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Welcome to The Lealman Voice

Welcome to the 50th edition of the Lealman Voice!

As we celebrate this milestone, we reflect on the incredible journey that has brought us here and the vibrant community that makes Lealman such a special place. This newsletter has been a platform to share stories, highlight local achievements, and bring neighbors together.

In this landmark issue, we’re thrilled to present a list of “50 Great Things About Lealman” — a celebration of the places, people, and progress that define our community. From beloved parks and thriving local businesses to inspiring initiatives and cherished traditions, this edition is a tribute to all that makes Lealman shine.

Thank you for being a part of this journey and for continuing to make Lealman a wonderful place to call home. Here’s to 50 editions and many more to come!

#lealmanstrong 

MEET THE TENANTS: YReads!

 Lealman Exchange is home to a variety of tenant organizations who serve our community and beyond. Today, we are chatting with Kimberly Lohrey, Executive Director of Education for YMCA Greater St. Petersburg.

Tell us a little about yourself and your organization: I oversee the YReads! Program and Middle Academies have been with the YMCA for six years. The program has expanded from 3 schools to 13 with the support of our funders the Juvenile Welfare Board. The success of the program is due to the amazing YReads! Staff, the supportive school staff, and our dedicated families.

Tell us who you serve and how: YReads! is a free after-school reading tutoring program offered in 13 different schools serving over 600 students in Pinellas County ranging from kindergarten to 8th grade to improve reading skills. It uses parent and teacher surveys, along with diagnostic and internal assessments to determine academic needs for each student to create an individualized learning plan to help students reach their fullest potential.    

What drives your mission? The YMCA's mission as a non-profit is to improve lives, nurture families, and strengthen the community. The YReads! program carries this mission to the families, the schools, and our grant partners.

Do you have an accomplishment you are particularly proud of and would like to share? We are proud to be part of an organization whose first priority is the families and communities it serves.

What programs or opportunities are available to our Lealman neighbors through your organization?  If you would like to be a volunteer for the YReads! Program, please get in touch with Rachel Waite at rwaite@stpeteymca.com.

To learn more about YReads!, visit https://www.stpeteymca.org/yreads and follow the YMCA on Facebook / Instagram @stpeteymca.  

Lealman Love

50 Great Things About Lealman

1. Ray Neri Park
2. Lealman Exchange
3. Lealman and Asian Neighborhood Family Center (LANFC)
4. Florida Dream Center (FLDC)
5. Police Athletic League (PAL)
6. Sawgrass Lake Park
7. Willow Tree Nursery
8. Lealman Community Park
9. Lealman Mural Project
10. Atelier St. Pete
11. The Shop & Coffeehouse
12. Dissent Brewing
13. Ikigai with a Taste of Saigon
14. Friends of Strays
15. Lealman Fire District
16. Lealman Farmers Market
17. Mi Carreta Restaurant & Bakery
18. Sammy’s Seafood
19. Dairy Mix, Inc.
20. Mother Kombucha
21. Mad Hatter’s Kava Bar
22. Honey & Arts Festival
23. Independence Day Celebration
24. Tree Lighting Ceremony
25. Joe’s Creek
26. MG Bakery & Deli European Food Market
27. Lithuanian American Club
28. KJ Power 104FM broadcasts from Lealman
29. Pro Karting Experience
30. Sea Life Fish & Aquariums
31. Crown Auto
32. Khawa Coffee Roasters headquarters
33. Zeko’s Mediterranean
34. Lealman Innovation Academy
35. CES Academy
36. Lealman Avenue Elementary
37. Waffle House
38. Our neighborhood UPS Store
39. Rosie’s Playschool
40. New neighbors from Habitat for Humanity
41. Bar Mastiff
42. Accord Home Medical Equipment
43. ParkView Animal Hospital
44. American Appliance
45. Sew Pinellas
46. Lealman YMCA Preschool Academy
47. Lealman’s strong sense of neighborly love
48. Our diverse community
49. Amazing residents
50. Positive growth on the horizon in 2025!

