ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The city of St. Petersburg is committing millions of dollars to build 24 new townhomes along the 22nd Street corridor, commonly known as “The Deuces.”

What You Need To Know

  • St. Pete is investing millions of dollars into building 24 townhomes in the Deuces neighborhood of the city

  • Elihu Brayboy, commonly known as Mr. B, is hoping more housing will be coming to the Deuces community

  • Mr. B is pitching a project to Mayor Ken Welch, where they build six affordable condominium buildings in the Deuces, filled with 42 units in each building

  • Some of the proposed spots to build these condos, according to Mr. B, would be on land currently owned by the city

Residents of this historically Black neighborhood hope that the city will one day fill the several empty lots with new businesses and housing.

“I want you to stand on these grounds,” said Elihu Brayboy, a St. Pete resident and building owner in the Deuces.

Very few people share the same passion for a vacant piece of land as Brayboy, also known as Mr. B.

But Mr. B and his wife, Carolyn, have spent most of their lives in this area and they know its history.

“You got to know that if the land is vacant. It used to be a building on this land,” Mr. B said. “And if it was a building on this land in, more than likely was a Black owned property.”

Seeing it empty is the last thing they want.

For Mr. and Mrs. B, it’s about restoring a piece of the community into a vibrant opportunity to develop generational wealth that was lost years ago.

“This land needs to be working for the benefit of the community,” Mr. B said.

That’s been their goal for years since they started investing in buildings around the Deuces back in 2008.

The goal for the Brayboys has been developing properties for business owners and adding more housing to the area.

When they heard the St. Pete City Council approved over $13 million for the development of 24 townhomes along the Deuces just north of I-275, they were happy. However, Mrs. B said that can’t be the only solution.

“It’s a great start,” Mrs. B said. “But it’s a drop in the bucket.”

Even though it adds more housing, only half would cost below the median income for the city, which is about $69,000 a year for a four-person household.

For the Brayboys, generational wealth means so much to them because they’ve seen so many spots in their community deteriorate or get torn down.

“That doesn’t replace the hundreds of units that was lost,” Mr. B said. “My grandmother had a house over here. That house is gone. And the legacy and the generational wealth opportunity was destroyed.”

Mr. and Mrs. B’s solution is, in part, building six condominiums filled with 42 units each, which would involve using vacant land that’s currently owned by the city.

According to Mr. B, he wants these potential properties to be affordable.

“When there’s home ownership, there’s greater outcomes for good health,” Mr. B said. “When there’s home ownership, the kids do better in school and when there’s home ownership, there’s an opportunity for generational wealth.”