Neighborhood News Bureau

Category: COMMUNITY

  • Florida Policy for Climate Change and Hurricane Preparedness

    Florida Policy for Climate Change and Hurricane Preparedness

    By Nicolet Hartman

    The 2017 hurricane season has been tumultuous and nerve-wracking. Many are not only concerned about the intensity of these storms, but how frequent they are becoming.

    Just two weeks after watching Hurricane Harvey demolish Houston, St. Petersburg residents were fearing for the worst as Hurricane Irma prepared to hit.

    While many flock to Florida for the beautiful, white sand beaches, those living close to shore are concerned about the impacts of these storms because of their homes’ exceptionally low sea level.

    The seemingly simple, yet thoroughly complex, factor for these storms is, in fact, climate change. Despite being a largely debated topic in the political realm, climate change is a fact according to leading scientists around the world. According to NASA, the world has experienced the hottest temperatures three years running, which inevitably leads to warmer waters at higher sea levels.

    This poses a great dilemma for Floridians as much of the coastline is nearly at sea level. When a hurricane strikes, a major concern for St. Petersburg is not just the vigorous winds, but the substantial rainfall. The combination of high quantities of rain and the threat of storm surge threaten the safety and security of residents and their homes.

    Tom Reese, an environmental lawyer, and USF alumni says that policy and procedure regarding human activities contributing to climate change are not getting the attention needed, although the effort has been prevalent for decades now.

    He remembers back in the 80s and 90s when current Senator Bill Nelson was highly involved in climate change activism.

    In the 1900s Sen. Bill Nelson held the office of Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner and Fire Marshall of Florida. He made it a point to focus on how climate change has impacted the insurance industry in Europe and used it as a model for progress in his own state.

    However, many feel that the current administration, both at a federal and state level are not doing enough. The Trump Administration has declared a withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. On Oct. 9, Head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, announced his repeal of the Clean Power Plan.

    Reese believes the Paris Climate Accord is a necessity to acknowledge human impacts on climate change.

    “Many cities are adopting the policy on their own,” Reese stated. “St. Petersburg has been rather involved in this battle and may choose to adopt some measures on their own.”

    Governor Rick Scott’s administration had received criticism in 2015 for allegedly banning government employees from using the terms climate change, sustainability or global warming. When asked about his opinion of climate change and the scientific opinion that human activity is contributing to it, Gov. Scott has often avoided answering by saying, “I am not a scientist.”

    Former employees of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection have confirmed these allegations, some claiming this policy was, in fact, why they lost their positions. The FDEP has assured that “this is simply not true. There is not, nor has there ever been any such [F]DEP policy.” 

    The FDEP currently undergoes many projects to analyze and prevent any damage done or may occur in the future due to climate change. They “regularly coordinate with a number of local, state, and federal agencies to address the challenges of sea level rise statewide and to ensure that Florida’s communities and natural resources are protected.”

    The FDEP’s primary role in studying climate change is to assist with projections, mapping and monitoring data to support coastal resilience planning. They also fund projects related to coastal changes and backwater flooding like a five-year project that is currently underway which “evaluates sea level rise risk and vulnerability assessments.”

    The FDEP believes this project will “provide information needed to assist local comprehensive plans” and “post-disaster redevelopment plans statewide.”

    Former Governor and current Congressional Representative of St. Petersburg, Charlie Crist, has long time been an advocate of climate change.

    “I am persuaded that global climate change is one of the most important issues that we will face this century,” Crist said in his initial State of the State address.

    “Florida is more vulnerable to rising ocean levels and violent weather patterns than any other state. Yet, we have done little to understand and address the root causes of this problem, or frankly, even acknowledge that the problem exists.”

    The FDEP’s recent work has led to the 2017 Florida Statute Section 161.101(1) that states the department designates shorelines that have become critically eroded due to natural processes and/or human activity. This means that Florida policy is beginning to acknowledge the real dangers of climate change on our population.

    Attorney Tom Reese believes the best prevention from the impacts of climate change if a devastating hurricane strikes St. Petersburg is to stop development in low lying areas. This is particularly prevalent in areas like downtown St. Petersburg where construction for high-rises is seen in every direction.

    In 2008 “the city of St. Pete annexed 21 acres on Terra Verde intending to build a 22 story condo,” Reese stated. “It was annexed, but when they tried to increase the density it was successfully challenged by my team and the civic association in Terra Verde.”

    Another major concern for St. Petersburg during a strong hurricane is the topic of evacuation. When the news and officials are warning residents to leave their homes and head for safety- when is the right time to leave? Where is the best place to go?

    Many companies classify their jobs as “essential” and “non-essential” during a storm. The essential employees are often managers or leaders of businesses that will be sheltering people, doctors, nurses and first responders, who are required to be at work throughout the storm. The non-essential workers are generally excused from work and are free to act as they see fit until work resumes.

    However, many businesses often do not close until just before the storm, attempting to make as much money as possible before they close down for an unknown amount of time and face potential damages and losses. This leaves the workers staying in town instead of evacuating for fear of losing their jobs.

    Unfortunately, there is very little legal protection for employees in this situation because Florida is a right-to-work state. This means that employers have the upper hand when employees fail to show up to their job, for any reason. Florida has no specific law stating that if there is a hurricane, people must be allowed to evacuate.

