page_title: Noel A. Mitchell
section_title: Mayor and later disgrace
hierarchical_section_title: Noel A. Mitchell / Mayor and later disgrace
caption_attribution_description: English: Damage from hurricane in Pensacola in 1906
context_page_description: Noel A. Mitchell was a businessman and advertiser who built considerable wealth through the sale of Atlantic City salt water taffy, and a burgeoning real estate business in St. Petersburg, Florida, which would later fund his successful run for mayor of St. Petersburg.
context_section_description: After unsuccessfully running for mayor between 1912 and 1920 Mitchell would not be denied. In his bid for mayor in 1920 Mitchell showed that he was not only a shrewd businessman but also politically astute. In 1919, women in the St. Petersburg area had recently won a referendum allowing them to vote for the first time. Mitchell capitalized on women's desire to vote and began actively courting them. Mitchell, at last, won the mayoral race and took office in 1920 to become the 12th Mayor of St. Petersburg, beating the incumbent Al Lang.
  Ever the business man, while mayor, Mitchell noticed a growing trend of tourism and realized that "the chief concern of the Sunshine City" was tourism and saw value in St. Petersburg's continued hospitality towards visitors. The effect of such thinking would lead to the blocking of a levy whose purpose was to require a "tuition charge" be placed upon tourists in an effort to pay for local education.
  In his time as mayor, Mitchell's creativity would not be diminished. Noticing an increase of "Tin Can Tourists" due to a lack of hotel accommodations, Mitchell seized the opportunity to create more headlines for St. Petersburg. In August 1920, Mitchell offered St. Petersburg municipal property to create a "tent city" which not only provided a free place for visitors to stay, but also offered amenities such as garbage collection and toilet facilities for free. Quickly the site was overcrowded as over one hundred families took up residence within the lot in less than two weeks. Due to its early success and now overcrowding, businessmen began to see the makings of an opportunity. Men began to envision a large plot of land outside the city limits where the tourists could live. It would be designed in a particular way so that it could serve also as a public park, set with pristine pathways, gardens and archways. Much to Mitchell's disappointment however, not everyone in St. Petersburg was happy with the attention the tent city brought. Even conscious of their national image the city council, against the urgings of Mitchell, abolished the tent city ending the local governments involvement indefinitely. This did not ban local individuals from continuing in the footsteps of Mitchell, and soon outside of city limits other sites began to arise. Unlike Mitchell's experiment however, these lots would charge modest fees for those who stayed in them. Later, their popularity would only increase as the economy in the United States worsened and slipped into the great depression.
  In 1921 tragedy fell upon the City of St. Petersburg in the form of a hurricane. With winds upwards of 100 mph and a storm surge of over 6 feet, many areas in and around St. Petersburg suffered massive damage. Forever the champion of St. Petersburg, Mitchell along with others did whatever they could do to alleviate the fears of both visitors and local citizens by fixing and hiding damage as quickly as possible. Downplaying the risk of future damage by storms was also a common tool in securing continued faith in the new city. At this point however, the growth of St. Petersburg would not be stopped. St. Petersburg's survival of the storm would do nothing but provide encouragement for both tourists and residents alike, securing the continued success and prosperity of St. Petersburg going forward. 
  Mitchell's outward and friendly manner would bring an early end to his tenure as Mayor of St. Petersburg. Ever the socialite, Mitchell loved throwing lavish parties for his friends and constituents. While throwing a party during the prohibition era was not illegal, drinking was. In November 1921, the local police raided a party Mitchell hosted in his mayoral office and later charged him with public drunkenness. After Mitchell's refusal to resign, Thorton Parker filed an affidavit for Mitchell's recall and received more than 185 signatures. Mitchell in turn published a formal statement that took up half a page within The Evening Independent in which he defended himself, denied his drunkenness and unleashed a scathing attack on his accusers. Mitchel
caption: Hurricane damage in Florida
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