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17 Proven Methods to Find Jobs for Felons in St. Petersburg in 2023

By Last update May 18, 2022
St. Petersburg downtown

As a justice-involved person, you know how tough it is to find a job. In this article, we’re going to help you with finding jobs for felons in St. Petersburg, Florida. Our expert team of researchers has contacted over 1,000 companies across the US to find out their hiring practices and what their position is on hiring former offenders. Our team also has people that have done time, they know what you are going through, and will give you the benefit of their real-world experiences related to having a criminal record.

Jobs that hire felons in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg skyline

St. Petersburg is located on Florida’s gulf coast and is part of the Tampa Bay area. It has a population of over 260,000 people and is known as the “Sunshine City,” which makes it no wonder that it’s a popular tourist city with golfing, boating, fishing, and beach activities. It also has some great fine arts attractions such as the Dali Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Mahaffey Theater. 

If you are looking for jobs in these areas, or other industries such as service or construction, then you should try our outstanding job search tool. It will help you focus your search for jobs that hire felons in St. Petersburg. Give it a try to see what is currently available in your area!

Top companies that hire felons in St. Petersburg

It can be difficult to sift through employers to find companies that hire felons in St. Petersburg. Sometimes more jobs doesn’t equal more opportunities. Often we have to take entry-level roles that we’re overqualified for to build back up our careers. These jobs have the lowest requirements and are the most likely to have the fewest number of barriers for people with criminal backgrounds.

Another great option for justice-involved folks are staffing agencies. These employers are familiar with jobs in the area and can help you find entry-level (and other) jobs that have compatible requirements for education and experience. They are also one of the best ways to find a job quickly. So, if you need a job fast, then look into employment agency jobs for felons in St. Petersburg. 

The next section of this article will provide you with a list of companies that are likely to hire felons in St. Petersburg. Click on the company name to go directly to its section, or just scroll down to see all of them. 

Duke Energy

Home Shopping Network

Jabil

Mazzaro Italian Market

Times Publishing

Great Bay Distributors

Goodwill-Suncoast

The Fresh Market

Maher Chevrolet

All Trades Historical Restoration

In preparation for your job search, you will need to get your resume ready. If you have a resume already, it’s time to go through it and make sure it’s fully up-to-date and well written. Be confident in how your resume looks by using our guide to making a resume for people with a criminal record.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy Florida (formerly Florida Power) provides the generation, transmission, and distribution of power over much of central and north Florida. Their service area covers approximately 13,000 square miles and supplies electric service to approximately 1.8 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in the Florida area.

Some promising jobs for former felons:

  • Help Desk Analyst
  • Line Technician
  • Grid Tech
  • System Operations
  • Laborer

Home Shopping Network

Like shopping? Like TV? Then you may want to work for a local company that mixes both. The Home Shopping Network (HSN) is a free-to-air television network owned by the Qurate Retail Group. Based in St. Petersburg, HSN also has similar channels in several other countries.

Some good opportunities for former felons:

  • Buyer
  • Merchandising
  • Customer Service Specialist
  • Kitchen Utility
  • Painter

Jabil

Jabil Inc. is a worldwide manufacturing services company that is based in St. Petersburg and is one of the largest companies in the larger Tampa Bay area. They have nearly 100 plants in 30 countries with over 260,000 employees worldwide. Jabil’s businesses cover numerous industries including healthcare, life sciences, clean technology, instrumentation, defense, aerospace, automotive, computing, storage, consumer products, networking, and telecommunications.

Some promising jobs for former felons:

  • Assembly Operator
  • Quality Technician
  • Machine Operator
  • Mechanical Assembler
  • Material Handler

Mazzaro Italian Market

If you are into food and cooking, then you may want to check out the Mazzaro Italian Market (also Mazzaro’s Italian Market). It is an Italian cuisine fine food market based in St. Petersburg. Mazzaro hosts wine tastings and book signings and is known for its cheeses, olives, deli sandwiches, bakery items, handmade pastas, and pre-made dishes. It is a major tourist attraction in the area.

Promising jobs for former felons:

  • Baker
  • Cake Decorator
  • Customer Service 
  • Cleaning / Dishwasher
  • Cook

Times Publishing

Times Publishing Company is a newspaper and magazine publisher that produces the Tampa Bay Times (formerly the St. Petersburg Times), a daily newspaper serving the Tampa Bay area. They also publish the business magazine Florida Trend. Times Publishing Company is headquartered in St. Petersburg and is owned by the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit journalism school in St. Petersburg.

Some promising jobs for former felons:

  • Customer Relations Representative
  • Field Assistants
  • Delivery
  • Maintenance
  • Advertising

Great Bay Distributors

Great Bay Distributors is a medium-sized manufacturing company with an annual revenue of $171.3 million and over 500 employees. They have been around for a long time, since 1967, and are based in St. Petersburg. They have a variety of roles and jobs.

Some promising jobs for former felons:

  • Service Rep
  • Warehouse Order Builder
  • Merchandiser
  • Draft Line Cleaner
  • Stocker

Goodwill-Suncoast

Goodwill-Suncoast is the home of stores, donation locations, community services, events, and specials for Goodwill in Florida and the Tampa Bay area. Goodwill Industries-Suncoast is a medium-sized nonprofit organization with over 270 employees and an annual revenue of $61.3M. Their stated mission is “To help people achieve their full potential through the dignity and power of work.”