    There are tiny glimmers of hope though. According to Reese, if one evacuates and lives in a zone that was under mandatory evacuation, there might be some protection under the Whistleblower Protection Act, a statute stating it is illegal to be fired for refusing to break the law. “If you are in a really low-lying area, you might have some type of whistleblower defense,” Reese claims. “But it’s all situational. Evacuations aren’t necessarily the ‘law.’”

    Evacuating Pinellas County is also tricky because it is the most densely populated county in the entire state, home to almost 1 million people in 608 square miles. Since most of Pinellas County’s perimeter belongs to at-risk properties and the highly populated areas, it is important to evacuate the area completely if you have the physical and financial means to do so as quickly as possible.

    For residents who do not have those luxuries, it is important to know where the closest shelter to your home is and to get there as soon as possible. Director of Pinellas County Emergency Management, Sally Bishop, has expressed concerns in the past when dealing with an evacuation.

    “When you’re talking about 600,000 people, that’s pretty staggering to have that many having to get out of the way of storm surge,” he added.

  • Healing the Community Through Food

    Healing the Community Through Food

    Expanding knowledge of health through urban agriculture

    BY MIKE SINGER

    The Et Cultura festival was hosted in South St. Petersburg from Nov. 15-19. There were a number of themes of the event, including music, art, healthy eating, addressing the future of St. Petersburg and its schools and more.

    On Thursday, Nov. 16, the Et Cultura theme was SEEDS, which deals with sustainable healthy food systems and urban agriculture.

    The morning SEEDS session, called “Prescribing Food as Medicine,” had a panel of experts in the urban agriculture field. As moderator and public health specialist, Mark Trujillo, spoke with John Correy of PlantPure Inc.; Randall Russell, President & CEO of Foundation for a Healthy St. Pete; Dr. Roland Lajoie, board-certified endocrinologist; Dr. Bob Linde, Owner of Acupuncture and Herbal Therapies; and Reverend Katie Churchwell from the Cathedral of St. Peter.

    Of the five on the panel, one person stuck out from the crowd as someone who is not necessarily an “expert” in the urban agriculture field, and that was Churchwell.

    And she will admit it.

    Churchwell doesn’t know a whole lot about urban agriculture, but what she cares about is people.

    “Here’s the thing – you’re probably going to encounter a lot of people where [urban agriculture] is their passion,” Churchwell said. “They love growing food; they love the health aspect. But my passion is people. I have to be really honest that this is really exciting for me to be in a place like this and learn from people because this is not my area of expertise. It’s not even a personal area of enjoyment. So much of this is nothing that I know about. But what I really care about and what I’m really passionate about are people.”

    “Next year, it’d be really easy for you to see me talking about housing or economics. I’m not a housing expert and I really know nothing about the economy other than I love to shop local.”

    Churchwell did have a reason to be selected on the SEEDS panel of experts though. There can be a lot of “talk” about initiating urban agriculture programs in Midtown St. Petersburg, but Churchwell is actively leading a community outreach initiative.

    Campbell Park Recreation Center is located on 14th Street S. and 7th Avenue S. and is home to the Food is Medicine program. It is a six-week class that engages in health, diet and nutritional needs. Each member of the class also receives a free health care screening from community health nurses from Baycare.

    Food is Medicine is a collaborative effort comprised of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Baycare Health Systems, Gulfport Produce, The Cathedral Church of St. Peters, and the city of St. Petersburg.

    “It is modeled after the Florida Hospital System West Division’s Food Is Medicine program,” Churchwell explained. “One of the requirements for determining the placement of a Food Is Medicine site is that the location must be situated within a food desert.

    “The Cathedral Church of St. Peter, already having a robust and joyful relationship with Campbell Park Elementary School, felt that it made a lot of sense to set up Food Is Medicine St. Pete at Campbell Park Recreation Center, just across the street from the elementary school.  In working with the City of St. Petersburg, we are glad that we were able to secure – as an in-kind gift – the room use at Campbell Park Recreation Center.”

    Trujillo, was a key contributor in helping the St. Petersburg chapter of Food is Medicine launch.

    “He was instrumental in bringing everyone to the table,” said Churchwell.  “His hard work made Food Is Medicine St. Pete happen.”

    Currently, Food is Medicine St. Pete has been showing progress as it has reached its third-class series (it launched Aug. 16). Churchwell noted that they are still learning more about the community’s needs, and they accomplish that by conducting class surveys.

    “I have been really intrigued by what I have seen coming out of the urban agriculture initiatives in St. Pete and have even sampled some of the delicious and healthy produce,” Churchwell said.

    The Food is Medicine program could extend to other areas across the state of Florida that finds itself in a food desert.

    “Food Is Medicine St. Pete is a standard template of free health screenings, free health education and access to fresh produce,” Churchwell explained. “This template can be replicated and altered to fit the needs of any community – to help address the needs and concerns of specific communities.”

     

     

  • If you build it, will they come?

    [Insert optional subhead]

    Photos and story by Eillin Delapaz

    1. PETERSBURG – “What do community gardens need? Why isn’t the Bartlett Community Garden as well as all other community gardens in the city [at] the center of fellowship, education, connectivity, community? Because we need to recruit those very same entities to be a part of it,” panelist Adrian Taylor said at the Et. Cultura SEEDS themed event at the Morean Center for Clay Nov. 16, 2017.

    Community, support and involvement were all recurring themes at SEEDS. To an extent, the planning of SEEDS severely lacked this sort of connectivity and recruitment. This was prominently revealed in the lack of attendance, especially from the local communities of South St Petersburg.

    SEEDS revolved around the sustainable growth of urban agriculture in St. Petersburg. The Urban Ag Revolution session involved three speakers: Shannon O’Malley, the co-founder of Brick Street Farms; Janet Keeler, an instructor and writer from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg; and Adrian Taylor, manager of Bartlett Park Community Garden.

    Walter Balser, Director of OPEN Partnership Education Network speaking at the SEEDS themed Et. Cultura event Nov. 16, 2017.

    O’Malley and Taylor spoke about their food growing experience, the hurdles they’ve crossed and how they have ultimately become successful urban growers. Due to St. Petersburg’s lack of local food production, they both expressed the importance of urban agriculture and the conversion to eco-friendly sustainable practices as an outlet.

    “Community gardens are a wonderful niche in order to solve a mass problem in a refuted city. You have to figure out how to produce more with the same or less resources,” said O’Malley. “So that’s the problem Brick Street is looking to solve. Roughly six acres and three shipping containers every five weeks, now that’s mass production,” O’Malley said during her presentation.

    Both farms are well respected for their positive and integral roles in the community. Brick Street Farms was established in 2016 and is a boutique, climate-controlled, hydroponic farm that uses innovative technology to grow food vertically and more sustainably inside upcycled shipping containers.

    On the other hand, The Bartlett Community Garden represents more traditional farming practices such as outdoor garden beds, water from a well and greenhouse compost bins. The garden was established in 2008 and since then it has been kept up with by community members.

    “Each community garden needs cross-sector involvement because then we get cross-sector intellect, then we get cross-sector perspective,” Taylor said.

    So, who benefits from SEEDS?

    After speaking with Mr. Brayboy from Chef Creole’s restaurant, it was clear to see that there wasn’t much marketing of the event in the Midtown area from the residents’ perspective.

    “I had some flyers in my restaurant, but they were not very clear. They were a little confusing,” Brayboy said.

    OPEN Partnership Education Network, the organizers of SEEDS, communicated with Deuces Live preceding the event. Deuces Live is a nonprofit organization in South St. Petersburg working with business associations in the community to preserve the historic African-American culture.

    Guests at the 2017 Et. Cultura SEEDS event viewing photos while learning about other successful urban gardens and farms across the globe.

    “The SEEDS people wanted to involve the community, and I communicate that the Deuces Live is not the only organization in the African-American community. You can’t come to the Deuces and say “I want to involve the community,” it’s much more multifaceted than that,” said Deuces Live program manager, Veatrice Farrell.

    Part of Farrell’s role consisted of encouraging necessary outreach and connection between OPEN and the people of Midtown. She attended a couple of meetings and made some suggestions to include the community, but the attendance of the event showed that the effort fell short.

    The session was one of few that were free and open to the public. Yet, it could not have even been considered a full house with attendance around 50 people in comparison to the roughly 100 available seats. The audience mainly consisted of other like-minded Sustainable Urban Agriculture Coalition members, entrepreneurs who want to promote their already established farms/gardens and entrepreneurs seeking direction in the business.

    The African-American community of South St. Petersburg was nearly nonexistent at SEEDS. After the event, the Neighborhood News Bureau contacted Walter Balser, director of OPEN, to better understand who was really supposed to benefit from the event. In response, he said, “It’s so multifaceted, you can say that the ultimate end user might be people that are not even getting access to sustainable healthy food, but I would say that at this juncture, the primary beneficiaries are these key leaders in the community.”

    Those not getting access to sustainable healthy foods include the residents of Midtown.

    John Muhammad, director of Child’s Park Neighborhood Association, learned about the event through social media. It was not until the week of the event that he was contacted about setting up a table at the SEEDS event – which only happened when a mutual connection mentioned the association’s involvement.

    Adam Gyson, director of the Historic Roser Park Neighborhood Association, also denied any contact for involvement stating that none of the association members had been contacted by the SEEDS group. The same goes for the Historic Kenwood and Methodist Town Neighborhood Associations.

    Bernice Darling, director of the Lake Maggiore Shores Neighborhood Association, did not know about the SEEDS event before the Neighborhood News Bureau contacted her.

    “I Googled Et. Cultura SEEDS Sustainable Healthy Food Systems and Urban Agriculture aforementioned event and realized that perhaps I missed a wonderful opportunity to participate,” Darling said.

    The idea behind SEEDS is a positive and influential message critical for St. Petersburg’s possible sustainable and urban agriculture future. Unfortunately, the promotion and communication efforts were insufficient in the southside neighborhoods. Without their attendance to learn and benefit from the conversations, the main initiative may have fallen short.

     

    Edited by Kayla Jensen

     

  • Hurricane Devastation Still Leaking For Midtown Residents

    By Collin Gustafson

     

    Transcript:

    Collin Gustafson:
    This hurricane season Floridians dodged a bullet. Hurricane Irma screamed through the Caribbean islands in early September, strengthening to a category 5 for much of its life. The storm brought unprecedented hurricane force winds and a dangerous amount of water to the island nations. By the time Irma made landfall on the southwest coast of Florida it lost much of its power, dipping back down to a category 3 hurricane. A direct hit from a category 5 would have been devastating, but a category 3 storm still brings a level of destruction that gives insight into what a category 5 storm would entail.

