As has been seen by many in the local Tampa Bay region, the affordability of rent for businesses and citizens alike has steeply risen in recent years. This trend has been accelerating rapidly, and has made many locals wary of possible future developments. Similar scenarios have played out in comparable cities like Portland and Seattle, and with a similar social culture and diverse demographic makeup, St. Petersburg has become one of the most desirable up and coming cities in the country.
Many locals have become deeply concerned at the prevalence of steep increases to their rent and cost of living, and countless households have had to relocate or downsize due to a lack of affordable housing. Businesses have been affected in much the same capacity, with many having to move locations or close altogether. The Covid-19 pandemic worsened this trend and heightened the wealth inequality across the nation, but the change has been especially high across the greater Tampa Bay region.
The influx of new money and development projects has been overwhelmingly positive for some within the region, but there largely exists a class barrier between individuals with equity and ability to invest, and those who are just trying to make it in an economic climate that exponentially affects those in lower income brackets; many of whom are of minority group status.
This blog’s focus is to highlight the growing lack of housing affordability, and explore remedies to some of the systemic problems plaguing the local community. We aim to raise the social consciousness of these issues, and to shine a spotlight on the stories of locals who have been affected by this growing trend.
Citizens from St. Petersburg and the surrounding region will be interviewed about their experiences, concerns, and hopes involving the burgeoning rent crisis, and have an opportunity for their stories to be shared in a setting conducive to social awareness recognition.
Businesses that have had to move locations, close, or are worried about doing so will also be profiled, and their accounts will be chronicled side by side with citizen stories to give a detailed look at how this crisis is affecting everyone in the region, businesses and locals alike.
These interviews will be interspersed with informational articles about topics both social, economic, and political involving this crisis, attempting to shine light on the intricacies of the situation in order to aid the social dialogue in further discussing and dealing with a bevy of issues at hand.
Hosted by Ry Henderson, queer activist and Digital Journalism and Design Master’s student at USF St. Petersburg, in association with USFSP.
Saint Petersburg Forum For Rent Affordability 