5 minute read
Protecting Our Parks
The Waterfront Parks Foundation keeps a watchful eye on St. Pete's coastal park land.
BY MARCIA BIGGS
It was almost no surprise this past summer when Forbes named St. Petersburg one of the “Best Places to Travel in 2023.” Heck, those of us who live here know we are living in paradise.
With a pedestrian friendly downtown and a dozen waterfront parks, who hasn’t taken a stroll along Bayshore or visited the striking Bending Arc sculpture at night? We walk our dogs and take our kids to the playgrounds, spend a balmy evening at American Stage in the Park at Demens Landing or Florida Orchestra Pops in the Park at Vinoy Park. Annual events like Mainsail Art Festival and Reggae Rise Up help grow tourism and, often as a consequence, bring new year-round residents.
With 137 parks and 7 miles of preserved downtown waterfront, St. Petersburg boasts the third largest waterfront park system in North America. That’s a lot of land to love. While the city’s Parks and Recreation Department is ultimately responsible for maintaining them, the waterfront parks have a special guardian angel in the Waterfront Parks Foundation (WPF).
Since 2012, the non-profit has worked to preserve, protect and promote St. Petersburg’s waterfront parks system. Spearheaded by a team of devoted board members and supported through the City and the generosity of local supporters such as the Majeed Family
Foundation, waterfront parks continue to flourish as a welcoming beacon to residents and visitors alike.
At the helm is WPF President Logan DeVincente, whose dedication to the city runs through his veins. His great-great-grandfather was William Straub, a prominent civic figure in the city’s history who served as the editor of the St. Petersburg Times, now the Tampa Bay Times, for 38 years. He crusaded to convert St. Pete’s waterfront into a public park, which is now named in his honor, and was known as a positive champion for the region.
“I’m proud of my heritage and my mission to protect the waterfront,” says DeVincente, who served on the WPF board for six years before becoming president two years ago. “We try to bring public knowledge to what we do and be a stakeholder when it comes to city park land.”
In addition, WPF engages with and supports the work of other organizations that protect outdoor assets, including the City of St. Petersburg’s Parks Department, St. Petersburg City Council, Preserve the Burg, Tampa Bay Watch and various neighborhood associations.
Local landscape architect Phil Graham Jr. is credited with launching a campaign to keep waterfront parks maintained, which eventually led to the founding of the Waterfront Parks Foundation in 2012.
“Going back to 2008, Phil knew that the parks needed help and city funding was lacking because of the economic downturn,” DeVincente explains. “His idea was to form a group of concerned citizens who could be a ‘voice for the parks.’ They would monitor parks and note when upgrades or beautification, like adding seasonal flowers, were needed.”
Graham met with the Parks and Recreation Director Mike Jefferis to discuss the establishment of a Parks Foundation that could assist the City in the preservation and enhancement of parks. Jefferis was enthusiastic about the idea and offered his support. Soon a 501(c)(3) foundation was established, and a board of dedicated community members was formed.
Today, colorful floral gardens at many city parks are a sign of pride for foundation members. Perhaps the most prominent can be found at North Straub Park at the foot of 4th Street N. and Bayshore Dr. “It’s the first welcome to downtown when you come off the interstate and see the waterfront so very important to us to keep those flower beds looking beautiful,” says DeVincente. “We are trying to raise money to form an endowment that can in perpetuity pay for these flowers, no matter who the city leadership is.”
The City is fully responsible for the flower purchases, installation and upkeep of park landscaping. But the foundation is ever a watchful eye for concerns that may be just starting or challenges that lie ahead such as needed park signage, utility line blight, waterfront cleanups and shoreline restoration, land use and improved safety such as night lighting.
Last year, Phil Graham Jr. discovered a bench made of composite material, which could save the city thousands of dollars a month in cleaning and maintenance costs for the many wooden benches scattered throughout the parks. This summer, the Parks Department installed several composite benches in North Straub Park along Bayshore Drive NE.
Earlier this year, a modern bench swing was installed at Flora Wylie Park through the cooperation of the City. It was designed by Phil Graham Jr. and funded through the Majeed Family Foundation. “We plan to put five more of the swings in the park system,” added DeVincente.
In late 2021, WPF rounded up volunteers to work with Tampa Bay Watch to stabilize one of the last remaining undeveloped shorelines in St. Petersburg at Lassing Park. Some 250 oyster reef balls were installed to shield 700 feet of shoreline which was suffering from erosion.
Waterfront Parks
Flora Wylie Park (11.4 acres), 13th Avenue NE and North Shore Dr. NE (site of new Bench Swing)
Elva Rouse Park (6 acres), North Shore Dr. between 10th and 13 Avenues NE
North Shore Park (33.2 acres) 901 North Shore Dr. NE
Vinoy Park (11.6 acres), 701 Bayshore Dr. NE
N. Straub Park (4.8 acres), 400 Bayshore Dr. NE
S. Straub Park (7.3 acres), 198 Bayshore Dr. NE
Coffee Pot Park, 1st Street between 30th and 31st Avenues NE
Pioneer Park (1.8 acres), Central Ave. and 1 Avenue S. at Bayshore and Beach Drive
Demens Landing Park (14.7 acres), Bayshore Drive at 2nd Avenue S.
Albert Whitted Park (4.87 acres) 480 Bayshore Dr. SE Poynter Park (2.1 acres) 1000 3rd Street. S
Lassing Park (14.2 acres), Beach Drive between 15th and 22 Avenues SE
