TIDBITS By Peter Roos
ST PETERSBURG
After a nationwide search, the St. Petersburg Tennis Center named Atlanta tennis pro Eugene Holliday as the Courier’s Kids Director. The Raymond James/Courier’s Kids program at SPTC provides after-school tennis instruction to area children. Former world #1 player Jim Courier and Tom and Mary James have been long-time supporters. Courier’s Kids offers discounted and free opportunities for eligible children.
Mr. Holliday was a high ranked junior player and has been a teaching professional and coach for over 20 years in Atlanta. He has also experienced tennis at the highest levels as hitting partner and team member for Donald Young, former world #1 junior and long-time African-American tour player.
Jack Bailey, Director of Tennis, 727-823-2225, jbailey@stpetetenniscenter.com, stpetetenniscenter.com
Hygiene Supplies for the St. Petersburg Free Clinic. KAST Construction, one of Florida’s largest general contractors, and builder of ONE St. Pete, created a event called “Cram the Conex” in which KAST employees Pat Duffy, Alex Cervera, John Metz, Dan Gallagher, Brycen Herman, Cindy Carey, Robert Winkler, Ty Rutledge, Joe Gillis, collected and their vendors donated much needed hygiene supplies for St. Petersburg Free Clinic. A Conex is a large, steel container that is used on construction sites and their goal was to pack it with as much as they could.
The Warehouse Arts District (WADA) has a new Tuesday Artwalk Outdoor Marketplace on the ArtsXchange Campus. Member artisans who make products by hand may apply to become a vendor. Products sold may include woodwork, jewelry, ceramics, textiles, mosaics, drawings, glass, jewelry, photography, printmaking, or painting. Spaces are limited. Applicants will be selected on a rolling basis and selected in order to provide a variety of products.
WADA Art Store on the Plaza
In conjunction with the Outdoor Marketplace, WADA will be testing a special “WADA Art Store on the Plaza” for artists who don’t have their own tent, but would like to be part of the Marketplace. After this test, WADA member artists will have the opportunity to place select art pieces for sale. Details will be worked out once our experiment in November can be evaluated. www.warehouseartsdistrictstpete.org/join-us
ORANGE STATION
On June 8, 1888, the Orange Belt Railway pulled into a temporary depot in today’s Edge District bringing the very first settler to a patch of scrub that became downtown St. Petersburg. While that station is long gone, in recent years the Edge District of DTSP has transformed into the city’s epicenter of cool, home to the city’s favorite independent restaurants and breweries and buildings, which are canvases for local and global street artists.
A European style plaza surrounded by lively outdoor cafés forms the heart of Orange Station, which adds 100,000 feet of Class A office space to greater downtown St. Pete, together with 56 urban condominium residences, 30 workforce apartments and 20,000 feet of new retail space along booming Central Avenue.
Sports tourism complex proposed for Tyrone area
Porter Development in Clearwater wants to build a mixed-use project focused on sports tourism on 29 acres of former Raytheon land west of Tyrone Mall. The redevelopment plan includes a 150,000 sq.ft. indoor sports, events and recreation facility, a 4-acre lagoon and outdoor recreation area, indoor and outdoor restaurants and retail spaces, a container park and apartments.
Les Porter, president of Porter Development, said the venue has the potential to be transformational for the community. The project would be located on 29 acres of vacant land at 1501 72nd St. N.. It is southwest of Tyrone Square Mall, east of Azalea Park and west of the Pinellas Trail. “The multifamily component of the project is much needed as well. As everyone is aware, demand is outpacing supply for housing. This lack of supply is driving housing prices and rental rates. This problem will be exacerbated without new supply.”
Porter is contemplating partnering with a group that specializes in multifamily development. One potential source of funding is the Pinellas County tourist development tax, or bed tax, a 6 percent tax collected on accommodations in Pinellas County rented for less than six months. The tax can be used to fund capital projects that drive tourism. The capital funding program is on hold for now because bed tax revenue is down amid a slowdown in travel during the Covid-19 pandemic, said Tim Ramsberger, COO of Visit St. Pete/Clearwater.
