PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A unique sporting event is coming to the Tampa Bay Area. While St. Petersburg doesn't have any cliffs, professional cliff divers will be making their way to the area to compete in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
Gigi Bella is eight years old, and when she heard that a major cliff-diving competition was coming right here to St. Pete, she said she was ecstatic.
"Woah, I'm just really excited to see… are they landing in the water? That’s what I'm excited about," said Bella.
The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series will be taking place at the St. Pete Pier on June 5 and 6.
This is the first time the competition will be coming to Florida.
Other stops include Copenhagen and Bali.
"I think what it shows is that this area is really building a reputation," said Steve Grimes with Visit St. Pete-Clearwater.
But where will the athletes be diving?
They will be jumping from 90 feet in the air off a platform built on the St. Pete Pier.
"That sounds crazy, I would love to see that, that sounds amazing..It sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing," said Leticia Ferreira.
The event is expected to bring thousands of people to St. Pete.
"Those events then bring in lots of people, those people help pay our tourist development tax, which helps us then put money back into the Pinellas County economy through things like beach renourishment or capital projects," said Grimes.
"It's only going to add so much more richness for the community," said Theresa Dolan.
Dolan and Gigi said big events like this one help uplift the community.
"Probably incredibly beneficial in helping put St. Pete on the map…the pier has been recently renovated, so this is a huge draw, and now to have this aspect of pier jumping or cliff diving off of the pier will definitely just create more interest and excitement," said Dolan.
Gigi said her family will be coming back for the event in June.
"Oh yeah, I'm super excited. I want to go cliff-diving," said Gigi.
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Casey Albritton is dedicated to telling your stories throughout South Pinellas County. From St. Petersburg to Largo, she’s there to share the triumphs and struggles of the community she calls home. So, let Casey know about the stories that matter to you.
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