What St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation does

The St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation (St. Pete EDC) is a Florida-based non-profit (founded 2016) that drives business attraction and expansion to St. Petersburg and the broader Tampa Bay region. It serves enterprises, growth-stage companies, and startups evaluating relocation or expansion, offering free, end-to-end support across site selection, tax incentives navigation, transportation and infrastructure access, workforce development, higher-education partnerships, and community integration. Core service lines include Relocation & Expansion, Tax Incentives, Transportation, Space & Property, Historic Gas Plant District, Site Selection, Workforce, Higher Education, and Innovative Community/Sustainability programs, delivered by a 1-10 person team through direct enterprise field outreach.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform or product; its 'technology' is the curated service stack and data about the St. Pete market (Fast Facts, guides, reports, success stories) published on becomestpete.com. It monetizes indirectly through an investor-funded non-profit model: the city, county, and private-sector investors underwrite the EDC's operating budget, while 'revenue' to the region is measured in jobs created and capital invested (e.g., Foot Locker's $20M, 150 jobs; 137 target-industry jobs in 2025; MADIC Group's new North American base; ARK Invest's Innovation Center). Distribution is direct B2B outreach supplemented by content marketing, social channels, and an annual thought-leadership event featuring speakers such as Cathie Wood.

Name

St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation

Legal name

Greater St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation

Website

https://stpeteedc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The St. Pete EDC is a non-profit economic development corporation that provides free relocation, site selection, and workforce services to companies considering expansion into St. Petersburg, Florida, funded by city, county, and private investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Administration of Economic Programs (926), Administration of Economic Programs (9261)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Business relocation support
• Site selection assistance
• Tax incentive guidance
• Workforce development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Petersburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Investor Funding: The St. Pete EDC operates as a nonprofit economic development corporation funded by investors including the city, county, and private sector partners. Their revenue model is based on attracting businesses to the region rather than generating direct revenue from products or services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation provides free, comprehensive relocation and expansion assistance to businesses considering St. Petersburg, Florida as a destination. Services include site and property selection, tax incentives guidance, transportation infrastructure support, workforce development connections, and higher education partnerships with the University of South Florida. The organization also supports the Historic Gas Plant District development and connects companies to community, sustainability, and innovation resources across the Tampa Bay region.

Product overview

The St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation (St. Pete EDC) is an economic development organization that serves as a one-stop resource for businesses considering relocation or expansion to St. Petersburg, Florida. The organization offers a suite of interconnected services including business relocation and expansion assistance, tax incentives guidance, site selection, workforce development, and higher education partnerships. The EDC operates as a single unified service offering rather than a modular platform, providing end-to-end support from initial site selection through post-relocation engagement. The organization maintains partnerships with local employers, universities (including University of South Florida), and community organizations to deliver comprehensive support. The EDC also publishes success stories, guides, reports, and fast facts as informational resources for prospective businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Relocation & Expansion Services Comprehensive assistance for companies considering relocation or expansion to St. Petersburg, Florida, including site selection, permitting, and connection to local resources. The service is provided free of charge to prospective relocating or expanding businesses.
• Tax Incentives Guidance Guidance on Florida's business and tax benefits, including 0% personal income tax and competitive operating and labor costs, available to companies relocating or expanding into the region.
• Site & Property Selection Real estate and property selection service connecting businesses with commercial spaces and development sites across St. Petersburg.
• Transportation Infrastructure Support Assistance with transportation and logistics infrastructure for businesses, including proximity to three airports within a half hour drive offering 150+ domestic and international flights.
• Historic Gas Plant District Development Support Specialized support for businesses interested in the Historic Gas Plant District development area in St. Petersburg.
• Site Selection Consulting Dedicated site selection consulting service helping companies identify optimal locations and properties for relocation or expansion within St. Petersburg.
• Workforce Development Programs Connections to talent acquisition and workforce training resources, leveraging a surge of young professionals and 30,000 annual university graduates in the St. Petersburg / Tampa Bay region.
• Higher Education Partnerships Facilitation of partnerships with local universities including the University of South Florida (an R1 research university) to support business innovation, research collaboration, and talent pipelines.
• Innovative Community Support
• Sustainability & Resiliency Programs Environmental and sustainability programs for businesses committed to green practices and climate resilience in the St. Petersburg region.

Quantifiable outcome

• 137 target-industry jobs created
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ARK InvestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2026ARK Invest, led by Cathie Wood, has relocated to St. Pete and partnered with the EDC to promote the city's tech growth trajectory. They launched the ARK Innovation Center with cohorts in AI/ML, climate tech, and sustainability, positioning St. Pete similarly to Austin's tech growth a decade ago.
• FIRETIGERminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2026Sean Ferguson of FIRETIGER participated in the EDC's annual event, arguing that St. Pete can position itself for tech growth similar to Austin's trajectory a decade ago.
• McGuireWoods ConsultingminorOthers · 19 February 2026Christopher Lloyd of McGuireWoods Consulting provided analysis at the EDC's annual event, citing roughly $8 trillion in projected AI spending through 2030 as the opportunity St. Pete must capture.
• MADIC GroupminorOthers · 1 January 2025MADIC Group, a French industrial company, was attracted by the St. Pete EDC as a new North American base. This represents a successful business attraction outcome for the organization.
• Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay GulfsideminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024St. Pete EDC partnered with Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside in 2024 to connect directly with businesses like St. Anthony's Hospital for workforce housing initiatives. The partnership aims to address affordable homeownership as a workforce retention tool for essential workers in Tampa Bay.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stpeteedc
• Facebookfacebook.com/stpeteedc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st.-petersburg-area-economic-development-corporation
• Instagraminstagram.com/stpeteedc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation