- A flourishing tech hub
(Maybe you knew that already?)
- Booming arts scene, craft beer, nightlife and lifestyle
(No surprise there, either.) - And, a world leader in marine science talent and innovation
(Something you may not have heard before.)
Many business leaders think of St. Pete as Florida’s Goldilocks – not too big or complicated, not too small or provincial – just right on the opportunity landscape. A quiet corner of ocean prowess. Anchored by the USF College of Marine Science (USF CMS), St. Pete’s ocean researchers are on the scene 24/7/365, from monitoring the pulse of the Gulf to measuring the health of Antarctica’s ice sheets that affect our coastline. For more than 50 years CMS has been a beacon of innovation in coastal resiliency, graduate education, marine resource management, and STEM education & outreach. Our mission: to keep our beaches, bays, and economy beautiful, blue, and bustling.
We lead efforts on:
- Oil spill response and ecosystem recovery*
- Blooms of Red tide, blue-green algae, Sargassum, and more
- Fisheries management
- Water quality
- Coastline stability and beach renourishment
- Storm surge, and sea-level rise
- Port security and management
A cluster of public and private researchers have grown up around the USF College of Marine Science in St. Pete’s new Innovation District. They include:
- USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
- NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service
- Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
- Florida Institute of Oceanography
- SRI International
- Tampa Bay Estuary Program
SPOTLIGHT
PureMolecular, LLC, is a USF spinoff that developed sensors to rapidly detect Florida's red tide organism. It also uses specialized genetic tools to ensure the fish you're eating really is grouper - not a fake. They recently moved to St. Pete's medical community, where their genetic tools have powerful applications for human health. The company was formed by retired marine science Distinguished Professor Dr. John H. Paul and his former graduate student, Dr. Robert M. Ulrich.