The struggle for waterfront park continued. In 1908 a new city council was elected opposed to the waterfront park. At that point waterfront boosters formed the St. Petersburg Waterfront Company for the purpose of taking over the waterfront lots previously purchased, acquiring the remaining property, creating a yacht basin, providing for commercial traffic to the south, and beautifying the park. Creation of this company suddenly sparked the city council to action. The council and a group of public ownership advocates secured money to buy the waterfront lots previously purchased by the Board of Trade for public ownership, with the first deed dated January 8, 1909. All the remaining waterfront property, except that held by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and the electric light company was obtained by the Board of Trade in December 1909. Final arrangement were made for city purchase of the waterfront property on Christmas Eve and resulted in what Straub’s Times called “the best Christmas present that St. Petersburg ever had.”

The dredge Blanche, named in honor of Blanche Straub, W. L. Straub’s daughter, began work on waterfront improvements in May, 1910. Waterfront Park finally became an official park at a dedication in December 1910. In 1911 seawalls were added and the ACL leased their property to the city. The site of the Electric Light Company, at the foot of Central Avenue., was acquired about 1914. This site was later leased by the city to the St. Petersburg Yacht Club for a dollar a year. The final piece of waterfront property at the foot of the Electric Pier was acquired by the city in 1919. At that time, St. Petersburg had one of the largest public waterfronts in the nation. The total public cost of purchasing and improving the waterfront came to almost $2 million by 1925.

Next: Waterfront Parks - Today