Newsroom & Press.
Member news, Chamber statements, media coverage and press contacts.
New businesses opening. Milestones reached. Awards won. Partnerships formed. Community impact made. This is where St. Pete business gets to celebrate itself — and where the Chamber makes sure those wins don’t go unnoticed.
We don’t just talk about St. Pete — we show up for it.
From the floors of the State Capitol to City Hall, from community forums to regional partnerships, the St. Pete Chamber is an active, vocal and proud champion for this city’s businesses and the people who run them. We track the legislation that affects you, engage the elected officials who represent you, and make sure the St. Pete business community always has a seat at the table.
Bianca Soler
Vice President, Executive Office & Brand
Where Chamber positions get said out loud.
Statements, testimony and forum remarks are published here alongside the press releases, so there is a single record of what the Chamber has actually said and when.
Chamber press releases and statements.
Official Chamber releases, statements and testimony, published in full. Journalists looking for comment on St. Pete business should contact the Chamber directly.
The live GrowthZone news listing appears here.
SoUL Welcomes New Board Member Jose Castellanos
April 4, 2024
Contact: James Bays, SoUL President
Phone: 813-765-9286 Email: lake.soul.22@gmail.com
** For Immediate Release**
SoUL Welcomes New Board Member Jose Castellanos
Stewards of Our Urban Lakes (SoUL) is thrilled to announce the appointment of its newest Board member, Jose Castellanos. Mr. Castellanos brings his extensive experience as a Business Development Manager II for Republic Bank in St. Petersburg to his Finance and Fundraising Committee role, one crucial to the organization’s growth.
A native of California, he grew up in Indiana before making Florida his home. He enjoys attending concerts, playing golf, and any other outdoor activity. He loves to spend time with friends and family, including his three nieces. His life philosophy can be summed up by his favorite quote, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. Be the difference.”
Mr. Castellanos joins the SoUL Board of Directors’ five other members at an exciting time for the organization. SoUL recently won Keep Pinellas Beautiful’s “Outstanding Environmental Nonprofit Partner” award for 2023 and was named “Outstanding Volunteer Organization of the Year” for 2023 by the St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation Department.
A growing non-profit, SoUL was founded in 2021, taking over the work of Friends of Crescent Lake, or FoCL, which focused on improving Crescent Lake’s water quality and restoring natural wildlife habitat. The advocacy of the SoUL volunteers led to the installation of an aeration system in 2021, which improved water quality in Crescent Lake and eliminated algae blooms and fish kills during the winter months. Since its inception, SoUL volunteers have collaborated with the community to restore six lakes in the St. Petersburg area, with plans to add two lakes under its protective stewardship soon. In just the first two months of 2024, SoUL has logged over 700 volunteer hours, removed almost 4,000 pounds of invasive plants from area lakes, and removed 2,000 pounds of trash, 53% of which were plastics which are especially perilous to wildlife.
For more information about SoUL, visit www.soulinc.org and follow them on Instagram and Facebook. To learn more about how to volunteer with SoUL, email them at lake.soul.22@gmail.com
