President Joe Biden will make a campaign stop in Tampa next week. The president will visit the area Tuesday, April 23. Additional details are forthcoming, according to a campaign announcement Thursday. Biden raised over $6 million during a January trip to South Florida.
On Monday, April 22 – Earth Day – Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority’s SunRunner buses will be free to ride from 6 to 9 p.m. In addition, passengers during those hours will be serenaded by local musicians, one per bus, including Susan B, Mallory Moyer, Leify Green, Nelson Mariscal, Miguel Garza and others.
The local owners of Allelo have announced that Drew Dimitrovski will serve as executive chef for their latest concept on St. Petersburg’s Beach Drive, Juno & the Peacock. Dimitrovski previously served in the same role under James Beard Award-winning chef Anne Kearny at Oak & Ola in Tampa. Dimitrovski spent several years in New York, including at Bib Gourmand recipient Momofuku Noodle Bar in the East Village.
Starting in July, Pinellas County Schools will provide daylong childcare services for kids ages 12 to 48 months. The plan is to repurpose the empty Pinellas Secondary School in Pinellas Park into a daycare center with 160 spots for district employees. The initiative would cut typical childcare costs in half, and officials hope to eventually accommodate all employees with young children.
Clearwater Gas Systems (CGS) recently sold its propane line and will no longer offer those services to over 2,000 customers throughout Pinellas and Pasco Counties. The city council approved the sale to New Jersey-based Suburban Propane, which will absorb the municipal utility’s customers. CGS will now focus on natural gas services for homes and businesses.
WalletHub recently compared the nation’s 500 largest municipalities across 13 metrics in five major categories to determine the “Most Diverse Cities in the U.S.” The personal finance platform ranked St. Petersburg No. 61 among mid-size cities and No. 152 overall. St. Pete scored lowest, No. 341, for its economic diversity. View the full report here.
The St. Petersburg Museum of History will launch a series of monthly historic trolley tours May 4. The two-hour Star Trolley expeditions are professionally curated by museum staff. The inaugural journey will explore Thrill Hill, Roser Park, Old Northeast, Coffee Pot, Mirror Lake and more. Planned future tours include the tales of Prohibition & Rum Runners, Spaniards and Natives of West St. Pete, Haunted Ghost tours, a Civil Rights tour and an Architectural tour. Details and tickets can be found here.
St. Petersburg-based Duke Energy Florida recently filed a midcourse rate request with the Florida Public Service Commission due to lower-than-expected natural gas costs. With the Commission's approval, a typical residential customer will see their bill decline by nearly 4%. According to Duke, residents received a 6% discount in January.
Tampa General Hospital (TGH) officials announced that they would name a new 13-story surgical facility on Davis Islands in honor of the Taneja family after their $25 million gift to the project. TGH held a groundbreaking ceremony Monday for the Taneha Surgical, Neuroscience and Transplant Tower, which will add 144 beds and 32 operating suites to the intensive care unit. Hospital officials have raised $120 million for the project they expect to open in 2027.
Pinellas County’s Air Quality department has issued an Air Pollution Advisory due to elevated ozone concentrations. Ground-level ozone forms when nitrogen oxides and organic compounds react with each other in sunlight and hot temperatures. Officials encourage people with ozone sensitivities, lung diseases and elderly residents to consider reducing prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion. The advisory is in effect until Wednesday, April 17.
Creative Pinellas is managing the 2024 "Rays Artist Series" artist call on behalf of the Tampa Bay Rays. Six Tampa Bay and surrounding area artists will be selected to create works for a fan display at Tropicana Field. All details are available here.
The Tampa Bay Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund announced the 2024 Racial Equity Grant recipients Monday in honor of the 77th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier. The Helen Gordon Davis Centre for Women, James B. Sanderlin Neighborhood Family Center, Sing Out and Read and Where Love Grows, Inc. each received $25,000. Students from the Poynter Institute’s Write Field Program also interviewed several local community leaders before Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels.
