WalletHub recently compared the 150 largest metropolitan areas across 11 metrics - including the percentage of residents over 25 with a bachelor's degree or higher and public school system quality - to determine 2024’s “most and least educated cities.” The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area placed in the bottom half at No. 79. While the region’s educational attainment ranking was 84th, education quality and the local gender gap placed 28th.
The St. Petersburg Police Department (SPPD) has partnered with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to implement an Enhanced Law Enforcement Engagement program through March 31, 2025. Officers will expand their presence on local state-operated roadways with high crash rates to increase public awareness of the importance of safe driving. Focus areas include Gandy Boulevard, Roosevelt Boulevard, 4th Street North and South and the Pinellas Bayway.
Chef Robert Hesse announced that Fo’Cheesy Twisted Meltz will soon shutter its St. Pete Beach location at 6305 Gulf Blvd. in a social media post Sunday. He is also “parking” the food truck he launched in March 2020 “for a while.” Fo’Cheesy’s downtown St. Petersburg restaurant closed March 12, and Hesse announced a new food truck concept in April. Hesse wrote that he and his business partners will “redirect our company efforts towards something that will be launching soon."
St. Petersburg City Council members approved the new Rapid Roof Replacement Program at their July 11 meeting. The initiative provides financial assistance for South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area residents to replace roofs and complete related repairs. The council also increased the Affordable Single-Family Homeownership Program’s rehab assistance from $45,000 to $60,000 for properties with an active code violation related to the roof.
Travel + Leisure recently ranked St. Petersburg as the “Best Food City in the U.S.” The publication analyzed restaurant ratings, the number of local farmer’s markets and food costs when determining its list. Travel + Leisure found that the average three-course meal was $57.50, and restaurants “scored the highest across multiple categories.”
Residents in unincorporated Pinellas County and most cities outside of Belleair Shores, Clearwater and St. Petersburg can now receive an up to $75,000 forgivable home repair loan with no monthly payment. County officials also increased the Independent Living Grant supporting accessibility improvements like wheelchair ramps to $20,000. Homeowners earning less than $53,000 annually can qualify for both programs and avoid making monthly payments if the home is their primary residence.
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.
