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Tag: Pinellas County

  • St. Petersburg shooting leaves 1 dead, teenager hurt

    St. Petersburg shooting leaves 1 dead, teenager hurt

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — One person is dead and another is injured after a shooting in St. Petersburg Saturday afternoon.

    Police identified the victim as 21-year-old Marcus Rivers. The other person injured is 17 years old and expected to survive.

    Police say the shooting happened around the 100 Block of 80th Avenue Northeast near Riverside Drive.

    St. Petersburg Police Assistant Chief Anthony Gilliam says they believe the shooting is not a random act and it’s unclear why the two were targeted.

    “We have no reason to believe that the residents in the area are in any sort of danger,” said Gillam. “We have no reason to believe the suspects are still present in the area.”

    There’s still information that police say they’re working to figure out including a possible motive.

    Police have not clarified if they’re looking for one or multiple suspects.

    Anyone with information or possible surveillance video is asked to contact the St. Petersburg Police Department.

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    Spectrum News Staff

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  • Palm Harbor boutique holds workshops to highlight local artists

    Palm Harbor boutique holds workshops to highlight local artists

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    PALM HARBOR, Fla. — A landscaping company in Palm Harbor is running a small boutique in its backyard where local artists can host workshops for the community.

    What You Need To Know

    • Earthscapes Garden Room in Palm Harbor has a boutique in its backyard called Fancy Plants

    • The boutique, along with providing people plants to purchase, holds regular workshops with local artists in the Tampa Bay area

    • Despite numerous businesses struggling during and after the pandemic, the founder of Fancy Plants says the boutique, along with Earthscapes, has been able to thrive under the conditions that began four years ago

    The boutique is called Fancy Plants, and it gives a platform for those artists, while also selling exotic plants in a creative setting.

    It’s amazing to think what can happen with a bit of copper wiring, if you have the vision.

    For decades, Elizabeth Mason has had that creativity.

    “I’ve been actually creating jewelry for about 20 years and teaching classes for the best part of 10 years now,” Mason, owner of EJM Designs, said.

    For Mason, it can be more than just jewelry.

    It can be art for her, or for the people who take her classes.

    “It’s amazing to me that they started with the same template and end up with something completely different that’s uniquely yours,” Mason said.

    That’s the best outcome for EJM Designs.

    While she used to have a store in Dunedin, she now works from home and goes around the Bay area teaching classes in making some eclectic jewelry.

    She’s been all over but very few places, she says, compared to the place she’s teaching the class in Palm Harbor.

    “It’s just a beautiful, beautiful setting,” Mason said. “Just fabulous surroundings surrounded by the plants and the people, and it’s just a gorgeous, shaded porch, too. So, it’s comfy and very pleasant working.”

    Mason’s class is on the porch of Fancy Plants.

    “We like to make it an experience here. It’s much more than just a boutique,” said Terra Schmidt, the chief operating officer of Earthscapes Garden Room and founder of Fancy Plants.

    According to Schmidt, when this space in the backyard of Earthscapes Garden Room opened up, the owner asked her to come up with something to put here.

    So, she came up with a sort of “Do It Yourself” boutique.

    “You come in with the mindset that you’re going to like, the mindset that you’re going to create something,” Schmidt said. “You know, it’s not just, ‘Come in and buy a plant and go.’”

    People pick the pots, the plants and the accessories that come with it.

    Schmidt says this business, as well as the landscaping side of things, has — pardon the pun — “grown.”

    Part of that growth is adding workshops, like the one Mason is leading on the porch.

    It brings in additional income for the boutique and gives local artists a chance to make money and showcase their work.

    Most weekends, Fancy Plants has customers coming inside to find their precious potted plant, while folks on the outside are learning new artistic techniques from someone in their neighborhood.

    Ultimately, planting a sense of community.

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    Nick Popham

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  • Countryside High graduate Rocco Simonelli makes big splash in college diving

    Countryside High graduate Rocco Simonelli makes big splash in college diving

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    LARGO, Fla. — When Rocco Simonelli is diving, he says nothing else can compare to the thrill.