PINELLAS COUNTY
St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) Opens New Amenities – PIE announced new “Bark Parks” provide fenced pet relief areas for guests with dogs to enjoy the outdoors in a fenced artificial anti-microbial turf park with an irrigation and draining feature. More and more passengers and hosts arrive at the airport with their furry friends and PIE now has two Bark Parks for their use. Parks have benches, hydration stations, trash receptacles and dog waste bags.
Creative Pinellas announced the 2021 Emerging Artist Grantees. Tatiana Baccari, Chelsea Catherine, Nick Davis, Nikki Devereux, John Gascot, Mason Gehring, Gabriella Krousaniotakis, Yuly Restrepo, Sara Ries, and Emily Stehle. (Nick Davis was profiled in Oct. 2020 Paradise News!) Emerging Artist Grants are designed to assist artists early in their career with the tools to make the leap to their next step as professional artists. Each year Creative Pinellas awards up to 10 grants to artists with a recognized and proven promise, a history of success, a strong portfolio of work and a vision for their future. Grantees are provided with a financial award geared toward the production of new work, leading to an exhibition at the close of the grant period. Artists are paired with a mentor that helps guide the grantee through their development as a profession.
ST PETE BEACH
Sea levels are rising. A 2020 Army Corps of Engineers reports a 7-inch rise since 1992. Tampa Bay Climate Advisory panel projects one foot rise by 2050. Elected leaders of the city of St. Pete Beach heard from consultants in September that it will cost $18 million to protect the Don Cesar district, the city’s lowest section, from flooding for 30-40 years. City Manager Alex Rey says with other expenses figure $25 million.
Following the success of the October Concerts in the Park, the City of St. Pete Beach Rec. Dept. has introduced Holiday Movies and Holiday Market in the Park on Friday Dec. 4th, featuring the movie Elf, on Friday the11th (The Polar Express) and 18th (The Santa Clause) from 6-9pm in Horan Park 7601 Boca Ciega Dr. SPB 33706.
Local vendors will be present with gift ideas and holiday activities will precede the movies. You can rent a space in the park that holds one to eight people for $5. Go early and jump in on all the holiday fun and even shop from local vendors to find that perfect holiday gift this year! For tickets and more information please visit www.spbrec.com or call 727-363-9245.
TREASURE ISLAND
In a return to normalcy, Robby’s Pancake Breakfast will be hosted as usual by Middle Grounds Grill and Gulf Beaches Rotary at the Treasure Island Community Center, Sunday, December 6th, 2020 from 8 am-noon. They served over 500 breakfasts of pancakes, sausage patties, juice and coffee or tea last year with all proceeds going back into the community. Breakfasts to go are available.
Gulf Beaches Rotary meets at lunchtime every Tuesday at the new Cambria Hotel in Madeira Beach.
The Fusion, Treasure Island’s newest destination, celebrated the first anniversary of its grand-opening with a Treasure Island – Madeira Beach Chamber of Commerce mixer on its roof.
MADEIRA BEACH
Join the Trash Pirates at Archibald Memorial Beach Park from 8 – 11 am on 1st Saturdays (Nov. 7th, Dec. 5th, Jan. 2nd)for their organized beach cleanup. More information: connect with the Trash Pirates on Facebook.
