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Fiery aftermath followed shooting

By JON WILSON, Times Staff Writer
Published October 25, 2006

About 30 properties were set ablaze or otherwise damaged during Oct. 24-25, 1996, street violence. Here is a list of the major incidents and a look at what happened to the properties afterward.

1 SunTrust Bank, 4142 Sixth St. S. It was heavily damaged by smoke and fire, but reopened almost immediately in a temporary structure. A new 3,300-square-foot full-service SunTrust bank opened on the same site in late 1997.

2 Mastry's bait and tackle shop, 1700 Fourth St. S. It was slightly damaged by fire, but never closed.

3 18th Avenue Supermarket, 1856 18th Ave. S. Fire caused heavy damage to the store's inventory and equipment, but it reopened in July 1997. It is now called Midtown Supermarket.

4 Sanderlin Family Services Center, 2335 22nd Ave. S. A firebomb caused minor damage, but it never closed. It has continued to grow with improvements: a revamped courtyard and multipurpose room. The University of South Florida St. Petersburg's Neighborhood News Bureau opened this year .

5 Flowers Bakery, 426 Preston Ave. S. The empty building burned to the ground. In its place rose a Boley Centers residential project called Salt Creek Apartments.

6 Bartlett Park Neighborhood Center, 1453 Fourth St. S. Fire gutted its storefront office. The site is now a vacant lot. The neighborhood center eventually moved to its current location at 642 22nd Ave. S after moving in and out of various temporary quarters.

7 Carter's Florist, 2200 22nd Ave. S. The longtime neighborhood business was heavily damaged by fire, but reopened immediately and remains at its location.

8 Lundy's Liquor, 3084 18th Ave. S. Someone smashed a window, but there was no fire and the business reopened the next day.

9 Southside Grocery, 1400 18th Ave. S. The store was looted and owner Thuan Van Tran estimated $6,500 in damage. Tran, a Vietnamese refugee, died in 1997. The store is now called Food Max and is under new ownership.

10 Open Air Post Office, 76 Fourth St. N. A firebomb caused a fire in the adjacent alley, but postal service was not interrupted.

11 The Chattaway restaurant, 358 22nd Ave. S. Among the city's oldest drive-ins, small fires caused some damage, but it opened the next day.

12 Trinity United Methodist Church, 2401 Fifth St. S. Fire slightly damaged it, but it never closed.

13 Badcock Furniture, 2200 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. S. Fire caused a total loss to the longtime business. But it reopened in June 1998 with a larger display room, more inventory and more employees. Former police officer Richard Berthelot bought the store in 2005. Now Badcock and More, it's an enhanced version of the familiar Badcock store. Its grand opening is Nov. 4.

14 Wildwood Meat Market, 1228 28th St. S. Fire destroyed everything. Owner Isam "Sam" Jaber reopened in November 1997.

15 Department of Corrections, Probation and Parole, 2554 22nd Ave. S. The night after the disturbances, a Molotov cocktail started an outside fire, which firefighters extinguished. There was no interruption in service.

16 4600 block of 13th Avenue S. Fire heavily damaged a house in this block. A newly built house with a "for sale" sign sits on the property now.

17 1826 19th St. S . A fire was reported on the property immediately behind the 18th Avenue Supermarket, which also experienced an arson. A single-family residence remains on the site.

18 2430 34th St. S. A fire was reported at a fried chicken restaurant, which continues to operate at the same location.

19 1800 Fourth St. S. A residential apartment building is on the site. It is a Boley Centers residence called Bessie Boley Apartments.

20 Sun Liquors, 2205 18th Ave. S. Fire destroyed the store and owner Bruce Severino sold the lot to the Pinellas County school district. An expanded Perkins Elementary School now sits on the site.

21 3001 Fifth Ave. N. A small fire was reported at Glidden Paints the night after the disturbances. There was no interruption of business. A paint store remains at this address.

22-25 18th Avenue S and 15th Street: Four vehicle fires were reported near this intersection, including a police car, and three television news vehicles. In addition, firefighters responded to fires reported at several intersections where property damage wasn't specified. The intersections included Irving Avenue S at 26th Street; 22nd Avenue S at 34th Street; 18th Avenue S at 16th Street; 13th Avenue S at 20th Street; 15th Avenue S at 49th Street.

[Last modified October 25, 2006, 06:55:18]