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.
St. Petersburg Arts Alliance to Receive $25,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
[St. Petersburg, FL]—The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance has been approved for a $25,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support the Shine On Unity Project. This project will expand the impact of the Arts Alliance’s annual SHINE Mural Festival by creating two new projects focused on celebrating diversity, inclusion, and unity. One project will consist of four murals celebrating the history and cultural identity of St. Petersburg’s historically black neighborhoods. Part two of the project will celebrate St. Pete Pride’s 20th anniversary by using mural art to promote unity, diversity and visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community. SPAA’s project is among 1,248 projects across America totaling $28,840,000 that were selected to receive this first round of fiscal year 2022 funding in the Grants for Arts Projects category.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects like this one from the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance that help support the community’s creative economy,” said NEA Acting Chair Ann Eilers. “The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance is among the arts organizations nationwide that are using the arts as a source of strength, a path to well-being, and providing access and opportunity for people to connect and find joy through the arts.”
“We are thrilled to receive the support of the National Endowment for the Arts for the Shine On Unity project,” said SHINE Director Jenee Priebe. “Not only is it an honor to be recognized on a national level but these funds allow us to provide direct support to local artists while using mural art to continue community building.”
More details about the Shine On Unity project will be announced in the coming months.
Please note, there may be a delay in the distribution of some grant awards as the NEA and all of the federal government are operating under a continuing budget resolution which currently expires on February 18, 2022.
For more information on other projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance is the only 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to raising money and advocating for our entire creative community – artists, arts and cultural organizations, and creative businesses. We raise money through individual and corporate gifts, event sponsorships, and grants that support community-wide arts efforts.
Produced by the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, the SHINE St. Petersburg Mural Festival was launched in 2015 to illuminate the power of art in public spaces by revitalizing areas, inspiring dialogue, and uniting our community while cultivating new standards of artistic excellence, reflecting St. Petersburg’s vibrant spirit.
