USA Today’s editors and readers recently ranked The Dog Bar in St. Petersburg as the nation’s seventh-best canine-focused watering hole. The publication credited the venue’s draft beer and food truck options. In addition, USA Today named Fort De Soto Park the seventh-best dog-friendly beach in America.
The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance and Creative Pinellas, the city and county's arts support umbrella organizations, have joined with the Florida Cultural Alliance for a town hall meeting and panel discussion July 31 at the Palladium Theater. "Funding The Arts: A Call To Action," from 6:30 to 8 p.m., will feature the three groups' CEOs and artist Duncan McLellan. This event is free and open to the public. This follows the previously-announced July 23 town hall meeting at the Soft Water Gallery.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will close the northbound I-275 entrance from 22nd Avenue South nightly from Monday, July 15, through Wednesday, July 17, from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. Warning signs and electronic message boards will direct motorists, who should expect delays and congestion around the detour. The closures are part of a repair project that extends from 54th Avenue to 5th Avenue South, and FDOT expects the project to conclude in early 2026.
The Tampa Bay Innovation Center will highlight the six startup founders who recently completed its three-month Climate Tech Accelerator program July 30 at the ARK Innovation Center. Cathie Wood, founder of ARK Invest, will lead a keynote panel presentation at 11:30 a.m. For more information, visit the website here.
Bardmoor YMCA Preschool Academy was recently awarded accreditation by the National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs. The commission accredits over 1,300 programs across 35 states and beyond. "Our school has been working on this process since September of 2021, revisiting and refining different policies and procedures along the way, as well as taking all of the standards that we are already held to by Licensing to a higher level,” said Bardmoor YMCA Preschool Academy Director Kierstin Wimberly in a prepared statement.
Monte Kiffin, the man who engineered the greatest defense in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history, died Thursday in Oxford, Mississippi, at 84. The longtime defensive coordinator’s “Tampa 2” scheme brought the Bucs their first Super Bowl title in 2002 and changed the NFL landscape. Tampa Bay led the league in points allowed per game (17.5), ranked second in takeaways (293) and yards allowed per game (286.8), third in interceptions (249) and 10th in sacks (503) during Kiffin’s 13-year tenure with the team. “Monte Kiffin was a beloved and iconic member of the Buccaneers family, and our entire organization mourns his loss today,” said the Glazer family, who owns the Bucs, in a prepared statement.
The Tampa Bay Rays will host three community initiatives focusing on youth education this weekend, beginning with a public Reading with the Rays event from 12 p.m. until 1 p.m. Friday at the Largo Public Library. Later that day, the Rays will provide a ticket voucher for those who donate school supplies to the Hillsborough and Pinellas Education Foundations from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Tropicana Field’s Lot 7 and Gate 4. The team will then host the 4th annual Rays Baseball Magic Clinic for children with special needs Saturday from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. at the Trop.
An air pollution precautionary advisory remains in effect through Friday as a Saharan dust cloud hangs over the area. Pinellas County’s Air Quality department issued the advisory Wednesday afternoon due to elevated “particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers or less (PM2.5)” levels. Officials encourage people sensitive to PM2.5 and elderly residents, children, teenagers and those with lung diseases to limit prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion.
In July 2023, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area’s 7.3% inflation rate paced the nation. According to consumer price index statistics released Thursday morning, that number has dropped to 1.8%. A subsequent WalletHub report ranked the area, with a .10% cost decrease over the past two months, 19th among nationwide metros with the “biggest inflation problems.” The national average is 3%.
Pinellas County officials have received authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fully renourish Pass-a-Grille Beach. Due to an ongoing impasse with the federal agency over private property easement requirements, the county will self-fund the extensive project through tourism tax dollars and state grants. A contractor will dredge and pipe 140,000 cubic yards of sand to the beach from an adjacent inlet, and crews will work around the clock to “complete the project as quickly as possible.”
ESPN editor Juan Arturo Recio reported Tuesday night that Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was formally charged with sexual abuse and exploitation of a minor in his native Dominican Republic. Recio said Wednesday morning that Dominican authorities are also accusing Franco of human trafficking. Franco, the highest-paid player in team history, has been on administrative leave since allegations emerged and investigations began in August 2023.
A recent WalletHub report found that the average St. Petersburg resident has accrued less credit card debt than their counterparts in 80 other cities. The average household credit card debt in St. Petersburg was $13,808, and the total amount owed was $1.57 billion. That ranked 20 spots below Tampa (No. 61), with a $14,364 average and $2.56 billion total.
