October 2025 Work Plan Update

Thanks to support from our members and board, we made progress on many of the priorities we identified in our 2025 Work Plan and kept momentum in our mission to champion community prosperity through purposeful, transformative projects. Our Fall 2025 Intern, DJ Bernadotte, wrote this month's Work Plan update to share what progress has been made over the last couple of months. ‍

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Clean and Safe
Shaun Drinkard has been leading the charge on a strategy to expand urban management services, funded by new parking revenues instead of new taxes. His work includes fresh programming and infrastructure improvements at Williams Park through the Williams Park Partnership. The Williams Park Partnership has teamed up with Dan Biederman, known nationally for turning Bryant Park into a vibrant hub in New York City, to help reimagine Williams Park. Thanks to an $800,000 state appropriation, we’re investing in safety, programming, and improvements that will bring new energy to one of downtown’s most historic spaces.

The Downtown Partnership has also started conversations with the Homeless Leadership Alliance and local service providers to make sure our efforts align with what’s already happening across the city. The goal is simple: keep downtown welcoming, vibrant, and supportive for everyone. In addition, new paid parking spaces are being planned in commercial districts, with the revenue going directly toward enhanced cleaning, graffiti removal, landscaping, and upgrades to public spaces that people use every day.

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Walkable
Shaun Drinkard has also been working towards the rollout of IKE digital wayfinding kiosks, helping residents and visitors alike find their way downtown and discover new businesses and destinations.‍

‍On September 21, Connect Pinellas made its debut with a World Car Free Day Beer Crawl in partnership with the Pinellas Run Club. It was a great kickoff that brought people together to celebrate walkability and downtown community. The next activation is already on the calendar: an afterparty to Halloween on Central on Sunday, October 26, at Grand Central Brewhouse, featuring a screening of Beetlejuice at 7:30pm.

Livable
Keeping downtown livable means ensuring there’s room for more people to call it home. The City is working on an overlay district for the SunRunner and other transit corridors, giving developers more flexibility to add housing density. Expected by the end of 2025, this proposal will play an important role in keeping housing accessible and affordable for the people who make downtown thrive.

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Resiliency
On September 24, members came together for a panel reflecting on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene. Councilmember Brandi Gabbard, Public Works Administrator Claude Tankersley, and Environmental Fund Florida Executive Director Dawn Sheriffs shared powerful insights on recovery and resilience, and how the city is preparing for future storms. If you are interested in reviewing any of the presentations shared at this lunch, click here.

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Development Highlights
Momentum continues at the Historic Gas Plant site, where ARK Invest and Ellison Development are advancing a bold vision for redevelopment. This project has the potential to reshape downtown, and we’re committed to supporting it in close partnership with both the public and private sectors. At our next Developer's Council meeting on October 28th from 4-6pm at the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay offices. We will be joined by Dave Bevirt, Chief Operating Officer for Ellison Development, to talk about their projects in St. Pete.

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Moving Forward
Looking ahead, we’ll be sharing more updates on the SunRunner overlay proposal, new programming at Williams Park, and upcoming Connect Pinellas events. Together, these projects are helping us shape a downtown that’s cleaner, more connected, and ready for the future.