St. Petersburg is growing. District 6 is at the center of that growth.
Downtown, the waterfront, the EDGE District, the Innovation District, the Historic Gas Plant District, business corridors, residential neighborhoods, cultural districts, and parts of south St. Petersburg are all affected by decisions about development, redevelopment, infrastructure, housing, public safety, transportation, tourism, and public land.
Doug Homeyer believes growth is not automatically good or bad. The real question is whether growth is responsible, transparent, financially sound, and beneficial to the people who live here, work here, play here, and visit here.
Responsible growth should strengthen St. Petersburg. It should not simply change the skyline. It should improve infrastructure, support residents, protect taxpayers, create real public benefit, help small businesses, expand opportunity, and respect the character of the community.
Doug Homeyer believes responsible growth means:
Public land should be treated as a public asset.
Public incentives should produce clear public benefits.
Development promises should be specific, measurable, and enforceable.
Infrastructure should be addressed before impacts are created.
Affordable and workforce housing commitments should be real and durable.
Local workers, small businesses, and neighborhoods should benefit.
Taxpayer risk should be explained before major votes are taken.
Final agreements should be understandable to the public.
Doug’s standard is simple: if the public is giving something, the public should know what it is getting in return.
Doug’s view: “Growth should pay attention to the people who are already here. Responsible growth should make St. Petersburg stronger, not less affordable.”
Doug Homeyer’s campaign is built around a simple idea:
Live Here. Work Here. Play Here. Visit Here.
Responsible growth affects all four.
Live Here: Residents need housing, safety, stormwater protection, utility reliability, neighborhood stability, and a realistic cost of living.
Work Here: Workers and small businesses need access, parking, permitting, infrastructure, fair opportunity, and an economy that supports local employers and local jobs.
Play Here: Parks, waterfront areas, sidewalks, arts spaces, restaurants, entertainment districts, and public spaces should remain safe, accessible, and welcoming.
Visit Here: Visitors are important to the local economy, but tourism and redevelopment must be managed so they do not overwhelm residents, infrastructure, neighborhoods, or small businesses.
Responsible growth is the connection between affordability, infrastructure, public safety, small business, tourism, public land, and long-term taxpayer accountability.
Doug Homeyer brings a background in finance, business ownership, civic involvement, nonprofit service, and community leadership to the District 6 race.
Doug is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Benefits Plus Financial in St. Petersburg. He previously served as President and Owner of Homeyer Insurance and as a Regional Manager with Colonial Life. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and holds professional designations including CLU®, ChFC®, LUTCF®, and RHU®.
Doug also serves in civic and nonprofit roles in St. Petersburg. His involvement includes leadership with the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, service with the Downtown Waterfront Committee, service as a Chamber Ambassador and Board of Governors member, service on the St. Anthony’s Hospital Foundation Board and Finance Committee, membership in the Rotary Club of St. Petersburg, service on the USF Economics Department Board of Advisors, and connection to local entrepreneurship through the Greenhouse Entrepreneurial Academy.
That background matters because many City Council decisions are practical and financial decisions. Redevelopment agreements, infrastructure commitments, utility rates, public land, public incentives, affordable housing commitments, public safety costs, and long-term obligations require careful review, common sense, and accountability.
Doug believes City Council should ask hard questions before the public is committed.
Before supporting major development, redevelopment, public land use, infrastructure commitments, public incentives, or long-term agreements, Doug believes City Council should ask practical questions:
What public asset is involved?
What is the City giving up?
What is the City receiving in return?
What will the project cost taxpayers now and later?
What infrastructure is required?
Who pays for roads, utilities, stormwater, parking, sidewalks, public safety, and maintenance?
Are the public benefits specific and enforceable?
Are housing commitments real, measurable, and long-lasting?
How will local workers and small businesses benefit?
What happens if promises are not kept?
What are the risks if the economy changes?
How will residents know whether the project succeeded?
Responsible growth requires more than a good presentation. It requires clear terms, public accountability, and long-term thinking.
Public land belongs to the public.
When the City considers using, leasing, selling, or redeveloping public land, the public should understand the value of the land and the value of what the City is receiving in return.
Doug believes public land decisions should be guided by several principles:
The public should know what the land is worth.
The public should know what the City is giving up.
The public should know what the City is getting back.
Public benefits should be written clearly.
Community promises should be enforceable.
Infrastructure costs should be identified up front.
Long-term taxpayer obligations should be disclosed.
Residents should have meaningful opportunity to review and comment before final decisions are made.
This does not mean the City should never partner with private developers. Public-private partnerships can help move important projects forward. But when public land or public resources are involved, the final agreement must protect the public interest.
