Rays bond vote becomes stadium deal do-over

Pinellas County Commissioner Dave Eggers said Thursday that some colleagues believe a Tampa Bay Rays stadium bond authorization provides a “second bite of the apple” on previously approved agreements.

Commissioners spent half of a workshop debating the deal’s merits and their best path forward during a procedural agenda review. They will formally consider approving the bond issuance for a third time Tuesday.

Catalyze 2025: Margaret Murray (Creative Pinellas)	Places This Week: Tarpon Springs horse property on the market
Meet the ‘next best’ Leadership St. Pete class	City dedicates $1.7 million to Trop repair planning

The holidays shine brightly at Florida Botanical Gardens

In the 2023 USA Today Readers’ Poll of the best end-of-year light shows at botanical gardens around the country, the Florida Botanical Gardens came in at 9th place.

Not bad at all for a 100-acre stretch of leafy Largo greenspace sandwiched in between Walsingham and Ulmerton Roads. Owned and operated by Pinellas County, the Florida Botanical Gardens didn’t even exist until the year 2000.