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01/21/2026

SPHA IN THE NEWS: St. Petersburg Housing Authority Empowers Youth with Robotics Workshop

Video report by FOX 13 News.

ST. PETERSBURG Fla. - The St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA) organized an event that allowed SPHA youth to explore their creativity and engineering skills by building their own robot! The Build-A-Bot Workshop was held on January 14, 2026, at the President Barack Obama Main Library. The event was part of SPHA's Gulf Futures 3D initiative, a grant-funded STEM program focused on building scientific and environmental literacy among youth in SPHA communities.

The mission of SPHA's Gulf Futures 3D initiative is to empower students through a dynamic blend of classroom learning and place-based experiences that ignite curiosity and creativity with emerging 3D technologies. By engaging learners in hands-on activities-such as 3D printing, scanning, CAD design, and virtual reality exploration-SPHA is helping students discover both the excitement and real-world potential of these tools.

Jade Timmons, SPHA Youth & STEM Program Coordinator, talking to FOX 13 News.

"You always say like kids need to dream big and they can only dream what they imagine. And when they're exposed to more, they can imagine more. So, they may not know that certain things are out there and we're here to show them the breath of STEM," said Jade Timmons, SPHA Youth & STEM Program Coordinator.

 

Youth participating in robotics workshop.

The initiative is being paid for with a $740,860 grant from the Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The Gulf Futures 3D initiative is one of several projects across the Gulf region designed to foster environmental awareness, technical proficiency, and community-based learning for K-8 students.

The National Academies' Gulf Research Program (GRP) is an independent, science-based program founded in 2013 as part of legal settlements with the companies involved in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. The GRP's mission is to develop, translate, and apply science to enhance the safety of offshore energy, the environment, and the well-being of the people of the Gulf region for generations to come. It supports innovative science, guides data design and monitoring, and builds and sustains networks to generate long-term benefits for the Gulf region and the nation.

SPHA is the leading affordable housing provider in the city of St. Petersburg, serving more than 4,000 low-income households. SPHA's mission is to provide safe, sanitary, accessible, decent, and affordable housing to eligible citizens of the city of St. Petersburg, while enhancing and promoting resident self-sufficiency.

 

Learn More:

For more information about the Gulf Futures 3D initiative:

 

 

ABOUT THE ST. PETERSBURG HOUSING AUTHORITY (SPHA):

An independent quasi-governmental entity and a political subdivision of the State of Florida, operating under Chapter 421 Florida Statutes, SPHA is the local administrative agency for housing assistance programs funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). SPHA offers a variety of programs and services that provide affordable rental housing to low-income families, seniors, veterans, and the disabled in the greater St. Petersburg region. For more information, visit www.stpeteha.org.