    James Harris:
    My name’s James.

    Gustafson:
    Nice to meet you James. What’s your last name?

    Harris:
    Harris. H-a-r-r-i-s.

    Gustafson:
    James Harris sits alone outside of the Enoch Davis Recreation Center in Cromwell Heights, a neighborhood located in south St. Petersburg, Florida. He is waiting for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, of FEMA, workers to return from lunch so he can sign up to receive aid from the government. Harris lost everything in the storm.

    Harris:
    I was there when it started coming through my closet. I kept hearing something leaking, leaking and I looked out in the hall and it was coming down the hall from the bathroom, down the hall.

    Gustafson:
    Shingles on Harris’s roof were blown off by the hurricane force winds, exposing the unprotected roof to the full power of the storm. Multiple leaks began to form in the ceiling of the home. At first the bathroom was the only place where the water began entering, but then Harris’s own closet was swept up in the cascade of water.

    Harris:
    When the hurricane came through I didn’t go to no shelter or nothing. I’m in between two houses so I figured I wouldn’t get hit so hard from the winds. When I sat there I could see the shingles and paper coming off the roof with the house shaking. Next thing I know water is coming through hard from the ceiling. All my clothes got soaking wet. My furniture got soaking wet with mildew.

    Gustafson:
    Insulation from between the ceiling and roof rained down with the trickle of water on Harris and all of his belongings. The water ran straight down on top of all of his clothes in his closet and onto his carpet floor. His television, furniture and bed all become soaking wet as the number of leaks in the ceiling grew larger. Power to the house also went out during the storm and did not return for five days. Harris lost not only his possessions but also all of his nonperishable food. This was just a category 3 storm.

    Harris is one of those people that can not prepare during a hurricane. He is on a fixed income with only his disability checks and food stamps to pay rent and keep himself fed. The St. Petersburg native had hip replacement surgery earlier this year so his mobility is drastically impaired. His home is just south of i275 in Jordan Park, a mile and away from the nearest hurricane shelter. The house is a multi-family home where Harris shares the kitchen, common area and bathroom with the others living in the house. The owner of the home has not yet fixed the problems caused by the storm.

    Harris:
    They put a blue tarp over the house to stop the leaks. They are trying to find the cheapest person to come in and redo the roof. They came inside and put in five gallon buckets. So they come in every day and dump the buckets because it’s all in the roof.

    Gustafson:
    Rooms in Harris’s home are filled by the stench of mildew. Even after all of the furniture was thrown away and carpet ripped up there is still damage in the walls and roof that have to be dealt with. Harris sleeps on an air mattress on the floor in the same room that is filled with water damage.

    Harris:
    Thank God for that. Looking at some of the stuff that happened in Puerto Rico and all this stuff with some of the houses in St. Petersburg.

    Gustafson:
    The FEMA sign up hall is just two rooms in the recreation center. A table outside the rooms has a list of names that will be called for sign up. Harris is twenty-sixth on the list. The first room for people seeking aid is a waiting room where over thirty people wait their turn to be called into the second room. Within the second room four employees from FEMA help people sign up for aid on laptops. It is loud and chaotic. Most of the group have a hard time navigating a computer on their own.

    This is the process Harris and hundreds of others have gone through at the Enoch Davis Center to get financial assistance following Hurricane Irma. Some, like Harris, have lost everything while others have lost just the food in their refrigerators. Either way it becomes clear that if Irma was any larger twelve laptops in a room would not be enough. Waiting days or weeks to get assistance is too long when disability checks only come in once a month. This system will not be enough for a category 5 direct hit.

    Collin Gustafson, University of South Florida St. Petersburg Neighborhood News Bureau

    (Music: “Summer Spliffs” by Broke For Free)

     

  • Gas Stations Left in Need Weeks After Irma

    By Karrah Johnson

    In the midst of Hurricane Irma, the high demand for gas station services ultimately left gas stations themselves vulnerable and in need.

    “After people started looting, we requested for the police to be here and they declined,” said Ravi, the manager of a Sunoco gas station on 49th St.

    As gasoline demand peaked in South St. Petersburg, many independently owned gas stations had to close down and suffer economic losses on their own. Corporate-owned gas stations, however, are less affected when they follow their required disaster plans.

    CLICK HERE TO SEE SHELL’S DISASTER PLAN

    “The government was no help,” said the owner of a Chevron on 34th St., John Attia. “We had really bad damage, and any small amount you lose is up to you.”

    After speaking to many gas station owners, there was an overall theme that their employees were well taken care of. At several gas stations in Child’s Park, the owner wanted their people to be safe and told them to do whatever they needed to do feel secure.

    The Chevron gas station where Attia works suffered power losses that lead to products going bad and expiring before the expected date.

     

    “We had $5,000 in damages. We had to throw away so much candy, milk, and other things,” Attia added.

    He also explained that one small box of candy costs $25.30 per case and before the hurricane he had bought 25 cases, just for the candy that is the cheapest item in the convenience store.  The gas station lacked gasoline and went through a power outage for an entire week.

    At the moment he was interviewed, Attia explained that they were still struggling to recover. People would drive by looking for gasoline, but there was still no power or fully stocked products ready for consumption.

