Videos of St Petersburg (Tampa, St. Petersburg: real estate, rent, job openings)

[Johan1983]

I notice that there are some negative videos about St Petersburg.

The discussion started in another thread but i wanted to break out the discussion because it had nothing to do with the other thread.

I emailed him about the videos and told him that they were no longer vacant. He responded to my question like this:

Thank you for your note.

The city down there is still a ghetto. The area around the Winn Dixie is in the middle of one of the county's worst ghettos. I really don't see how things could improve there.

Which is why it doesn't make sense for me to produce another video. It was scary enough doing the first one, I really don't feel up to doing a second. A second video is not worth me getting shot over.


Take care,
Moderator cut: name removed

I dont think it is a ghetto around the former winn dixie. The shop was located in Gulfport and gulfport is not a bad area.
I would have no problem going to gulfport and i dont think that i would get shot doing it.

Do you think it is a Ghetto?

Neither the "winn dixie" or the first store in the clip is vacant anymore.
I checked it out a few month ago, they were refurnishing the building.
Does anyone have information or could go check on this building?
It is by west central shopping center on central avenue

Maybe we all could check a few of these locations and see if they really are as dead as he say they are?



http://www.youtube.com/user/johnu78#p/u/20/PsuY2dfz_B0


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6wFG..._order&list=UL


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN9re...Agp1Cs&index=9


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x9bz...gp1Cs&index=12

[ferret111]

Yeah, Gulfport is not a bad area. You're not going to get shot there. 49th Street is Gulfport's eastern boundary and serves as a pretty good dividing line between some of St. Pete's bad areas and the generally decent areas of Gulfport. You wouldn't think that a city line would make that much of a difference, but it does.

There are two or so abandoned bank buildings in Downtown St. Pete that are vacant due to the ever-occuring merging of banks. I think there's a project planned for one of the sites, but I'm not sure. There are also a few abandoned businesses along Central between 6th and the State Theatre. What this guy doesn't realize is that those places were occupied until just a few years ago, when the owner kicked them for plans that never materialized. This guy focuses on all of these abandoned buildings while completely glossing over the restaurants, small shops, and whatnot along the Central Avenue corridor.

Finally, he goes on to show some newer buildings around Central and 16th that are also unoccupied. These things were the products of over-eager developers that built whatever they wanted without considering the demand. I don't know when they'll be filled up.

The guy seems like a weenie. If was scared walking down Central or 49th or whatever, I'd hate to see him in a legitimately bad area.

[IAm_FloridaBorn]

You know we have the same problem in orlando as far as the all around abandoned Grocery stores and the empty Banks? In Fact we had the first bank to fail this year. SMH. Lookin at the Videos, I'd still choose St. Pete over Orlando.

[Johan1983]

Originally Posted by ferret111

Yeah, Gulfport is not a bad area. You're not going to get shot there. 49th Street is Gulfport's eastern boundary and serves as a pretty good dividing line between some of St. Pete's bad areas and the generally decent areas of Gulfport. You wouldn't think that a city line would make that much of a difference, but it does.

There are two or so abandoned bank buildings in Downtown St. Pete that are vacant due to the ever-occuring merging of banks. I think there's a project planned for one of the sites, but I'm not sure. There are also a few abandoned businesses along Central between 6th and the State Theatre. What this guy doesn't realize is that those places were occupied until just a few years ago, when the owner kicked them for plans that never materialized. This guy focuses on all of these abandoned buildings while completely glossing over the restaurants, small shops, and whatnot along the Central Avenue corridor.

Finally, he goes on to show some newer buildings around Central and 16th that are also unoccupied. These things were the products of over-eager developers that built whatever they wanted without considering the demand. I don't know when they'll be filled up.

The guy seems like a weenie. If was scared walking down Central or 49th or whatever, I'd hate to see him in a legitimately bad area.

I agree with you, this is a guy who reads the newspaper and say "Oh! dude! they are only writing good things! this is a conspiracy!". Look at his other clips, he has his own little war with St Pete times.

And then he claims that he is doing journalism in another way. Still he does not see that what he writes is just his own truth.
Lets say west central shopping center on central avenue. He found one empty store but could not turn his back on the other side of the road or walk a few steps to either direction. Because it is not what he wants to show

[vaughanwilliams]

Yeah, that guy banned me from commenting when I called him out on his videos. Anyone with knowledge of St. Pete can recognize where he's shooting and realize he's just cherry picking empty store fronts.

[Johan1983]

Originally Posted by vaughnwilliams

Yeah, that guy banned me from commenting when I called him out on his videos. Anyone with knowledge of St. Pete can recognize where he's shooting and realize he's just cherry picking empty store fronts.

I can give you two adresses (look in video number one)


6716 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, FL 33707 (First in the first video)

4901 Gulfport Blvd, Gulfport, FL 33707 (the last one in the first video, winn dixie)

[algia]

You do realize that:
1. A lot of folks got hurt financially during the housing bust....
2. A lot more rules and regulations fly around borrowing money to start or run a business
3. People don't just happen to have that much disposable income to pay rent for a retail space....plus...most people wanting retail around here want to be by the beach...
4. A LOT of business is done online, cheaper than a store front by a long shot....


Did you not see the photo "tour" I posted a while back about huge retail and prime real estate wasted on Florida and Nebraska smack next to down town? this is hardly a St Pete problem, this is a Florida problem....whomever is "planning" things around here doesn't seem to have a lot of education about "planning" and we all see the results of that...tons and tons of wasted retail and prime RE spaces everywhere.

If you want to explore wasted spaces Drive up from Van Dyke Rd to 54 on Dale Mabry.....instead of ALL of us here have a Babies r us, (cause you know, all the subdivisions are filled with kids here) maybe a Whole Foods, or maybe just some mom and pop stuff, noooooo....we have empty spaces all around and a Target backing to a Walmart! RIDICULOUS.....I emailed Whole Foods probably about 20 times now in 3 years and got no answer as to WHY we can't have one here? and have to drive an hour to get to one......? no answer...

The IRONY of this all, is that WHILE in both Tampa and St Pete a LOT is left to rot and just wasted space, these "genius builders" continued to build on pastures far far away in a galaxy....makes no sense....but it's like with everything else, the lights are on but nobody's home! you video it and I take photos of it all and no one cares!

[ferret111]

Originally Posted by algia

The IRONY of this all, is that WHILE in both Tampa and St Pete a LOT is left to rot and just wasted space, these "genius builders" continued to build on pastures far far away in a galaxy....makes no sense....but it's like with everything else, the lights are on but nobody's home! you video it and I take photos of it all and no one cares!

Why don't you go and voice your opinions at the development meetings downtown?

[algia]

I may get shot in the head!!! LOL


Actually I have been to AIA downtown Tampa once and when we were talking about the lack of use of the Art Deco style the architects present said that it is not feasible....why? simple, bc it is easier to just pop the same building everywere than get qualified workforce to build nice stylish buildings....it is/was easier to build out than restore IN.

Originally Posted by ferret111

Why don't you go and voice your opinions at the development meetings downtown?

[ferret111]

I've actually heard that the job openings for architects are dwindling due to the use of the same cost-effective designs over and over again, what with subdivisions and retail chains.