St. Pete hires firm to recruit more high-paying jobs

BY CHRISTOPHER O’DONNELL
Tribune staff

ST. PETERSBURG — This city recently garnered attention from The New York Times and others lauding it as a tourist destination.

Now, city leaders want to put St. Petersburg on the radar of CEOs across the United States.

St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce officials are in negotiations with Market Street, an economic planning firm whose clients include Austin, Texas, and Raleigh, N.C., to develop a plan for the city to persuade companies to bring more high-paying jobs to St. Petersburg.

City Council members today unanimously approved spending $30,000 on the initiative, with the chamber pitching in the remainder for the $130,000 study. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

The move comes after city council members expressed frustration with the city’s inability to compete for new businesses outside of the Bay area. When businesses do come knocking, city officials are too slow to close the deal, they also said. More here.