    “We are kind of okay, but it still takes time. This area is my neighborhood. Thank God I have a good relationship”, explained Attia referring to the looting other areas in South Florida experienced. This, however, was not the case for Ravi on 49th Street.

    He explained that they had to use their own money to offer security in their store, and “some nights they could not have any because it was it was too dangerous and no one was available to guard the area”.

    “Sometimes we would have to pay ex-service men extra money for security, we had to pay them at least twenty dollars an hour,” added Ravi.

    The gas station experienced looting and a damaged gutter that caused interior leaking. The S. Petersburg local explains that although the outside the business shows minor losses, government officials don’t identify the actual damages. A few streets away, the Shell station on 34th was fortunate. A frequent customer of the station, Wyatt Malatino said, “They were open on Sunday morning.” The station gave way to more services, besides selling gasoline by offering food to locals in needs.

    Store owner Belal Saed said, “The day after the storm my store was completely wiped out because everyone else was closed even the corporate gas stations. No one was open.” This store only lost power for about two hours, but, “We had generators, so even if we lost power we still had something to keep us going, said Saed.

    The store owner added that their profit numbers were at an all-time high, especially because they kept their deli open. “No one else was cooking. No McDonald’s, no Burger King. We were the only ones.”

    He goes on to say that it was very upsetting how a lot of people went out of business because of the storm, but it was good for him because he gained many customers and helped so many people in a time of need.

    Edited by Lauren Brogan, Kaycee Anderson, Kayla Jensen, and Andrea Perez

     

  • Urban Agriculture About More Than Just Resilience

    Urban Agriculture About More Than Just Resilience

    By Michael Singer

    When Hurricane Irma was on a collision course with the mainland of the United States, Floridians were rushing to their local grocery stores to stock up on food in the chance that the storm would knock out power for an extended period of time.

    Instead of relying on non-perishable foods in times of emergency, people can be self-sufficient by eating their own lawns. Urban agriculture is not only vital in times of panic though.

    “It’s not just about emergency situations, although that is a consideration,” Sustainable Urban Agriculture Coalition (SUAC) President Bill Bilodeau said. “First of all, our whole food system, on a national scale, is broken. Many of our foods come from 1,500 miles away or more. That involves a lot of environmental impact in terms of transportation.”

    An organization in south St. Petersburg that is working in the urban agriculture field is the Local Food Project, which is run by Executive Director Carol Smith, who is also one of the boards of directors at SUAC.  The Local Food Project is partnering with Pinellas Technical College’s St. Petersburg campus located on 34th St. S.

    Pinellas Technical College had a landscaping program that was shut down in May. The program is getting a makeover and a jump start, led by Smith, who will head the new Urban Agriculture program. 

    “The estimated date that we’ll start our regular scheduling of classes is February of next year,” Smith said.

    “We’ll be running classes mostly in the evening and then on Saturdays. We have a lot of hands-on classes, so we need the daylight, and we can extend the hours in the summer. In addition to that, we’ll be doing activities with the community year-around, and those will gear up around April.”

    Bilodeau also plans to be involved in the urban agriculture program at Pinellas Technical College.

    “We’re interested in teaching there because of the location – it’s very positive in terms of potential impact,” he explained. “To have a public facility like that as an urban center potentially could have real ramifications in the city and be a hub for anyone who wants to grow.”

    Carl Lavender, the Managing Officer of Workforce Innovation and Community Strategy at Pinellas Technical College, worked with Smith at the Local Food Project. That connection helped lead Smith to create the new urban agriculture program.

    “We knew [Lavender] because he served on our advisory council for a number of years, so he really understood what we were trying to do with sustainable, local food system development,” Smith said.

    Smith would like to run a program that can function on its own and not rely solely on grants.”We’ve been working towards that all along with whatever we do”, said Smith.

    The project’s designed to allow self-sustainability and faster growth of opportunities for citizens interested in urban agriculture.

    “We’d really like to make it more accessible to have fresh produce in this area. We have five food deserts around us here. This is a high poverty community with low transportation, so to have it right here at their doorstep makes it really it convenient. It shows them that it can be integrated into anything. It’s integrated here at a college campus. It can be into your own yard, your own business, another non-profit’s land – there are so many ways that you can bring the food to the people, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

    Resilience is a term often used in conjunction with urban agriculture. Recognizing that St. Petersburg is a hurricane-prone city, Smith hopes that the program can capacitate citizens to recover quickly from potential food scarcity.

    “One of the top three things that need to happen to help the community is to be resilient,” Smith said. “Food is important; shelter is important. All of these things go together.”

    Bilodou is also convinced that crop growth education can have a permanent impact on the community.

    “In terms of people becoming more resilient in the face of emergencies – or economic downturn, which is a real possibility – if people are growing their own food, they become much more resilient,” Bilodeau added.

    “The benefits are that you know what you’re growing when you grow it. Or, if you buy from a local grower, you can develop a relationship and you can actually go to the garden or farm and see how it’s produced and what kind of chemicals they’re using. We promote organic agriculture across the board for reasons of safety, health, and environmental impact.”

    Organizations such as SUAC work to make St. Petersburg a better and healthier city. SUAC was founded several years ago (year?) by Bilodeau and a large group of people in the urban agriculture field. Although many team member’s of the coalition aren’t active, eight board of directors hold monthly meetings at the Enoch Davis Center every first Monday of the month.