TIERRA VERDE
TLC of Tierra Verde, (Tree Lighting Committee) is planning a tree lighting event Dec. 5th from 4-7pm. Visit them online for details of what they have planned during this challenging time.www.tierraverdeevents.wixsite.com/treelighting
Tampa Bay Watch received a $10,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation to create powerful communities in Tampa Bay through their Bay Grasses in Classes initiative. “Tampa Bay Watch is grateful to have received this generous grant from the Duke Energy Foundation,” said Peter A. Clark, president and founder of Tampa Bay Watch. “We are appreciative that Duke Energy has chosen to invest in one of our founding programs. Bay Grasses in Classes has helped to restore more than 170 acres of habitat around Tampa Bay and provided over 385,000 plugs of school-grown wetland grasses over the last 24 years.” Tampa Bay Watch’s grant is one of 10 totaling $355,000 awarded to 10 organizations in Florida from the Duke Energy Foundation. Tampa Bay Watch’s Bay Grasses in Classes program provides middle and high school students the opportunity to improve their community through environmental service-learning projects. Students in the program participate in restoration activities around the Tampa Bay Watershed including wetland plantings, biological monitoring at restoration sites, marine debris cleanups, and living shoreline creation. Bay Grasses in Classes provides a combination of field-based and classroom curricula to educate students on the importance of coastal habitats while motivating them to act as stewards of the estuary. 3000 Pinellas Bayway S, Tierra Verde, FL 33715, 727-867-8166 x233 www.tampabaywatch.org
GULFPORT
The 4th Annual Art Jones Studio Tour, Gulfport’s FREE, self-guided Professional Artist Outdoor Studio tour and SALE is planned for Saturday, Dec. 5th 10-5 and Dec. 6th 11-4. For artist info and a tour map, call 518-692-7742 or visit www.ArtJonesStudioTour.com. If you cannot make it that weekend, be sure to come back to see Brenda McMahon Gallery. Open T: 11-4; Th: 11-6, F-S: 11-7 or 9.
COVID-19 has made the world topsy-turvy. Why should the Pink Flamingo Home Tour be any different? Although they hope by March 6, 2021, most pandemic restrictions will have been lifted, nobody knows for sure. So the committee that organizes Gulfport’s favorite springtime event is working overtime to reinvent it. Their idea is a completely outdoor tour showing off the good, the bad, and the weird Gulfport has to offer.
The committee is seeking interesting, creative, unusual, only-in-Gulfport sights like: gardens, murals, pools, alleys, – something completely different.
They need your help!
Do you have a hidden gem on your property? Is your or your neighbor’s front yard simply amazing? Do you have a friend with a backyard oasis? Have you seen a fascinating alley somewhere in town? Email suggestions to pinkflamingo@visitgulfportflorida.com (or nominate your own home) or call and leave a message at 727-209-7131.
TAMPA BAY
Southwest Airlines will offer a new nonstop route from Tampa to Miami starting Nov. 15. According to a press release, the route will offer service three times per day. American Airlines is the only other carrier to offer nonstop flights between Tampa International Airport and Miami International Airport. Delta Airlines, the release states, is scheduled to offer daily nonstop service between TIA and MIA starting in December. Southwest currently offers daily nonstop service from TIA to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
USF given nearly $1M to fight mosquito-borne viruses
USF has received a $900,000 grant to use artificial intelligence to fight mosquito-borne diseases. Under the four-year grant from the National Science Foundation, researchers will collect data through smartphone apps, uploading images of mosquitos that will then be identified with their species and potential to transmit viruses, such as Zika. When the photos are uploaded, the researchers’ algorithm analyzes the photos and, over time, will help disease prediction and detail mosquito habitat maps.
Real-time surveillance is currently the only way to combat mosquito-borne diseases. USF scientists have already categorized 30,000 images in their work with the Hillsborough County Mosquito Management Program. They are working toward sharing the data in a global surveillance system, which can locate mosquito-borne disease hot spots earlier. NSF also gave the university’s College of Engineering $200,000 to build a digital tool that will allow health professionals, researchers and government agencies to delve further in the coronavirus pandemic. In June, the university ranked among the top 10 in patent production in the nation, according to a ranking by the National Academy of Inventors.
University of South Florida is closing its College of Education undergraduate program after being asked to cut $6.8 million in two years. The College of Education will be “reconfigured” to a more focused graduate school of education that will live within other USF colleges such as the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences. Students currently enrolled in the College of Education programs will be able to complete them. News of the closure comes as the state Board of Governors announced all 12 state universities would need to cut 8.5 percent from their budgets.