St. Petersburg’s Maritime and Defense Technology Hub is bursting at the seams, and city leaders are racing to expand before startups start looking elsewhere. With 18 businesses already packed into the facility—ranging from underwater autonomous vehicle innovators to companies dreaming of data centers on the moon—there’s virtually no room left for new tenants. The Hub has been near capacity since its inception, and the only space currently available is a micro-office, according to Innovation District CEO Alison Barlow.
“We were able to fill pretty quickly,” Barlow said. “From the start, we’ve been pretty close to 95 percent full.” The crunch is real. Companies are already asking about future needs, knowing the Hub can’t accommodate their growth. “Now we’re working with companies saying, ‘Okay, what’s your needs a couple of years from now? Because we’re not going to be able to fit you,’” Barlow added.
City Council Member Gina Driscoll is sounding the alarm. She worries that without expansion, startups will outgrow the space and leave, taking jobs and innovation with them. “The challenge we have is that it’s full,” she said. “So if there’s a business there that is ready to grow, we don’t have that space for them.” Driscoll is pushing for a second building, dubbed Hub 2.0, to be built on the west parking lot. But before that can happen, voters will need to approve extending the lease on the city-owned waterfront property beyond five years.
“We would have to have a referendum,” Driscoll said. “We need to have a longer lease to the Innovation District… I think that voters would be very supportive of an effort to create more space for more jobs.” The price tag for this expansion? Around $30 million, according to Barlow. She envisions a mix of private and public funding to make it happen. The timeline? About three to four years—planning, design, voter approval, and construction.
Barlow’s vision for the new building includes a first floor with double-height workshops and bays leading out to the water, while upper levels would house offices. The goal is to connect it seamlessly with the existing structure, creating a cohesive innovation ecosystem. A key selling point? More access to the restricted deep-water port shared with the U.S. Coast Guard, a major draw for maritime defense tech companies.
This isn’t just about adding square footage—it’s about securing St. Petersburg’s position as a hub for cutting-edge maritime and defense technology. The Hub has already proven its value, attracting businesses that are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. But without expansion, that momentum could stall. The question now is whether the city can move fast enough to keep up with demand—and whether voters will back the plan to secure the Hub’s future.