In 2016, the City of St. Petersburg joined the ranks of aspirational peers like Kendall Square in Cambridge and Cortex in St. Louis and formalized the St. Pete Innovation District. Eight years later, the District accounts for 9,000 jobs (7% of the City's total jobs). That is an 8.5% growth with 62.3% of the jobs paying above median wage. The District partners have also generated $125M in grant funding (2020-2024), 147 trademarks and 108 patents. These metrics and the stories behind the numbers have been published in our latest Impact Report. I encourage you to take a look at the online report (or let me know if you prefer a printed copy).
It is no surprise when you read what the partners have accomplished around the District that 2025 started off with a bang. In January, we held our annual State of Science and Innovation where 250+ attendees heard from five innovators about their remarkable work. In February, we hosted our annual Science Festival with over 9K participants.
I hope you enjoy this newsletter. We've included a bit about each of these activities and more to catch you up.
Alison Barlow
Executive Director