Largo middle-schooler Dev Shah, 14, won the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee Thursday night in Washington, D.C. An eighth-grade student at Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School, Dev correctly spelled psammophile to take the $50,000 grand prize.
Despite boasting the best record in Major League Baseball, watching the Tampa Bay Rays play at Tropicana Field remains one of the league’s best values. A recent Sportingpost.com analysis found that the average cost for a family of four to attend a game is $182.03, the third-most affordable out of 30 teams. The analysis accounts for tickets, four hot dogs, two beers, two souvenir hats and parking expenses.
The Trust for Public Land recently compared and ranked park systems from the nation’s 100 largest cities, and St. Petersburg placed 15th. Miami was the next highest-rated Florida city at 36, while Tampa came in at No. 43. The nonprofit organization scored park systems according to access, acreage, investment, amenities and equity. St. Pete received high scores for investment and equitable proximity, as 77% of all residents are within a 10-minute walk of a public park.
Ellison Development, on behalf of the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA, filed plans Thursday morning to build a new mixed-use development in Tampa Heights. The proposed 6.20-acre development will more than double the space of the current Central City YMCA. It will include a new 110,000-square foot YMCA, over 20,000 square feet of curated green space, a 200-room luxury hotel, 184,000 square feet of office, 100,000 square feet of retail space and 477 residential units, according to the announcement. At least 10% of the residential units will be designated for affordable housing.
The Tampa metro area recorded the nation’s second-highest year-over-year home price increase in March, according to an S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller report released Tuesday. Miami topped the list with a 7.7% rise, followed by Tampa at 4.8%. The Charlotte area placed third with a 4.7% increase.
The City of St. Petersburg has discovered that a new proposal was submitted for the 800 Block site. Alexander Goshen, a real estate investment firm based in Fort Lauderdale, submitted an offer to the city today, May 31, meeting the city's submission deadline. This is a developing story. The Catalyst will continue to update readers as more information becomes available. The submission comes after Tampa-based investment advisory firm Third Lake Partners submitted a non-binding letter of intent to the city in mid-April to acquire the vacant parcel at 800 1st Ave. S.
Applications for St. Pete Pitch Night are due by June 5. The annual pitch competition, hosted by St. Pete Greenhouse, will take place June 21 at Coastal Creative. The five finalists will be announced June 7. The top winner will receive a $5,000 monetary prize. Applications can be submitted here.
The City of St. Petersburg is hosting a Hurricane Expo Thursday, June 1, from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Campbell Park Recreation Center. Attendees will learn how to receive storm updates, evacuation information and storm supplies and resources donated by community organizations. Residents with valid identification can also receive up to 10 pre-filled sandbags.
The City of St. Petersburg and Mayor Ken Welch will be raising the city's Pride flag June 1 at City Hall, celebrating the month of Pride. "Our annual Pride festivities, culminating with Florida's largest Pride parade and festival, highlight our city's support for our LGBTQ+ community, and all who have experienced marginalization. I'm proud to be leading a city that embraces our LGBTQ+ community. Our citizens are valued for who they are, not who they love or how they identify," Welch said in the city's Tuesday announcement. The city is partnering with local businesses to host community installations and events.
The longstanding waterfront Sea Hags Bar and Grill restaurant, at 9555 Blind Pass Road in St. Petersburg, will serve its last meal on June 5. "We all kind of knew this day was coming when a developer bought the property a few years ago, but that doesn’t make any easier," the owners wrote in a recent Facebook post about the permanent closure. "We got 15 years out of this place - which was a pretty good run for an old fishing hut built in the 1950s. But like so much waterfront property in Florida, it’s going to be torn down and redeveloped."
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill May 25 formally ordering the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority’s (TBARTA) dissolution. The legislation takes effect June 30, and agency officials are preserving records and clearing out offices. TBARTA’s board will approve funding disbursements at its final meeting in August.
St. Pete Police Department Officer Scott Pierce Jr. has been named Officer of the Year by Northeast Exchange Club. Known to many as “Junior," Pierce is a third-generation St. Petersburg police officer who has served for over 15 years with SPPD in the DUI, traffic homicide and marine units. During his time with the DUI unit, Pierce arrested over 600 people for drunk driving and received the highest certification in the field as a Drug Recognition Expert – which less than 1% of the officers nationwide achieve, according to the city's Friday announcement.
