THE WAY WE WERE The third volume in Bill DeYoung’s Vintage St. Pete series takes another long, loving, deeply nostalgic look at life in Florida’s fastest-growing city before the dawn of the 21st century. These lavishly illustrated stories will strike a chord with anyone who’s ever called St. Petersburg, or Pinellas County, home. Here are the cherished traditions and legends: The annual Festival of States parade, fancy dinners at the world-famous Kapok Tree Inn and one-of-a-kind casual restaurants The Penguin and Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish. Hometown heroes like organ-playing comedian Lenny Dee, beloved newspaper columnist Dick Bothwell and Tom Reese, the eccentric master of ceremonies at the uber-bohemian Beaux Arts Gallery; media icons Salty Sol, Ernie Lee, Shock Armstrong, and the rest of the “WTVT Big 13” gang (the top-rated local TV station for 25 years). The whole historic saga of Tarpon Springs, once the world’s sponge-diving capital; behind the scenes of Dolphin Tale, Spring Breakers, The Strange One and other Hollywood movies filmed in town. On 10/14 @8pm, DeYoung will talk about and sign books at the Studio@620 debut event. www.Stpetersburgpress.com.
NO CAR, NO PROBLEM A new stop near The Pier may be coming to downtown St. Pete for the SunRunner station adjoining the Sundial Parking Garage. The city council approved allocating $605,000 in September to build the station and install fiber optic communication lines along the 10.3-mile route to St. Pete Beach. In August, PSTA’s board voted to charge $2.25 for a one-way SunRunner ticket starting 10/1 instead of 11/1 to help alleviate St. Pete Beach residents’ concern about rising crime and increaseed homeless presence since the bus’s inception.
FLY ME TO THE MOON Eurowings Discover rebranded to Discover Airlines. Lufthansa began serving the TPA-FRA route in 2015, before transitioning the service to its wholly owned subsidiary Eurowings Discover in 2021.This winter, the nonstop flights to Frankfurt will operate 5x weekly aboard Discover, before going to 6x weekly in the spring and daily next summer, starting in late May. Alaska launches a non-stop to San Diego Oct. 5. This fall, Spirit will launch new nonstop service to Charleston, S.C., Charlotte, Richmond, and Norfolk. In addition, they will resume seasonal nonstop service to Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Boston, bringing their total TPA nonstop routes to 21.
KUDOS Keep St. Pete Lit celebrated 10 years; their first event was August 29, 2013, in collaboration with Friends of Jack Kerouac House on a city-wide reading of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. Champions of writing and reading with amazing classes and events, they’ve kept us informed about the community’s literary programs; book clubs, poetry open mics and writing classes for all ages; and educational tools to build a strong literary community. Creative Late Bloomer blogger and journalist Margo Hammond is working on a murder mystery and her short mystery story is in the upcoming Sisters in Crime anthology. The Florida Orchestra and Music Director Michael Francis announced today the promotion of Chelsea Gallo to resident conductor. The new title recognizes Gallo’s exceptional work since joining TFO as assistant conductor one year ago, as well as her expanded role for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
BIZ HELP The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program is now available. The program makes $20 million available for businesses impacted by Hurricane Idalia. Florida small business owners in need of assistance are encouraged to visit www.FloridaJobs.org/EBL to apply for the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program. Businesses in Pinellas County are eligible to apply by the Oct. 25, 2023, deadline, or until all available funds are expended.
GULFPORT Empower your mind, body, & soul during the Gulfport Health & Wellness Expo 10/7 10am-1pm at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom. Join the city of Gulfport and Keep Pinellas Beautiful for the 2023 International Coastal Cleanup 10/14 9-noon at Clam Bayou Nature Park. Bags, pickers, gloves & sanitizer will be provided. Volunteers should wear boots, long slacks & sleeves for walking through mangroves and marshy areas. Kayaks and canoes are welcome.
TREASURE ISLAND Every November, Sanding Ovations transforms Treasure Island Beach into a wonderland of sand sculptures and buzzes food vendors, live music and more to two weekends 11/16-19 and 11/25-26 with the 2023 theme “It’s About Time,” paying homage to all things representing “time.” Songs with “time” in them, popular slogans using “time,” world attractions representing “time” and more.
BLOW BY BLOW As of mid-September, Idalia estimated losses were up to $97.7M and Pinellas and Pasco residents were added to those counties eligible for FEMA assistance. Sunset Beach, Gulfport and Shore Acres were hard hit, and beach renourishment pleas are in discussion by residents and communities. FEMA’s individual assistance can include funding for temporary housing and home repairs. Those affected by the storm can go to disasterassistance.gov, use the FEMA app or call 1-800-621-3362 between 7am and 11pm.
The U.S. Small Business Administration is now offering low-interest loans starting as low as 2.5 percent for Pinellas homeowners and 4 percent for businesses to make repairs and cover economic losses from Hurricane Idalia. Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s under SBA declaration # 18118. The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Oct. 30, 2023. The deadline to return economic injury applications is May 31, 2024.