Promising entry-level jobs for former felons:

  • Cashier
  • Store Clerk
  • Cook
  • Accounting Clerk
  • Van driver

The Fresh Market

The Fresh Market, Inc. is a grocery store chain with a European market style layout and focus on having a variety of organic and healthy options. From one of their job listings, “Our mission is to make everyday eating extraordinary for our guests. We create a warm, welcoming, memorable experience with exceptional, personal service.” They often have many good entry-level opportunities.

Some promising roles and positions:

  • Cashier
  • Deli/Bakery Team
  • Grocery
  • Assistant Guest Service Manager

Maher Chevrolet

If you are into cars, then Maher Chevrolet is a large Chevrolet automotive dealership in St. Petersburg that you should check out. They cover St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and the greater Tampa Bay area. Maher Chevrolet has about 200 employees and an annual revenue of $71.8 million.

Some promising jobs for former felons:

  • Automotive Apprentice
  • Parts Delivery Driver
  • Service Attendant
  • Automotive Body Technician
  • Sales Representative

All Trades Historical Restoration

Do you like history, old buildings, and restoring things? Then All Trades Historical Restoration would be a good place for you to take a look at. They are a General Contracting company that specializes in historic building assessments, consultations, and preservations. All Trades Historical Restoration’s construction teams work alongside architects, engineers, and preservation offices to complete various projects.

Promising roles and jobs for former felons:

  • Painter
  • Laborer
  • Carpenter
  • Administrative Assistant
  • Construction

Trucking jobs for felons in St. Petersburg

If you like driving and want to get paid for it, then you definitely need to consider truck driving! The trucking industry is always looking for drivers, and it has a great history of hiring people with legal challenges. This in-demand job also has a lot of opportunities for new drivers because a number of companies offer free training and assistance for new employees.

If you’re looking for trucking jobs for felons in St. Petersburg, here are some companies to check out:

  • Freight King Transportation LLC
  • RoseMark Logistics LLC
  • FreightCenter
  • Carroll Fulmer Logistics Corporation
  • St Petersburg Auto Transport Wizard Inc.

Warehouse jobs for felons in St. Petersburg

Warehouses are good places to look for jobs, especially if are into keeping things organized and/or moving stuff around. Warehouse companies are almost always hiring workers and have a lot of job opportunities. Warehouse companies are not the only places with warehouse jobs, any company with a shipping or warehouse department will have similar jobs.

Here are some of the top warehouse jobs for felons in St. Petersburg:

  • XPO Logistics (Home Delivery)
  • Averitt Express
  • Smart Move Moving & Storage, Inc.
  • City-Wide Self Storage & Commercial Services
  • J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.

Temp agency jobs for felons in St. Petersburg

Newly justice-involved people often need to find a job fast. If you find yourself in this position, then you should enlist one or more staffing agencies. They are an excellent place to find a job quickly, they always have jobs available, and can hook you up with temp agency jobs for felons in St. Petersburg.

Here are some of the best agencies for justice-involved people in the area:

  • One Source Staffing and Labor St. Petersburg
  • Express Employment Professionals
  • Employment Connection
  • Aerotek
  • TRC Staffing Services

Second chance and job training programs for felons in St. Petersburg

Florida has a number of cities that have Ban the Box laws, but there is no statewide regulation. St. Petersburg is one of them, along with Clearwater, Daytona Beach, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Miami-Dade County, Pompano Beach, Orlando, Tampa, and Tallahassee.

If you are having a tough time and in need of some assistance beyond just finding a job, then you should investigate second chance and job training programs for felons in St. Petersburg and Florida. These programs will help you in a variety of areas to assist you with managing your everyday life.

Resources for former felons in St. Petersburg:

  • Kairos Prison Ministry International
    • Mission: TThe mission of the Kairos Prison Ministry is to share the transforming love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to impact the hearts and lives of incarcerated men, women and youth, as well as their families, to become loving and productive citizens of their communities.
    • Services offered: Spiritual Services
  • Community Health Insurance (CHI) Program
    • Mission: We are committed to building healthier communities and lives through advocacy, education, and outreach focused on helping individuals and families find the most accessible, affordable, and high-quality health insurance coverage.
    • Services offered: Medical, Reentry, Referrals
  • 2nd Chance
    • Mission: Our mission is to restore and enhance the quality of life for our clients by providing comprehensive, evidence-based mental health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders treatment that promotes healing and healthy, positive lifestyle choices. Using knowledge, skills, and experience, our multi-disciplinary team of professionals will enhance our clients’ lives by empowering them and giving them a 2nd chance to improve their physical and mental well-being.
    • Services offered: Medical, Mental Health
  • CareerSource Central Florida
    • Mission: CareerSource Central Florida finds and develops talent to keep businesses competitive and connects Central Floridians to career opportunities.
    • Services offered: Education, Employment
  • Remar USA
    • Mission: We have understood from the beginning of this ministry that Christ would have us help build His church by raising the building upon 4 principal pillars: 1. Evangelism 2. Discipleship 3. Social Work 4. Christian Business
    • Services offered: Employment, Housing, Mental Health, Spiritual Services
Garland Brewster headshot

After a successful 25-year career in the IT industry, Garland is now a Reentry Educator with The Relaunchpad. He has significant experience writing documents (resumes, LinkedIn profiles, etc.) and advising job seekers. Garland shares his experience overcoming legal challenges to help others in similar circumstances move forward and find happiness and prosperity.