We’re asking thought leaders, business people, and creatives to talk about 2023 and give us catalyzing ideas for making St. Pete a better place to live. What should our city look like? What are their hopes, their plans, their problem-solving ideas? This is Catalyze 2023.
As a female African American business owner and community advocate, Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders brings a unique perspective to both the dais and her plans for the new year.
Her three priorities in 2023 intersect; Figgs-Sanders believes increasing educational opportunities and equity for underserved populations will also help reduce gun violence. While she is proud of what city officials – particularly Mayor Ken Welch – accomplished in those areas throughout the past year, Figgs-Sanders also realizes much work remains.
She called following St. Petersburg’s Structural Racism and Disparity Study recommendations a good start, as was creating an Office of Supplier Diversity (OSD). While Figgs-Sanders would like its name to reflect all areas of economic development, she said when those opportunities come, minority-owned businesses “need to be ready to answer.” Read more.
