Many people refer to St. Petersburg as a "big, small town." Forget six degrees of separation (aka Kevin Bacon)… St. Pete is probably three degrees of separation. I can point to numerous situations where this is in evidence. One of my most memorable was my first meeting back in St. Pete after 15 years away, I found myself at a Chamber of Commerce meeting sitting next to a high school classmate I hadn't seen since graduation.
The size and scale of St. Pete fuels collaboration. The image above is one of my favorite to show locals and visitors. Its hard to imagine another place where this amazing collection of innovators are sitting side-by-side from NOAA to Poynter Institute to the hospitals to the Dali... and everything in between. Our proximity and "big, small town" attitude builds strong bonds of trust. We are open to newcomers and appreciative of the wisdom of longtime locals. This creates opportunities for partnerships that bridge traditional silos and a willingness to experiment. We gravitate to big ideas and people who back those up with action. Together we flourish.
(This article was first featured in our June/July newsletter - to subscribe to our monthly newsletter click here)
Join the St. Pete Innovation District and Keep Pinellas Beautiful for a morning of hands-on community stewardship and connection along 4th Street S between 11th Ave S and 18th Ave S.
Sharing space at the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub is creating new connections between the College of Marine Science (CMS), the Innovation District, and the Tampa Bay Ocean Team.
Success! St. Petersburg made history this morning as the first formation flight of electric aircraft took off from Albert Whitted Airport.