JINGLE BALL Niall Horan, “The Voice” coach and former member of One Direction, will headline iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball tour in Tampa this year. Horan, along with Teddy Swims, Zara Larsson, Doechii, Paul Russell, Kaliii and Lawrence will stop at Amalie Arena 11/26 @7pm.
CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES JAMES TURNS 5 Get your tickets for Honey’s Mini Therapy Adventures’ 1st Annual Gala, Mini Miracles at The James Museum, celebrating their 5th Year anniversary 11/9 6:30-8:30pm. Come dressed in your best boots and bling attire while enjoying cocktails and appetizers.
FREE MOVIES in Largo Central Park are back. 11/10 Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse, 11/17 Barbie with concessions on site; no alcohol permitted.
UP UP & AWAY In October, a remodeled Aldi grocery store reopened in Skyway Marina and a new Aldi store is coming to west St. Petersburg in the shopping center next to Tyrone Square Mall, taking over the Hitchcock’s Green Market space. Also moving forward for Skyway Marina is Altis Cardinal Development’s 34.3-acre Skyway Village, a multi-phased mixed-use development featuring 2,084 housing units, 80,920 square feet of commercial space, 22,500 square feet of office space, 119,160 square feet of accessory self-storage use and 4,000 parking spaces and hopefully Sprouts Farmers Market.
SHOP Keep St. Pete Lit’s new online store showcases three local artists: Cecilia Lueza with her “Reading Mermaid,” James McDole with his “Boo Book” design (perfect for the spooky season), and Leticia Cruz with her “The Writing Process.” More designs to come www.keepstpetelit.org/collections/lit-swag
BABY RHINO! In October, ZooTampa’s southern white rhino crash (the term for a group of rhinos) celebrated the birth of a newborn male calf! The baby rhino appears to be strong and is nursing alongside his experienced mother, 19-year-old Kidogo. Kidogo was paired with male Mufasa as part of the Species Survival Plans, overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums which ensures the survival of protected, threatened, and endangered species. And just in time for the holidays, you can book a private holiday photo session with an animal ambassador and scenic zoo location and help support their conservation efforts. https://bit.ly/46Ar4fq
MOVERS & SHAKERS Pinellas County Administrator Barry A. Burton named Brian Lowack the President/CEO of Visit St. Pete/Clearwater. Lowack had served as the head of the official Pinellas County tourism marketing and management organization in an interim capacity since June. In October, Lowack named Kylie Diaz as the organization’s vice president of community engagement. In her role, Diaz will oversee the Visit St. Pete/Clearwater community relations, brand activations, and funding programs – including the Elite Event programming. Diaz joins Visit St. Pete/Clearwater from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium where she served as the director of tourism since 2018. Lowack also hired Tampa Bay native Jason Latimer as director of public relations after years of sports experience working with the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, Miami Marlins, and University of Florida football.
LOCAL ARTIST Pamela Joy Trow’s newest public artwork debuted in October. She has been awarded 11 signal and utility boxes through four public arts commissions: eight boxes in the city of Pompano Beach, two boxes in the city of Sunrise, and now, one box in Pinellas County. Creative Pinellas and Pinellas County chose her to do one of the nine new signal boxes in Pinellas County. Says Trow: “My signal box pays homage to the beautiful birds of Florida. Although not a profound subject, I wanted to approach it using bold patterned graphics, cropping tightly to each bird, in a light Florida palette. I could not be happier with the end result. The ‘Birds of a Feather’ box is located in Palm Harbor between the highly trafficked streets Sandy Point Rd and East Lake Rd at the Pinellas Trail. This location gave me a gift. My sister, who was so excited to see this box, passed away three months ago, and my parents, several years ago now. My box is located around the corner of where they both lived for over 20 years. What were the chances?”
KUDOS Tammy McNelis holds the position of principal at The CPM Team, a real estate group specializing in St. Petersburg. As a founding member at Compass in downtown St. Petersburg, Tammy is deeply rooted in the community. As a resident of Pass-A-Grille, she actively volunteers at the Pass-A-Grille Women’s Club. Together with her husband Michael, Tammy is a strong supporter of various philanthropic endeavors in the area. They extend their assistance to organizations like CASA, The Celma Mastry Ovarian Cancer Foundation, and the Women’s Service League. In October, Tammy was one of the committee members helping to make PARC’s black tie gala a huge success. Over 100k was raised for Parc. Parc Center for Disabilities has been serving children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1953. Tammy worked on setting up the venue as well as gathering donations. She and The CPM Team also sponsored the Firefly 360 photo booth.
MADEIRA BEACH The Gulf Lane Project started 10/9, with Keystone Excavators mobilizing for the Gulf Lane milling and resurfacing for the next 120 days. The project consists of installing 600 feet of pervious concrete, new curb, and milling and resurfacing Gulf Lane and beach access from 135th to Johns Pass Park. Staging area for materials during the project will be at the 132nd Parking lot on the east side of Gulf Lane. Please use caution in the area while crews are at work. For details, Public Works 727-543-8154.