    “What I’ve found is that people are really drawn to the presentations if the subject matter is very practical in nature and something they can put into practice,” said Bilodeau.

    SUAC’s vision is to be a “coalition of diverse yet like-minded people who see the importance of growing healthy food in the City and teaching others how to do it. Our mission is to advocate for healthy food, jobs, and economic development through sustainable urban agriculture,” according to their website, suacstpete.org.

    There are more restrictions on urban agriculture than most might think. St. Petersburg is limiting in what Bilodeau and other members of the urban agriculture community can accomplish to distribute food.

    “We advocate with the city in terms of trying to move ahead of their urban agriculture ordinances and trying to make them more friendly to growing food here,” Bilodeau explained.

    “There have been a lot of restrictions in the past that wasn’t in the interest of urban agriculture. The codes have to be amended continually to make them more liberal in terms of allowing the existence of urban agriculture and activities such as vending food on site at the garden. Right now, that’s an issue, and we’re working on that.”

     

  • Who’s Got the Power?: Duke Energy Struggles to Turn On St. Pete

    By Eillin Delapaz

    Source: Duke Energy Florida

    Atlantic hurricanes have been the strongest and most destructive on record according to Weather Underground. Irma, the season’s second hurricane not only made landfall in Florida as a category 4, but caused severe flooding and left millions of people without power— the Tampa Bay Times reports a total 62 percent of the state to be exact.

    Duke Energy, which provides power for 1.8 million customers across Florida, had 1.2 million homes and businesses experience power outages for days. The Tampa Bay Times reports more than half of Pinellas County’s Duke customers were still without power late Tuesday, Sept. 17. Many people showed their frustrations with Duke, lashing out across social media and complaining about the lack of communication and timely restoration.

    “We lost power for about a week,” SPC student and Midtown resident, Brandon said in the wake of Irma, “it wasn’t until the following Friday that I got full power, since we only had half power.”

    For Brandon, partial power meant that his family had to travel between other family members’ homes to cook food and take hot showers. Although some rooms in his house had lights, the refrigerator was one of the main appliances affected and all of the food within was lost.

    Half power -otherwise known as partial power or “brown-outs”- can leave only 120-volt outlets working, meaning larger appliances which require 240-volt service might be inoperable, according to Florida Power and Lighting’s Frequently Asked Questions page.

    Duke Energy’s website explains that they will not accept responsibility for “spoiled food and other losses caused by the storm,” and advises customers to seek assistance from individual insurers and/or FEMA.

    A majority of Midtown stores closed for days, and those that did open were mainly fast-food restaurants with massive lines. As a student, Brandon found the partial power the most frustrating aspect of dealing with the effects of Hurricane Irma.

    “There were a lot of assignments that I could not get done,” Brandon added.

    Many news organizations have stated that hurricane Irma has caused the largest mass evacuation in U.S. history – nearly 6 million Floridians ordered to evacuate. While many fled to northern counties, others fled the state all together. Many St. Petersburg residents are left feeling concerned about the city’s overall preparedness and are questioning whether or not their city could actually survive an intense hurricane with the same magnitude as Irma or stronger.  

    Midtown resident and cyclist Mike faced different problems during his evacuation to North Florida. As a cyclist, planning where to go and how to get there was only the precursor to excessive traffic and confusion on the roads in the days leading up to Irma.

    “I’m on a bike; I can’t just crank up and leave. If I know people, I can call them [for help]; you [aren’t] prepared like that,” Mike said.

    Wholly, Pinellas County is a flood zone with coastal mandatory evacuation zones only 11 feet above sea-level maximum. Not to mention, Florida is known to be extremely susceptible and vulnerable to severe coastal flooding. Fortunately for St. Petersburg, Irma shifted away from the city, not causing any flooding for coastal properties this time.  

    But the city shouldn’t be so placid. According to The United States Landfalling Hurricane Web Project co-authored by scientific experts from Colorado State University and Bridgewater State University, the 50 year probability of 1 or more named storms making landfall in Pinellas County is as high as 88.1%.

    According to Climate Central, since 1998 atmospheric temperatures have continually risen – every year breaks a record and 2016 ranks as the hottest year yet.

     

    Source: Climate Central “10 Hottest years on Record”
    The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory states that “Anthropogenic warming by the end of the 21st century will likely cause tropical cyclones to have substantially higher rainfall rates than present-day ones, with a model-projected increase of about 10-15% for rainfall rates averaged within about 100 km of the storm center.”

     

    So, what is St. Petersburg’s plan?

    Hurricane preparedness and disaster prevention are critical topics for Floridians, and Mayor Rick Kriseman has been preparing a plan, but was unavailable to provide us with specific insight and preparedness in the wake of Hurricane Irma. However in 2015, the City Council Committee voted to make St. Petersburg the first Florida city to commit to 100 percent renewable energy and reduce its carbon footprint.

    This plan has been in the works for two years, it has become somewhat of a ghost story: residents are not aware of the parameters of the plan and have not physically seen any of its results.

    When asked what he had seen so far implemented around the city in regards to this plan, Brandon divulged that it was the “first time [he] had heard about it.”

    Laterally, the city is a participant of the STAR rating community system which is the United State’s first in depth plan created by local governments themselves to rank local environmental and sustainability measures. It allows communities to also record and compare their efforts to other communities while establishing such objectives. As of December 2016, St. Pete received a 3-STAR community rating out of the possible five.

