The Salvation Army charges individuals $10 a night after the first 3 nights IF there is space. The overflow stay / sleep under a metal shelter and I would say that as many as 40 people can stay there. But no one is sent away, they just sleep close by in the open. So if anyone (other than myself) can verify (trust but verify) my words that as many as 100 people can sleep on the inside on the military style bunk beds... That means that S.A. gets as much as $1,000 a day from the 'transient' population. They provide breakfast in the morning (if Publix and others bring dated food) as the folks 'LEAVE' the building. No one is allowed back in until early evening. You can pay up to three days in advance ($30) and ALL transactions are in cash. Of course the entire area suffers while the S.A. continues its work. Have not seen them do any people rehab, or drive them to jobs. I do see 'Day Labor Vans' that show up and pick up people... Where do the dozens that sleep outside use the restroom? Where are garbage cans from the S.A. placed... If Any?

I would agree that the situation has escalated over the past 6 months. As a Resident, I choose NOT to use any of the businesses in that area because they are inundated with homeless people in front of them all day and nite. I would suggest that all the businesses create a group which could include each residential area like Old SE, Bartlett Park, Roser Park, etc... to all work together to pressure the City to do the right thing. Move the Salvation Army to a more suitable area since the South 4th corridor is now the next up and coming area where the City will reap the financial benefits of home values increasing. Have one of the Hospitals or the School bid for the SA building and land so they can buy something cheaper somewhere else. It's time for the SA to move.

Great idea! And actually All Children’s Hospital just bought the big vacant piece of land between 13th Ave. S. and 14th Ave. south on the west side of 4th St., South. And they payed close to $1 million for it… So clearly there are businesses including the hospital that are interested in this area!

CompanyClerk : I live right off of 4th street south near the Salvation Army and there has been a vacant lot beside me for the last seven years… You would not want to know how many times I have looked over my stockade fence to see somebody’s bare butt facing me with poop coming out! Incredibly disgusting. That’s where these people defecate and urinate… Right in our backyards! I wonder how many times the MAYOR has looked over his fence and seen a homeless person defecating??? Yeah...exactly.....

This complaint has been forwarded to the Office of Veteran, Social & Homeless Services. Please continue to immediately report any criminal activity or safety concerns to the SPPD directly by calling 727-893-7780 if not an emergency, or 911 if an emergency.

Let me copy and paste this meaningless comment again like the city does. If forwarding this to the office of homeless affairs fixed the problem we'd be enjoying safe streets by now. Let's hear from a real city official that has some answers or explanations.
I urge business owners to go to local news outlets with this story. Maybe the negative publicity and some choice camera shots of what 4th st south looks like on any given day (so close to downtown!) will get the city motivated to fix this problem.

. This complaint has been forwarded to the Office of Veteran, Social & Homeless Services. Please continue to immediately report any criminal activity or safety concerns to the SPPD directly by calling 727-893-7780 if not an emergency, or 911 if an emergency.

Dear Mayor's Action Center 4... I remain offended everytime you put out; Office of Veteran, Social & Homeless Services...!!! Veteran Services SHOULD BE SEPERATE from ALL others! Just ask the Governor of Florida OR the President of the United States. THEY, the Veterans are a Higher Priority. The liberal social worker who has empathy for the tattoo to toothless ratio people... HAVE NO CLUE of what a Veteran Needs. IF YOU FIND an actual Veteran in Need, you can contact me.

What about the cesspool at speedway 3225 34th street with in last 6 months vagrents transients homless drugs drunks hookers trash all over assults blocking right of way on 32nd ave at 34th street greetings of a finger and f bomb from them every morning as they block the right of way and same after a days work to be greeted trying to make it thru there blockade by the same crimals who just prowl loiter hang out get drunk smoke spice shoot up trash the neighborhood lay on ground sleep all over the neighborhood and wake up to find every morning they have been left boxes of dated food at speedway which you can see rats eating out of same box

Nueva Cantina, Louie Spetrini has anyone gotten back to you regarding this homeless situation? The reason is ~ is that I am concerned. I have called, emailed, used this tool and mailed letters to the Mayor, Police, Salvation Army, Veterans affairs AND NOTHING! No response...... I as a tax paying citizen is getting FED UP with the Salvation Army. I can not tell you the numerous times I have had to clean up my front yard - be on alert when I put my trash/recycling cans out. Because they go through them. These people don't want our help. I have gone down there several times and chatted and they told me this is the life they want. I am sick of seeing zombies day and night in the area. They are so drugged up they literally stand in the middle of 4th St. and sway back and forth. Scares me to death one might fall right into my car. I am with everyone the Salvation Army NEEDS TO GO!!!! Maybe you and other business owners - The Big Catch, Hideaway's, Chattaway's maybe even get the fast food chains can get together and take it to city hall - you may have more of a presence then some little citizen...... however I would be there just name the date and time. WE are over dealing with the SA it's not fair to you as a business or to me as a home owner. And if you all want I will be more then happy to get the press involved. This is only going to get worse if WE don't do something NOW. Please if anyone has updated info please share. Thank you.

Also the Family Dollar NEEDS TO GO as well. Afraid to walk in there...homeless and druggies either on the curb or in the parking lot. Doesn't the city know of the potential this area has?? It blows my mind how slow they are with "progression" on the south side.

Do any of the municipalities special programs know how to connect the dots

HELLO city - are we going to receive a response? I nearly hit a person (homeless/druggie) AGAIN because they were walking and just stopped - literally just stopped and was swaying back and forth in the middle of 4th St. South by 13th Ave. South. Unbelievable.......I'm not sure what drugs "they" get their hands on - but damn it I am over dodging people EVERY SINGLE DAY!! RELOCATE THE SALVATION ARMY!!! Up and coming area huh??? PROVE IT!!!!!!

Doesn’t anybody reading this know lawyer that could get a class action suit together against the Salvation Army? They’ve diminished our quality-of-life , reduced our property values and who is paying for the almost daily police and ambulance that go to the Salvation Army that I can see from my front porch… Again almost daily I see the EMS people arrive there along with police cars, who’s paying for all that? And now we learned that the homeless are also spreading diseases, medevial diseases?! I think we have a very valid lawsuit against the salvation army unfortunately I don’t know any lawyers down here ...

Just a reminder that SeeClickFix is not used for reporting law enforcement issues. Should you see someone breaking the law, please call 727-893-7780 for non-emergencies, and 911 for emergencies.

FYI: How can we call law enforcement???? Unless there is an officer on every corner down 4th Street, South and out front of the Salvation Army - there is NOTHING they can DO!! Trust me WE HAVE CALLED ~~~~ This CONCERN is in regards of the HOMELESS and the DRUG USERS that are a HUGE PART OF THE SALVATION ARMY! So this comment >>> Just a reminder that SeeClickFix is not used for reporting law enforcement issues. Should you see someone breaking the law, please call 727-893-7780 for non-emergencies, and 911 for emergencies. IS NULL AND VOID......What is the city doing in regards of cleaning up this area - ????

Issue 5537730 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue.

Re-open acknowledged, please report law enforcement issues by calling 727-893-7780 or 911 for emergencies.

I don't think it's appropriate to mark an issue reported today as a duplicate of one reported in August 2018 when the latter remains wholly unresolved, and quite frankly worse, 8 months after it was originally reported. Middle fingering like this could compel people to come speak out against the cutesy-storefronts-on-Central-Avenue project just out of spite...

Where's your compassion?!? I thought the mayor declared St. Petersburg as a sanctuary city. I miss the old st pete. This place is quickly becoming a dump of a city like Detroit, New York, and Chicago.

Let’s start at the beginning. When a person decides to choose drugs over everything else in life and they choose to stop working, which is over 90% of the homeless (excluding veterans of course which are a separate issue) , they immediately become financially dependent upon all of us who are working and struggling to get by and pay our fair share of taxes.

The first cost to us is when they go on government benefits such as food stamps and welfare. And unless you’ve been involved with the homeless most people don’t realize that as soon as they begin getting those government benefits they sell them and use that money to buy drugs to support their drug habit.

The second expense to the hard-working taxpayers is all of the infrastructure that the homeless use such as the roads and bridges and transportation and the building roofs that they sleep under etc. Without our tax dollars paying for all that infrastructure the homeless would have no way of getting around and nowhere to go and no place to sleep.

The next expense comes in when our hard-earned tax dollars go towards the police and the ambulance and the hospitals and the courts and all of those social services that are used by the homeless come out of my paycheck! And yours.

Then there is the expense of our depreciated property values due to the disgusting conditions the homeless create in our neighborhood. And all of the money spent on putting up fences etc. to keep the homeless from urinating and defecating and throwing their drug paraphernalia and trash in our yards.

Add to that the increase in what we all pay for food and services in the homeless filled neighborhoods because those businesses need to charge more to make up for the lost income from the people who refuse or who are afraid to frequent those businesses due to the homeless people.

And finally when the homeless person finally passes away who do you think pays for taking care of that? That alone is several thousand dollars !

This doesn’t even account for all of the other affects of a person who chooses a drug and unemployed lifestyle such as the effects on their families etc.

If you added up all of these things plus all the things I’ve forgotten and realized how much of your paycheck is spent to support people who have chosen to do drugs and not work you would be outraged!

St. Petersburg paid multiple thousands of dollars to have an outside independent firm come in and assess the homeless situation. The number one recommendation that was BEST for the homeless (I repeat that’s best for the homeless not best for the rest of us) is to stop feeding the homeless. Because that just perpetuates the problem and enables them to continue living a drug filled worthless life. But unfortunately the bleeding hearts of the world refuse to except FACTS and so we continue to pamper the homeless and support the salvation army and support food banks…

If the bleeding hearts really actually cared about the homeless they would take the time to educate themselves as to what’s best for the homeless.

(Note: A “sanctuary city” is by definition a safe space for hard-working immigrants who are doing the best they can to make their lives better and become taxpaying citizens, it is not a “sanctuary” for people who choose drugs and choose not to work.)

“ your comment has been blocked due to moderator approval“.

It’s called censorship! This site doesn’t want people to state the actual FACTS dealing with the homeless and until people face the facts the homeless problem is never going to be solved.

Let’s start at the beginning. When a person decides to choose d rugs over everything else in life and they choose to stop working, which is over 90% of the homeless (excluding veterans of course which are a separate issue) , they immediately become financially dependent upon all of us who are working and struggling to get by and pay our fair share of taxes.

The first cost to us is when they go on government benefits such as food stamps and welfare. And unless you’ve been involved with the homeless most people don’t realize that as soon as they begin getting those government benefits they sell them and use that money to buy d rugs to support their d rug habit.

The second expense to the hard-working taxpayers is all of the infrastructure that the homeless use such as the roads and bridges and transportation and the building roofs that they sleep under etc. Without our tax dollars paying for all that infrastructure the homeless would have no way of getting around and nowhere to go and no place to sleep.

The next expense comes in when our hard-earned tax dollars go towards the police and the ambulance and the hospitals and the courts and all of those social services that are used by the homeless come out of my paycheck! And yours.

Then there is the expense of our depreciated property values due to the disgusting conditions the homeless create in our neighborhood. And all of the money spent on putting up fences etc. to keep the homeless from urinating and defecating and throwing their d rug paraphernalia and trash in our yards.

Add to that the increase in what we all pay for food and services in the homeless filled neighborhoods because those businesses need to charge more to make up for the lost income from the people who refuse or who are afraid to frequent those businesses due to the homeless people.

And finally when the homeless person finally passes away who do you think pays for taking care of that? That alone is several thousand dollars !

This doesn’t even account for all of the other affects of a person who chooses a d rug and unemployed lifestyle such as the effects on their families etc.

If you added up all of these things plus all the things I’ve forgotten and realized how much of your paycheck is spent to support people who have chosen to do d rugs and not work you would be outraged!

St. Petersburg paid multiple thousands of dollars to have an outside independent firm come in and assess the homeless situation. The number one recommendation that was BEST for the homeless (I repeat that’s best for the homeless not best for the rest of us) is to stop feeding the homeless. Because that just perpetuates the problem and enables them to continue living a drug filled worthless life. But unfortunately the bleeding hearts of the world refuse to except FACTS and so we continue to pamper the homeless and support the salvation army and support food banks…

If the bleeding hearts really actually cared about the homeless they would take the time to educate themselves as to what’s best for the homeless.

(Note: A “sanctuary city” is by definition a safe space for hard-working immigrants who are doing the best they can to make their lives better and become taxpaying citizens, it is not a “sanctuary” for people who choose drugs and choose not to work.)

Let’s start at the beginning. When a person decides to choose dee rugs over everything else in life and they choose to stop working, which is over 90% of the homeless (excluding veterans of course which are a separate issue) , they immediately become financially dependent upon all of us who are working and struggling to get by and pay our fair share of taxes.

The first cost to us is when they go on government benefits such as food stamps and welfare. And unless you’ve been involved with the homeless most people don’t realize that as soon as they begin getting those government benefits they sell them and use that money to buy dee rugsto support their dee rug habit.

