The Treasure Island Causeway Bridge will temporarily close for repairs. According to the Treasure Island Police Department, the bridge will close to all traffic between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Wednesday, June 11. Construction crews will reinstall a repaired cylinder.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 14 tickets remained for comedian Nikki Glaser's 9:30 p.m. Thursday show at the Mahaffey Theater. Her Friday night 9:30 performance had 18 tickets left. On both days, Glaser's early shows (7 p.m.) at the Mahaffey have been sold out for months. The theater seats approximately 2,000. A good amount of tickets remain for Glaser's Sunday concert, at 7:30 p.m. at the 9,000-seat BayCare Sound amphitheater.
Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park announced Sunday that Lucifer, the African hippopotamus that had resided there since since the age of 4, has died. Born in 1960 at the San Diego Zoo, the animal was used in several of filmmaker Ivan Tors' film and TV series in the early '60s, and was donated to Homosassa - then one of the most popular tourist attractions on Florida's West Coast - in 1964. In 1989, when the state purchased the aging attraction and the focus was turned to the display of indigenous Florida wildlife, Lucifer - his name then shortened to Lu - was almost relocated out of state. Due to a public outcry, he was allowed to remain at the Homosassa, essentially the only home he'd even known. Then-governor Lawton Chiles made the hippo an honorary Florida citizen. The cause of death has not been made public.
For the fourth consecutive year, John's Pass-based Hubbard's Marina has been named Best Fishing Charter in the Country in the USA Today Readers’ Choice poll. The company also took home the Visit St. Pete/Clearwater’s "Bestie" award for Best Boat Experience in Pinellas County, for the second consecutive year.
Pete's Bagels at 2439 4th Street S., St. Petersburg, officially opens Saturday at 8 a.m. This drive-thru only location is the former site of what is believed to be the city's first gasoline station, circa 1924.
Tiki Docks restaurant's new location at 15015 Madeira Way, in Madeira Beach, will officially open June 23. The restaurant's other St. Pete location is in the Maximo area of the Skyway Marina District.
Admission is free for Saturday's World Oceans Day event (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Keep Pinellas Beautiful and the Tampa Bay Roots & Shoots Alliance will discuss how citizens can help keep the oceans clean (plus there's a 20 percent aquarium discount for attendees).
Partnering with the Society for American Baseball Researchers (SABR), the St. Petersburg Museum of History will lead a trolley tour of sites from the city's baseball past - the spring training fields and facilities from 1914 to 1960. The event is Saturday, June 14 from 9 to 11 a.m.; find details and tickets at this link.
St. Petersburg's Zubrick Magic Theatre was named Small Business of the Year at Wednesday's Pride in Business Luncheon at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa. The annual event is sponsored by the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber.
The Beach Theatre, 315 Corey Avenue in St. Pete, will re-open July 18 after a nearly 13-year absence. Opening day's event is a screening of the film A New Wave: Revival of the Beach Theatre. The documentary by Lunar Speedboat Productions chronicles the facility's history, and the extensive renovations by the Hockman family, who purchased the circa-1940 building in early 2024. Tickets for the opening, and other events, are available at the Beach Theatre website.
Nominations are now open for the City of St. Petersburg's City Beautification Awards, celebrating landscaping and building design across the community. Residents, businesses and community can submit nominations through Aug. 1 at this link.
The Clearwater Hurricane Preparedness Expo, from the City of Clearwater, the Department of Fire & Rescue and others, will take place in Coachman Park Saturday, June 21, from 9 a.m. to noon. Representatives from the State of Florida in attendance will includethe Agency for Health Care Administration (ACHA), Agency for People With Disabilities (ADP), Department of Children and Family Services, Department of Elder Affairs, Florida Office of Insurance Regulation and the Department of Financial Services.