Live. Work. Play. Visit. connection: Public land decisions affect Live Here through housing, infrastructure, and neighborhood stability. They affect Work Here through jobs, small-business opportunity, and economic development. They affect Play Here through parks, public spaces, arts, culture, and recreation. They affect Visit Here through tourism, downtown experience, transportation, and waterfront access.
Growth affects infrastructure.
New development can affect roads, parking, sidewalks, stormwater, utilities, public safety, sanitation, lighting, parks, traffic, and emergency response. If those impacts are not addressed early, residents and taxpayers can end up paying later.
Doug believes infrastructure should be discussed before major projects are approved, not after problems appear.
Responsible growth should ask:
Is the stormwater system ready?
Are roads and sidewalks safe?
Is there enough utility capacity?
How will traffic and parking be managed?
What public safety resources are needed?
What construction disruption will residents and businesses face?
Will the project increase long-term maintenance obligations?
Who pays for the improvements?
Growth without infrastructure planning can increase the cost of living, make neighborhoods harder to navigate, and create avoidable public expense.
Residents can review the City’s public information on current development projects, stormwater planning, stormwater services, and flooding resources.
Live. Work. Play. Visit. connection: Infrastructure affects every part of District 6. Residents cannot Live Here comfortably if neighborhoods flood, utilities are strained, or streets are unsafe. Businesses cannot Work Here successfully if parking, access, construction, and public services do not function. People cannot Play Here safely without sidewalks, lighting, parks, waterfront access, and clean public spaces. Visitors cannot Visit Here without reliable transportation, safety, cleanliness, and infrastructure that supports the city experience.
Responsible growth must include serious housing accountability.
St. Petersburg needs more attainable housing. But voters should not have to guess what “affordable” means in a proposal. They should know how many units are involved, who qualifies, how long affordability lasts, what income levels are served, what public resources are being used, and how the City will enforce the commitment.
Doug believes housing commitments should be clear:
How many affordable or workforce units are proposed?
What income levels are served?
How long will the units remain affordable?
Are the commitments enforceable?
What happens if the developer does not deliver?
Are renters, workers, seniors, families, and long-time residents considered?
Is the project connected to transportation, jobs, services, and infrastructure?
Does the project preserve existing affordability where possible?
Housing promises should not be vague. If public land, public incentives, or major approvals are involved, the public should be able to understand whether the housing benefit is real.
Voters can review the City’s Housing page, Housing Opportunities For All, and Housing Documents.
Live. Work. Play. Visit. connection: Housing accountability is primarily a Live Here issue, but it also affects Work Here because workers need to be able to live near jobs. It affects Play Here because a city’s culture depends on the people who create, serve, teach, care, build, and participate in community life. It affects Visit Here because tourism and hospitality depend on a workforce that can afford to remain in St. Petersburg.
Responsible growth should support local businesses, not push them aside.
District 6 includes restaurants, shops, offices, service businesses, hospitality employers, contractors, artists, nonprofits, and local entrepreneurs. These businesses help define the character of St. Petersburg. They provide jobs, services, places to gather, and the local experience residents and visitors enjoy.
Growth can help small businesses when it brings customers, investment, workers, and improved public spaces. But growth can also hurt small businesses when it creates construction disruption, parking problems, rent pressure, permitting delays, unclear communication, or public-safety challenges.
Doug believes the City should consider small-business impacts before, during, and after major projects.
Responsible growth should ask:
How will construction affect nearby businesses?
How will customers access the area?
Is parking or transportation being addressed?
Are local businesses being informed early?
Are local entrepreneurs able to participate in opportunities?
Are city procurement and supplier opportunities accessible?
Are small businesses protected from unnecessary City Hall friction?
Will the project strengthen or weaken the local business ecosystem?
Voters and business owners can review public City resources through the City’s Business Assistance page, Small Business Assistance page, Building and Permitting page, and Economic Development page.
Live. Work. Play. Visit. connection: Small businesses are central to Work Here, but they also help people Live Here by providing services and jobs, help people Play Here through restaurants, arts, events, and public gathering places, and help people Visit Here by creating the local experience that makes St. Petersburg memorable.
The Historic Gas Plant District is one of the most important public land and redevelopment issues facing St. Petersburg.
This land carries history, pain, promise, and responsibility. The original Gas Plant neighborhood was displaced. For decades, the community has heard promises about economic opportunity, jobs, housing, inclusion, and public benefit. Any future redevelopment must be judged against that history.
As of July 2026, the City has selected the Pinellas County Housing Authority and The Burg Bid proposals for the Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment project. The City’s public materials state that the Community Benefits Agreement process will include selection of a Community Benefits Advisory Council Project Committee and opportunities for public engagement and feedback, and that the process will help inform final agreements brought before City Council for approval.
Voters can review the City’s Historic Gas Plant District Redevelopment page and the City’s July 2, 2026 update announcing the selection of the Pinellas County Housing Authority and The Burg Bid proposals.
Doug believes the Historic Gas Plant District should be evaluated with seriousness, transparency, and respect for the public trust.
As the City moves toward negotiations and final agreements, Doug believes City Council should insist on:
Clear public review before final approval.
Plain-English summaries of the final agreements.
Transparent explanation of public land value.
Clear affordable and workforce housing terms.
Specific commitments to local jobs and business opportunity.
Enforceable community benefits.
Infrastructure and stormwater accountability.
Public space, parks, cultural, and historical commitments that are more than symbolic.
Clear taxpayer-risk analysis.
Public reporting after approval so residents can track whether promises are being kept.
Doug does not believe the public should be asked to rely on vague assurances. The final agreements should be understandable, enforceable, and worthy of the history of the land.
The Historic Gas Plant District is not just another development site.
It is land tied to displacement, promises, and the future identity of St. Petersburg. Honoring that history requires more than ceremonial language. It requires enforceable commitments that can be measured over time.
Doug believes the City should ask:
How will this project honor the history of the Gas Plant community?
What commitments are legally enforceable?
What public benefits are guaranteed?
What benefits are merely aspirational?
How will local residents and businesses participate?
How will the City measure whether promises are being kept?
What happens if deadlines, housing commitments, infrastructure commitments, or community benefits are missed?
Respect for the past should be built into the agreement, not added as an afterthought.
Live. Work. Play. Visit. connection: Gas Plant accountability affects all four parts of Doug’s framework. It affects whether people can Live Here through housing and anti-displacement. It affects whether people can Work Here through jobs, training, and business opportunity. It affects whether people can Play Here through public space, parks, culture, history, and community gathering. It affects whether people can Visit Here through the future identity of downtown and St. Petersburg’s reputation as a city that keeps its promises.
Major projects often sound exciting. But City Council must also ask what the public is responsible for now and in the future.
Doug believes taxpayers deserve clear answers before major votes.
Responsible public finance should include:
A plain-English explanation of City obligations.
A clear description of public incentives or public contributions.
Disclosure of infrastructure costs.
Disclosure of long-term maintenance obligations.
Identification of risks if market conditions change.
Performance requirements before public benefits are counted as delivered.
Public reporting after approval.
Doug’s financial background gives him a practical lens on these issues. City Council must balance vision with responsibility. St. Petersburg should pursue opportunity, but it should not hide costs, minimize risks, or treat public land casually.
Live. Work. Play. Visit. connection: Taxpayer accountability affects Live Here through taxes, services, and utilities; Work Here through business conditions and infrastructure; Play Here through parks, public spaces, and safety; and Visit Here through the long-term quality and financial stability of the city.
Doug believes major growth and redevelopment decisions should be reviewed through a practical checklist.
What public land, public money, public infrastructure, or public approval is involved?
Applies to: Live Here, Work Here, Play Here, and Visit Here.
What specific benefits will residents, workers, small businesses, and taxpayers receive?
Applies to: Live Here, Work Here, Play Here, and Visit Here.
Are affordable and workforce housing promises clear, measurable, durable, and enforceable?
Applies to: Live Here and Work Here.
Are roads, sidewalks, stormwater, utilities, parking, public safety, and maintenance needs addressed?
Applies to: Live Here, Work Here, Play Here, and Visit Here.
Will local businesses benefit from the project, or will they bear avoidable costs and disruption?
Applies to: Work Here, Play Here, and Visit Here.
Are community commitments specific, funded, enforceable, and tied to public reporting?
Applies to: Live Here, Work Here, Play Here, and Visit Here.
What are the long-term obligations, risks, and costs for the public?
Applies to: Live Here, Work Here, and Visit Here.
Can the public understand the agreement before City Council votes?
Applies to: Live Here, Work Here, Play Here, and Visit Here.
Doug believes the campaign website should be a tool for voters, not just a campaign brochure. These public resources can help residents review growth, redevelopment, public land, housing, infrastructure, and business issues for themselves.
Doug Homeyer is running for St. Petersburg City Council District 6 because he believes District 6 needs practical leadership that understands both opportunity and accountability.
St. Petersburg should be a city where growth strengthens the community, where public land is protected, where housing promises are real, where infrastructure keeps up, where small businesses can survive, where public spaces remain safe and welcoming, and where taxpayers understand what they are being asked to support.
Doug will bring a practical, community-focused, financially responsible approach to responsible growth.
District 6 should be a place where people can Live Here, Work Here, Play Here, and Visit Here without losing what makes St. Petersburg home.
Read more about Doug’s approach to District 6: