St. Pete Residents Urge More Funding for Youth Programs During Budget Hearing
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St. Petersburg City Council members voted Thursday night to pass a $902 million budget on first reading. Residents got to weigh in on the $902 million spending plan, and the half-dozen speakers all said they think it falls short when it comes to programs for kids and teens. "This is so important because not only is it dealing with the youth, it is also dealing with my community, where I live and work," said Keesha Brundridge King, who lives in the city's Child's Park neighborhood. "I see every day as I wake up in the morning to get my child to school, hoping that he's safe and he'll return back to me.
I'm looking every day at the rec center and the programs that we consistently are fighting for that we don't have. " Brundridge King was one of a handful of members from the group Dream Defenders who told council during the first public hearing on the budget that such programs are key to curbing youth violence and the tentatives.