The City of St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch has approved an emergency resolution to help residents repair and rebuild their homes. Effective immediately, residents can utilize recreational vehicles and travel trailers for temporary shelter and housing on their own property and still be in compliance with code enforcement policies. For the next six months, St. Petersburg Code Enforcement will suspend issuing fines, citations and penalties related to this specific sheltering and housing plan for residents who have been displaced by Hurricane Idalia. St. Pete residents in adversely affected areas can contact the Housing and Neighborhood Services Administration for additional assistance: Joe.Waugh@stpete.org. St. Pete Beach debris clean-up will take approximately one month and began 9/11. stpetebeach.org/753/Hurricane-Idalia-Debris-Collection
TPA KUDOS Tampa International Airport’s 21-foot-tall, giant pink flamingo – formally titled “HOME” by artist Matthew Mazzotta and affectionately nicknamed Phoebe – has officially been named a winner in the prestigious CODAWorx Awards’ Transportation category and a “People’s Choice Awards” with more than 3,000 votes!
CIVIC DUTY The Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions (ISPS) at St. Petersburg enriches the education experience, engages with government to promote unity and efficiency, facilitate economic activity, and involve citizens in their college and government. The fall speaker series helps educate Floridians be better citizens and conduct productive discourse. isps.spcollege.edu/events
ON THE MOVE According to St. Pete Catalyst, Pinellas County is preparing to sell its 14 county facilities in downtown Clearwater that a 400-page report says are “functionally obsolete” and underutilized. “We currently have about 560,000 square feet in downtown Clearwater. (A consultant) went through our staffing and said, ‘the way you do business today, you only need 330,000 square feet’ – that’s a 40% reduction in space,” Assistant County Administrator Kevin Knutson said during a commission meeting last week. The county spends $4 million annually on maintenance for the facilities. Over the next several decades, the county’s spending would total $146 million to keep the existing facilities afloat. A new campus project is estimated to roughly cost $270 to $333 million; site selection is still in discussion.
NEWS BITES The University of Miami, Florida Atlantic University, the University of Florida, and Florida Gulf Coast University are sharing a $650,000 state grant to study long-term health effects from harmful algal blooms…New LiFT neurodiversity education facility opens in Clearwater…Beer is still cool in Tampa Bay with a dozen+ new breweries opened this year.
ODE TO MARGARITAVILLE If Paradise has a soundtrack, Jimmy Buffett songs are on that hit list. With his passing 9/1, homages and memories popped up including a concert at North End Tap House and interviews with former Coral Reefer bandmate and local Don Bartlett in Gulfport attended by former Mayor Rick Kriseman and other fans. Suncoast Surf Shop posted on social about their founder, now jamming in heaven with Jimmy B: “If you knew Joe, you know that him and Jimmy go way back. Who remembers the infamous Wine & Dine dinner boat cruise in 1976? Organized by Joe, Jimmy, and a couple other close friends, tickets sold for $75 a piece or $125 for 2 for an all you can eat and drink concert experience. A little-known fact about that trip – by the time they paid the liquor and food tab they had nearly broke even on their profits from the cruise. Joe and Jimmy also had their share of sailing adventures together, one time, as they sailed from Treasure Island to make their way down to Key West for Jimmy’s concert, they sailed past their destination and found themselves approaching the shores of Cuba. All they had on board that trip was a few cases of beer and a couple packs of Reese’s peanut butter cups.” At Suncoast Surf Shop, you’ll find a lot of these pictures along with the Wine and Dine concert poster design on their t-shirts and his autobiography.
WHERE AM I Flamingos blown off-course by Hurricane Idalia landed here, with sightings all over town and in front of the Bilmar Hotel. Seacoast Seabird Sanctuary nursed a few exhausted birds back to health. American Flamingo was native to Florida at one time but were hunted to near extinction for their pretty pink feathers. If you do happen to spot these flamingos in our area, it’s best to give them as much space as possible, and to not disturb them. seasideseabirdsanctuary.org
ARTS FESTS Howard Alan Events and American Craft Endeavors announced their 2023-2024 Tampa Bay showcases that include a new event, Clearwater Craft Festival 2/17-18 at Coachman Park. In Pinellas County, Corey Avenue Craft Festival is 10/18-29, 12/2-3 and in 2024, 1/6-7 and 4/13-14; Tarpon
Springs Sponge Dock Festival is 10/21-22 and in 2024, 4/27-4/28; Downtown Dunedin Craft Festival is 11/18-19 and in 2024, 1/6-7 and 4/20-21. artfestival.com
NOSH-ARAMA Taste of the Beaches 2023 10/7-15 is expanded so you have more time to sample local restaurants with selected tastes. Go online and select your restaurant. Purchase your tickets (1 $10 Ticket = 1 Taste), then visit the restaurants 10/7-10/15 and redeem your ticket at the resto for your taste. Participants include Broke N Bored, Buoy’s, Cabana Coastal Grill, Caddy’s Indian Shores, John’s Pass and Madeira Beach; Chill Restaurant, Coconut Charlie, Crabby Bills and Crabby’s on the Pass, Grapes Wine Bar and more: tampabaybeaches.com/taste
RAYS YAY! On 9/19, Tampa Bay Rays and the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County agreed to move forward with a new state-of-the-art neighborhood ballpark that will include 8 million square feet of mixed-use development by the Hines Historic Gas Plant Partnership on the 86-acre site where the team’s current stadium sits.