With election over, St. Pete mayor focuses on small business

ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) - The city of St. Petersburg is continuing its push to be a Mecca for small business.

Last spring, Mayor Rick Kriseman announced a push from his office that would restrict the kind of business that would go on Central Avenue in an effort to preserve the area's local vibe. 

If a developer wanted to bring a Starbucks to Central Ave, under Kriseman’s proposal it would very hard to do so, protecting the small mom and pop store feel of the busy avenue. 

Krismean made the announcement last spring, surrounded by small business owners while marching down Central Ave. - but says the idea was put on hold because he feared it would be politicized during the mayoral election.

“Now that the campaign is over we are going to crank it back up,” Kriseman said.

Kriseman says they are looking at how other cities have addressed similar issues and will continue meetings with developers and small business owners to find a balance.