ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A St. Petersburg City Council committee took the first steps on Thursday to potentially give voters the chance in November to approve an expansion of the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub.

What You Need To Know

A St. Pete City Council committee unanimously approved ballot language for a 25-year lease for Hub 2 on Thursday

The city wants to expand the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub with a new $30M facility

Plans call for a 52,000 square foot research and collaboration facility which would be mostly funded by grants

The next step is a public hearing and council approval of an ordinance, which would trigger the referendum to be on the November ballot

“Our port is a unique asset,” said Alison Barlow, Innovation District CEO. “We want to capitalize on that.”

The new facility, Hub 2, would cost $30 million and be constructed on a parking lot just west of the current building at 450 8th Avenue Southeast, which opened in 2022. The city must seek voter approval to lease the land, which is a requirement for public waterfront property development.

Plans call for a 52,000 square foot research and collaboration facility. The current capacity of the Hub is about 32,000 square feet. Hub 2 would feature communal workspaces, a waterfront connection to the Port of St. Petersburg, a rooftop terrace and a lobby with the only NOAA 360 sphere in Florida, according to Barlow.

“It uses high-tech cameras and shows different weather patterns,” Barlow said. “You can do different storytelling. You can do all kinds of really neat educational programs.”

The city’s Economic and Workforce Development Committee unanimously approved a 25-year lease for the ballot on Thursday, aligning port facilities with neighboring Albert Whitted Airport. Council Member Gina Driscoll chairs the committee, and the Hub is located in her district. Driscoll called it a tremendous opportunity to expand the marine science sector.

“This is going to create jobs,” she said. “It’s going to bring new companies here, new research, and it’s going to help the companies that we do have here to be able to expand and stay in St. Petersburg.”

The average salary for full-time employees at the Hub is $91,500. Driscoll said the City Council must take a few more steps to place the referendum on the 2026 ballot.

“Next, this item will go to a public hearing,” she said. “If this passes as an ordinance, the ordinance triggers the referendum, and it will be on the ballot in November.”

Barlow said the Innovation District only plans to ask voters to approve the lease, as she expects to pay for Hub 2 with multiple grants and some tenant investment.

“That is our goal,” she said. “Maybe some private investment.”

Peyton Donald and Ashley Player were one of the first startups to move their business, Seven Serpents, into the Hub in 2022. Seven Serpents is just one of 20 businesses packed into the Hub, which includes SubUAS and Pole Star Defense.

Donald is the president of Seven Serpents, which offers training for special forces in the U.S. military, and said more space is desperately needed

“It’s a great environment to work. Unfortunately, there’s not enough individualized space for all of the companies,” he said. “There’s not enough facilities here in the St. Pete area. We’ve searched all over the place.”

Player is the company’s vice president and said it has taken Seven Serpents years to expand into bigger spaces at the Hub.

“We started out in the co-working space. So hot desking,” she said. “Then we moved into this office, which was a nice change. And we’re about to move into a bigger office.”

The only space currently available at the HUB is a 10 by 10 office, according to Barlow.