St. Petersburg to get $45 million from President Biden’s American Recovery Plan

ST. PETERSBURG — Of the $350 billion dedicated to local governments built into the federal government’s latest coronavirus relief package, the American Rescue Plan, the Sunshine City will receive $45 million, Mayor Rick Kriseman and other city leaders announced on Wednesday.

The money will come in two equal installments, one this summer and another next summer.

How the city will spend the money, Kriseman said, will be a community conversation. There will be three workshops in July where members of the public can rank eight areas of eligible investment.

City officials picked the eight areas after receiving input at a recent budget workshop and from community leaders like Tom Lally, president of the Council of Neighborhood Associations; Downtown Partnership Chief Executive Jason Mathis; and St. Petersburg NAACP President Esther Eugene.

The eight areas are: Affordable housing and neighborhoods, health equity, infrastructure, economic development, resilience and sustainability, leisure services, transportation and public safety. There will also be some flexibility, should the workshops yield a novel idea.

Using the feedback, Tomalin said, Kriseman will recommend to City Council which projects should get funding.

“We need an equitable recovery from COVID-19,” said Kriseman on the steps of City Hall.

The city will release more details about the workshops.