The Florida Orchestra, which plays the majority of its concerts at the city-owned Mahaffey Theater, plans to build a new home in St. Petersburg. 

The organization is seeking funding to build a Center for Music Education and Innovation in a new four-story building connected to the existing Mahaffey Theater performing arts facility and concert hall at 400 1st Street South on the downtown waterfront.

The Center for Music Education and Innovation would have a rooftop performance stage, classrooms, multipurpose spaces for community events, a new loading dock, and additional storage, according to documents submitted to the Pinellas County Tourist Development Council obtained by St. Pete Rising.

The wider loading docks and larger capacity would bring more renowned artists to the area and increase the number of shows. 

The activated rooftop venue also would host weddings, meetings, and become a viewing destination for events such as the annual Grand Prix race. 

The Orchestra said it would collaborate with the neighboring Dalí Museum to establish "world-class festivals/events in the area that will draw visitors from outside the county” at the new center. 

To bring the vision to life, the Orchestra has requested $9.5 million from the Pinellas County Tourism Development Council to go towards the $21.5 million capital expansion of the theater, which is owned by the City of St. Petersburg and operated by Bill Edwards of Big 3 Entertainment.  

In addition to the $9.5 million funding request, $19.43 million would come from the coffers of private donors, according to the capital budget. 

The Orchestra stated it has a private donor willing to provide significant funds for this project. However, it needs to secure the needed funding and approvals to move forward on the development. 

"[The Florida Orchestra] is one of the few orchestras in the country that pays significant rent for both rehearsals and performances. Yet, it has little control over scheduling," the group's application read. 

For the last fiscal year, the Orchestra paid over $700,000 for the Mahaffey Theater and $2 million in total for all venues in Tampa Bay to host its shows and rehearsals. 

The new building would guarantee availability for rehearsals, instrument storage, office space, and teaching spaces to seven to deliver music education and instructional programs. It would also provide financial savings for the Orchestra as they wouldn't have to pay for rehearsal space and transportation costs. 

Renderings and layouts created by ARC3 Architecture show a performance stage and covered section on the rooftop, and two levels for a large 4,200-square-foot main rehearsal space and mezzanine with an observation deck, sections for catering services, classrooms, a sound booth, and storage areas. 

An office level would house a music library, board rooms, offices, and lounge while the ground floor would have a 2,500-square-foot loading dock and a 150-square-foot ticket center. 

The application highlighted how the space would help achieve the city's vision of strengthening the bustling arts and culture scene. 

Mayor Ken Welch penned a letter of support to the TDC members. 

"As you know, St. Petersburg has supported the Orchestra for decades and we look forward to our continued successful partnership," Welch wrote. 

"There is still a significant amount of due diligence the city needs to do to ensure the proposed expansion project is buildable as designed and located." 

During a July Tourist Development Council, The Florida Orchestra CEO and President Ignacio Barrón spoke on the group’s vast audience reach and said they would like to bring the project to life in 2025. 

However, a specific timeline was not outlined in the application. 

The Florida Orchestra's TDC application, along with other organizations vying for the same funding such as The Morean Arts Center, will go through a vetting process to determine if the projects are eligible for capital program funding. 

The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) is expected to review projects requesting over $10 million in August.

Then, the Tourist Development Council will hold a meeting in September to review and approve funding recommendations. The BCC will meet in October for a final vote.

Visit St. Pete-Clearwater President and CEO Brian Lowack commented that Visit St. Petersburg-Clearwater currently has $115 million in capital reserves, which the organization could tap into to fund the accepted projects.

Kylie Diaz, VP of Community Engagement at the Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, said the next capital funding cycle is expected to open in 2026. Any projects deemed ineligible in this round can reapply to the next cycle.