Seniors in Classrooms: Making a Lasting Impact Through the Classroom Grandparent Program

At Bear Creek Elementary School, 81-year-old Barbara Burnett, affectionately known as “Grandma B,” spends her days making a difference in the lives of students and teachers. With her warmth, energy, and wisdom, she provides critical support to students who need extra help with reading and confidence-building, while also lending a hand to busy educators.

In an era of unprecedented challenges, including teacher shortages and growing classroom sizes, the Classroom Grandparent Program is stepping in to fill a crucial gap. The program, which relies on senior volunteers like Burnett, is calling for more participants to join its mission. With more than 35 schools involved and nearly 100 Classroom Grandparents currently serving, the demand for volunteers remains urgent.

“The need is greater than ever,” said Kim Skrovanek, Classroom Grandparent Program Coordinator for Pinellas County. “Volunteers bring their wisdom, patience, and care into classrooms, ensuring that children receive the individualized support they need to thrive.”

Burnett’s impact goes far beyond academics. Her presence provides encouragement and stability for students who may otherwise struggle to find their footing. Through one-on-one tutoring, assisting with classroom tasks, and being a source of positivity, volunteers like “Grandma B” are fostering the confidence children need to succeed both academically and personally.

The Classroom Grandparent Program is an initiative of Seniors in Service, a nonprofit organization that has been dedicated to supporting underserved populations for over 40 years. By connecting senior volunteers with elementary schools in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, the program not only enriches the lives of students but also offers seniors a meaningful way to stay active and engaged in their communities.

For those interested in becoming a Classroom Grandparent and making a difference in the lives of local children, more information is available by calling (727) 798-5499.

About Seniors in Service
Seniors in Service is committed to fostering community, support, and resources for underserved populations. Through initiatives like the Classroom Grandparent Program, the organization helps bridge gaps in education and offers much-needed support to students and teachers alike.

Contact Information:
Kim Skrovanek, Classroom Grandparent Program Coordinator – Pinellas County
Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay, Inc.
Phone: (727) 798-5499
Email: Kskrovanek@seniorsinservice.org

Duke Energy Florida Launches Free Tree Giveaway to Promote Responsible Planting

Via St. Pete Catalyst

In celebration of Florida Arbor Day, Duke Energy Florida is offering customers the chance to receive a free tree through its ongoing collaboration with the Arbor Day Foundation. Starting at 9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 17, customers can visit arborday.org/dukeenergy to request a 1-gallon tree, shipped directly to their homes with planting instructions. This initiative underscores Duke Energy’s commitment to environmental stewardship and maintaining reliable power for its two million Florida customers.

The giveaway includes a variety of tree species—sweetbay magnolia, red maple, bald cypress, bottlebrush, and crape myrtle (pink)—carefully selected for their compatibility with Florida’s climate. Trees will arrive in time for National Arbor Day in April, providing an opportunity for recipients to contribute to the environment by planting trees responsibly.

A History of Giving

Since 2017, Duke Energy Florida has distributed more than 15,000 trees through its partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation and local community events. These efforts, combined with the company’s recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Line USA program, highlight Duke Energy’s dedication to balanced vegetation management.

Tamron Fernandez, Duke Energy’s manager of distribution vegetation management, emphasized the dual benefits of tree planting: “Every tree we come across is different and must be cared for and considered individually. When the right tree is planted in the right place, you are helping to reduce outages for you and your neighbors now and in the long run.”

Planting the Right Tree in the Right Place

Duke Energy encourages Floridians to follow its Right Tree, Right Place guidelines to ensure trees are planted safely and strategically to avoid interference with power lines. The following steps are critical:

• Find the Right Tree: Select tree species suitable for your region and consider their mature size, shape, and purpose before planting.
• Choose the Right Place: Look around for nearby power lines. Ensure your tree’s growth won’t interfere with these lines or create hazards in the future.
• Call Before You Dig: Florida law requires homeowners to call 811 before digging to avoid damaging underground utilities.
• Keep Transformers Clear: Maintain a 10-foot clearance in front of ground transformers and a 3-foot clearance on all sides for safety and maintenance.
• Hire Professionals for Tree Trimming: Never attempt to trim trees around power lines yourself. Always hire a qualified professional for this work.

