City Officials Admit They’ve Been Getting Development Ideas From St. Pete Razing
ST. PETERSBURG — Mayor Ken Welch says he enjoys keeping up with local news and community discussions online, but one page in particular has recently become increasingly influential among city leaders and developers: St. Pete Razing.
Originally launched as a satire page focused on gentrification, affordability, and the rapid transformation of St. Petersburg, officials say the page has gradually evolved into what planners are calling “a valuable resource.”
“At first we thought they were just making fun of us,” one councilmember explained Wednesday. “But after awhile we started realizing that we can work with this.”
City leaders pointed to several recent examples where ideas posted on the page were later embraced by developers and approved during council meetings.
Among them were eliminating public parking downtown, warning maps for cranes, advocacy groups for urban communities, and building a 15-minute district.
Developers initially dismissed the page as hostile toward growth before recognizing that many of the concepts aligned closely with goals already being discussed privately within planning circles.
“Some of these posts save us time,” one local developer admitted. “We’ll see an article about replacing Sunken Gardens with a luxury dog spa and think, ‘Actually… that’s a great idea.’”
Several development firms confirmed they now monitor the page daily for new ideas and redevelopment trends.
Mayor Welch praised the page’s “creative engagement with urban redevelopment issues” and said local leaders should remain open to “innovative perspectives” as the city continues planning for Agenda 2050.
“We’re always listening to the community,” Welch said.
St. Pete Razing founder Cedric Harris said he has mixed feelings about the page’s growing influence on redevelopment discussions.
“I used to joke about replacing neighborhoods with luxury condos,” Harris admitted. “Now they’re drafting plans for a mixed-use development where my living room is. I’m honestly thinking about becoming a consultant now.”
