By Peter Roos
Meddling: The Women Who Built St. Pete is on exhibit until year end at the St. Petersburg Museum of History. From the Pinellas Peninsula’s first settlers to the trailblazers of today, women have always had a hand in the development of St. Petersburg. Referred to as “meddling” by historians for stepping out of gender norms and into male-dominated spaces, these women were politicians, civic leaders, educators, real estate developers, business owners and more. Through photographs, info panels, artifacts and video, this exhibit shares the stories of the women who created the Sunshine City. This exhibit was made possible through funding by the Adelphi Trust Company, the first trust company in Florida, founded, owned and led by women. www.spmoh.com/explore-exhibits
Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the U.S. as we learned from the article on page 21 of our February issue. The area’s first Pickleball Expo is set for Thursday, April 18, from 3-7pm at the St. Pete Coliseum, 535 Fourth Ave., St. Petersburg. They are looking for volunteers, attendees, exhibiters and sponsors. More info online at www.suncoastpb.com.
St. Pete-Tampa-Clearwater metro area was the 8th fastest growing metro in the country over the five-year span ending in 2023 according to a recent study. It was sandwiched between No. 7, Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville and No. 9, Tallahassee. Key factors in the study are the local gross domestic product and how it’s trending, unemployment rates, what kinds of jobs are growing, how well the needs of employers are matching with what the labor market has to offer, and the activity in such hot sectors as high-tech manufacturing, R&D and other occupations linked to science, technology, engineering, and math.
St. Pete Beach is getting started raising city owned seawalls in Pass-a-Grille and has accepted two grants toward making part of the Horan Park seawall a “Living Shoreline.”
Eckerd College is a year ahead with 200 feet of seawall south of the Omega residence hall, facing the Skyway Bridge being converted by summer. “On top of fortifying the campus against sea level rise and adverse weather events, the shoreline project will act as a community example and living laboratory. Faculty already have committed to incorporating the construction and study of the impacts of the finished project into their curricula.”
In St. Pete Beach the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Fund paid $113,070 for design of the replacement seawall at Horan Park. The city accepted and voted to match a $750,000 from the Resilient Florida Environmental Protection Program for construction. The plan includes public viewing areas along the park including lights for night viewing. Construction is estimated at about $1.5 million for the almost 1,000 feet of seawall at the St. Pete Beach Community Center and Horan Park.
Cirque du Soleil’s BAZZAR continues through March 24.Their big top tents can be seen in the parking lot outside Tropicana Field. Tickets for the high-energy show are on sale to the general public now. BAZZAR, the dazzling new spectacle of acrobatics has been touring the world since being created in 2018, and this will be its first American tour since that inception. The show features an international cast of 35 performers and musicians, including teeterboard, acrobatic bike, contortion, duo roller skate, duo trapeze, aerial rope, hair suspension, fire manipulation, slackline, and more. “Led by their maestro, they band together to invent a whimsical one-of-a-kind universe,” Cirque du Soleil said. “In a place where the colorful group imagines, builds and invents vibrant scenes in an artistic and acrobatic game.” Learn more and get tickets at www.cirquedusoleil.com/bazzar.
In 2023, Keep Pinellas Beautiful removed more than 168,281 pounds of litter, in part through the assistance of over 20,000 volunteers. They also planted more than 3,500 native plants and shrubs. You can help. Join a beach clean-up. www.kpbcares.org/upcoming-events
- Monthly Mirror Lake Cleanup – March 9
- Monthly TradeWinds Cleanup @ St. Pete Beach – March 9
- Monthly Clearwater Garden Work Day – March 9
- Monthly Gandy Beach Cleanup – March 16
- Rain Garden Planting @ Boyd Hill Nature Preserve – March 17
- Monthly Crescent Lake Cleanup – March 30
- McGough Nature Park Cleanup – March 30
- Invasive Plant Removal @ John Chestnut Park – March 30
- The James Museum Downtown Cleanup – April 6
The Cross Bay Ferry launched a weekday “Kids Ride Free” promotion for March & April. Whether looking for a fun spring break excursion or adventure on the water during March and April, families traveling by ferry, excluding dates of Tampa Bay Lightning home games, can save by using the promotional code “KIDSRIDEFREE24” to redeem one (1) free ticket for a child under age 12 with the purchase of an adult ticket for the same sailing. Tickets can be purchased at www.thecrossbayferry.com. All children must have a valid ticket to board the ferry. To spread the spring savings even further this year, Cross Bay Ferry riders can access exclusive deals and savings at some of Tampa Bay’s favorite local attractions. Learn more about available deals at www.thecrossbayferry.com/special-deals-offers/.
New Closet Today has opened a closet design showroom at Tyrone Square Mall, located between Dillard’s and JC Penney. You can also visit www.NewClosetToday.com, or call 727-641-6448 to schedule a FREE design consultation today. Grand Opening March 2.
