Looking back on the developing climate in Tampa Bay over the last several years, many spoken to for the purposes of this blog have expressed fear and outrage as the cost of living has risen at unprecedented levels; both in Tampa Bay and in Florida as a whole. Much of the nation, by and large, has experienced a hike in prices for gasoline, food stuffs, and goods, and rent has become an ever increasing portion of the average household’s monthly income. With the average household being occupied by two to three persons, many renters have turned to a multi-income model to afford rising costs.
The reality that is the case for many working class families in St. Petersburg is stagnant wages and a steep increase of living expenses. The rise of gentrification and influx of out of city investors has been overwhelmingly positive for a selection of the local citizenry, but for those who are not property owners, or for those who are not in the higher echelons of income brackets, the rising costs and money flowing in to the region has been deeply concerning.
We spoke to dozens of locals over the last several months, and highlighted four for feature stories.
Jazmine Bryant, a 32 year old woman of color, has struggled with bills even despite her master’s degree and higher skill job. Working as a behavioral therapist for autistic children, her renting history has been fought with scam listings and roommate tensions. Making a name for herself despite her complicated upbringing as a young girl in the foster care system, she only recently has gained some breathing room now that she has a stable boyfriend to split expenses with; a reality many in St. Petersburg are turning to as single income renters become less and less common.
Luis Dominguez, a Latinx 22 year old, expressed concern for his immigrant family who has been struggling under the weight of increased prices and home rent. Their home’s monthly rent went up several hundred dollars, and Luis has had to dedicate more and more of his time providing a secondary income stream for his multi-generational family with only three modest income sources, being himself, his mother, and his father, and several too young or too old to work.
Tammy Valltos, a 50 year old single mother from South St. Pete, expressed exhaustion from being the primary income for her family while dealing with income inconsistency issues and socioeconomic tensions in her predominantly lower income and non-white neighborhood. The neighborhood she lives in, South St. Pete, has seen a swath of homes torn down and rebuilt much larger, with increasing pressure which she has seen to begun pushing many of her lower income, black neighbors out of their generational homes.
Andrea Davis, a 20 year old woman of color, spoke of her fears of potential homelessness as her bills have become less and less affordable on her meager and inconsistent income. With a tense upbringing rife with systemic racism and wealth inequality, her life has always been paycheck to paycheck, but the recent rent hikes seen by herself and many of her friends have left her treading water with no escape route in sight.
We also spoke to a local small business, a hair studio operated by a local LGBT man and Tammy Valltos, who we discussed in both her citizen interview and her business profile. Her income stream has been sporadic due to economic tensions in the region, and was greatly affected by the lockdown seen towards the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the wave of financial troubles that were sparked across the nation as income streams for many were disrupted or terminated.
The climate of the music industry and sober nightlife was also discussed, and the issues with rent leading to an increase of business closures or relocations as many neighborhoods became unaffordable for renters. Some venues like Jannus live were able to stay open, largely due to crowdsourcing techniques which raised funds to stave off financial ruin.
Similarities in comparable cities like Seattle were touched on, showing the tragic scenario that played out in Seattle due to the influx of out of city money, sparking steep rent hikes, and finally leading to a rise in homelessness and a business exodus for a bevy of factors.
The economic climate in St. Petersburg has become tense for many as rent and home prices have increased. Many development projects have been completed or are in process, most notably the buildup of Central Avenue, gentrification of south St. Pete, and the future tearing down of Tropicana Field and proposed development on the site that previously held a once thriving black community that was decimated to make way for the I 275 corridor and the stadium, spoken of extensively in USF affiliated spotlights.
These projects are game changers for the local economic makeup of the city, opening up extensive new opportunities for incoming transplants and businesses. The issue herein lies with affordability and the reality that many working class locals, much of which are generational residents, have been unable to keep up with the rising costs of living as many wages have not risen along with costs.
These problems are not unique, for they are happening in many places across the country, but they are pressing because it is happening to the city many locals here cherish and love. The city government has taken some steps to address the rent crisis and growing financial inequality, but the process for these policy changes has only recently gotten underway and has not been established long enough to see more than situational progress.
What the future holds for St. Petersburg and all those who love it is uncertain, but the reality for many moderate and lower income residents has sparked fears for many as to how their bills will be paid as their monthly expenses continue rising at an untenable, and often unsustainable trajectory.
Saint Petersburg Forum For Rent Affordability 