We love our neighborhoods in St. Pete! This appreciation is easy to understand. Distinctive neighborhoods can provide a sense of family, community, and connection that may be hard to find in a large city. From pink streets to brick avenues, charming bungalows to shiny high rises and everything in-between, St. Pete has a neighborhood that will make you feel at home. From time to time, we will celebrate the vibrancy of these diverse mini-communities by featuring one of the many Neighborhood Associations (NA) devoted to enhancing the quality of life within their neighborhoods and the city as a whole.
Downtown Unity: St. Petersburg Downtown Neighborhood Association
The St. Petersburg Downtown Neighborhood Association (SPDNA) emerged in 2004 when three existing neighborhood associations (Mirror Lake, North Downtown, and University Park) joined forces. Since that merge, the SPDNA has grown to encompass 5th Avenue North to 5th Avenue South between the waterfront and MLK Street with the area between 1st Avenues North and South extending to 18th Street. SPDNA’s goal is simple: “maintain and enhance downtown’s quality of life by strengthening the connection and collaboration between government, commerce and residents through advocacy, social interaction and information.”
Cameron Hill, Grace Steinhauser with dog, Rigatoni, and Andy Davis. Photo by Brian Brakebill
Advocacy & Information
SPDNA devotes considerable resources and volunteer hours in its quest to meet that goal. For example, SPDNA played an active role in shaping and adopting the Waterfront Master Plan. They also initiated programs like the annual Mirror Lake clean-up project and a (newly launched) weekly Lunch Pals partnership program with Midtown Elementary School. In their ongoing effort to support positive community interaction of all types, SPDNA’s contributes to signature Downtown events like Shakespeare in the Park and First Night. Plus, in response to the impact of Covid-19, the SPDNA has expanded their donation base to include the St. Pete Rising Fund to feed health care workers and the Fighting Chance Fund to aid locally-owned and independently operated small businesses. They have also partnered with LocalShops1in support of the #MillionDollarMission to pump money into the local economy.
Social Interaction & Information
The SPDNA also promotes activities and events designed to share the experience of living, working, or playing Downtown. For example, they sponsor informal fun events like their quarterly Urban Porch Parties, which offer friends and neighbors a chance to mingle while also showcasing one of Downtown’s many fabulous restaurants or cultural sites. The Tour of Homes gives people a peek into the Downtown living experience (while also raising money for community service efforts). Their quarterly meetings provide a more formal way for local groups or civic organizations to introduce themselves and provide important information. In addition to live events, the SPDNA also has a quarterly newsletter and a robust online presence, which means the SPDNA has been able to react quickly to our new Covid-19 reality. They swiftly moved their board meetings into a virtual space and, more importantly, they are able to immediately share information about vital safety policies and changing events via their social media sites and email updates.
Want To Know More?
For more information about membership benefits and future events as well as Covid-19 and #MillionDollarMission updates visit SPDNA at www.stpetedna.org. You can also find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StPeteDNA/, Instagram at www.instagram.com/ stpete_dna/ and Twitter at twitter.com/StPete_DNA.
The SPDNA is also an active member of CONA—the allvolunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that represents over 40 member neighborhoods and civic associations, playing a vital role in strengthening and advocating for them via their many initiatives and activities with an ultimate goal of helping to build a safe, harmonious city in order to meet the current and future needs of our diverse community. For additional information, please visit them at www.stpetecona.org or www.facebook.com/CONA.StPete.
