Wikipedia Founder drove his boat to lecture in Sarasota

SARASOTA (WWSB) - Jimmy Wales is no stranger to the Suncoast. The Founder of Wikipedia says he moved to St. Petersburg in 2002 and lived here full-time before relocating to London. But he still owns a house in Pinellas County and even took a speed boat down Monday for a lecture at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center.

“Went to St. Petersburg on vacation, bought a house and love it. I was here 10 years. I still have a house here. I came here today by boat. I have a little speed boat in Belleaire Beach,” he said.

Wales says he has always been enamored by encyclopedias and thought it was a neutral enough concept for more than one person to help write.

“As a kid I loved encyclopedias and I thought people can work together on encyclopedias because it’s neutral... whereas if you’re going to get people to write a novel, how do you even decide where the plot goes next?” Wales said.

Wales spoke as part of the 2019 RCLA Town Hall Lecture Series.

Copyright 2019 WWSB. All rights reserved.