The City of St. Petersburg is opting out of the county’s Tenant Bill of Rights, leaving the enforcement of rules for landlords to fall on city leaders rather than on the county.
In the 1980s, St. Pete began its pursuit of baseball and had to find a place to build a stadium. They ultimately decided to build it in the Gas Plant District, dislocating hundreds of Black residents in the segregated, but thriving community. One of those residents was St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch.
On Thursday, St. Pete City Council scrapped its resolution to declare a housing emergency, ending the chances for rent control measures being on the November ballot for voters to decide.