In the future, St. Petersburg may join other Florida municipalities like Tampa and Orlando and become the home of a convention center. The City is taking steps to determine the long-term impacts of building a facilty downtown.
Mayor Ken Welch and the St. Petersburg government began to accept proposals for a comprehensive feasibility study March 11. A submission deadline is scheduled for April 30. Evaluations and short listing will take place in May.
The initiative is a partnership between the City and Pinellas County.
According to a request for proposal (RFP), the study “will assess market demand, competitive positioning, facility program requirements, financial performance and overall economic impact.”
The consultant will review regional and national trends, engage with stakeholders and determine market opportunities. They will also perform a competitive analysis on “comparable and innovative convention center models.” Additionally, the chosen company will “recommend an appropriate facility program.” This will include space needs, parking options and necessary infrastructure.
Capital cost estimates are another component of the project. The City is asking the consultant to explore “potential funding” and provide a “quantified analysis of anticipated economic and fiscal impacts such as visitor spending, tax revenue and job creation tied to both construction and ongoing operations.”
The Tampa Convention Center, which opened in 1990, hosted 87 events and welcomed over 280,000 people in 2025, according to the City of Tampa’s website. These gatherings generated approximately $147,136,347.
“I definitely think the feasibility of a convention center is worth looking at,” said St. Petersburg Innovation District executive director Alison Barlow. “We have lots of different organizations and groups that are trying to host events and meetings in our community.”
The Innovation District, formed as a public-private partnership in 2016, was created to encourage job growth, economic development and learning and inspiration in the community. It has more than 50 member organizations within the life science, marine science, technology, entrepreneurship and education sectors.
There are a “limited number of spaces” to hold these gatherings, she added. One of the key challenges, if the St. Petersburg government moves forward with a convention center, will be determining the right size.
Barlow explained that some organizations need large spaces to accommodate people, vendors and items such as posters. They may also require breakout rooms for smaller meetings. “Sometimes we can find one part of that in a location,” she said, “but we can’t find all of that in a location.”
St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Chris Steinocher believes that the City should be thorough in its evaluation process.
“Many cities have had great successes with convention centers and others are not necessarily doing so well,” he explained. “It’s really all about the strategy and scale.”
Steinocher said that conversations about a potential convention center have taken place before amongst community members. He argued that Pinellas County is losing “a lot of business meetings” because hotels do not offer large spaces anymore.
If a convention center were to be built, Steinocher added, it has to be part of a larger economic development plan. The goal should not be to “attract everything.”
The feasibility study process will be conducted as the City continues to review Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment proposals. Many of the submissions discuss a potential event venue.
“With the options of the land, I’m glad we are all looking at it,” he said. “Now, it’s really determining how we want to use the property.”
ARK Invest founder and CEO Cathie Wood, who has backed the St. Petersburg-based incubator spARK Labs by ARK Invest, worked with Ellison Development, Horus Construction Services and Baker Barrios Architects on a Historic Gas Plant District site proposal. It includes a 200,000-square-foot innovation hall to host conferences and exhibits.
Becca Brown, who leads spARK Labs by ARK Invest, said that the plan also features a 80,000-square-foot music and entertainment venue, a 20,000-square-foot arts and culture center and 17.82 acres of open space.
The goal is to create a “deconstructed convention center,” Brown explained. This creates more “long-term sustainable economic impact” and flexibility. These spaces can host a variety of events from large-scale to smaller meetings. They would also be a way to showcase the innovations created by spARK Labs by ARK Invest member organizations.
“We would love for there to be more space for business meetings,” St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation CEO and president Mike Swesey added in a statement prepared for the Catalyst. “Travel is one of the top ways executives discover new business locations for consideration. So, getting them to St. Pete would be a win for us.”
The EDC helps companies explore the municipality for business relocation or expansion, according to the organization’s website.
This content provided in partnership with StPeteCatalyst.com
