Mayor Ken Welch during a ‘City Hall on Tour’ stop in St. Petersburg, FLorida on March 20, 2024. Credit: Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr

There’s now a place to sort of unload about all the times you couldn’t find parking, pay rent or didn’t feel safe walking downtown.

The City of St. Petersburg is collecting responses for the 2025 Community Survey right now through July 28.

The 15-minute, multiple-choice survey touches on topics such as the city’s safety, government services and overall quality of life. The study is open until the end of the month and offered in English and Spanish.

And sorry, there is no place for you to just rant like you would on NextDoor.

Last year, the survey racked up just over 3,000 responses, and, to no surprise, the lowest scoring topics were “The availability of affordable quality housing and cost of living” (which scored 13%) followed by “Ease of public parking” (which scored 35%).

It was the city’s hope to use these results and use them to directly influence the strategies and budgeting decisions for the upcoming year, and while there is no immediate fix for affordable housing, last year’s report mentioned the City’s introduction of the Renter Utility Relief Program which allocated $3 million to help St. Pete renters pay past-due electric, sanitation, and water bills”

“We want to make sure that the City of St. Petersburg continues to grow and
develop in ways that truly reflect what matters most to our community,” said
Mayor Ken Welch wrote in a press release. “This survey is a vital tool in helping us guide our decisions and investments as City officials. I encourage all residents to
participate in this survey and to join us in shaping the future of St. Pete.”

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This article appears in Jul 17-23, 2025.