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TREASURE ISLAND The city of Treasure Island achieved LEED for Cities Gold certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Treasure Island achieved the certification for implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions aimed at improving sustainability and the standard of living for residents. The LEED for Cities rating system is designed to guide communities in achieving high performance in human and environmental health and has enabled the city to track outcomes and evaluate key metrics including energy, water, waste, transportation, education, health, safety, prosperity, and equitability. Treasure Island joins a global network of more than 130 certified local governments.

Treasure Island Fire Rescue offers FREE child seat inspections through a nationally certified child passenger safety technician. They will install your seat correctly and explain the proper use of the child safety seat and why correct installation is so very important. Call 727-547-4590 or email fire@mytreasureisland.org to set up an appointment.

PINELLAS COUNTY In an ongoing effort to reduce the impact of hazards such as flooding, sea level rise and storm surge, Pinellas County, municipal partners, and other stakeholders have updated this year’s local hazard mitigation strategy (LMS). The LMS is updated annually according to criteria set forth by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Florida Department of Emergency Management. County governments and municipalities are required to participate in order to be eligible for federal hazard mitigation grant funding to pay for projects that correct or prevent flooding and other hazards. Participation in the program enhances public safety, reduces damage to property and public infrastructure, avoidance of economic disruption and loss and supports a resilient Pinellas. Learn more at pinellaslms.org

Just Let Go at TradeWinds Island Resorts…St. Pete’s largest beach playground!

FLORIDA BIZ The Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research shows tax revenues are up and the Sunshine State had the nation’s 10th lowest unemployment rate. The bad news? Floridians are going to be paying a lot more for flood insurance and will see their federal flood insurance premiums double, on average, in the future.

GETTING AROUND Parking rules on the beaches are in flux; parking costs and fines have increased. 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. For rates and places to park, go to paradisenewsfl.com/beachparking.  The buzz is that talks are in the works for a SunRunner link to John’s Pass. 

Treasure Island’s beloved Waffle House has renewed their lease. Visitors and locals can do a happy dance over eggs, bacon, flapjacks and waffles for years to come. With all the new hotels and condos, it’s sure to be a popular set-up. Still going strong after 30 years!

BEACH BREWS A fixture in St. Pete Beach since 2016, Mastry’s Brewing Company has grown, distributing five of its most popular beers and is now expanding to Pinellas Park, where it will open not just a new headquarters and brewery location but anchor a mixed-use development in a 5,000-foot space with room for seating, live entertainment stage, artists’ studios, coffee roasting or pastry baking space, expanded brewing capabilities and more as well as room for food trucks.

NEXT GEN ARTISTS Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture & the Arts (TBBCA) announced the 2023 Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarship winners in May. Since the Art Stars Scholarship Program was founded in 2008 by TBBCA’s past board president, the late Charlie Hounchell, the nonprofit has awarded over $240,000 to more than 95 students, most of whom have come from public high schools. This year’s awardees will each receive $2,500 for tuition or other student support. The 2023 scholarships were awarded in six artistic categories to the following exceptional students: (pictured from left to right) • Visual Arts – Phillip Woodside, Howard W. Blake High School • Instrumental Music – Myra Sexton, Howard W. Blake High School • Literary Arts – Kennedy Engasser, Land O’Lakes High School • Dance – Lauren Scotch, Steinbrenner High School • Vocal Music – Kaia Owens, Tampa Preparatory School • Theatre – Alana Hogan, Gibbs High School.

STATE NEWS Governor Ron DeSantis threw his hat in the ring late May, launching TV ads pro and con between the dueling titans battling for the Republican nod. On the home front, DeSantis tapped USF St. Pete as new home to human trafficking data, signed a number of unfriendly LGBTQ+ bills and the list of banned books continues to grow. Almost 250,000 Florida residents have lost their access to Medicaid since the state began checking residents’ eligibility last month when the public health emergency started winding down.

SAFE DISPOSAL OF HAZARDOUS WASTE Pinellas County Department of Solid Waste has new operation days and remote collection event frequency for household chemicals. The collection facility’s name has changed to the Household Hazardous Waste Center, or HW Center. The HHW Center and Swap Shop will be open Tues.-Fri, and the 1st and 3rd Sat. of each month. HHW center is open 7am-5pm; the Swap Shop is open 7:30am- 4:30pm. The number of Household Chemical Collection events are increasing from 12 to 22 per year at Household Hazardous Waste North (HHW North), located at 29582 U.S. Highway 19 N in Clearwater, to better serve the residents of Pinellas County. HHW North events will occur twice a month, on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, except for Nov.-Dec. 

TOURISM HONORS During May’s National Tourism Week, Tampa Bay Rays President Brian Auld was the headliner at the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce’s annual Tourism Luncheon at the Tradewinds Island Resort. He praised the community partnerships and organizations that make this area one of the best places in America to live, work and play and highlighted the philanthropic projects and good deeds of the Rays and Rowdies in an inspiring speech. The TBBCC’s theme was Bridging the Beaches to the Bay, and was attended by many of the area’s hotel, tourism, venue, and government leaderships. Theresa Crane was announced as the 2023 Tourism Person of the Year; she is a senior account executive for Duke Energy handling the hospitality industry, municipalities, and many other Duke commercial accounts. Theresa acquired her passion for tourism during her 16-year tenure at Busch Gardens Theme Parks. She has served on the board for Tampa Bay Women in Tourism, the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber, Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, and Empath Health’s Hospice, as well as co-founding the Bay Area Concierge Association. 

KUDOS Congrats to Gold & Diamond Source owner Julie Weintraub honored by Washington lawmakers for her victim advocacy work with Julie Weintraub’s Hands Across the Bay. USF Psychology Professor Tiffany Chenneville has been awarded the American Psychological Association’s Springfield Policy Congressional Fellowship, which will allow her to work with a member of Congress on policies to advance the health and well-being of LGBTQIA+ populations. The highly competitive fellowship provides psychologists with the opportunity to work on Capitol Hill for a year, utilizing their expertise in service of public policy.

Solar Eclipse There has not been a solar eclipse visible in the United States since August 21, 2017.  Publisher Pete Roos reports from the flare front: We were north of Kearney, Nebraska for that event. Three other couples we knew joined us, in a cemetery on a bluff, overlooking a farm. It was an amazing experience. There will be two solar eclipses in the next 12 months: an “annular eclipse” in mid-October and a total April 8, 2024.

Neither track goes over Florida but you can get to there from here.  An ‘annular eclipse’ starts in the US around 9am PDT October 14 on the Oregon coast, and leaves through Corpus Christi, TX at noon CDT. The path of the annular solar eclipse next visits Mexico and Central America, passing over Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.

A total eclipse on April 8, 2024 crosses North America from Texas, northeast, through 13 US states, dissecting Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Maine,and Newfoundland, Canada.

For more information see greatamericaneclipse.com

Family Destinations Guide put Shell Key at No. 2 on their list of the 100 best secret beaches in the country. It’s the only beach outside of Hawaii to make the top four!

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