Message from our President 

We have officially made it to Autumn, although in our area, that is just a technicality. I must mention that we truly feel for those to our south who endured the onslaught of Hurricane Ian, and our thoughts and prayers go out to them. We are so grateful that our beautiful city was spared most of the damage. And now that our weather is nothing short of spectacular, I hope you will take advantage of these beautiful days to see how lucky we are to have such an asset. 

For those of you receiving this newsletter for the first time, we invite you to catch up on the wonderful projects initiated and/or supported by the Downtown Waterfront Parks Foundation to protect and improve our waterfront parklands. The new park swing prototype has received very positive feedback, and we continue to hear from the public with their thoughts. If you haven’t already, we invite you to provide your opinions through the QR code located at the actual swing or through our website waterfrontparksfoundation.org. 

Speaking of our website, be sure to check out the drone videos we have posted there of our community enjoying the parks. They truly capture the unique character of our waterfront parks and remind us of what the park system provides to residents and visitors alike. 

Until next time, enjoy the parks, and share them with all of those around you. 

Logan DeVicente
President
Waterfront Parks Foundation

Founder’s Focus—Celebrating 10 Years

This year we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Waterfront Parks Foundation!

In 2012, the City of St. Petersburg’s budget for facilities and maintenance was suffering from a lack of funds due to the economic downturn of 2008. The downtown waterfront parks were caught up in this budget crunch, with limited resources for the Parks Department to maintain them in the condition these Legacy parks deserve. I met with the Parks and Recreation Director, Mike Jefferis, to discuss the establishment of a Parks Foundation that could assist the City in the preservation and enhancement of these historic parks. Mike was enthusiastic about the idea and offered his support for this endeavor. Thank you, Mike!  Read More

The Waterfront Parks Foundation:
Who We Are and Why We Exist 

The Mission of the Downtown Waterfront Parks Foundation (WPF) is to support and advocate for the preservation and enhancement of the historic waterfront parks of St. Petersburg, Florida, to ensure their future for the enjoyment of residents and visitors.

Founded on October 31, 2012, WPF focuses on the waterfront parks in downtown St. Petersburg, which run along Tampa Bay from the north at Coffee Pot Park (1st Street and 30th Ave. NE) to Lassing Park (Beach Drive and 22nd Ave. SE), just south of downtown. Read More

See You at the Swing!

If you’ve driven, biked, skated or walked along North Shore Drive or the adjacent waterfront trail from Coffee Pot Blvd. to Flora Wylie Park in the past six months, you’ve no doubt seen the most popular new attraction in the Waterfront Parks. 

The bench swing prototype, located at the north end of Flora Wylie Park at the intersection of North Shore Dr NE and Coffee Pot Blvd, was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in April.   Read More

Lighting the Parks, Improving the Views

An ongoing interest for the Waterfront Parks Foundation (WPF) is helping the City Parks Department to develop better ways to light the parks without negatively affecting the skies. WPF board member and Lighting Committee Chairperson, Mack Hicks, has diligently been researching ways to light the trees to better reveal their beautiful sculptural qualities, while improving safety in some of the darker areas of the parks.  Read More

Check Out the New Park Benches

One issue WPF has worked to solve for the City Parks Department is the never-ending task and expense of cleaning the wooden park benches scattered throughout the parks. The natural wooden slats require constant cleaning/maintenance, but the wood never displays the clean appearance that this expensive effort deserves. Read More

Meet WPF Board Member
Bill Dahl

Although many—if not most—of the board members serving the Waterfront Parks Foundation (WPF) have family histories in St. Petersburg that go back generations, one notable exception is WPF board member, Bill Dahl. In 2017, Bill and his wife, Joyce, chose St. Petersburg as their new home after their two kids were off pursuing their own successful careers and raising Bill and Joyce’s five grandkids. Bill credits frequent family Florida vacations, baseball spring training trips, and extensive business travel as the reason St. Petersburg was their choice. “We love St Pete!” says Bill.  Read More

Living Shoreline Restoration
Makes Progress in Tampa Bay

Lassing Park’s shoreline is the epicenter of a multi-year Living Shoreline Restoration Project spearheaded by Tampa Bay Watch and the City of St Petersburg Parks Department.

On Earth Day, April 22, several WPF Board Members joined the Old Southeast Neighborhood, Tampa Bay Watch, the St. Pete Parks Department, and other interested volunteers to help shovel 10 tons of oyster shells, creating approximately 200 square feet of reef in Tampa Bay. We also added 97 additional oyster reef balls and planted 2,000 smooth cordgrass plugs.  Read More

Mark Your Calendars 

Preserve the Burg’s Movies in the Park
Thursday, October 20, 6:00 – 9:00 pm 
North Straub Park
Featured movie: The Goonies
Register online at ptb.wildapricot.org

Tampa Bay Ocean Sweep Trash Collection Tournament
Saturday, October 22, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm 
3734-3814 6th Street S., St. Petersburg, FL
Win prizes for collecting trash from the Bay and/or Shoreline! 
Register online at WaterWarriorAlliance.org

Preserve the Burg’s Movies in the Park
Thursday, October 27, 6:00 – 9:00 pm 
North Straub Park
Featured movie: Beetlejuice
Register online at ptb.wildapricot.org

Friends of North Shore Park Cleanup
Saturday, November 5, 9:00 am–Noon
North end of Flora Wylie Park near the park swing.
Park Cleanup Volunteer Effort coordinated by Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Association (HONNA), Keep Pinellas Beautiful and WPF. Volunteers can park in the lot at the south end of Flora Wylie and meet near the swing. All are welcome to join us! No registration necessary.


Coffee Pot Bayou Cleanup
Saturday, November 5, 9:00 am–Noon
This quarterly cleanup effort, sponsored by the Coffee Pot Bayou Watershed Alliance, uses boats, kayaks, canoes and walkers to clean the mangrove fringe on Coffee Pot Drive, the Masonic Home waterfront and the sidewalk/recreation trail from 34th Ave at Coffee Pot Park to the tennis courts in the North Shore Sports Complex. All are welcome. Cleaning tools provided. No registration necessary.

November Living Shoreline Restoration Oyster Shell Bar Construction
Wednesday–Thursday, November 9–10, 9:00 am – Noon
North end of Lassing Park
Interested volunteers may contact Rachel Arndt at rarndt@tampabaywatch.org

December Living Shoreline Restoration Oyster Shell Bar Construction
Wednesday–Thursday, December 14–15, 9:00 am – Noon
North end of Lassing Park
Interested volunteers may contact Rachel Arndt at rarndt@tampabaywatch.org

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