Local government facilities and services will close Monday in observance of Veterans Day. Regularly scheduled trash and recycling collection in St. Petersburg will occur Tuesday. Crews will perform Tuesday’s collections Wednesday.
Raymond James Stadium will host the innovation extravaganza known as Synapse Summit for the first time March 25. Tampa Bay’s largest technology-focused conference was previously held at Amalie Arena. The event annually attracts thousands of attendees, hundreds of vendors and dozens of expert panelists. For more information, visit the website here.
The Florida Public Service Commission has approved Duke Energy Florida’s request to lower rates as part of its annual adjustment for the cost of fuel. Typical residential customers using 1,000 kilowatt-hours will see a $9.77 decrease on their January bill. However, the company plans to file storm recovery costs for Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton, which could increase rates by March 2025.
The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce organized an online Recovery Information Session to help businesses with hurricane assistance. Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and the director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (ATF) will attend the event. For more information, visit the website here.
Floyd’s 99 Barbershop recently opened in the Moxy by Mariott Hotel in St. Petersburg’s Edge District as part of the franchise’s planned 15-location expansion throughout Tampa Bay. The modern, music-themed barbershop occupies 1,265 square feet of ground-floor retail space and is open to hotel guests and the public. The Moxy also features a coffee shop and juice bar, health, wellness and beauty spaces, a podcast studio, a lobby bar that opens to Central Avenue and a rooftop bar and restaurant.
Tampa International Airport has secured a $40 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to support the construction of its new Airside D, a major development estimated to cost $1.5 billion. The new terminal, set to open in 2028, will significantly boost the airport's capacity, allowing it to serve up to 35 million annual passengers by 2037, up from its current 25 million.
Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture and the Arts, the Hillsborough nonprofit whose mission is to "unite area businesses to champion arts and culture for a prosperous community," has re-branded as the Business Coalition for the Arts (BCA). The organization's annual Charlie Hounchel Art Stars Scholarship awards will be presented April 10, 2025, at the same time as the organization's IMPACT Awards ceremony. For more information, visit the website.
Raymond James Stadium will host the annual college football rivalry game between the Universities of Florida and Georgia in 2027. The game, known colloquially as “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party,” is typically held in Jacksonville and attracts over 70,000 people. However, EverBank Stadium is undergoing a $1.4 billion renovation, and Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host the game in 2026. The teams last played in Tampa in 2019, at Plant Field.
WDAE sports radio hosts Zac Blobner, Jay Recher and longtime program director John Mamola were laid off Monday amid corporate restructuring at iHeartMedia. WDAE will replace Blobner and Recher’s midday programming with Colin Cowherd’s national show, and will only air local personalities from 6-9 a.m. and 3-7 p.m. “A good reminder to all: Corporations don’t care. Even if it’s someone sandwiched between two hurricanes and the holidays, budget cuts happen,” wrote Blobner on social media.
The Horton Family Foundation has donated $1 million to support the development of an on-campus stadium at the University of South Florida, which will break ground Friday, Nov. 8. The stadium is set to open in 2027.
Tradewinds Resort recently reopened one of two storm-damaged hotels, RumFish Beach, as the area recovers from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Resort officials called the reopening a significant milestone for St. Pete Beach and expects the Island Grand to welcome guests by the end of the year. They will soon announce new dates for the postponed Bucs Beach Bash and Bye Week at the Beach events, held annually in partnership with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
An annual report published by PwC and the Urban Land Institute ranked Tampa-St. Petersburg fourth on its list of the top 10 housing markets to watch next year. The report, titled Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2025, credited the area’s continued population growth, positive business climate and job creation forecast for the local housing market’s 14-spot improvement over the previous year. However, the report stated that the area’s “previous housing affordability has eroded, with little hopes of returning in the near term” due to soaring insurance costs and home prices.
