The Lealman Exchange, operated by the St. Petersburg Foundation, will begin providing free swim lessons for local children and teens Oct. 4. The free Lealman Swim Program, made possible through partnerships with Community Foundation Tampa Bay, Step Into Swim and the Jim & Heather Gills YMCA, will host Saturday sessions for eight weeks. An ASL interpreter will support deaf or hard-of-hearing participants. For more information, visit the website here.
The St. Petersburg Police Department arrested Nirav Pandya, CEO of Space Machine and Engineering Corporation, Monday for embezzling nearly $192,000 in company funds. He allegedly used the St. Petersburg-based company's money to purchase private flights, Tampa Bay Buccaneers tickets and a water softener for his home. As of Tuesday, he remained in the Pinellas County Jail without bond.
St. Petersburg-based Duke Energy Florida will distribute "shelter in place" hurricane kits to the city's seniors Friday. The packages include a large, rolling cooler, a collapsible water container, shelf-stable food, hygiene products and other items. Attendees who bring a dog or cat can also receive a limited number of pet preparedness bags. The event is from noon to 1 p.m. at the Sunshine Center in downtown St. Petersburg.
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area's inflation rate increased 1.1% from July to September and 3.3% year-over-year after stabilizing and cooling in early 2025. Personal finance platform WalletHub, using Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Thursday, ranked Tampa Bay No.1 on its list of "cities with the biggest inflation problem." The metro area, which ranked No. 15 in July and No. 3 in August, narrowly edged out San Diego for the top spot.
Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside's homeowners, donors, sponsors, volunteers and community partners will receive an exclusive advance screening of HGTV's 100 Day Dream Home episode that features one of the affiliate's local families. While the free event is from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Ruth Eckerd Hall, the episode will not air nationally until Sept. 30. To RSVP for the event, part of Habitat's 40th anniversary celebrations, visit the website here.
The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority Leadership Class of 2025 has partnered with E-Smart Recycling and The Digital Education Foundation to host an E-Revolution Drive in St. Petersburg. Residents can bring their unused or unwanted electronics, including laptops, cell phones, tablets and chargers, to the PSTA Administration Building at 3201 Scherer Dr. between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Friday. The partners will refurbish and distribute the devices to PSTA's Transportation Disadvantaged and Access riders who lack the technology needed to complete applications or utilize Mobility on Demand services.
Personal injury attorney John Morgan exited the group working to bring a Major League Baseball team to Orlando a day after their "anchor investor," Rick Workman, reportedly joined a competing group vying to buy the Tampa Bay Rays. In a Tuesday email to the Orlando Sentinel, Morgan wrote that "the fix is in" and that he expects the Rays group, led by Patrick Zalupski, to get a "sweetheart" new stadium deal in Tampa while using "the prospects of Orlando as a bargaining chip." Stakeholders expect Zalupski's group to take over the team around the end of the season.
The U.S. Army recently awarded the University of South Florida an $85 million contract that will fund research across 16 modalities, including cybersecurity, biotechnology, photonics and quantum sciences. The USF Institute of Applied Engineering will facilitate that five-year contract, which was signed Sept. 4 at the Research Park Discovery Hall. "By leveraging our partnerships with industry, with academia and with allied militaries, as well as using flexible acquisition authorities, the Army aims to shorten timelines, reduce bureaucratic delays and ensure that soldiers have access to the best possible tools," said USF President Rhea Law.
U.S. News & World Report has recognized two St. Petersburg Collegiate High Schools (SPCHS) as regional leaders for their rigorous academic curriculum and dual enrollment opportunities. The SPCHS at St. Petersburg College's Gibbs campus ranked No. 2 among all Pinellas County high schools and No. 5 in Tampa Bay. The SPCHS at the North Pinellas (Tarpon Springs) campus ranked No. 4 in Pinellas and No. 8 in Tampa Bay.
The City of St. Petersburg has relaunched its free Sensible Sprinkling Program, which helps residents and businesses improve irrigation system efficiency with guidance from a local expert, "for a limited time." Officials have also scheduled new water conservation webinars through January 2026. For more information on the sprinkler system evaluation program, visit the website here. For more information on the free educational workshops, visit the website here.
Tiki Docks Madeira Beach, located on the first floor of the Cambria Hotel, has abruptly closed less than three months after its June 23 grand opening. The restaurant's ownership announced the closing in a social media post Monday and encouraged people to visit the Riverview and St. Petersburg locations. "The sun has set on Tiki Docks Madeira Beach," states the post. "We'll thank you for business and we'll cherish the memories!"
The St. Petersburg City Council recently approved a $216,297 contract with Cleaview Land Design to develop, deploy and operate a flood forecasting and impact assessment system. The geographic information system is part of the city's Coastal Conditions Monitoring Project and will improve flood anticipation, monitoring and response efforts. Mayor Ken Welch called the technology "another example of our commitment to identifying innovative solutions that will increase our city's resiliency against climate change."
