Weekly Tidbits August 3, 2023

NEW TIDBITS:

• CLICK HERE to see last week’s tidbits.
• The August/September Issue is NOW online. Read it here.
• CALL TO ARTISTS: Skyway 2024: A Contemporary Collaboration is a celebration of artistic practices in the Tampa Bay region, as it is a collaboration between five institutions: the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Pete; The Ringling Museum; the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design; the Tampa Museum of Art; and the USF Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa.  Artworks and projects in the final exhibition will be selected from an open call by the museum curators and the guest juror Evan Garza. Find the deadlines and submission requirements at http://www.skywaytampabay.com/.
• Tampa Bay Watch, in partnership with Tampa Bay Estuary Program, is recruiting volunteers to participate in their 28th Annual Great Bay Scallop Search by snorkeling selected sites within Middle and Lower Tampa Bay and Boca Ciega Bay for elusive bay scallops. The goal of the event is to monitor and document the health and status of the bay scallop population. Register to volunteer for this event at http://tampabaywatch.org/volunteer-main/scheduled-projects/.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Back to School Florida Sales Tax Holiday- Now through August 4 INFO
• Gulfport First Friday Art Walk- August 4th INFO
• Historic Trolley Tour of St. Pete with SPMOH- August 5 RESERVE YOUR SEAT
• Gecko Crawl- August 12th INFO
• Protect St. Pete Beach PAC Meet Your Neighbor Happy Hour- August 16 INFO
• Clyde Butcher Free Lecture at Capitol Theater- August 16 INFO
• Tampa Bay Watch’s Great Bay Scallop Search- August 19 REGISTER
• Sunset Sips & Salsa at the Don CeSar Beach House Suites- August 26 INFO
• Gecko Ball- August 26th TICKETS
• Florida Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday- August 26- September 8 INFO
• 2023 GECKOFEST- September 2nd INFO

REMINDERS

• The August/September Issue is NOW online. Read it here. 
• Reach snowbirds, locals & tourists in 2023 with a print ad in Paradise News!  Email Peter Roos at sales@ParadiseNewsFL.com to place your ads in Paradise News in Print. 
• Pinellas County Sheriffs Offices wants you to please lock your car doors and stow valuables out of sight.
• CLICK HERE to signup for ALERT PINELLAS to get vital updates during hurricane season.
• Coyotes call Pinellas County home too! CLICK HERE for safety tips for you & your pets.
• A longtime partnership between the Academy of Senior Professionals at Eckerd College and Creative Clay continues with The Big Art Show now open at Lewis House at Eckerd College.  The diverse collection of art by Creative Clay’s Member Artists ranges from Purple Moonlight by Marquise R. to other original folk-art pieces by long-time and former artists. Learn more at https://www.paradisenewsfl.com/the-big-art-show/.  
• Florida Fish and Wildlife approved new restrictions for fishing on the Skyway Fishing Piers. Learn more at https://stpetecatalyst.com/fwc-approves-new-skyway-fishing-restrictions/.
• The City of South Pasadena asked and you answered! With 89% of the votes, the design for the South Pasadena’s new dolphin statue has been chosen! Earlier this year the City of South Pasadena “joined the pod” by purchasing a 6 foot dolphin statue as part of Amplify Clearwater’s countywide Dolphin Trail program. Check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CityofSouthPasadenaFL to see who won and for updates on the painting process. Click here to read the City of South Pasadena’s full summer newsletter.
• Clothes To Kids inventory on shoes is extremely low.  Sadly, they are out of many sizes starting at children size 12 all the way up to adult size 13 girls, boys, juniors, and young men.  Clothes to Kids asks that go through your closets and donate gently used shoes or purchase a pair or two and donate to Clothes To Kids.  All children deserve to have shoes that fit them.  Learn more about Clothes to Kids & how you can donate at https://www.paradisenewsfl.com/ctk-needs-shoes/
• The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs is now accepting applications for the Individual Artist Grant Program. The program is designed to support public engagement of individual artists’ work/projects in genres such as Visual/Craft Arts, Dance, Music, Theater, Literature, and more. Learn more at https://www.paradisenewsfl.com/2023-spaa-grants/.
• The City of Gulfport Senior Center’s Telephone Reassurance Program is a free service for Gulfport Residents 50 years of age or older. Volunteers provide daily phone calls to registered members and provide comfort, security, and peace of mind to members and families. Registration is simple and free. If you or someone you know could benefit from this service during this difficult time, please call (727) 893-2237 and register today.
• It is illegal in Pinellas County to fertilize lawns during the rainy season (June 1-September 30), and slow-release products are required the rest of the year. Fertilizers containing nitrogen and/or phosphorus cannot be applied to lawns or landscape plants, according to Pinellas County ordinance. Learn more at https://www.paradisenewsfl.com/skip-the-fertilizer/.
• Rip currents provide visual cues for you to identify potential hazard zones before getting in the water. One of the best visual identifiers of a rip current is to look out for gaps between the waves. The calmer gap between waves may look safer for you to swim but a small patch of calm water in an otherwise choppy sea is often a rip current. One of these gaps is pictured below—the rip current is in between the two red arrows. Learn more about how to identify rip currents on local beaches & how to stay safe at paradisenewsfl.com/identifying-rip-currents-on-local-pinellas-beaches/.
• Sea turtle nesting season takes place from May 1-Oct. 31 on Southwest Florida beaches. See the tips below for how you can help keeping nesting seaturtles & hatchlings safe. See the dos & don’ts for when you are on the beach or in the water at https://www.paradisenewsfl.com/sea-turtle-dos-and-donts/.
• Join The Florida Orchestra as they bring the best of America and the world to Tampa Bay LIVE in our new 2023-24 season. Music Director Michael Francis is featuring Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue – celebrating 100 years! – Copland’s Appalachian Spring, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, Mahler’s epic Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection,” and many more. Full season and flexible series passes now available. Learn more at https://www.paradisenewsfl.com/tfo-season-pass-2023/.
• Reminder to our residents and visitors. No Dogs On The Beach! If you see something, say something. Contact Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Non-Emergency Line at 727-582-6200.
• Connect with the City of Gulfport through their app! CLICK HERE to learn more and download it.
• The City of St. Pete Beach is now using See Click Fix for residents to submit issues to the city. Click here to learn more.

August/Sept Issue