St. Petersburg Police officers will give away 150 bicycles, helmets, locks and lights to needy kids at a holiday event today thanks to the generosity of the St. Pete Fools Charities. The nonprofit will also provide food for the families – and the opportunity for positive interactions with officers. The holiday tradition began in Dec. 2019 when St. Pete Fools Club member Alex DeJesus spotted an officer buying a bicycle for a teen at Walmart.
After 14 years as police chief and nearly 31 years with the force, Robert Vincent has retired as Gulfport Police Chief. Vincent has named Commander Joshua Stone to serve as the acting chief of police until a permanent replacement is selected.
St. Petersburg Innovation District officials have invited public stakeholders to participate in their ongoing master planning initiative. Those with an innovative idea, like a new use for an existing building or technological tool, can share their thoughts through an online platform. For more information on the master plan and to add your thoughts, visit the website here.
A recent report found that the median home age in Pinellas County is 45 years, the highest in Florida. Utilizing U.S. Census Bureau data, Today’s Homeowner reported that Miami-Dade County has the state’s second-oldest homes, with a median age of 43. The median age of homes in neighboring Hillsborough, Pasco and Manatee Counties is 32, 33 and 34 years, respectively.
Frontier Airlines will launch five new nonstop routes from Tampa International Airport starting Dec. 17, including daily service to Boston, Washington, D.C. and Chicago. New, thrice weekly flights to Portland, Maine, and Burlington, Vermont begin Dec. 18 and Dec. 20, respectively. In addition, Air Canada announced it would offer year-round, twice weekly nonstop routes to Vancouver starting June 4.
The Florida Department of Children and Families will open a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) application site at Tropicana Field from Dec. 7 through Dec. 9. Residents who do not receive food assistance through the traditional program can receive D-SNAP benefits. The facility will welcome applicants from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. For program information, visit the website here.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies announced Thursday that defender Forrest Lasso will return for the 2025 season after signing a new contract. Lasso is a three-time USL Championship Defender of the Year and helped guide the team to a record-setting 891-minute shutout streak in 2021. He scored two goals in 10 matches during an injury-shortened 2024 season.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District has rescinded the Modified Phase 1 Shortage Order for St. Petersburg. City utility customers can now water their lawns twice, instead of once, weekly. Officials encourage residents to irrigate their yards between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. or 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.
The stretch of 1st Avenue South that has been closed since a section of crane from the Residences at 400 Central construction site flew into a neighboring building is now open again for traffic. The building, home to Johnson Pope and the Tampa Bay Times, amongst others, remains closed.
The St. Petersburg City Council will reconsider a bond issuance Thursday that would help fund a new $1.3 billion Tampa Bay Rays stadium. The last-minute agenda addition comes two weeks after the council delayed the initial vote to “no later than” Jan. 9. The non-ad valorem bond sale would occur in three rounds not to exceed $77 million, $214.5 million and $42 million, and finance the city’s contribution to stadium construction costs and infrastructure improvements in the Historic Gas Plant District’s redevelopment.
Tampa's Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) has announced plans to debut the second-largest digital dome planetarium in the United States in 2025. The revamped Dome Theatre will serve as the new home of the Saunders Planetarium and a digital dome theater, featuring cutting-edge projection technology. With a focus on STEM learning, the $10M dome, with seating for over 300, will host field trips, community events and daily programming.
Seminole-based Smart Communications, a software-as-a-service platform utilized by over 120 correctional facilities nationwide, reported more than $86 million in debt in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing last week. Jonathan Logan, who founded Smart Communications in 2009, claimed in court documents that a prolonged legal battle with his estranged mother and co-owner impeded repayment of the company’s liabilities. About $80 million of the outstanding debt stems from an exclusive intellectual property licensing agreement.
