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2w ago

St. Petersburg Council Backs Science Center Sale, Presses Mayor to Reconsider

The vote directs staff to pursue alternative water sites, with the mayor weighing a study that identified the parcel for future capacity.

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Overview

  • City Council voted unanimously to support proceeding with a $1.6 million sale of the city-owned Science Center site to St. Pete for STEAM.
  • Members endorsed moving forward with the sale while directing staff to continue scouting locations for future wastewater and stormwater storage, with an update due Oct. 2.
  • A city-commissioned study ranked the Science Center and a nearby brush site as the most feasible tank locations, citing lower construction costs at the brush site and higher demolition costs at the Science Center.
  • Council members questioned cost assumptions in the study, including the property comparison used to estimate acquiring a replacement brush site.
  • Mayor Ken Welch previously halted the sale based on the study but said he will consider the Council’s position as significant public and state backing for the Science Center remains in place.