    In 2015, the city also adopted the “Peril of Flood Act” — an extensive plan with many goals intended to protect the city and its residents from disaster hazards. As outlined in the 2017 workshop established by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, the statute must include six main components:

    1. Include development and redevelopment principles, strategies, and engineering solutions that reduce the flood risk in coastal areas which results from high-tide events, storm surge, flash floods, stormwater runoff, and the related impacts of sea-level rise.
    2. Encourage the use of best practices development and redevelopment principles, strategies, and engineering solutions that will result in the removal of coastal real property from flood zone designations established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
    3. Identify site development techniques and best practices that may reduce losses due to flooding and claims made under flood insurance policies issued in this state.
    4. Be consistent with, or more stringent than, the flood-resistant construction requirements in the Florida Building Code and applicable flood plain management regulations set forth in 44 C.F.R. part 60.
    5. Require that any construction activities seaward of the coastal construction control lines established pursuant to s. 161.053 be consistent with chapter 161.
    6. Encourage local governments to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to achieve flood insurance premium discounts for their residents.

    On Oct. 19, a city council meeting took place with HERS, Health, Energy, Resiliency & Sustainability Committee. Covered was the city of St. Petersburg’s Integrated Sustainability Action Plan which includes tasks for greenhouse gas inventory and energy data, 100% clean energy road map and resiliency/vulnerability assessment among other tasks.

    Sharon Wright, the city’s Sustainability & Resiliency manager stated that the 100% Clean Energy Roadmap would actually be the first step towards that initiative and explained that the action plan in its entirety would help the city move towards a 5-STAR rating.

    As for resiliency and vulnerability, “we’re partnered with the county and they’re in the final stages hopefully of signing their contract with their consultant to model vulnerability as – storm surge, sea-level rise, and how critical infrastructure and vulnerable populations would be affected”, said Wright.

     

    Watch the full city council meeting below.

     

    Duke Energy’s stance

    Following Hurricane Irma, Duke Energy Spokeswoman Ana Gibbs said the utility company has yet to establish a communication and social media plan that would work to improve the issues faced during the mass power outage caused by Irma. However, she says that Duke Energy “maintains an extensive storm plan that is regularly reviewed, drilled and revised to ensure that all employees are poised to spring into action when the time comes.”

    In regards to future plans, she states that “the company is also investing in advanced technologies to transform the energy grid into a dynamic system to automatically detect, isolate and reroute power when a problem occurs.”

    In the following days and then weeks after Hurricane Irma, Duke made thousands of automated calls to customers with vague updates about the surrounding counties, but no specifics. Residents were often unable to get into contact with actual operators for more information.

    “My mom called them twice; I called them twice, but we kept getting the automated messages,” Brandon said, lamenting about not even getting an option to speak to an operator.

    Mass e-mails were sent out to the universal client list before and after the hurricane as well. The final e-mail sent out Sept. 28 explained the “unanticipated challenges in [their] communications technology” which kept them from disseminating the “real-time information” expected of them. In addition, they listed the donations and grants put into play to “fundamentally improve [their] ability to keep [customers] informed.”

     

    Source: Duke Energy

    However, while Duke’s donation of $1 million in the aftermath of the hurricane seems a grand total, when put into perspective of the total costs of preparations and recovery efforts–the amount falls short of spectacular. According to U.S. News, as of midway through September, preparation and restoration efforts had totaled $273,522,000: Duke Energy’s input totals only 0.0037%. Considering their total assets as of 2016 totaled over $132 billion, according to their annual reports, the funds Duke “allocated” and “awarded” were simple platitudes for their majority incensed clientele.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    But how does Duke stack up next to the city’s renewable energy commitment?

     

    Source: Duke Energy

    [Left] Duke Energy’s Florida settlement agreement will take effect January 2018 and will allow the city and its customers to transition to the renewable energy technology that is necessary for the city to become self sustainable.

    The utility company has been working on advancing towards a renewable energy future. Duke Energy Florida is partnering with various Florida universities to further their research and development by installing 100-kilowatt solar PV systems, locally funding a $1 million solar PV installation at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg with a new solar energy storage system in the 5th Ave South Parking Garage.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    On Aug. 29, 2017 right before hurricane Irma, Duke Energy Florida filed an improved settlement agreement with the Florida Public Service Commision (FPSC).

    The shared news release states three main initiatives:

    1. Investments in grid modernization, smart meters, solar, electric vehicle charging stations, battery storage, and new programs to enhance customer choices
    2. Four-year plan to add 700 megawatts (MW) of solar energy including its next 74.9-MW universal solar power plant in Hamilton County
    3. To end the Levy Nuclear Project with no further charges to customers

    Duke’s overall solar power installation plan for its Florida customers is to have 12 universal solar power plants totaling 718 MW by 2023.

    “Duke Energy Florida will also provide more than 500 electric vehicle charging stations throughout our communities, along with the infrastructure with grid communications as part of a five-year pilot program,” Gibbs said. 

     

    Source: Duke Energy

    However, their 2016 annual report reveals their use of fossil fuels is still much greater than their use of renewables. Most of their current plans advertise a more sustainable future, but the numbers suggest that future is much further off than their public announcements impress. Their hydro and solar power maxed at 1% of their total generated power–a infantile number in comparison to the 35% coal and 35% nuclear power Duke was responsible for.