These guidelines are detailed further on Duke Energy’s Right Tree, Right Place website.

A Commitment to Community and Reliability

Beyond tree giveaways, Duke Energy’s team of certified arborists and environmental specialists works year-round to manage vegetation near power lines, especially ahead of hurricane season. This balanced approach prioritizes tree health while minimizing potential outages caused by overgrown or fallen vegetation.

For customers and communities alike, the benefits of Duke Energy’s program go beyond aesthetics. Strategically planted trees provide shade, reduce cooling costs, and contribute to cleaner air—all while ensuring power lines remain unobstructed for reliable service.

Residents are also encouraged to stay on the lookout for additional tree giveaways hosted in partnership with local cities and counties this spring. By planting responsibly, Floridians can contribute to a greener, more reliable future.

To secure your free tree, visit arborday.org/dukeenergy starting Jan. 17. Supplies are limited, so early participation is encouraged. Note that this link will go live Friday at approximately 9:30 A.M. 

Full Article

Honey & Arts is Back!

Mark your calendars for a day of fun, creativity, and community spirit at the 3rd Annual Lealman Honey & Arts Festival! This highly anticipated event will take place on Saturday, February 8th, 2025, from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the beautiful Lealman Community Park, located at 3800 55th Ave N, Lealman, FL 33714.

Get ready to enjoy a vibrant celebration featuring live music, local honey, talented artists, delicious food, and family-friendly activities. Admission and parking are completely free, making it the perfect outing for families, friends, and neighbors to come together.

County hopes to eliminate 49th Street crash ‘hotspots’

Via St. Pete Catalyst

Local leaders continue working to increase safety along one of Pinellas County’s most dangerous roads for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The 49^th Street corridor is part of a “High Injury Network” that accounts for 40% of serious and fatal vehicular crashes while comprising just 3% of area roadways. St. Petersburg officials and community stakeholders have already agreed to a series of changes – including lane repurposing and establishing bus bays – along a southern section of the corridor that borders Gulfport.

County commissioners are now discerning potential improvements farther north. Their Jan. 9 workshop discussion centered around crash-prone locations in unincorporated Lealman and the Highpoint area, near the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport.

Adam Purcell, transportation planner for multination infrastructure consultancy firm AECOM, said his recommendations resulted from a year of data analysis and community outreach. He noted that “great” feedback “really informed” the process.

“We’re looking at 49^th Street to identify conditions along the road that make it hazardous and then identify proven safety countermeasures we can implement,” Purcell explained. “We’re doing this in hopes of setting ourselves up for additional federal funding.”

A map highlighting the focus areas along 49th Street North. Image: Pinellas County Government.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded local planning agency Forward Pinellas a $560,000 Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Grant in February 2023. The funding supports the Safe Streets Pinellas Action Plan.

The county then received a $2.5 million DOT grant for the Pinellas I-PED (impaired pedestrian-bicycle evaluation and demonstration) project in December 2023. The local match is $625,000.

Over $2 billion remains in SS4A coffers, and the initiative sunsets in 2026. Purcell said AECOM’s report will, hopefully, support a competitive grant application that secures much-needed funding to improve safety along 49^th Street.

The roughly 13-mile corridor runs north from Gulfport to the Bayside Bridge. The latest plan’s southern focus area encompasses 40^th Avenue to 62^nd Avenue North in Lealman, just outside St. Petersburg’s city limits, and between Ulmerton and Roosevelt Boulevards, west of the airport.

“A lot of times, safety projects can be implemented based on crash data alone,” Purcell said. “But we really wanted to bring in the factors of the people and places … affected by these improvements to ensure they have an impact and work within the locations they’re designed to address.”

Activity centers along 49^th Street in the northern focus area include Bayside High School, the Pinellas County Jail and Pinellas Safe Harbor, an expansive homeless facility. The primary concern around the southern section is HCA Florida North Side Hospital.

