ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Residents, business owners and neighborhood association leaders told City Council last Thursday the chronically homeless problem in downtown St. Petersburg has gotten worse and that they fear for their safety.

What You Need To Know

Residents said the chronically homeless problem has gotten worse in downtown St. Petersburg 

Police calls to the downtown neighborhood currently are on track to more than triple since 2023 

Council Member Gina Driscoll wants to implement a Clean and Safe Program for downtown  

The Public Services and Infrastructure Committee plans to discuss the program on Thursday

“It’s just aggressive. It’s dangerous. It’s dirty,” said Ronicca Whaley, owner of Shiso Crispy. “The sanitary aspect of it is just awful.”

Last month, Whaley began working to open a fourth location of her restaurant at 225 First Ave. N., on the Jannus Live block. Whaley said during that time, she has witnessed and had many run-ins with the chronically homeless.

“I didn’t realize how aggressively bad the problem was out here,” she said. “All of the other local restaurant owners are telling me how bad it is here, but you truly don’t understand until you’re up in it.”

Police calls in the downtown neighborhood have grown steadily over the last three years, according to city records. In 2023, there were 5,598. Last year, it was 12,011. So far this year, there have been 8,598 but if the trend continues it will be more than 20,000.  

The downtown population has also grown substantially over the past 15 years. In 2010, there were about 3,000 condo units. Currently it’s nearly 20,000 units, according to Jason Mathis, CEO of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership.

At the council meeting, Karen Carmichael, president of the St. Petersburg Downtown Neighborhood Association, said there are many people downtown with mental and substance abuse issues.

“We see it every day, individuals living on the streets or in temporary hotel hosing, exhibiting behaviors that reflect deep unmet needs,” she said. “Children on school field trips to our museums and parks are exposed to people yelling, using disturbing language or acting in ways that are frightening and unpredictable.”

Council Member Gina Driscoll, who represents downtown in District 6, said she firmly believes it’s a safe place to go.

“It’s very popular and it keeps growing in all of the ways that we love for a vibrant downtown,” she said. “Sometimes that becomes an extra responsibility, too. And I’m confident that we’re doing what we need to do to set up a plan for success.”

Driscoll wants a new Clean and Safe program to be established downtown.  

“It’s something that other cities have done with a lot of success,” she said. “It really just puts an extra focus on making sure that we have the public safety support that’s needed and also that we spruce things up.”

On Thursday, the city’s Public Services and Infrastructure Committee plans to discuss the Clean and Safe program. It provides enhanced cleaning services, code enforcement, small business support and safety ambassadors.

Driscoll said the meeting will be the first step in a long process, which will ultimately need council approval for funding. She hopes it can be up and running by the end of the year but said it could take a little longer.

“I just signed a petition for it,” said Whately. “I think that is a great program that we definitely need to enact in our city. Something has to be done.”