On April 24, St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman revealed the Restart St. Pete initiative. The mayor has assembled a group of doctors and medical professionals, business leaders, and community advocates to discuss how this city should proceed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and after this difficult time has passed.

One of the selected Restart St. Pete advisors is Dexter Fabian. Dexter, as many of you may know, is the Publisher of I Love the Burg. He is also an artist, designer, fashion icon (IMO), and fervent supporter of locally owned businesses. He is one of the hardest working individuals I have ever known, and I consider myself lucky to both work for him and study under him.

Amid this pandemic Dexter has worked exhaustively to use this I Love the Burg platform as a launchpad of support for nonprofits, restaurants/bars, and other small businesses in the Sunshine City.

For St. Pete to move forward from this, it must acknowledge and learn from its history. Dexter, along with his partner and I Love the Burg Co-Founder Brian Bailey, launched this blog more than a decade ago. The complexion of St. Pete was much different then. In that time Fabian has observed the rapid growth of our arts and small business ecosystem — and in so many ways helped fuel that expansion.

From its inception, Dexter has made I Love the Burg a celebratory time capsule of this vibrant community. Ubiquitous, generous, earnest, Dexter’s longstanding business and philanthropic acumen is a gift to this city.

Dexter is that rare breed of human; he is someone with a good heart and a keen eye for business. I’m delighted to see his inclusion on this list of advisors who will assist in restarting this city when it is safe to do so.

To put it simply: Dexter is a fierce friend who I hold in high regard.

A message from the Mayor regarding Restart St. Pete:

Friends, I am as eager as anyone to get St. Pete back to normal, but we must do so in a deliberate and thoughtful manner and with respect to national, state, and county decisions. Given the unprecedented nature of this public health crisis, it is imperative that a cross-section of our community be engaged, including and especially those with medical expertise. I am confident we will soon emerge from this challenging time as a stronger and more resilient city.

Mayor Rick Kriseman will begin engaging his selected advisors next week through phone and zoom conferences. Here is the full list of selected advisors:

Dr. David Berman, Board certified pediatric infectious disease specialist, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
Olga Bof, Executive Director, Keep Saint Petersburg Local
Amber Boulding, City of St. Petersburg Emergency Management Manager
John Collins, Executive Director, St. Petersburg Arts Alliance
Duggan Cooley, CEO, Pinellas Community Foundation
J.P. DuBuque, President and CEO, Greater St. Petersburg Area EDC
Dexter Fabian, Publisher, I Love the Burg St. Pete
Rene Flowers, Pinellas County School Board Member
Rev. Watson Haynes, President and CEO, Pinellas County Urban League
Dr. Mona Mangat, Member/Past Board Chair Doctors for America, Board-certified allergist & immunologist, Bay Area Allergy and Asthma
Jason Mathis, CEO, St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership
Brad Miller, CEO, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority
Scott Smith, President, St. Anthony’s Hospital
Chris Steinocher, President and CEO, St Petersburg Chamber
Dr. Kanika Tomalin, City Administrator and Deputy Mayor
Michael Vivio, CEO-Owner, Corp Fitness Works
Dr. Israel Wojnowich, City of St. Petersburg Physician, Board certified Family Medicine, Bayfront Health Medical Group