    “You’re just in a free fall. You can’t do anything except do what you know. It’s a fun rush,” Simonelli said.

    His mom, who’s a former collegiate diver and coach, introduced Simonelli to the sport at a young age.

    But for Simonelli it was just for fun. 

    “When I started diving, I was actually little, you know, going to a local pool,” Simonelli said. “We had fun on the dive boards. My mom was a coach, so she always got me to try something new every time we went.”

    It wasn’t until high school that he decided to pursue the sport.

    What You Need To Know

    • As a youth, Rocco Simonelli was the national champion in taekwondo. He represented team USA at the Pan-American games 

    • Simonelli started diving at a young age for fun, but didn’t pursue the sport competitively until high school 

    • The Countryside High graduate recently added another accolade. He’s the National Junior College men’s champion in the 1 meter 

    • This fall, he’ll continue his training at Florida Atlantic University 

    His first love was martial arts, where he racked up many medals and awards. 

    “As a youth, he was a national champion for taekwondo. He represented team USA at the Pan-American games in taekwondo,” Ann Simonelli said. “He’s been on USA national team, AAU national team and then he started with the diving and he’s won the county. He’s won districts.”

    Although Simonelli got a later start competing in diving, he quickly found success, and decided it was the sport for him. 

    “It was tough to see him step away from some of the other sports that he was also really excelling in and continue with the diving, but because he said this is what he was loving, this is what I had to let him do and he’s proven to me that this was the right choice,” his mother said.

    The Countryside High graduate recently added another accolade. He’s the National Junior College men’s champion in the 1 meter. 

    “It means a lot. It really shows to me that all the hard work really does pay off,” he said.

    This fall, he’ll continue his training at Florida Atlantic University. 

    He’s following in his mom’s footsteps, while making a big splash of his own.

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    Olivia Stacey

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  • St. Pete museum offers comprehensive look at 20th Century American movement

    St. Pete museum offers comprehensive look at 20th Century American movement

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Imagine being part of a museum as it begins. That’s how it happened for Andrea Morgan, the Director of Operations at the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement in St. Petersburg, Florida. 

    What You Need To Know

    • The Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement is at 355 4th St. N., St. Petersburg

    • Nearly 1,000 works are on display

    The Clearwater native traveled through half a dozen states before her studies and career landed her teaching Tampa Bay residents about decorative art.

    “So the Arts and Crafts Movement comes at the rise of the Industrial Revolution as an answer to not only factory made mass-produced objects, but also as an answer to highly ornate Victorian objects,” Morgan said.

    It was to be simplified designs inspired by nature and one-of-a-kind objects — functional as well as beautiful.

    “And so you can see that they have been used, whether it’s some staining on the top of a table or on top of the sideboard over here,” said Morgan. “And that really just shows that these pieces had a life before they came here with us.”

    Morgan says her return to town is framed by the continuing rise of the arts in St. Pete.

    “And to be part of this museum, which really is one of a kind. We are the only museum in the world dedicated to the American Arts and Crafts movement,” said Morgan. “So to be part of that, I think is really special.”

    Nearly 1,000 works are on display to honor this turn of the 20th Century American movement.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • The Tampa Bay flight that changed history

    The Tampa Bay flight that changed history

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Historian Rui Farias calls it “gigantic.” 

    Chris Minner, an executive vice president at Tampa International Airport, thinks it was “revolutionary.”

    And leaders in St. Petersburg think so highly of it, there are not one but two memorials marking the event in the span of just a couple hundred feet.

    What You Need To Know

    •  The first commercial flight in history happened in 1914

    •  Pilot Tony Jannus flew from St. Petersburg to Tampa

    •  The seaplane’s flight took 23 minutes and landed on the Hillsborough River

    • A former mayor paid $400 to be the first passenger

    The event happened in 1914, 110 years ago. It involved a 24-mile, 23-minute flight carrying two people in one plane.

