WalletHub has compared over 180 U.S. cities across 57 metrics that "speak to their conduciveness to self-improvement," including exercise opportunities and income growth, to determine the "best and worst cities for keeping your New Year's resolutions" in 2026. The personal finance platform ranked St. Petersburg No. 37 overall and 10th in the health resolutions category. However, the city ranked among the worst (No. 120) for eliminating bad habits.
Former Pinellas County Administrator Fred E. Marquis died Jan. 3. He was 86. Marquis, who retired from the U.S. Army as a major general, began his career in local government in 1970. He served as county administrator from 1979 until 2000, and officials would later name the Pinellas Trail in his honor. Marquis will be buried with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
The Tampa Bay Rays will begin selling spring training tickets Wednesday, Jan. 14. The team opens the 2026 Spring Training season Feb. 21 with a game against the Atlanta Braves at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte. An exhibition game against the Netherlands national team is March 4, ahead of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. For more information, visit the website here.
Another Winn-Dixie in St. Petersburg will soon become an Aldi as the Germany-based discount grocer has commenced construction at 11100 4th St. N. While the Winn-Dixie grocery shuttered in August 2025, its adjacent liquor store remains open. Aldi has already converted on Winn-Dixie in St. Pete, at 3327 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N., and will have five locations in the city once the 4th Street Store opens in the spring.
Tabla Modern Indian Cafe will replace Cafe Masala at 10324 Roosevelt Blvd. in the Gandy area of North St. Petersburg. Tabla opened its first location in Orlando in 2008 and rapidly expanded. The restaurant, billed as a place where "bold, authentic Indian flavors meet modern favorites," became a franchise in 2024 and now has locations throughout Florida, Texas and Illinois. Tabla has not provided an opening date for the St. Pete restaurant.
The Book of George, a documentary film about conservation photographer George McKenzie Jr.'s journey from growing up in Brooklyn to documenting wild landscapes across Florida, will screen Tuesday, Jan. 13 at the Barack Obama Main Library in St. Petersburg. McKenzie will attend the 6 p.m. event, and participate in an audience Q&A following the screening. Free reserved tickets are available at this link.
The Florida Aquarium has successfully transferred 9,000 juvenile corals to restoration partners as organizations statewide attempt to replenish populations impacted by habitat loss and heat-induced bleaching events. The Tampa facility's latest effort represents one of the largest statewide deployments of land-grown coral babies under Florida's Coral Reef Restoration and Recovery Initiative. The corals were born and raised at the aquarium's conservation and research center in Apollo Beach.
St. Petersburg is No. 2 in the nation on a new list of the "Best Boating Cities for 2026," placing just behind Charleston, South Carolina. BoatBooker, a global marketplace for boat tours, credited St. Petersburg's year-round sunshine, extensive shoreline, eco-adventures, fishing trips, sunset cruises, abundant wildlife and "lively downtown." The platform considered the variety and quality of boating experiences, customer interest and booking trends, accessibility, feedback from captains and local operators and "tourism momentum" when compiling its rankings.
Mayor Ken Welch invites the community to attend the annual State of the City address Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 10 a.m. The Palladium will again host the free event, which provides an opportunity to celebrate past achievements and discuss the future, at 253 5th Ave. N. Seating is limited, and officials urge those interested to RSVP at www.stpete.org/SOTC2026.
Produced by WEDU, the documentary film Triumph: Tampa's Untold Chapter in the Civil Rights Movement will be screened for free at the Tampa Theatre Monday, Jan. 19. The 3 p.m. event will also include several short films and a filmmaker panel with Triumph filmmaker Danny Bruno. Registration is required by visiting www.wedu.org/
Orlando Health Emergency Room - Crossroads and Orlando Health Emergency Room - Pinellas Park have been named 2025 Human Experience Guardian of Excellence Award winners. The two freestanding facilities earned the recognition from Press Ganey, a global leader in healthcare experience solutions and services, as part of the organization's annual ranking of the nation's top hospitals and health systems. Orlando Health opened the Crossroads emergency room in June 2023 at 800 66th St. N. in West St. Petersburg.
The only Krispy Kreme donut shop in Pinellas County will close to make way for a Chipotle Mexican Grill. The fast-casual restaurant chain will remodel the 2,434-square-foot space at 9100 4th St. N. in St. Petersburg, according to a permit filed with the city. St. Petersburg is already home to three Chipotles, including two on 4th Street.