The second expense to the hard-working taxpayers is all of the infrastructure that the homeless use such as the roads and bridges and transportation and the building roofs that they sleep under etc. Without our tax dollars paying for all that infrastructure the homeless would have no way of getting around and nowhere to go and no place to sleep.

The next expense comes in when our hard-earned tax dollars go towards the police and the ambulance and the hospitals and the courts and all of those social services that are used by the homeless come out of my paycheck! And yours.

Then there is the expense of our depreciated property values due to the disgusting conditions the homeless create in our neighborhood. And all of the money spent on putting up fences etc. to keep the homeless from urinating and defecating and throwing their dee rug paraphernalia and trash in our yards.

Add to that the increase in what we all pay for food and services in the homeless filled neighborhoods because those businesses need to charge more to make up for the lost income from the people who refuse or who are afraid to frequent those businesses due to the homeless people.

And finally when the homeless person finally passes away who do you think pays for taking care of that? That alone is several thousand dollars !

This doesn’t even account for all of the other affects of a person who chooses a dee rug and unemployed lifestyle such as the effects on their families etc.

If you added up all of these things plus all the things I’ve forgotten and realized how much of your paycheck is spent to support people who have chosen to do dee rugs and not work you would be outraged!

St. Petersburg paid multiple thousands of dollars to have an outside independent firm come in and assess the homeless situation. The number one recommendation that was BEST for the homeless (I repeat that’s best for the homeless not best for the rest of us) is to stop feeding the homeless. Because that just perpetuates the problem and enables them to continue living a dee rug filled worthless life. But unfortunately the bleeding hearts of the world refuse to accept FACTS and so we continue to pamper the homeless and support the salvation army and support food banks…

If the bleeding hearts really actually cared about the homeless they would take the time to educate themselves as to what’s best for the homeless.

(Note: A “sanctuary city” is by definition a safe space for hard-working immigrants who are doing the best they can to make their lives better and become taxpaying citizens, it is not a “sanctuary” for people who choose dee rugs and choose not to work.)

Excuse me but.........
(copy&paste) . This complaint has been forwarded to the Office of Veteran, Social & Homeless Services. Please continue to immediately report any criminal activity or safety concerns to the SPPD directly by calling 727-893-7780 if not an emergency, or 911 if an emergency.

WHERE IS the Office of Veterans Affairs????????? WHERE is the HOMELESS SERVICE?????? WHAT IS BEING DONE????? WE DESERVE ANSWERS!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING???? ANSWERS PLEASE.....
Also my fellow ^^^^neighbors, quick question do us tax payers pay the salary for the Office of Veterans - Social and Homeless Services???

Goldnwolf & Shawny Davis... Please do not forget that every day of the week, an ambulance and/or rescue squad goes out at least 6 times a day to respond to medical issues to those that DO NOT have insurance of any kind, which of course raises the price of an aspirin at the hospital to $9.00 so we can cover those less fortunate. AND I am only speaking of the area from 8th Ave South to 22nd Ave South and 3rd St South to 12th St South.

st pete the misfit city free food free bikes( free rent vouchers) free phones free clothes free health care free bus passes free free freeeeeeeeeeee neighborhoods thrashed for free no responsibility no respectability no purpose
no purpose turn your neighborhood in to a cesspool caravans of the mentally unstable coming to your neighborhood if not already

Another reminder that SeeClickFix is not used for reporting law enforcement issues. Should you see someone breaking the law, please call 727-893-7780 for non-emergencies, and 911 for emergencies.

How can we continue to report this on going issue to the police with NO resolve. This is a Social Service issue that needs to be addressed as such with the Salvation Army, the homeless collation and community outreach for the druggies and of course the Veterans Affairs. This is NOT solely a police issue. We are reporting time and time again calling 911 calling EMS when "they"fall and WE as a neighborhood are fed up and we see no end in sight. So PLEASE our law enforcement have enough on their hands, it's up to the departments listed above to take action. We have reached out and have very patiently been working in trying to move the Salvation Army to a more convenient location. We will come together like Coquina Key call 8 on your side and expose the nonchalant way these services are handling the homeless and the druggies. Someone needs to take accountability.

Issue 5537730 is no longer marked as a duplicate of this issue.

This issue has been marked as a duplicate of issue 5275166.

Issue 5275166 has already been closed and archived.
Please follow the link to view details on the resolution
of issue 5275166.