Radio station based out of Uhuru House wants federal COVID relief funding from Pinellas County
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A black radio station – based out of the Uhuru House in St. Petersburg – wants federal COVID relief funding from the county. But, the last time they submitted a request for these funds, it was denied.
On Tuesday, Pinellas County commissioners will take up a second funding request by the non-profit, African People’s Education And Defense Fund. APEDF’s mission is "to defend the human and civil rights of the African community."
The requested $67,000 would be spent on a generator to power the building known as the Uhuru House, which includes the Black Power 96 radio station.
In November, Pinellas County commissioners initially approved federal COVID relief funding for APEDF.
This time, the roughly $37,000 were meant for radio equipment for Black Power 96. The non-profit’s radio station said it worked hard to spread important information during the pandemic.
"Every hour on the hour, you heard how to wash your hands, you heard where to go, you heard what to do, put your mask on," Station Manager Eddie Maultsby said.
But in February, county commissioners reversed their decision, denying the money for the radio equipment.
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Commissioner Chris Latvala spoke up during a February workshop meeting and later made the motion to revoke the funding.
"According to the Anti-Defamation League, the Uhurus have ties to antisemitic Black nationalist groups: So my question is, how would a group that has ties to antisemitic nationalist groups get approved for funding?" Latvala said during the February 9 work session.
"You know, I stand by what I said," Latvala told FOX 13 Monday. "They've done a lot of things that I don't think represent Pinellas County."
In July 2022, the FBI raided Uhuru property in connection to an ongoing federal investigation related to alleged collusion with Russia to interfere in local elections.
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The non-profit group, APEDF, has hired Clearwater attorney Luke Lirot.
"This is a problem from the very core of the political agenda that’s being driven by a lot of the county commissioners," Lirot said.
The Pinellas County commissioners meeting is Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.