SoUL Welcomes New Board Member Jose Castellanos

April 4, 2024 

Contact: James Bays, SoUL President 

Phone: 813-765-9286  Email: lake.soul.22@gmail.com 

                                                                  ** For Immediate Release** 

                            SoUL Welcomes New Board Member Jose Castellanos 

Stewards of Our Urban Lakes (SoUL) is thrilled to announce the appointment of its newest Board member, Jose Castellanos. Mr. Castellanos brings his extensive experience as a Business Development Manager II for Republic Bank in St. Petersburg to his Finance and Fundraising Committee role, one crucial to the organization’s growth. 

A native of California, he grew up in Indiana before making Florida his home. He enjoys attending concerts, playing golf, and any other outdoor activity. He loves to spend time with friends and family, including his three nieces. His life philosophy can be summed up by his favorite quote, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. Be the difference.” 

Mr. Castellanos joins the SoUL Board of Directors’ five other members at an exciting time for the organization. SoUL recently won Keep Pinellas Beautiful’s “Outstanding Environmental Nonprofit Partner” award for 2023 and was named “Outstanding Volunteer Organization of the Year” for 2023 by the St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation Department. 

A growing non-profit, SoUL was founded in 2021, taking over the work of Friends of Crescent Lake, or FoCL, which focused on improving Crescent Lake’s water quality and restoring natural wildlife habitat. The advocacy of the SoUL volunteers led to the installation of an aeration system in 2021, which improved water quality in Crescent Lake and eliminated algae blooms and fish kills during the winter months. Since its inception, SoUL volunteers have collaborated with the community to restore six lakes in the St. Petersburg area, with plans to add two lakes under its protective stewardship soon. In just the first two months of 2024, SoUL has logged over 700 volunteer hours, removed almost 4,000 pounds of invasive plants from area lakes, and removed 2,000 pounds of trash, 53% of which were plastics which are especially perilous to wildlife. 

For more information about SoUL, visit www.soulinc.org and follow them on Instagram and Facebook. To learn more about how to volunteer with SoUL, email them at  lake.soul.22@gmail.com