Weekly Tidbits July 13, 2023

Get Your Local Business Noticed in Paradise News!

SUMMER may be vacation/staycation month, but back-to-school and fall holidays are just around the corner. Place your ad or advertorial in the August/September issue of Paradise NEWS and have it read by 100,000 locals and visitors online and in print. An additional 2,500 copies will be circulated in downtown St. Pete and the Old Northeast as we celebrate The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art on our cover.
Book your ad or advertorial now for 2023 for best rates and placement. Deadline to reserve space is July 14. To place your ad, contact PETER ROOS by email at sales@ParadiseNewsFL.com or call 727.363.6888!

When You Should & Should Not Help Fledgling Birds

Seaside Seabird Sanctuary is currently in their busiest season for their avian hospital due to “Baby Season” (April through August). Since April 1st, Seaside Seabird Sanctuary has admitted over 700 patients into our hospital with a staggering 31 birds admitted in just one day this May. The good news: nearly 300 of those birds have been released back into the wild or are on their way to release. Help Seaside Seabird Sanctuary during their busy season by understanding when fledgling birds need help. Baby birds often come into Seaside’s care after being found out of their nest, and sometimes they can become injured due to predators such as cats. Many baby birds, however, do not need our intervention or they can be easily renested and reunited with their parents. Fledgling birds are fully feathered and at this stage they leave the nest before they can fly to acquire critical survival skills while practicing their flight under the watchful eye of their parents who continue to feed them. It can be quite worrisome to see a fledgling on the ground, but the best thing you can do is to leave them be unless they are obviously injured. If they are in an unsafe area such as the road, you can gently pick them up and move them into a nearby shrub. While they are vulnerable at this age, this time of development is critical to their long-term survival. Seaside Seabird Sanctuary should always be a last resort! If you’re ever unsure about what to do if you find a baby bird, please call our rescue line at 727-391-6211 option 1 so that we can give you the best advice possible! Learn more at https://seasideseabirdsanctuary.org/.

Indian Shores Launches Metered Parking

Metered parking at Indian Shores Municipal Center and Bob McEwen Park will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, July 15, 2023.

On July 15, 2023, metered parking will go into effect at the Indian Shores Municipal Center and Bob McEwen Park.

RESIDENTS may use their Emergency Access Permit hangtag to park in any of the town-owned metered lots. (Nature Park, Municipal Center, McEwen Park – 197 Ave. E.) Note: Tiki Gardens is owned by Pinellas County and metered parking is in effect.
RESIDENTS may park overnight in designated spots only. Emergency Access Permit hangtag must be displayed. There are two designated spots at the Nature Park, six designated spots at the Municipal center and 15 designated spots at McEwen Park.
RESIDENTS who do not currently have an Emergency Access Permit hangtag, they are available on the 2^nd floor of the municipal building in the Police Department.

Parking Changes on Local Beaches

Parking rules on the beaches have changed since last summer. The cost to park has increased and fines for parking infractions have tripled to as much as $90 for parking on side streets in Pass-a-Grille. Free rides to and around St. Pete Beach are FREE with the new SunRunner (Bus Rapid Transit) to St. Pete Beach and the FREEBEE app on your smart phone. Visit www.paradisenewsfl.com/beachparking for detailed info about rates and places to park from Fort Desoto Park north through Madeira Beach. Rumor has it that talks are in the works for a SunRunner link to John’s Pass as well.

Blaine Krauss is Coming to The James Museum

The James Museum and American Stage Theater Company presents the Bistro Award Winning show “From The Soul” starring Broadway’s Blaine Krauss (Hamilton, The Cher Show, Kinky Boots, The Great Comet) on Saturday, July 29 7-9pm at the museum. The now iconic show that has been sold out in New York City’s 54 Below and Joes Pub makes its way back home to St. Pete in an intimate acoustic setting.

