We are pleased to present to you the 250th edition of Paradise NEWS. We have been celebrating our 25th Anniversary for months already, but the official date is NOW!
We are so grateful to you, our readers, as well as our loyal advertisers, writers and photographers that have helped Paradise NEWS prosper as a print publication in the “digital age.
We have embraced the online age ourselves, with a well established website, an active social media presence and a weekly Thursday electronic newsletter with the five top things to do each weekend along with current TidBits. Subscribe for free at paradisenewsfl.com.
Our first Paradise NEWS, distributed to every year-round address in St. Pete Beach was the December 1995 edition that celebrated the opening of the city’s Police & Emergency Operations Center. That building was torn down last year to make room for 36 cars to park in the Horan Park parking lot. By the way the switch from our own city police to the Sheriff has saved at least $2 million per year, more than even expected, and there have been very few, if any snags. Even the folks that used to police us here are happy. One is flying the Sheriff’s $6 million chopper and another is supervising school resource officers.
Late last month the Tradewinds Resorts became the latest major property in town to be sold, after the Don CeSar, the Sirata, the Grand Plaza and Beachcomber changed hands in the last few years. No major changes are expected, at least in the short term. The buyer, Joseph Smith’s 1754 properties, said seeing other new owners in town was part of the attraction, knowing improvements were anticipated as soon as the sewer system is fixed.
The good news is that the sewer system repair is expected to start early in 2020. The bad news is contractors will be narrowing southbound traffic to a single lane, 3 blocks at a time, as they move the pipe burial along section by section for an estimated 18-month total project. Concurrently, Duke Energy will be burying electrical lines along Gulf Blvd. as well, but this process is expected to use angular drilling, which should not seriously impact traffic flow.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and be sure to express your gratitude to everyone who goes out of their way to help you, especially this month.
If you happen to frequent any of our advertisers, or visit one of Ken Atchison’s stores, please let them know you read about them in Paradise NEWS.