    It lifted off from St. Petersburg, right near where Albert Whitted Airport currently stands. The seaplane touched down on the Hillsborough River in Tampa less than half an hour later.

    It was the first scheduled commercial flight in history.

    A man named Percival Elliott Fansler had come up with the idea of the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line. At the time, it took more than six hours to travel between the two cities either by boat or train.

    “It was a day’s journey just to get between the two cities,” Farias, the executive director at the St. Petersburg Museum of History, said.

    Fansler partnered with Thomas Benoist, an aviation entrepreneur to design the plane. The duo then enlisted Tony Jannus, a famous daredevil-playboy pilot, to fly the plane. A.C. Phiel, a former mayor of St. Petersburg, paid $400 to be the first passenger.

    “Huge chunk of change, more than $8,000 today, for a one-way ticket from St. Pete to Tampa,” Farias said.

    A crowd of people watched the seaplane take off. Another crowd came to see it land on the other side of the Bay. When it was over, the simple flight had made aviation history.

    “The reality is without that first flight here in Tampa Bay, the industry today could not look the way that it does,” said Minner, an executive vice president at Tampa International Airport.

    Minner noted that before that St. Pete-to-Tampa flight, there were zero passengers flying. Now, Minner said the industry is expecting 1 billion passengers worldwide this year alone.

    The St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line was short-lived. It only lasted a few months, offering two flights a day, six weeks a day for $5 per person. Passenger interest waned, though, and the flight stopped due to financial concerns.

    Yet the flight’s legacy and what it sparked lived on.

    “The short flight from St. Petersburg to Tampa ignited an industry that changed the way we travel,” then-President Barack Obama said on the flight’s 100th anniversary in 2014.

    In 1964, the Tampa and St. Petersburg Chambers of Commerce established the Tony Jannus Distinguished Aviation Society. It recognizes people who contribute to the scheduled aviation industry.

    There is now an exhibit telling the story of the flight at the St. Petersburg Museum of History, as well as a memorial at the nearby St. Pete Pier area.

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    Jeff Butera

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  • More naturalized citizens could impact elections

    More naturalized citizens could impact elections

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    CLEARWATER, Fla. — Three out of every four immigrants in the U.S. are naturalized citizens.

    A new report says that in eight states this year, including Florida, the number of immigrants eligible to become U.S. citizens outnumbers those states’ margins of victory in the 2020 presidential election.

    What You Need To Know

    • The report shows an increase in naturalized citizens could play a role in the presidential election
    • Alex Gomez and his wife Alicia Dugarte will be eligible to vote in their first presidential election this year

    The report done by the American Immigration Council goes on to say this year’s election could potentially be impacted by an increase in naturalizations nationwide.

    The U.S. has a history of welcoming immigrants. For many of them, the goal is to become a naturalized citizen and with that comes the power to vote.

    And a new report shows immigrant communities are increasingly becoming a critical voting bloc.

    That’s the case for one family in Clearwater.

    Music can bring up memories, and for Alex Gomez, they’re memories of his home country of Venezuela.

    “Classical music is a big, big community. We have orchestra everywhere,” he said.

    Gomez was a conductor, and is now a music producer, mixing sounds from different parts of Latin America.

    He says living in the U.S. has given him the platform to continue pursuing his musical dreams. “Music helps support my family; it supports everything.”

    It’s also with his family’s support that he and his wife, Alicia Duarte, became citizens in 2022.

    “It is very important to become a citizen. Not everyone has the opportunity to do that,” Duarte said.

    According to the American Immigration Council’s report on Naturalization in the United States, the number of immigrants likely eligible to naturalize this year in Florida is more than 500,000. In the 2020 presidential election, Florida was decided by less than 400,000 votes, so new U.S. citizens can make a difference.

    Nan Wu, the director of research with the American Immigration Council, says it’s important to study patterns in voting. “We care a lot about voters, including immigrant voters, and once they become citizens and are eligible to vote, what kind of election power they might have once they go through the process and cast in their vote.”