Purcell noted about 1,000 employees enter and exit the hospital daily. Community stakeholders said aggressive and distracted driving were their top two concerns, followed by pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the six-lane thoroughfare at unprotected locations.

“We know where the crashes are occurring, but where are the near misses occurring?” Purcell asked rhetorically. “So, we asked them (stakeholders) to identify where they observed near misses, and those generally correspond with our crash hot spots.”

Accident-prone locations include the intersection of 58^th Avenue North at the hospital. Purcell said the AECOM team witnessed vehicles nearly hitting ambulances “in our limited time in the field.”

He noted that 15% of vehicles traveled at least 5 mph above the corridor’s posted speed limits. Purcell said its two bus routes carry 600 passengers daily, which creates a deadly combination of “fast cars” and “lots of bicycles and pedestrians.”

Solutions

Over 50% of serious and fatal crashes along 49^th Street involve bicycles and pedestrians. Purcell said buses typically stop in traffic to pick up or drop off riders, and Commissioner Vince Nowicki asked if a dedicated lane was a project consideration.

Purcell said stakeholder opinions were nearly evenly split on creating dedicated bus lanes. Traffic studies showed that reducing 49^th Street from six to four lanes – and decreasing speed limits – would significantly increase congestion by 2045.

The thoroughfare is also a designated semi-truck and evacuation route, and AECOM is not recommending repurposing lanes. While the firm does support creating adjacent bus bays on publicly owned land, Purcell said that is not feasible in Lealman due to the number of businesses fronting 49^th Street.

AECOM identified 80 safety countermeasures, with 42 in Lealman, 30 in the northern focus area and eight throughout the corridor. Those include upgraded lighting, modified signal timing, enhanced pavement markings and, where practical, adjusting driveway and median access and creating multimodal pathways along existing right-of-ways.

Additional site improvements include better drainage systems and landscaping. “Sometimes, it’s just as simple as maintenance,” Purcell said.

“We noted a lot of places where trees or bushes have encroached on the sidewalk,” he added. “So, we have a five-foot sidewalk that’s now a three-foot sidewalk of usable space.”

Purcell said the county has already contracted with Duke Energy to install LED streetlights and modified pedestrian signals to increase crossing intervals. He will more thoroughly detail the 80 recommendations and highlight more mid-to-long-term solutions once AECOM completes its final reports later this month.

Jimmy Carter’s legacy will live on through Habitat for Humanity in St. Pete

Contributed by Mike Sutton - President and CEO, Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside

It is uncommon for a U.S. President to be remembered primarily for their actions after leaving office. Yet, the late Jimmy Carter stands out as an extraordinary exception. His global humanitarian efforts will endure as a legacy of compassion and service. President Carter and his late wife, Rosalynn, became tireless advocates and volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, beginning in their home state of Georgia. Their dedication to promoting affordable housing and the significance of safe, stable homes inspired generations of volunteers to roll up their sleeves and contribute to building stronger communities.

Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside—formerly Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties—was founded in 1985, initially serving only Pinellas County. Our first home was built in St. Petersburg in 1986. Thanks to robust partnerships within the city, we have since built 450 homes in St. Pete alone. Over time, we expanded our service area to include West Pasco and Hernando Counties, contributing to over 930 homes in our broader community. None of this would have been possible without the unwavering support and inspiration of the Carters.

In 2015, I had the privilege of traveling to Plains, Georgia, and sharing lunch with President Carter at the site of his boyhood farm. It was a profound honor to be in his presence. He was one of the most humble individuals I have ever met—a man who dedicated every day to improving the lives of others.

At Habitat Tampa Bay Gulfside, we are reminded daily of the transformative impact we can have on our community. Whether through single-family homes, neighborhood developments, or townhome communities, our mission remains steadfast: to build more homes, foster thriving communities, and nurture hope throughout St. Petersburg and beyond.

As we approach our 40th anniversary in 2025, we are proud to celebrate an incredible milestone: the completion of our 1,000th home in the community. May we all aspire to leave a legacy as profound as President Carter’s—a man who truly made the world a better place.

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