Financial information platform SmartAsset recently found that Pinellas County home values rose by 73.36% over the last five years. That is the ninth-largest increase in Florida. Hernando County paced the state, with home values increasing 83.26% since 2018.
The St. Petersburg casual-chic seafood restaurant Trophy Fish will open its first Tampa location Friday, with an official grand opening set for March 22. The new location is at 5901 N. Florida Ave., in Seminole Heights, sharing the building with the owners' sister craft cocktail concept, Mandarin Heights.
The owners of La La, a St. Petersburg karaoke restaurant and bar, have bought Cask Social Kitchen. CEO Stephen Bishop sent a letter to employees March 6 stating that the new owners would immediately close the restaurant at 208 Howard Ave. in Tampa and convert it into a different concept. La La St. Pete opened at 2324 Central Ave. in February 2022.
The St. Petersburg Police Department received $51,157 in November 2022 to participate in a statewide campaign to increase roadway safety. The agency has since conducted 24 operations, which include education and enforcement measures. SPPD officers have made educational contacts with 188 pedestrians, 109 bicyclists and 329 motorists, issued 153 citations and provided 67 bicycle lights through February.
Officials with the City of St. Pete Beach and the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce have partnered to offer grants and loans through the St. Pete Beach Business Site Improvement Program. Eligible projects include accessibility improvements, outdoor beautification, public art and historic preservation. The deadline to apply is March 31, and for more information, visit the website here.
Organizers of this weekend's Reggae Rise-Up music festival in Vinoy Park will run a free trolley shuttle service between the Al Lang Field parking lot and South Core parking garage, the Sundial parking garage and the festival site. More than 15,000 people per day are expected Thursday through Sunday. View the shuttle route map here.
A University of South Florida physicist has received a $450,000 grant through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research’s Young Investigator Program to make computers smaller, faster and better for the environment. Assistant professor Jacob Gayles will also receive access to the Air Force’s supercomputing resources. The goal is to improve efficiency by utilizing materials that reduce cost and waste.
Pinellas County Environmental Management and Keep Pinellas Beautiful officials need volunteers to help improve local waterways Saturday, April 15. The event is part of the Great American Cleanup campaign, and participants will remove trash and debris in and along Cross Bayou Canal and Joe’s Creek. For more information, visit the website here.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch will soon embark on a “City Hall on Tour” event series that provides opportunities for residents to ask questions and address concerns with local leadership. Administrators, the police chief and department directors will join the mayor at four various recreation facilities throughout the city. The first stop is Monday, March 20, at Walter Fuller Recreation Center from 5:30-8 p.m.
Florida Aquarium officials are hosting “an intimate evening” with Dr. Jane Goodall, a prominent conservationist and UN Messenger of Peace. The event is Tuesday, March 28, and Goodall will provide a presentation before a question-and-answer segment. Tickets begin at $1,000 per person, and proceeds will benefit the Jane Goodall Institute.
St. Petersburg Fire Rescue has partnered with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, the Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition and Treasure Island Fire Rescue to give away children’s life jackets. The event takes place Saturday at the City of St. Petersburg Municipal Beach at 11260 Gulf Blvd. in Treasure Island from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. and coincides with the start of Spring Break.
Nestle, the world's largest food company, will relocate its local headquarters from Tampa's Park Tower to Midtown Tampa inside an eight-story, 152,000-square-foot Class A building, according to an announcement from development partners Highwoods Properties and Bromley Companies. The company will move into the Midtown West office building this summer.
