Residents and visitors can now participate in Visit St. Pete/Clearwater’s annual “best of” rankings. The organization received a record 256 nominations in 35 categories for its 2024 Best of St. Pete/Clearwater Awards. To help determine the winners, visit the website here before March 1.
The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority will eliminate SunRunner fares Saturday, Feb. 24, to accommodate Localtopia. Officials expect over 40,000 people to browse more than 300 vendors at the festival. The popular event runs from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday in Williams Park, and attendees must use the 1st Avenue and 5th Street North station to avoid paying a fare.
Pinellas County Commissioners have extended the application deadline for the Lealman Community Redevelopment Area’s (CRA) Citizen Advisory Committee to 3 p.m. Friday. The nine-member group offers feedback and insight on policies and issues that impact the unincorporated city. Commissioners will appoint three area stakeholders to a three-year term. For more information, visit the website here.
During March and April, children under 12 can ride the Cross Bay Ferry for free, with the purchase of a single adult ticket for the same sailing, excluding dates of Tampa Bay Lightning home games. A special entry code is required. Find information on the "Kids Ride Free" promotion, visit the Cross Bay Ferry website.
Although an opening date has yet to be announced, The Fresh Market will soon move into the Seminole City Market, replacing the niche grocer Earth Fare, which had been in the space since 2016.
The Innovare Apartments in St. Petersburg’s Innovation District welcomed its first residents Feb. 14. The 50-unit complex at 850 5th Ave. S. serves residents earning 60% or less of the area median income. The Florida chapter of faith-based Volunteers of America developed the $17 million project, and the City of St. Petersburg provided $1 million in land acquisition subsidies.
St. Petersburg’s Sundial shopping center is now undergoing several upgrades, with construction fencing circling its courtyard. St. Pete-based Paradise Ventures and Tampa-based Ally Capital Group, which bought the property for $21.1 million in early 2022, are transforming the open-air courtyard into a communal greenspace with an outdoor bar and programming. Six life-size bronze dolphins will replace the sundial sculpture.
Pinellas County voters have until Tuesday, Feb. 20, to register to vote or change political party affiliation for the March 19 presidential preference primary and municipal elections. All three Supervisors of Elections Offices will remain open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on President’s Day Monday to accommodate the deadline. All registered Republicans and residents of Belleair Beach, Clearwater, Gulfport, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores, Kenneth City, Madeira Beach, Oldsmar, Pinellas Park, Safety Harbor and Treasure Island can participate in the March 19 elections.
Job seekers with criminal records can attend a free upcoming workshop to determine if they are eligible to have their records sealed or expunged. CareerSource Pinellas, the Pinellas County Urban League, People Empowering and Restoring Communities (PERC) and local attorneys are hosting the legal workshop Tuesday, Feb. 20, from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. The event occurs in room G8 at Pinellas Technical College at 901 34th St. S. in St. Petersburg.
For the first time since 2014, the Tampa Bay Rowdies will wear green and yellow hoop sleeves that have been a trademark since the club began play in 1975. The new jerseys are now on sale, and season ticket holders will receive a steep discount at Saturday’s preseason match against CF Montreal at Al Lang Stadium. “Along with being one of the most iconic and recognizable kits in the history of North American soccer, the Rowdies hoops sleeves are an important symbol for everyone who has followed this club throughout the years,” said team president Ryan Helfrick.
The Federal Aviation Authority awarded St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) a $6 million grant for its $119 million expansion. The project, the largest expansion in the airport’s history, will add two gates, streamline security checkpoints and expand passenger waiting areas. PIE served 2.49 million passengers in 2023, a new record.
WUSF-FM program director Sheila Rue has announced her retirement, after 53 years in radio (the last 15 at WUSF and WSMR, its classical music subsidiary. Rue served on the board of the Public Radio Program Director’s Association and in 2011 was awarded the Don Otto Award, which honors unique public radio individuals “whose talents, smarts, and humor have helped public radio move forward over the course of their careers.”