Blaine is a Pinellas County Center for the Arts, Gibbs High School graduate. This will be his first live performance in St. Petersburg in over ten years since he left for college.

Learn more at https://www.paradisenewsfl.com/blaine-krauss/.

NEW TIDBITS:

CLICK HERE to see last week’s tidbits.
The June/July Issue is NOW online. Read it here.
The City of Gulfport shared a community update in their most recent city email. In it you will find pictures from their Independence Day celebration, community news, upcoming events, crime reports and more. Find it at https://mygulfport.us/city-manager/community-update/.
The Gulfport Merchants Chamber celebrate the ribbon cutting and opening of The Gulfport Corner Store today, Thursday, July 13th. The Gulfport Corner Store offers sweet and salty snacks and refreshing cold beverages.
In conjunction with his solo exhibition, Here We Stand, artist Tom Jones will engage in conversation with one of his earliest teachers, the first President of the Ho-Chunk Nation, his mother, JoAnn Jones on Saturday, July 22nd 1-2pm at the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts. Included with museum admission. Click here to reserve your spot.
The Gulfport Corner Store offers sweet and salty snacks and refreshing cold beverages.
The City of Gulfport is looking for their 2023 Gecko Ball Queen! Learn more about how you can apply at https://visitgulfportflorida.com/gecko-ball.
Head out to Pier Plaza on the St. Pete Pier, Saturday, July 16th, National Ice Cream Day, for the Tampa Bay Ice Cream Festival! Purchase ice cream from a wide range of unique and classic ice cream flavors from over 25 vendors, enjoy music, and participate in family-friendly activities. Participate and vote for who takes home the crown in the “Best Ice Cream” awards. A day of sweet treats and sun-soaked fun awaits! Learn more at www.TampaBayIceCreamFest.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Seminole Portraits Happy Hour with the Historian- July 13th REGISTER
Sunsips by the Bay- July 14th TICKETS
Swing Time Disco Party at Gulfport Casino- July 14th INFO
Tampa Bay Ice Cream Festival- July 16th INFO
Preserve the ‘Burg Twilight Walking Tour- July 19th REGISTER
Preserve the ‘Burg Explore Jungle Prada Walking Tour- July 22nd REGISTER
PAVA Cool Art Show 2023- July 22-23 INFO
Beers on the Pier- July 29 TICKETS
Blaine Krauss at The James Museum- July 29 INFO
Gulfport First Friday Art Walk- August 4th INFO
Gecko Crawl- August 12th INFO
Gecko Ball- August 26th TICKETS
Florida Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday- August 26- September 8 INFO
2023 GECKOFEST- September 2nd INFO

REMINDERS

The June/July 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.
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/.
Preserve the ‘Burg’s Twilights Tours return this summer! Reserve your spot for one of their upcoming tours now at https://ptb.wildapricot.org/.
St. Pete Beach Launches Pedestrian Safety Campaign: S.A.F.E. Safety Awareness For Everyone. Visitors to our beaches expect Gulf Boulevard to be a lazy beach road rather than a state thoroughfare. Four to five lanes of traffic moving at 35 miles/hour has meant injury and even death to more visitors than anyone likes to see. Learn more in our April Tidbits at https://www.paradisenewsfl.com/tidbits-april-2023/.
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.
Registration is now open for The Dali Museum’s Junior Docent summer art camp at The Dalí, with sessions in June and July. Click here to learn more.
Clothes To Kids is clothing more families this year than in previous years. Families in our community are experiencing homelessness and unforeseen difficult situations. School aged children are in need of clothes and shoes. Learn more at www.paradisenewsfl.com/ctk-spring-2023/.
Treasure Islettes Bingo every Thursday at 6:30PM at the Treasure Island Community Center. Come for an evening of great fun, food and friendly people – Jackpot $200 – $250! Free parking, free coffee and tea. Great snack bar. All proceeds go to charity and college scholarships. Doors open at 6 PM. Questions? Call 727-270-3178.
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.