Keeping St. Petersburg Businesses Clean and Safe After Disaster

11/25/2020 (Permalink)

Is your business suffering from water damage? Call the pros in SERVPRO for the water restoration that is needed to keep you in action.

SERVPRO of NE St. Petersburg Ensures That St. Petersburg Businesses Look and Feel “Like it never even happened.”

St. Petersburg is among the sunniest cities in the Sunshine State in a very literal sense. This locale holds the record for most consecutive days of sunshine at a whopping 768 days. The warm climate and sandy shores have long since established St. Petersburg as a favored vacation spot. St. Pete’s motto is, “Always in Season.”

This tranquil coastal city was founded in the late 1880s to establish a railroad in the area. The name was decided by a coin flip between founders Peter Demens and John C. Williams, with Demens choosing his Russian hometown as the city’s namesake. Williams was permitted to name the first hotel after a town of his choice, which would end up being the Detroit Hotel.

Famous folks from St. Pete among a multitude of prominent people include:

• Mid-20th century beat author Jack Kerouac
• Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales
• Major League Baseball pitchers Jeff D’Amico, Jack Hardy, Doug Waechter, Roy Smith, and Nick Masset, among many others
• Congressman and former governor of Florida Charlie Crist
• Tuskeegee Airmen member and jazz musician Al Downing

1. Petersburg’s Historic Detroit Hotel

John C. Williams named the first hotel in St. Petersburg The Detroit Hotel, a nod to his hometown. However, the land belonged to Demens in exchange for his providing a railway through St. Petersburg instead of routing it directly to Gulfport. Today, the train station St. Pete was founded upon is occupied by the One Progress Plaza, a towering downtown business center on Central Avenue.

The Detroit Hotel originally had 40 rooms to spare, which was more than the number of people living on the land of St. Pete’s early history. Since those early days, however, St. Petersburg has grown into one of Florida’s largest cities, with over 265,000 living in it as of 2018.

To this day, more and more discoveries are being made about this unique historic building. In September 2020, the Tampa Bay Times reported that a construction team performing demolition for the Segreti Hospitality Group found an intact 115-year-old electric elevator inside the hotel while preparing for renovations. However, what makes the elevator an especially intriguing find is the rarity of electricity even at its construction time. St. Petersburg did not have electrical power until 1897 at the earliest.

Steampunk-themed brewpub Club 201 on Central Avenue has since taken in the find, among others, to preserve pieces of St. Pete’s early history. During this excavation, other findings included a staircase, hand-painted wallpaper, a fireplace, and a wooden switchboard.

The Sunken Gardens of St. Petersburg

The Sunken Gardens on 4th Street North is an idyllic getaway from urban sprawl packed with century-old plants and some of the oldest tropical flora cultivated in the Tampa Bay area. Over 50,000 tropical flowers and plants thrive in this roadside sanctuary. Cultivation in captivity over an extended period has created plants that are much larger than usual. These gardens were first established in 1903, the same year St. Pete was re-incorporated and is among the oldest operational tourist attractions in western Florida.

Plant and animal species found in the Sunken Gardens include:

• Florida royal palms (Roystonea regia)
• Water lilies (Nymphaea odorata)
• Bougainvilleas (Bougainvillea spectabilis Willd.)
• Mexican shrimp plants (Justicia brandegeeana)

Because of the age and care that has gone into the gardens, a diverse array of themes can be found within this botanical sanctuary. There are specific areas for cacti, butterflies, and even a Japanese-themed garden. The Sunken Gardens also host a broad array of events and programs for visitors, including gardening workshops, nature photography lessons, and rain garden planning.

The Sunken Gardens are especially noteworthy for its flamingos, including a young flock of 20 purchased from the San Antonio Zoo in 2016. This effort was accomplished with fundraising from a nonprofit formerly known as Flamingos Forever. This organization has since changed its name to Sunken Gardens Forever, and Mayor Rick Kriseman dedicated May as a month of appreciation for their efforts in preserving and revitalizing the gardens.

How Does SERVPRO Odor Control Protect St. Petersburg Businesses?

The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) accredited professionals at SERVPRO have extensive experience and training that places this firm among the top water restoration companies for St. Petersburg businesses. Commercial cleanup requires a strict adherence to local codes and regulations that maintains optimal safety and comfort levels for both employees and customers.

Odor control technicians (OCTs) implement a broad swathe of techniques to address odor-causing particles and microbes on different surfaces, which can include, but are not limited to:

• Injection systems, which are ideal for controlling water damage odors embedded in carpeting and upholstery
• Ultra-low volume foggers address widespread water odors in a disaster-affected space through the use of water- or solvent-based deodorizers
• Odor counteractant beads, time-release pellets, and granules all work to eliminate unpleasant odors from carpet, HVAC intakes, and porous surfaces
• EPA-registered biocides eliminate odor-causing bacteria and mold to create a sanitary space compliant with local and state business regulations
• Hydroxyl generators eliminate odors from contents without the use of solvents of masking agents

With everything from commercial-grade spray cleaners to HEPA-filter air scrubbers at their disposal, SERVPRO teams can thoroughly mitigate odor-causing substances in a commercial facility at the particle level in tandem with moisture extraction and structural and contents drying. SERVPRO of NE St. Petersburg also offers building and repair services that include tile flooring repair, roof repair and tarping, plumbing, electrical, and general contracting services.

SERVPRO of NE St. Petersburg serves businesses with We’re Faster To Any Size Disaster mitigation and restoration. Call (727) 522-0000 to return your business to a preloss state.