If you love the sound of classical piano, Rebecca Penneys may be your new best friend. The Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival (RPPF) is bringing close to 40 top collegiate concert pianists and 23 internationally renowned faculty from the best music schools to USF’s Barness Hall from June 27-July 17. It is an amazing tuition-free program that allows promising young concert pianists to meet others like themselves and lets them practice on Steinway pianos, many for the first time. The Rebecca Penneys Friends of Piano, Inc., a registered non-profit in the state of Florida, supports this one-of-a-kind undertaking. The majority of funds gifted to the organization come from private donors, RPPF alumni families, former students of Rebecca Penneys, and corporate partners like Steinway & Sons and Paradise News. Donations are welcome to sustain annual programs, and sponsorships are available at www.rebeccapenneyspianofestival.org/support-contact‘. Learn more about RPPF at www.rebeccapenneyspianofestival.org or via their free YouTube Channel. For more about Rebecca visit www.rebeccapenneys.com
If north Tampa is too far for you to go, check out their “Ambassador Concerts,” often as close as Westminster Shores or Lewis House at Eckerd College.
Greenlane was launched locally in June of 2023 at 4495 W Gandy Blvd. in Tampa with a goal of improving the fast-food and drive-thru industries. Featuring salads, wraps, Kids Bunny Boxes, sweets and snacks, Greenlane believes that better-for-you food should be both accessible and affordable. The brand has also recently launched a partnership with local favorite, Mother Kombucha, to sell a gut-healthy kombucha slushie at Greenlane. Greenlane also now sells bottled Mother Kombucha products in store. They are building more stores on Dale Mabry and at 8001 Fourth St. N.
Short term vacation rentals in some Florida neighborhoods are out of control. Instead of protecting property rights for homeowners, who expect tohave neighbors, not partying vacationers next door, the Florida Legislature is considering HB1537 which makes it harder for local leaders to hold short term vacation rentals accountable and keep our neighborhoods and our own guests safe.
The Bay Area Renaissance Festival is back at their Dade City Park location weekends through Easter Sunday, March 31.Take a trip to a village in sixteenth century England. Thrill to the exploits of Jousting Knights on thundering steeds. Roam the village shoppes for unique crafts as our artisans demonstrate period skills like blacksmithing and woodworking. Delight in comedy, music, magic, and more on our nine stages of non-stop entertainment! March 9-10: Once Upon a Time. Step into a fairy tale with fairies, princesses, wizards, and other fantastical creatures. March 16-17: Shamrocks & Shenanigans. Celebrate Irish things with jigs, Irish dance competitions, Irish fare, Tug-of-War, and more. March 23-24: Viking Invasion. All barbarians are welcome to join the exhilarating adventures and enter a beard or mustache contest. March 30-31: Easter Enchantment. Egg hunts, bonnet parades & more.
Voters have until 5pm on March 7 to request a ballot be mailed to them. Republicans have a primary, and the ballot has seven Republican candidates listed, although only Nikki Haley and Donald Trump are still in the race. St. Pete Beach Democrats and independents have nothing to vote on. In Gulfport, incumbent April Thanos faces Tom Bixler in a highly contested race for Councilmember from Ward 1. In Treasure Island, Arden Dickey and Richard David Harris face off for the District 4 seat. Voters in Madeira Beach are only being asked to vote on a charter amendment to shorten the candidate qualifying period a week to the end of the first full week of December. In-person early voting is March 9-16. Deadline for submitting mail-in ballots is 7pm on March 19, which is also the close of in-person voting. For more info check with your local supervisor of elections. 727-464-VOTE (8683). www.votepinellas.gov
A new survey of nearly 800 registered voters in St. Petersburg by the League of Women Voters found overwhelming opposition and skepticism about the Rays-Hines Stadium and Historic Gas Plant redevelopment proposal under consideration by City Council members and Pinellas County Commissioners.
- 69% of respondents strongly agreed and 11% agreed that the city and county should negotiate a better deal.
- 72% are concerned that spending $700 million of property taxes on a stadium would affect the city’s cost to borrow money for an emergency such as a hurricane.
- 78% agreed, 66% “strongly,” that property taxes should be spent on critical needs such as drinking water and wastewater rather than a stadium.
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization, encourages participation in government, works to increase understanding of public policy issues, and influences policy through education and advocacy. The League of Women Voters relocated their office to new space at the Allendale Equity & Justice Center, 3803 Haines Rd. N, St. Petersburg.
Meanwhile, Will Conroy, founder and president of St. Petersburg based Backstreets Capital, said in an op-ed in the Sunday, Feb. 18, Tampa Bay Times that he felt the Hines-Rays development plan is a good deal for the city, and the best it is likely to get. “If it doesn’t happen,” Conroy speculates “If a developer as strong as Hines was not able to get approval, no other developer is going to want to undertake such a project. Then, the Rays will be gone, the dome will be empty and acres of parking will go untouched for years. This visionary Rays-Hines proposal is the best and likely the last chance to keep the Rays and create a vibrant new Gas Plant neighborhood.”