The charter forming the St. Petersburg Junior College was signed on this date. SPJC was the first two-year institution of higher learning of its kind in the state. In 1927, city leaders saw the need to provide local access to higher education for students with limited means. Initially a private institution, the first classes were held in an abandoned wing of the St. Petersburg High School building. In 1931 SPJC became fully accredited and by 1948 it became a public institution. Now known as St. Petersburg College, the institution offers hundreds of courses at ten locations throughout Pinellas County.