Madeira Beach Tidbits
The John’s Pass Village Association is rounding up last minute volunteers for the 14th Annual John LeVique Pirate Days, May 8-10, 2015. If you could help with event set-up and break down, barricade security, beer servers, event merchandise and ticket sales, VIP Hospitality, and other event needs. Most shifts are two hours long. Volunteers working 4 hours or more will receive an event T-Shirt and $15 worth of food/ beverage tickets. John LeVique Pirate Days is a weekend full of food, fun, sword fighting, and other piratical adventures. Volunteers are encouraged to dress in pirate garb & get into the spirit of a great festival. Volunteer sign-up is easy. Go to the web link and choose a time and desired position, chrisnsteve.com or call Robin Varnadore 813.478.0029.
Pinellas County Tidbits
“Cover Your Assets” for FREE with Property Fraud Alert. The Pinellas County Clerk’s office has launched a proactive subscription service that offers citizens protection of property title. Customers signing up for this free service will be notified immediately, either by phone or email, of any document recorded against their property in the Official Records of the Clerk’s office where deeds, mortgages and other documents are recorded. The FBI says property and mortgage fraud is the fastest growing white collar crime. Property fraud occurs when someone files a fraudulent document in the Official Records against your property. While the alert system does not prevent the fraudulent activity from taking place, it provides an early warning system for subscribers to become aware of what may have otherwise gone undetected. The public can sign up for the Clerk’s Property Fraud Alert service by visiting the clerk’s website www.mypinellasclerk.org or by calling the Property Fraud Alert hotline at 1-800-728-3858.
Reclaimed Water Restrictions Start. Pinellas County Utilities Reclaimed water customers can water only two specific days/week. Even numbers (0, 2, 4, 6, 8) water Tuesday &/or Saturday. Odd number (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) water on Wednesday and/or Sunday. Watering is allowed 4 pm-10 am. The reclaimed water system will be returned to full operation when storage levels recover. For more details, call Pinellas County Utilities Customer Service regarding reclaimed water at (727) 464-4000 www.pinellascounty.org/utilities.
The Pinellas County “Doing Things for You” app is available for residents to report issues and access useful resources. Pinellas County can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. More info is online at www.pinellascounty.org, which features LiveChat for assistance.
St. Petersburg Tidbits
The Community Redevelopment Plan is set to be adopted by St. Petersburg’s City Council at their meeting on Thurs., May 21 at 6 pm at City Hall, located at 175 5th St N.
Craft Kafe′ Bakes Gluten-Free Breads & Pastries From Scratch with Freshly Milled Flour. Located in West Central Shopping Center at 6653 Central Avenue in St. Petersburg, the contemporary, 1,300 square-foot Craft Kafe′ is open daily. Hours at the combination bakery, coffeehouse and small batch creamery are: Mon. – Fri. 6 am – 7 pm, Saturday 7 am – 7 pm, Sunday 8 am – 7 pm Visitwww.craftkafe.comor call 727.914.7443.
St. Petersburg to Host Florida Main Street Annual Conference Registration for the conference will open soon, and sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are available. For more information, contact Lauren Ruiz, Executive Director/Main Street Manager of the Grand Central District Assoc., at lauren.ruiz@grandcentraldistrict.org or 727.828.7006.
A second grocery store will soon be in downtown along with more retail space and a parking garage as part of a mixed-use project on2.2 acresat 700 Central Avenue. The 32,000 SF grocery store will face 1st Ave S, directly across from the Hermitage apartment building, currently under construction. 18,000 SF of retail space with a 3-story parking garage will be built above. An at-grade plaza will connect the new grocery store and retail space with the existing 6-story office building on the east side of the property.
New Businesses Downtown St. Petersburg
More than a dozen new businesses are opening along downtown’s Central Avenue. At 200 Central Avenue, two new restaurants have set up. First, Pantanegra Tapas Bar & Restaurant opened in March serving Spanish cuisine. The Mill will be opening soon with a farm-to-table concept.
At 533 Central Ave, Tony’s Pizza, which has stores in Dunedin and downtown Clearwater, will soon offer New York-style pizza by the slice with late weekend hours. Brick & Mortar Kitchen & Wine Bar, by Jason and Hope Ruhe, owners of Tampa’s In Bloom Catering & Event Planning, will open at 539 Central Ave, featuring local and seasonal produce.
At 601 Central Ave, Cider Press Cafe is expected to open in July as an expanded version of the raw vegan restaurant with the same name in Naples. The 6,300 SF building at 611 Central Ave has been undergoing major renovations. The building, built in 1922, now has space for a potential restaurant on the first floor and office space on the second floor.
At 685 Central Ave, next to State Theater, Central Melt will offer specialty grilled cheese sandwiches.
On the other side of State Theater at 689 Central Ave, Niryasa will make fresh, pressed juices.
