St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch announced Tuesday that he will present the annual State of the City address Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 10:00 a.m. The Palladium Theater will host the public event, which will celebrate the community’s resilience amid “unprecedented” hurricanes, recognize achievements during Welch’s third year in office and “look forward to what lies ahead in 2025.” To register, visit the website here.
RentCafe placed Tampa Bay 30th among the nation’s “hottest” rental markets of 2024, with an average of nine people competing for the same vacant apartment. To compile its rankings, the rental data analytics platform compared the 139 largest metro areas across five metrics related to market competitiveness, including the number of days an apartment remained vacant and the percentage of tenants who renewed their leases. RentCafe found that Tampa Bay’s apartment stock increased by 3.36%, well above the 2.59% national average.
Simply Business recently found that 26.3% of business owners in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area are under the age of 40. That represents the ninth-smallest share among the nation’s largest metros. The report states that Tampa Bay also trailed the 29.3% national average.
Operations at the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina’s fuel dock have resumed in the wake of recent storms. Nearly 200 people call the marina home and depend on the facility’s gasoline and diesel to power their boats and generators. Hurricane Helene inundated the fuel dock with a seven-foot storm surge, and Hurricane Milton subsequently impeded the recovery process.
WalletHub recently compared 180 municipalities across 65 entertainment-related metrics to compile its annual report on the Most Fun Cities in America. St. Petersburg placed 28th in a list dominated by Florida cities. The personal finance platform ranked Orlando second to Las Vegas, Miami third, Fort Lauderdale 11th and Tampa 17th.
The Book Rescuers recently opened a storefront at 8325 Ulmerton Rd. in Largo with three miles of shelves and over 100,000 books. The location features a 60-seat reading lounge, 16 craft beers on tap and a coffee and tea bar. Book Rescuers offers a $40 subscription fee and non-members can pay $1 for children’s books, $2 for paperbacks and $3 for hardcovers. For more information, visit the website here.
The Tampa Bay Innovation Center is now accepting applications for its IdeaSprint Bootcamp through Jan. 10. The abbreviated but intensive program will facilitate expert-led workshops, peer-to-peer learning and networking opportunities for aspiring founders and new innovators. The initiative begins Jan. 15, and organizers will accept up to 30 participants. For more information, visit the website here.
Scientists will soon have a better understanding of the Gulf of Mexico’s seafloor thanks to a local company’s uncrewed floating ocean drones. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has awarded Saildrone a $1.66 million contract to provide “accessible, high-quality and high-resolution seafloor data” as part of its mapping initiative. Saildrone’s ocean mapping headquarters and operations center opened at the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub in St. Petersburg’s Innovation District in 2022. Mapping will occur about 130 kilometers northwest of the city.
Pinellas County has accepted a $2.25 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to clean up waste tires placed in the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay as artificial reefs in the 1970s and 1980s. In the early '90s the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission determined tires are harmful to the environment, and do not make efficient or stable reef materials.
The third-annual Putt the Pier: Holiday Edition begins Friday and runs through Jan. 5 at the St. Petersburg Pier. Event organizers will convert the Majeed Foundation Nature Walkway into an 18-hole mini golf course with holiday-themed obstacles, decorations, and seasonal music. The waterfront course will remain open during the upcoming holidays. For more information, visit the website here.
Three-day tickets to the 2025 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg go on sale Friday at 10 a.m., with pricing starting at $135 for reserved grandstand seating and $75 for general admission. The event, now in its 21st year, begins Feb. 28 and kicks off the NTT IndyCar Series season March 2. Green Savory Racing Promotions will release single-day tickets in January. To purchase tickets, visit the website here.
Researchers at GOBankingRates analyzed travel data from various sources and expenditure costs from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to compile its report on “America’s 20 Best Places to Visit During the Holidays - On a Budget.” St. Petersburg placed second nationally, behind Portland, Maine. St. Petersburg’s livability score topped the list, and researchers praised the city's outdoor activities and food options.
