Lealman Voice Edition 26
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Former mobile home site to become affordable housing
What was once a deplorable mobile home park just outside St. Petersburg city limits will now house an affordable housing community for residents with special needs.
Pinellas County officials discussed the former Wood Acres mobile home park’s ongoing saga Tuesday. While old asbestos-filled trailers no longer occupy the 1.55-acre property at 3901 46th Avenue North in unincorporated Lealman, redevelopment plans have repeatedly stalled.
Pinellas Affordable Living (PAL), a nonprofit operating under the Boley Centers’ umbrella, will now assume control of the triangular-shaped parcel. Commissioner Charlie Justice stressed the importance of having a proven developer oversee the project despite concerns over the cost and process preceding Tuesday’s vote.
“That mobile home park, to call it a ‘home’ in any way or shape, is ridiculous,” Justice said. “That was a slum. It was just absolutely disgusting that someone would allow another human to live in those conditions … and then charge them for it.
“This may not be the exact project that everyone wanted way back then, but I’m very glad we’re moving forward on that site today.”
The property in one of Pinellas County’s poorest communities was once a haven for code violations, drugs and crime. Bruce Bussey, community development manager, explained that Contemporary Housing Alternatives of Florida (CHAF) acquired the site for $300,000 in 2019.
The local nonprofit has developed several affordable housing projects throughout the area. County officials used Penny IV Pinellas tax dollars to purchase the parcel for $737,000.
The county then leased the property back to CHAF, which more than doubled its investment. The organization planned to install 34 manufactured homes with affordable rents.
Bussey said that after two years of stormwater and site planning issues, county officials deemed the project “unfeasible” and terminated the agreement with CHAF. “I think we can all agree that this delay and the shortcomings by Pinellas County staff led to a fairly significant black eye on the community,” said Jeremy Heath, chair of the Lealman Citizen Advisory Committee.
“I do approve of this transaction; I do approve of this development,” Heath added. “However, it’s worth mentioning that we’re only here due to some of those missteps.”
Commissioners unanimously approved designating the property as surplus and giving it to PAL. County administrators selected the nonprofit’s proposal from just two submissions.
The Boley Centers, which established PAL, have received widespread praise from local leaders. The organization serves and houses people with disabilities, the homeless and domestic violence victims.
PAL plans to convert the site into The Point Apartments. The $5.87 million project will feature 17 units for special needs households earning less than 60% of the area median income.
Bussey said PAL expects to receive $5 million in state financing. Commissioner Dave Eggers noted the $345,000 cost per unit does not include an expected $1 million county gap financing request.
Eggers said that would likely raise the price per apartment to $450,000. He questioned if a developer could increase the total units to lower costs.
Tuesdays & Thursdays at the Lealman Exchange
YMCA Senior Exercise: Tu/Th 9 a.m.
YMCA Total Parkinson's Exercise: Tu/Th 10-11 a.m.
Tuesdays & Thursdays 6 PM
Cardio Drumming
Thursday, February 8th, and Tuesday, February 13th (just before Valentine's Day), we will have a "Friendship Week" whereby cardio drummers can bring a friend, and both the drummer and the friend get to drum for no charge just for these two days.
Glow Cardio Drumming Week will be held on Tuesday, March 5th and Thursday, March 7th.
February 10th @ 12:00 p.m.
February 17th @ 1:00 p.m.
CEOs help build Habitat home for Pinellas family
15 Tampa Bay business leaders gathered Friday morning to help a St. Petersburg mom build a home from the ground up.
The hands-on help is part of Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties’ CEO Build program, which started in 2022 as an opportunity for area CEOs and local leaders to give back to their communities and advocate for affordable homeownership. Mike Sutton, CEO of the local Habitat affiliate, said the overwhelming success of the first specialty build has helped the program grow.
“A lot of these folks have already been involved with us, but we thought this was a great way for them to gain some more validity in the community about the work we’re doing,” Sutton said. “It also gives the CEOs a kind of singular voice to say, ‘Hey, we need affordable housing in our community for our employees.’”
63 business executives will take part in the 2024 CEO Build over the course of three days, helping build a home for Tangela Butler, a Pinellas County school bus driver, and her 17-year-old twin sons. Butler said before entering the program, she’d heard it was too difficult to join or complete, but when she found herself struggling to pay rent and nearly homeless, she was ready to make a change.
“Finally one day I just broke down and decided to contact Habitat. It is a lot of work, that part was definitely true because you have to be very dedicated and you have to know what you want,” Butler said. “If this is your dream, you just have to go for it. And that’s what I did. I never thought I could do it, never thought I made enough to own a home until I met Habitat.”
In order to qualify for a Habitat for Humanity home, candidates must meet program criteria, attend 32 homeownership classes, complete 350 to 450 sweat equity hours and make a financial contribution of approximately $3,000-$3,500 toward closing costs and homeowner’s insurance. Once completed, they purchase the home with a 0% interest mortgage.
“The myth is that these homes are given away. We’ve been involved from the bank side and the education side, so we’ve seen the hours they put in,” said Jim Kirkpatrick, Florida Market President of Republic Bank and participant in the 2024 CEO Build. “We’ve all listened to the stories about how people get here and what they go through. Their perseverance, strength and determination is what gets us inspired.”
The Butlers’ future home on 45th Avenue N. is in the heart of the Lealman neighborhood, a historically underserved suburb of St. Petersburg in unincorporated Pinellas County. Sutton said Lealman has become a major focus area for Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties.
“It’s a community that’s been neglected for many years. It lacks reliable transportation and proper grocery stores, it’s a food desert. And yet, there’s been a lot of investment made by the county with a lot of the parks and upgrades to the streets, so we feel we can complement that by bringing affordable housing to Lealman,” said Sutton. “We’ve done probably 40 to 50 homes over the last couple of years in the Lealman community, and we expect to do more in the future.”
