicians, more outreach teams," Carmichael said.
Jason Mathis, CEO of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership, told the council downtown now accounts for nearly 20% of the city's property value and has grown from about 3,000 housing units in 2010 to nearly 20,000 in 2025. Mathis urged a coordinated "clean-and-safe" program that would pair sanitation crews with safety ambassadors and a homeless liaison unit to free police to respond to higher-priority calls.
Several business managers and condominium associations described repeated incidents of theft, vandalism and harassment. Veronica Whaley said she has received death threats and was the target of repeated vandalism and that police told her enforcement options were limited because of perceived constraints under state law and city practice. Carrie Emboga directly blamed the city for not enforcing City Bill 13-65, saying that without enforcement "the bill is just ink on paper. You failed to follow through."
Council members and staff who heard public comment did not dispute the accounts; several council members acknowledged limits on enforcement posed by court processing and resource constraints. Multiple speakers urged the council to pair enforcement with additional outreach staffing and to develop transparent performance metrics showing which agencies are responsible for enforcement steps.
The council did not vote on a specific downtown enforcement measure at the June 5 meeting. Council members directed staff to consider policy responses discussed during public comment and to bring further analysis and options into upcoming committee work and budget discussions. Council members also signaled support for further discussion of a clean-and-safe program and for clarifying agency roles in enforcing City Bill 13-65.
