In January of 2017, Walmart announced that they would be pulling out of Tangerine Plaza in St. Pete’s Midtown neighborhood. Their official exit follow shortly thereafter. Many residents in the immediate area relied on the neighborhood market to meet their basic food needs.

St. Pete Officials meeting the needs of Midtown

The City has stepped up to address the food scarcity issue by offering free transportation from the Tangerine Plaza to another Walmart a little less than three miles away. This initiative is put in place while the city explores options to bring a grocery store back to the plaza.

For those facing transportation challenges, and especially for those St. Pete residents who relied on the Walmart in Tangerine Plaza, I am pleased to be able to offer this free service. Offering this service to our south St. Petersburg residents is an effort to address food insecurity while gauging demand for a future grocery story in Tangerine Plaza. – Mayor Rick Kriseman

Transport up to 25 passengers 4 times a day

The shuttle service begins May 13. The mini-shuttle bus will be able to transport up to 25 passengers from Tangerine Plaza — 1794 22nd Street South — to the Walmart Supercenter at 201 34th Street North.

There will be a total of four pick-ups at Tangerine Plaza: 10am, 11am, 12pm, and 1pm. The shuttle will depart the Walmart Supercenter at 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, and a final departure at 1:30pm. Healthy St. Pete cloth shopping bags will be distributed to grocery shuttle passengers along with a voluntary rider survey.

The driver will arrive at the plaza at 9:45am and wait for passengers in the parking lot area near the overhang of the former Walmart Neighborhood store. For further updates on City initiatives, follow St. Pete on their website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.