Climate First Bank buys St. Pete real estate for HQ
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Dec 1, 2021

St. Petersburg-based Climate First Bank has purchased property in North East Park to establish its headquarters.

Climate First Bank bought the building at 182 37th Ave. N in North East Park, formerly a BB&T bank, for around $3 million and “plans to do significant climate friendly renovations to the 5,781-square-foot building,” according to a news release. A portion of the building will be leased to Winter Park-based Phil Kean Design Group.

Climate First Bank anticipates moving in late April 2022, based on the construction time frames.

Currently, the bank is housed at 5301 Central Ave., approximately 20 minutes away from its new location. It has been operating out of a refurbished house, with the intention to one day move to a permanent spot closer to downtown.

Climate First Bank — a community bank founded by Ken LaRoe, who previously created and sold First Green and Florida Choice Bank — came to St. Petersburg earlier this year with a mission to “reimagine finance as a force for good.”

It acts as a full-service community bank and offers personal and commercial banking services focusing on environmental sustainability. The bank is carbon neutral and has vowed to “never invest in extractive industries, and every decision we make is through the lens of achieving drawdown,” according to its website.