Welcome to the April issue of Paradise News, Tampa Bay’s favorite community news magazine, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. March, April and May provide some of our best weather. Mid-April is typically when our snowbirds migrate back to the north country for the summer, replaced temporarily by younger beach enthusiasts during their spring break. April starts with music. The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival in Clearwater covers the first two weeks, while the St. Pete Jazz Festival runs April 1-6 in downtown St. Petersburg. April also brings us the Dunedin Highland Games (6th) Tampa Bay Blues Fest and the Pinellas Pepperfest (13-14), Spring for the Arts (19th) and the Mainsail Art Festival (20-21). For gardeners, USF Botanical Gardens has a spring plant sale in Tampa (13-14) and the Annual Green Thumb Festival at west St. Petersburg’s Walter Fuller Park (27-28).
For runners, there are numerous walks and runs: Mote’s 5K Run for the Turtles (6th), Brighter Days Walk for Autism, and 5K By the Bay April 13, and St. Anthony’s Triathlon April 27-28. Fishing enthusiasts have at least two events: 3 Daughters Inaugural Daddy-Daughter In-Shores Fishing Tournament- April 13 and the 31st annual Spring King of the Beach kingfish and Spanish Mackerel tournament (25–27t) run by the Old Salt Fishing Foundation from Madeira Beach’s ROC Park. Come out for the weigh-in party at 6pm on Saturday. The fun continues into early May with: RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles at The Sound, Derby at The Pier, and Madeira Beach Founder’s Day, all on May 4 and the St. Pete Tacos & Tequila Festival on May 10-11 at Vinoy Park. A complete calendar of fun things to do in Tampa Bay this month is found in our Arts and Leisure and Events listings starting on page 47.
We would like to welcome two new writers this issue. Amelia Wilson Rose, our new guide to downtown St. Petersburg, has prepared a new list for us of Happy Hour spots to try out and a new Downtown Guide to replace last year’s Downtown Concierge column. We have also recruited a guide to Gulfport. Marlene Shaw, a longtime Gulfport resident, was a city employee and runs a Facebook page called Gulfport Matters. Meanwhile, we have new articles from the new writers mentioned in last month’s publisher’s message, including Claire Brinsden Jordan on Health, Kelly Rouse on Dining, Elli Baldwin with the Caregiver’s and Anthony Velardi with the Legal Corner. While we have been accumulating our new bevy of editorial contributors, our loyal staff has taken on tasks on their own, finding and/or creating the base for a story with the help of AI chat tools. Thanks Janet, Kaeley, and Buddy for picking up the slack while I get back in the editor’s saddle.
We are thrilled to announce some new, some returning, some renewing, and many continuing advertisers. We welcome Brooke and Jeff Anderson with Big Man’s Moving, Tampa Bay’s #1 choice. We heard from old friends Jacob Hornstein and Greg Hill of Our Children Have Rights, Kim from Creative Clay, Real Estate Brokers Chuck Olson, and Tammy Campbell Plumber McNelis is continuing her full page CPM team campaign in Paradise News. Our cover story this month is the amazing community of Marina Bay, which has been a loyal Paradise News advertiser for a decade or so. They have built to “Fortified Standards” on 60 acres just west of Eckerd College, and they just have a handful left to sell. If you know someone looking for a beautiful waterfront community on the Pinellas trail with no bridges to the Gulf, send them here.
There’s more online at www.paradisenewsfl.com where you can order a print subscription for under $2 /copy and sign up for our weekly digital emailed newsletter for free. See a sample under the weekly tab on the home page. Thanks for reading all the news from Paradise!