Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash and Erik Neander, president of baseball operations, have received long-term contract extensions. While details remain unannounced, the contracts ensure the duo stays in St. Petersburg beyond 2028, when the team plans to move into a new ballpark. Cash, a Tampa native, and Neander have guided the Rays to five straight playoff appearances and won more games than all but three teams during that span.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and City Councilmember Brandi Gabbard are hosting a public forum Tuesday, Feb.13, from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. to discuss the city’s increasing flooding issues. Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital is hosting the Resilience and Community Listening Session at its Research and Education Building at 600 5th St. S. City, state and federal officials will participate. To register, visit the website here.
St. Petersburg Science Festival and MarineQuest organizers expect over 15,000 people to attend the dual events Saturday around the USF St. Petersburg waterfront and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s adjacent Research Institute. The free joint festival, which runs from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., connects scientists, environmental organizations and cultural institutions with the public through hands-on demonstrations. New activities include a mobile aquarium, seagrass maze and “shark show utilizing virtual reality.”
The Charlotte Sports Park complex in Port Charlotte will host the Tampa Bay Rays for the first time since Hurricane Ian decimated Southwest Florida on Sept. 28, 2022. The team will return to the area starting Feb. 13. The Rays have called Port Charlotte - about 87 miles south of St. Petersburg - their spring home since 2009.
Jimmy Buffett’s cruise line, Margaritaville at Sea, will offer its “Heroes Sail Free” program in Tampa starting in June. The program allows teachers, first responders and military personnel to sail for free with a paying guest. Participants can cruise as often as they like and receive an amenity Express Pass and other benefits. For more information, visit the website here.
The University of South Florida’s online MBA program through the Muma College of Business ranked No. 22 among the U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 Best Online Programs. That represents a 73-spot jump over the past five years. USF’s online graduate business program (non-MBA) placed 23rd for veterans and No. 52 overall.
Busch Gardens Tampa has announced a partial entertainment lineup for the 2024 Food & Wine Festival, running Saturdays and Sundays, March 9 through May 19. The schedule: March 9, Goo Goo Dolls; March 10, Starship with Mickey Thomas; March 17, Sister Hazel; March 23, Taking Back Sunday; April 6, Owl City; April 7, Grupo Niche; April 13, Better Than Ezra and Vertical Horizon; April 14, Hoobastank; April 20, Michael Ray; April 21, Gavin DeGraw; April 27, Andy Grammer; April 28, Chris Lane; May 4, Boys Like Girls; May 4, .38 Special. Performers for all other dates are to be announced. For additional information, visit the Food & Wine Festival website.
The 2024 NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic in Clearwater will make history this week as the first live collegiate softball event to be televised live on the MLB (Major League Baseball) Network. The GameChanger app will stream all 43 games, another collegiate tournament first. The 17-team tournament runs from Thursday through Sunday at the Eddie C. Moore Complex and kicks off the 2024 Division I softball season.
The Tampa Bay Innovation Center, an early-stage tech startup incubator, will highlight area founders who participated in its recent artificial intelligence and machine learning-focused accelerator program. The event begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, at the ARK Innovation Center in St. Petersburg. Eight entrepreneurs will present their companies and take questions from a panel of experts and investors. To register, visit the website here.
The City of St. Petersburg's Urban Forestry Committee is hosting community meetings seeking resident input on what their key environmental concerns are. This collected data will help the committee develop educational programming and potential solutions to address issues. Fill out this form to RSVP to attend a planning session.
Tiki Tim’s Pub & Grille will soon take over the form Pesky Pelican space at 923 72nd St. N. in West St. Petersburg. According to its social media page, the new restaurant will offer “the best of Philly (Philadelphia) meets the Eastern Shore.” That includes cheesesteaks, crab cakes and Italian hoagies. Dan Pemberton shuttered the Pesky Pelican Dec. 31, and building renovations are underway.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers officials announced Saturday that they finalized a contract with Liam Coen to become the team’s new offensive coordinator. Coen previously served as the University of Kentucky’s offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. His hire could help the Bucs resign quarterback Baker Mayfield as the two briefly worked together in 2022 when Coen was part of the Los Angeles Rams staff under head coach Sean McVay.
