Alert Pinellas, the county's emergency notification system, is warning that temperatures will drop into the 40s with wind chills in the high 30s tonight in Pinellas County. Residents are warned to protect pets and sensitive plants. Cold weather shelters – all provide a place to sleep and some offer meals – will be open at 6 p.m. Homeless Leadership Alliance shelter information can be found here.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Green Bay Packer 34-20 on the road Sunday behind the arm of quarterback Baker Mayfield. He became the first visiting quarterback to ever post a perfect passer rating of 158.3 at Lambeau Field. Mayfield threw for 381 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions and kept the Bucs’ playoff hopes alive as the team improved to 7-7.
Pinellas County resident Alexia Gonzalez recently secured three gold medals in Qatar at the 2023 IWF Grand Prix II, an Olympic qualifying event. The self-funded weightlifter hopes the international recognition will earn her a spot on Team USA’s women’s team in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. She has set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for expenses.
Professional soccer will soon return to St. Petersburg’s Al Lang stadium, and the USL Championship released its 2024 schedules Monday. The Tampa Bay Rowdies will start their season at home March 16 against San Antonio FC. For more schedule and ticket information, visit the website here.
The University of Tampa has announced its 11th president. She is Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg, currently provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Texas Christian University. Dahlberg, replacing the outgoing Ronald Vaughn, will begin June 1.
Several local civic and business leaders will celebrate the long-awaited ARK Innovation Center opening Monday. Construction on the 45,000-square-foot regional business incubator began in February 2022. U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, Pinellas County Commission Chair Janet Long, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and Cathie Wood, founder of ARK Invest, are among those attending the event.
Family Support Services of Pinellas and Pasco Counties and the Tampa Bay Rays and Rowdies Foundation gathered 18 expanding families at Tropicana Field for a special event Friday night. They were there to celebrate 24 local children finding their “forever families.” The adoptions were finalized at Enchant Christmas, the “world’s largest Christmas light maze and village.”
The "Holiday Lights in the Gardens" event, at the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo, placed 9th on the USA Today list of the country's "Best Botanical Gardens Holiday Lights," as voted by readers.
The Tampa Bay Rays have dealt a key member of their starting rotation, trading Tyler Glasnow to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Glasnow, 30, was traded along with outfielder Manuel Margot, 29, for the Dodgers’ Ryan Pepiot and outfielder Jonny Deluca. ESPN has reported that the Dodgers and Glasnow are finalizing a five-year, $135 contract, an extension that will make the deal official.
The owners of Bohemios, a Sarasota-based tapas restaurant and wine bar, have announced they will open a downtown St. Petersburg location in February 2024. Bohemios, Spanish for “bohemian,” will move into the former BurgerFi space at 875 Central Ave. on the ground floor of the Camden Central Apartments. The dining room can accommodate up to 80 people and includes a 14-seat bar.
St. Petersburg-based Duke Energy Florida is unveiling a one-megawatt solar array with more than 1,800 panels that float on top of a two-acre lake. The bifacial solar panels absorb light from both sides, producing 10-20% more power, and float on an existing cooling pond at the Hines Energy Complex in Bartow. Company officials state that their solar commitment provides $56 million in corporate tax savings passed on to Florida customers.
The performance by the Mountain Goats, scheduled for tonight at the Floridian Social Club, has been canceled. The club reported via social media that the cancellation was "due to roadside troubles."