PROTECT & SUPPORT
Mental health is a growing issue, and SPC is stepping up to train law enforcement officers on helping peers cope with emotional challenges. Some law enforcement officers in the greater Tampa Bay region are taking classes as part of a new applied mental health certificate program launched this summer after the Sun Coast Police Benevolent Association approached the college about a growing need for support services.
TIERRA VERDE In Sept., Pinellas County told Tierra Verde they hope to provide the proposed agreement for the Rec Center before the end of the year. The county expects a response from TVCA prior to bid-out for construction in late spring. Also in Oct., Pinellas County sent the TVCA a tentative timeline for the Grand Canal Dredging Project with a budget estimate of $ 1,500,000 and project duration of 120 consecutive calendar days.
CONGRATS
Seminole High School Marching Band is one of 20 bands chosen to perform at the 2025 Rose Bowl Parade.
Alex Harris, winner of the TBBCA prestigious BCA Artist Achievement Impact Award.
RIDE & RUN Since 1993, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Ride And Run With The Stars event has given hope and help to children and families in need. On 12/2, starting at Fort De Soto Park, help raise money with Ride And Run With The Stars (the largest law enforcement-organized holiday charity fundraiser in the Tampa Bay Area). Participants enjoy cycling and walking events as well as a certified 5K road race. With a visit from Santa Claus, there’s food and fun for the whole family. The Agency members personally deliver the packages of food, clothing, and children’s toys to victims of crimes and disadvantaged families. You can also adopt a family; contact Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Victim Advocate, at sgarcia-olivares@pcsonet.com or 727-582-6465for additional information.
BEACH RESTORATION UPDATE Pinellas County’s efforts continue with emergency sand dune construction nearing completion on Sunset Beach in Treasure Island. Vegetation planting in the dunes is ongoing; residents and visitors reminded to stay off the dunes. The county’s tourism tax is funding the emergency beach restoration and other important tourism-related projects. Helping to restore critical dune areas ravaged by Hurricane Idalia is a massive endeavor. “We lost whole dunes, back to the parking lot in some areas,” said Pinellas County Coastal Management Coordinator Dr. John Bishop. “These dunes add a lot of added protection for our community, for the infrastructure, public infrastructure, the homes, they help to stop the storm surge. But they don’t help do that if they are gone.”
Sand dunes have already been constructed on Sunset Beach to provide storm protection lost through erosion caused by the storm. A contractor is now planting vegetation (mostly sea oats) to help hold the sand in place. “We are planting four different native species of grasses,” said Pinellas County Environmental Specialist Lauren Doing. “We are hoping by planting this vegetation that it will provide that extra layer of stabilization, but in order for the dunes to be able to protect from wave energy, and from winds and from storm surges even, it is important they remain intact and stable.”
Residents and visitors are reminded to stay off the dunes and outside of the active beach construction areas, for their own safety and to preserve the dunes. Emergency beach restoration is also ongoing at Pass-a-Grille, Belleair Beach and Upham Beach. Indian Rocks Beach is scheduled for restoration.
To place the necessary sand and construct dunes, Pinellas County must obtain short-term construction easements from some property owners. These county easements are temporary and different from the perpetual easements required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USSACE) project. Pinellas County is investing visitor-generated Hotel Bed Tax funds (known as the Pinellas County Tourist Development Tax) from tourists’ overnight stays to pay for the emergency beach reconstruction and other important tourism-related initiatives, such as the new Rays Stadium.
CHAMBER POWER Businesses love our Chamber of Commerce organizations for networking and developing new customers. Ribbon cuttings for new businesses are always in demand. Paradise News belongs to five local chambers: St. Petersburg, Tampa Bay Beaches, Gulfport Merchants Chamber, Skyway Marina District, and Treasure Island/Madeira Beach. In addition to advocacy efforts, fun events, visitor information centers and lunch/learns, their ambassador teams coach and counsel with business expertise and make owners feel welcome in our community. TBBC has a terrific online directory and guidebook where you can learn more about the Tampa Bay beach communities, local businesses, attractions, transportation, and even non-profit organizations. St. Pete has a fabulous shop with local artists and unique souvenirs. TIMB’s community events are fun and festive. Join one now.
PROTECT ST. PETE BEACH ADVOCACY GROUP Come meet your neighbors making a difference at their booth at the Sunday Corey Avenue Market. The group is committed to “One Beach, One Community” and supporting efforts that maintain and improve the quality of life in St. Pete Beach. The organization was formed by St. Pete Beach residents who are concerned about overdevelopment and the negative impacts of increasing development density above sustainable levels: traffic, impact on beaches and environment, and quality of resident lives. They want to ensure development projects on St Pete Beach’s infrastructure are improvements that beautify our community for the mutual benefit of residents and visitors alike, without increasing traffic, congestion, demands on infrastructure, or threatening wildlife and natural resources. You’ll find them at St. Pete City Commission meetings, helping local business fighting eviction by developers and championing beach restoration efforts. www.protectstpetebeach.com