    This will be the first presidential election where Duarte will be eligible to vote. She says she’s paying close attention to immigration policies. “You never know what’s going to happen, so if you have the opportunity to do, just do it.”

    Gomez says he tries to stay on top of proposed legislation, and he expects Florida to play an important role in deciding the country’s future.

    “Florida makes the difference in the final round and Florida has a large Hispanics community, that’s why it’s really important to be a citizen now.”

    Just like he’s using music to change the world, he also plans to use his vote as his voice.

    There are more than seven million immigrants in the U.S. who are likely eligible to naturalize but have yet to do so, which represents 33.6 percent of the non-citizen population.

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    Lizbeth Gutierrez

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  • Pinellas resident says drivers frustrated by traffic-light timing on 66th Street

    Pinellas resident says drivers frustrated by traffic-light timing on 66th Street

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Some drivers in Pinellas County say the traffic lights on 66th Street North have not been syncing up correctly, which has led to some frustrating backups during rush hour.

    What You Need To Know

    • Some Pinellas County drivers say traffic light timing at 66th Street and Tyrone Boulevard are not synced up correctly

    • One resident says the issue is causing northbound traffic to back up to 22nd Avenue North

    • Florida Department of Transportation officials say they did find an issue in the clock at the traffic signal on 66th Street and 22nd Avenue North that has been fixed 

    Thomas O’Brien, who has lived in Pinellas County for 25 years, says when he drives on 66th Street near Tyrone Boulevard, traffic is the busiest he’s ever seen it.

    “Pre-pandemic, this area would be crazy around Christmas,” he said. “But not on a daily basis like it is now.”

    The area is already congested with the shopping centers there, but O’Brien said he thinks part of the problem is the traffic lights.

    He says that starting in January, the timing seemed off at the signal at 66th Street and Tyrone Boulevard.

    “The synchronization of the lights that was there before has gotten out of whack,” O’Brien said. “And you’ll get traffic building up at 22nd Avenue North, blocking westbound traffic.”

    O’Brien said the timing problem is a big issue during the afternoon rush hour, when traffic on northbound 66th Street gets stuck at 22nd Avenue North.

    “Coming through on 22nd Avenue, we all know be in the left-hand lane heading this way,” O’Brien said. “Because if you’re in the right-hand lane, you’re going to get stuck.”

    O’Brien said he’s been trying to get answers about the traffic congestion for months.

    Spectrum News asked the Florida Department of Transportation about the problem.

    FDOT officials say they did find an issue in the clock at the traffic signal on 66th Street and 22nd Avenue North that was causing the coordination at 66th and Tyrone Boulevard to be off.

    Officials said that the issue has been fixed, and the lights should be operating better now.

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    Tim Wronka

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  • New state law bans local government from blocking demolition of old buildings

    New state law bans local government from blocking demolition of old buildings

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    CLEARWATER, Fla. — Some communities try to stay the same: maintaining dated buildings like motels, old shops and establishments that make it special to those who live there. But with the passing of the Resiliency and Safe Structure Act, it could become harder to do.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Resiliency and Safe Structures Act prohibits local governments from blocking or restricting the demolition of buildings that are within the coastal construction control line

    • It includes structures that do not conform to flood elevation requirements set by the National Flood Insurance Program

    • St. Petersburg Rep. Lindsay Cross said she’s concerned that huge structures may be built without locals having a say, while developers like Tony Tanner say the bill could be a positive

    St. Petersburg Rep. Lindsay Cross argued against the measure on the State House floor and does not support the new regulations.

    “I think our state government preempt too many local governments,” she said.

    The law prohibits local governments from blocking or restricting the demolition of buildings that are within the coastal construction control line. It includes structures that do not conform to the flood elevation requirements set by the National Flood Insurance Program if it’s deemed unsafe by local officials or ordered to be torn down.

    It makes it easier for developers to raze coastal buildings and replace them with as large of a structure as allowed by local zoning laws. The law applies to municipalities with populations greater than 10,000. Cities like Clearwater could be impacted. A small town like Redington Beach would not.