New retailers on the 600 block include El’s Menswear as well as White Owl Market, which sells vintage and re-purposed furniture and accessories. Illume sells organic and fair trade apparel. Suzette’s on Central sells clothing & jewelry at 649 Central Ave. In the Morean Arts Center at 701 Central Ave, the Banyan Tree Cafe has opened a second location with the same concept though a slightly different menu than the original location at 689 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St.
On the 900 block, Ashe Couture opened after owner Amanda Henderson’s success selling her clothes at the St. Pete Indie Market, held monthly in the EDGE District. At 937 Central Ave, Kings Street Food Counter will open soon as a casual eatery.
St. Petersburg Artists Resource Collaborative (SPARC) The Greenhouse recently hosted a full house of local artists coming to learn how to optimize social media for their businesses. The Greenhouse, in partnership with the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, hosts SPARC meetings on the third Thursday of every month. The next meeting, May 21 at 8:30 – 10:30 am, will cover how to protect your creative business. Three local attorneys will lead the discussion and be available to answer any questions.
The Etsy Craft Entrepreneurship Program is an educational resource for artists interested in establishing an online business to sell their work. The program, taught by successful online craft seller, Christina Lembo, owner of Franny & Franky, will guide students through every step of setting up and running their online shops. Class will be held Monday nights beginning May 18 through June 8, 6 – 8 pm at the Greenhouse. Take advantage of these great opportunities by registering on the Greenhouse website.
Echelon City Center Planned – Echelon LLC announced plans for a mixed-use development of nearly 3 million SF on 16.5 acres at Carillon. The first phase of Echelon City Center commences this fall with construction of a 14-story apartment tower, One Park West. The 198-unit tower will include 16,000 SF of ground-level retail space and should be move-in ready by late 2016 or early 2017. “It’s exactly equidistant from downtown Tampa, downtown St. Pete and downtown Clearwater,” says Chris Eastman, chief development officer of Echelon. “What we’re doing here is, in effect building another city.” When complete Echelon City Center will house 500,000 SF of office space, 172,000 SF of retail, 1,500 residential units & 120-room boutique hotel.
Tyrone Square Mall’s new Cobb Luxury 10 Theatre Groundbreaking May 14. Built in the mall’s northwest parking lot to open in early 2016, the Theatre will include 10 auditoria with 1,200 seats and wall-to-wall screens with 3-D viewing capability. Plans include reclining seats with footrests, and a full-service restaurant and bar, according to Simon Property Group, which owns the 1.1 million square-foot enclosed mall between 22nd Ave. N. and Tyrone Blvd. off 66th St. N. It also features Cobbster’s Kitchen, a full-service restaurant and bar. Patrons are able to take meals and alcoholic beverages with them into the 10 auditorias.
Tampa Bay Area Tidbits
Museum of Science & Industry Tampa: MOSI’s positive changes attract the attention of downtown visionaries. MOSI has seen many positive changes over the past year, and, as a result, the museum is now attracting the eye of downtown developer Jeff Vinik, sparking a conversation about the possibility of moving MOSI downtown. While discussions are only just beginning and there are no immediate plans to move, the MOSI board and leadership continue to be open to new possibilities that may lead to the betterment of the museum. “The early discussions about incorporating MOSI into Vinik’s downtown vision are extremely exciting, and it’s important to remember the tremendous evolution that MOSI’s current leadership has facilitated over the past year – a $2 million gift from Florida Hospital, an innovative partnership established with USF, and all short-term debt paid off – to name just a few,” said Robert Thomas, MOSI board chair. “These positive changes only make MOSI more attractive to downtown visionaries.”
Tierra Verde Tidbits
A 90-room Tierra Verde Marina Resort Hotel may be the replacement for the old Port-o-Call Resort residents and businesses have been waiting for since the timeshare operation ceased and the resort was raised. An upscale waterfront lodge, an expanded high-and-dry boat storage building and a new restaurant would be featured. A City of St. Petersburg review board recently approved a height variance for its rooftop architectural trimmings to reach 85 feet rather than the 50 feet that normally is permitted. Neighbors and local business groups strongly support the plans that would transform a property that has been an eyesore in the high-end community through which people pass to & from Fort De Soto Park’s pristine beaches and popular fishing spots. “We’re excited to bring not just a traditional hotel to the island, but more of a set of luxury resort villas,” developer Pat Bowler recently told the city’s Development Review Commission. The six-story hotel wouldn’t be much higher than the massive boat storage building next to it, which got a variance last year to build up 63 feet, up from 50. City staff advised against the hotel variance and a handful of commissioners agreed, questioning whether its size was consistent with surrounding areas of mostly homes and mid-rise condos. Ultimately, a show of support from the local community swayed a majority of the commissioners to grant the developers’ request. A conference center, coffee shop and a rooftop event space are planned, among other amenities. BDG Architects, the designers of the Epicurean Hotel near Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa, designed the proposed Tierra Verde resort.