Butler works just a few minutes away from her future home and drives past the build site every day, stopping to take a photo of the progress. She said being chosen as the site for the 2024 CEO Build is the “best feeling ever. It’s amazing that people take the time out of their busy schedules and their lives to come out and contribute to others
“That is love; I feel loved and I’m so grateful. Hopefully I can become a CEO and do the same thing to give back.”
The two-year process of earning and owning her first home is almost complete as Butler will cut the ribbon on her new house and move in this March. With the experience nearly in the rearview mirror, she has advice for other aspiring homeowners.
“There’s a lot of people out there hurting, who don’t think they can ever become a homeowner. I was feeling the same way. I know the feeling of being homeless because I was one second away from it.”
“I just want to tell you, if you have a desire to become a homeowner and you want to you want to build generational wealth for your children, this is the route to go. Get into the program, do everything it takes and they’ll work with you. You just have to be willing to put in the work. It’s not going to be easy, but if this is your goal, you can be standing right here, watching your house being built from the ground up.”
Sew Pinellas opens in Lealman
In Lealman, a new venture is breathing life back into the art of sewing. Enter Sew Pinellas, a dynamic sewing incubator that opened its doors at the end of 2023, aiming to empower individuals with the skills and resources to thrive in the world of textiles.
Founder and owner Jennifer Fairbanks was born and raised in Pinellas County, studied fashion design and has a background in intimate apparel. She began teaching sewing in California in the early 2000s and later opened her own design school before moving back to St. Petersburg to reconnect with family and refresh her career.
“It was a really good experience at first. I built an entire curriculum where we did sewing courses, illustration courses and pattern design courses. I was really enjoying doing that, but I wasn't actually doing the teaching; I was training other people to teach, and I kind of lost that passion,” Fairbanks said. “So when we moved here, I was like, ‘Okay, I need to regroup.’”
Fairbanks began hosting introductory sewing classes in December. Her facility on Haines Road offers access to equipment, mentorship and training for anyone who wants to learn to sew.
“It’s been really satisfying watching the couple of classes that I've had here so far, just to see their faces light up, both adults and the kids. Honestly, the adults are lighting up even more than the kids are,” Fairbanks laughed. “They had never touched a machine, never even looked at a sewing machine before, and by the time they left, they were sewing straight lines.”
“What I really focus on in the first class is making sure that they are not afraid of the machine,” Fairbanks added. “As soon as they know it's not their enemy and it's not something that they have to, like, dominate, that the machine does all the work for them, they realize that all they have to do is drive it. It's just like a car with the foot pedal, so, of course, the adults are a lot better at controlling the speed.”
Equipped with multiple sewing machines, cutting tables and an extensive array of fabrics and patterns, Sew Pinellas provides members with everything they need to turn their design dreams into reality. From basic sewing techniques to private lessons, the incubator offers a diverse range of classes tailored to all skill levels. In addition to its current workshops, Sew Pinellas will host an all-ages Spring and Summer Costume Program and upcoming cosplay camps. Fairbanks said, in her experience, it's much easier to learn these lifelong skills in person.
“Yeah, there's a lot of YouTube videos out there, but you can't ask the YouTube video a question. A huge hole that I always felt was missing from all the educational books in sewing and fashion design is not only showing how to do it but explaining why. There is a reason, and if you don't ask questions, you're just flying blindly.”
Fairbanks stocked her space with an array of modern and vintage sewing machines, giving students a chance to try their hand at threading and stitching on different devices.
“That's one thing I've really enjoyed with this [space], giving them the opportunities to work on it on the different machines. It's not something I did before. They learn to sew on all of the machines and it really gives them the confidence to do it again,” Fairbanks said. “I'm kind of new here, and as I've grown as a teacher and an educator, I like I see what really works for people and what doesn't.”
Fairbanks aims to use Sew Pinellas as an avenue to weave the art of sewing into the heart of the community and make it accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or experience.
“Things are not made the way they used to be made, so a lot of clothing starts falling apart, so being able to fix your own clothes is empowering. I just love making patterns, I love drafting and I want to teach everybody else how to do it because it's a skill that’s not always taught in schools. Design schools are shutting down right and left. I want to have a legacy so that it’s not just me and all the knowledge doesn’t die with this generation.”
Fairbanks hopes Sew Pinellas will become a creative hub, nurturing local talent and bringing people together to foster a sense of belonging, build community empowerment and stitch together a new generation of sewing enthusiasts, starting in Lealman.
Surplus food app gaining popularity
An app that tackles food waste and helps people buy discounted food is trending in Pinellas County.
Too Good to Go, originally launched in Europe, has rapidly gained traction in the United States with its mission to reduce food waste. The app provides a simple platform for local restaurants, cafes and bakeries to sell their excess food before it goes to waste. Instead of going in the trash, food left at the end of the day can scrape back a little more value for local small businesses.
Customers, in turn, get the opportunity to purchase products at a fraction of the regular price. Because the eateries don’t know what will be left over, customers purchase a “surprise bag” of food to pick up just before the business closes.
Local favorites like La Segunda, Pete’s Bagels, Valkyrie Doughnuts, Moonlight Boba in Lealman and multiple Kahwa locations have signed up to sell on the app. According to Meghan O’Donnell, a Too Good to Go spokesperson, 30 supplying stores and more than 1,200 paying customers have used the app since it launched in St. Petersburg in November 2023.
“To date, we have saved 2,000 meals in St. Petersburg, the equivalent of 5,000 tons of CO2e avoided. In the two months since launch, Too Good To Go’s impact has been significant, helping local consumers save more than $20,000 on food and aiding partners to generate more than $6,400 in revenue,” O’Donnell told the Catalyst.
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