{"id":53194,"date":"2025-11-19T21:31:40","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T21:31:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/53194\/"},"modified":"2025-11-19T21:31:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T21:31:40","slug":"st-petersburgs-mlk-parade-retains-tourism-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/53194\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Petersburg\u2019s MLK Parade retains tourism funding"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new group overseeing St. Petersburg\u2019s storied Martin Luther King Jr. Parade will receive the same tourism funding as its previous organizers.<\/p>\n

Pinellas County\u2019s Tourist Development Council unanimously approved the $65,000 award Thursday, despite some financial concerns. Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival, Inc., has combined the nation\u2019s longest-running MLK Day Parade<\/a> with its namesake event<\/a> to create \u201c45 Days of Excellence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Craig Campbell, director of community engagement for Visit St. Pete-Clearwater (VSPC), expects the two free events to generate an estimated 15,000 attendees, 1,200 room nights and a $1.05 million economic impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also looked deep into their marketing plans,\u201d Campbell added. \u201cWe were really encouraged by their spending in Atlanta, Jacksonville, Orlando and South Florida. We like to see that.\u201d<\/p>\n

St. Petersburg\u2019s annual MLK Parade, a significant part of the city\u2019s civil rights history, began in 1986. Advantage Village Academy (AVA) began overseeing the parade in 2017 and rebranded it to the MLK Dream Big Weekend.<\/p>\n

AVA decided not to pursue a new contract with the city this summer. Campbell noted that VSPC was reviewing its Elite Event funding application as city officials searched for a new operator.<\/p>\n

The St. Petersburg City Council approved a three-year, $690,000 contract with Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival (TBCGF) in August following an ardent debate<\/a> over the amount. The group has since secured two \u201cmarquee\u201d marching bands from Tuskegee and Alabama A&M Universities \u2013 both historically Black colleges or universities (HBCUs) \u2013 to perform at the Jan. 19 event.<\/p>\n

County Commission Chair Brian Scott said Thursday that the Tourist Development Council (TDC) should implement a \u201cfinancial fitness test for applicants.\u201d He noted that TBCGF lacked nonprofit tax returns \u201cbecause their revenue is below $50,000 \u2013 but their grant application is for $65,000.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scott added that those guardrails would help ensure future applicants have the \u201cfinancial acumen\u201d and processes in place to \u201cmanage that money.\u201d County commissioners must still approve<\/a> the new St. Pete MLK Parade\u2019s TDC funding at a Dec. 6 meeting.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The annual MLK Parade features floats, marching bands and cultural performances.<\/p>\n

Samantha Harris, president of TBCGF, resubmitted an application Nov. 3. The 45 Days of Excellence begins in December and runs through February 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe St. Pete MLK Parade and Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival together represent the heart of the 45 Days of Excellence, where heritage meets health, service meets celebration and unity meets economic opportunity,\u201d Harris wrote.<\/p>\n

She told VSPC that a robust marketing campaign would \u201camplify \u2018The Power of a Dream\u2019 brand across radio, television, streaming, outdoor and digital platforms.\u201d She expects it to garner an estimated 3.8 million impressions across Florida and \u201ckey feeder markets.\u201d<\/p>\n

TBCGF\u2019s target demographics include multigenerational families, cultural tourists, health and wellness enthusiasts and \u201cfood-and-music lovers\u201d between the ages of 25 and 65. Harris believes the campaign will also appeal to civic groups, educators, and regional travelers \u201cseeking Black History Month and Presidents Day weekend experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

The organization will create year-round social media content that includes 45 Days of Excellence highlights, behind-the-scenes footage and short-form reels showcasing local culture, cuisine and wellness activities. Harris called it a \u201c45-day period of unity, wellness, and heritage that amplifies civic pride and drives measurable economic and social impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy sponsoring the Dual Impact Program, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater strengthens its commitment to inclusive tourism and community vitality, celebrating the city\u2019s legacy of excellence, service and cultural leadership,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese events will not only uplift communities but also strengthen the region\u2019s position as a national model for cultural tourism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian Lowack, CEO of VSPC, said TBCGF has amended its tax filings since receiving the MLK Parade contract. The group has also hired a certified public accountant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The new group overseeing St. Petersburg\u2019s storied Martin Luther King Jr. Parade will receive the same tourism funding…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":53195,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-53194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53194\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}