St. Petersburg has long treasured its downtown waterfront public parkland. Stretching from Albert Whitted Airport on the south to Coffee Pot Bayou on the north the parks cover approximately 23 blocks. Included within this area are eleven parks—Albert Whitted Park, Al Lang Field, Pioneer Park, Demens Landing Park, South Straub Park (previously called Soreno Park), North Straub Park, Vinoy Park, North Shore Park, Elva Rouse Park, Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum, and Flora Wylie Park. All of this is land owned by the city and available for use by the public. Who had the foresight to preserve such a legacy for future generations? How did this come about?

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