     

     

    Edited by: Nicolet Hartmann and Karrah Johnson

    Lastest edit: Andrea

  • Chattaway becomes community hub during Hurricane Irma

    On a typical day at the Chattaway, Jillian Frers and Amanda Kitto open their doors at 11 a.m. to prepare for the lunch rush. They set the tables with pink pastel table clothes, stocked the bar and brewed iconic British tea. September 7th was no ordinary day,  instead they had to prepare to lose a business that’s been in their family since the 1920’s.

    With Hurricane Irma approaching, the owners of the Chattaway wanted to help the community as much as they could.

    “I feel like the Chattaway brings the community together. We have millionaires on one side of the building, then you have poverty on the other side. We wanted to act as a community center,” Kitto said.

    Without any power outages at the Chattaway, Frers, and Kitto were able to open the doors for those in need. In preparation for the storm, they gave ice to employees and neighbors when other stores were sold out. While Irma approached the Tampa Bay area, people came in to charge their devices and use a spare fridge and freezer space. After the storm, the Chattaway became a safe place for residents to recover. For example, one local man was able to plug in his nebulizer because he had no power and nowhere else to go.

    Once it was clear that St. Petersburg was going to experience hurricane force winds, Kitto cut back on purchasing perishable supplies during the time they would be closed.

    The Chattaway closed the Thursday before the storm hit and remained closed for a total of four days. This added to the financial burden. Kitto said they were very concerned about their employees’ safety.

    Companies like SYSCO and Coke were very accommodating to the Chattaway, said Kitto; the companies were willing to take back any product, beer, or wine that couldn’t be used while they were temporarily shut down.

    “We were happy about this because we would have lost a significant amount of money,” Frers said.

    For small businesses, products going to waste can create a heavy financial burden.

    “Because September is already a slow month for us, like most restaurants, you are already low on money, so you can’t financially prepare for a hurricane as much as you would a different month,” Frers said.

    Frers and Kitto prepared for days as weather forecasts projected the eye of the storm to pass over the Tampa Bay area. To stay up-to-date on the path of the hurricane, Kitto said she watched the news every chance she could.

    “As [Floridians], we try not to panic. We know the two things we need to be concerned about are the floods and the winds,” Kitto said.

    Kitto along with her family, the bartender, and the musician stayed after closing to help take everything off the shelves and put away patio decorations, furniture, and equipment to prepare for flooding and severe winds.

    “I can’t open up the restaurant and expect my workers to work. I wanted what was best for them and their safety. I know many of our employees work paycheck to paycheck, so I paid them for the time they would have worked,” Kitto said.

    Being in evacuation zone A, the area with the highest potential flood damage, Kitto, and her family decided it was best not to risk it, and fled to Atlanta, Georgia. When they returned, Kitto and Frers said they were shocked to find out the Chattaway never lost power, pointing out that the rubber ducks sitting in the bathtub on their outdoor patio had not even moved during the storm.

    With storm footage flooding every news station weeks ahead of impact, employees were able to determine potential evacuation plans. This gave ample time for Kitto to have a sense of when they would be able to open back up, never losing power also sped up the process. The Chattaway reopened its doors Tuesday, Sept. 12 to a full house in need of power and a hot meal.

    When asked what they wish the city would have done differently for their small business, they didn’t have much to say.

    Kitto expressed discontent with Duke Energy.

    “I think Duke [Energy] should have kept everyone updated more. I was okay with not having power, I just felt like no one had any idea what was going on,” Kitto said.

    The city never reached out to them to see if they needed any sort of help. Kitto said the health inspectors were the only ones who came around to ensure the quality of their food hadn’t gone bad.

    Despite being built nearly a century ago, the Chattaway has withstood every natural disaster in its path. With a category 5 hurricane in its path, Frers and Kitto remain concerned for their small business that wasn’t fully covered by flood insurance.

    “I’m 85 years old, we’ll see how this one goes,” Frers said.

    Although meteorologists may be able to track the storm, it is almost impossible to know exactly how and when it will hit, while still having time to evacuate and prepare.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpI4ntzfNIM

    A category 5 hurricane would devastate the Tampa Bay area, it is important to be aware of government assistance programs as well as how to file claims with your insurance company, as a precaution. Please see below for more information:

    For those applying for FEMA disaster assistance (individuals and businesses)- register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362.
    For those applying for SBA disaster loans- visit https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela or call 1-800-659-2955.
    For SBA Hurricane Irma specific loans, visit https://www.sba.gov/disaster-assistance/hurricane-irma

     

    Edited by: Eillin Delapaz, Kayla Jensen and Nicolet Hartmann

  • Mt. Zion Community Marching Band

    By Tamiracle Williams, Neighborhood News Bureau.

  • Cooking with Chef Collins: BBQ Cooking Class

     

    By: Alyssa Fedorovich

    At the St. Pete Culinary Center, Chef Patrick “PT” Collins was the guest chef at their BBQ cooking class. Chef Collins is an entrepreneur and owner of Deuces BBQ in Midtown, St. Petersburg. As guest chef, he taught the students the importance of cooking as a trade as well as the art of cooking of BBQ. The program is designed to help at-risk youths learn a trade that is in demand as well as assist them in finding a job in the culinary industry. The video covers Chef Collins class as he taught the youths to cook BBQ.