    Cross worries small buildings will make way for huge structures.

    “There’s a lot of beach communities that are trying to limit new development. Part of the reason is because some of the road and the infrastructure were built in the ‘50s – ‘60s. They are really not equipped to have tens of thousands of people on there. It makes hurricane evacuation more difficult and could impact human life,” she said.

    The bill’s sponsors point to the Surfside condo collapse as the reason behind this legislation, saying it allows property owners more freedom from local historic preservation boards and local officials.

    Developers like Tony Tanner, who work in Clearwater, say it could be a positive.

    “If it’s just a normal routine where the building is actually in a condition in which it could be condemned and demolished, then this bill allows it to go through quickly where other groups like, for example, historical groups, can’t then stop it and block it,” he said.

    Cross said she feels this could create more issues than solutions — that huge structures may be built without locals having a say.

    “We are telling communities that you should be planning for worst-case scenarios, making sure that you are looking at where infrastructure and people should be located — things like hospitals and businesses,” she said. “And if you are doing that, and at the same time, limiting local government’s ability to mitigate, for some of those impacts by putting a cap on the height or size of the building, you know those things are contrary to each other.”

    The bill is new, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in late March. Both the long-term and short-term effects are yet to be determined.

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    Jeff Van Sant

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  • St. Pete NAACP backs new Rays stadium, Gas Plant district redevelopment plan

    St. Pete NAACP backs new Rays stadium, Gas Plant district redevelopment plan

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    PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Petersburg branch of the NAACP has announced its support for a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays, as well as the redevelopment of the historic Gas Plant district.

    The project, formally announced last September, includes a $1.2-billion ballpark, along with residential units, business and retail space, museum, park and civic space, as well as a hotel.

    The group said the development is a chance to create sustainable opportunities for black entrepreneurs and workers.

    The St. Pete branch says it plans to stay involved in the process and to make sure the promises made to the community are kept.

    The city will hold two workshops in May to discuss the final terms of the deal for the new stadium.

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    Spectrum News Staff

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  • $58M in unclaimed 2020 tax refunds owed to Floridans

    $58M in unclaimed 2020 tax refunds owed to Floridans

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    CLEARWATER Fla. — The IRS is sitting on an estimated $58 million in unclaimed tax refunds from the year 2020 that are owed to Floridians.

    The IRS confirms that nationwide there’s more than $1 billion in unclaimed refunds from 2020.

    The money that’s been left on the table is likely from people who worked part-time or lost their job during the pandemic and didn’t hit the income threshold to trigger the filing requirement.

    In Florida, the IRS estimates $58,210,500 is owed to 53,200 residents with a potential median refund of $891.

    Taxpayers have until May 17 to file and claim their 2020 tax return refunds. While the deadline for claiming past years is usually April 15, to align with the current year’s filing date, the pandemic pushed the 2020 deadline to May 17.

    Whatever money is left unclaimed will go back to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

    Luke Richardson, Associate Professor at the USF Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy, says 2020 was an odd year for many due to pandemic-related layoffs and job changes. If you worked a conventional job even part time in 2020, Richardson says taxes were taken from your paycheck that you are entitled to.

    “Your employer doesn’t know you’re not going to have enough income to have to file a tax return,” he explained. “So those taxes are withheld and remitted to the government on your behalf.”

    Richardson recommends to start the process you reach out to your employer from 2020 and ask for the appropriate tax documents. If that’s not possible, the IRS can help.

    “You can go through the IRS and get a wage and income transcript,” he said. “So you can request that to see what the IRS sees on their end, because when you get a copy of your W-2 it’s just that, you get a copy and the IRS gets a copy, so you can see what they show for you having income.”

    While you can prepare the 2020 return online, it must be mailed and postmarked by May 17.

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    Angie Angers

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  • Portion of state gambling revenues to go toward flood research in St. Pete

    Portion of state gambling revenues to go toward flood research in St. Pete

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — When the State of Florida gave the Seminole Tribe full control over sports betting, the agreement was the state would get a share of the proceeds. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that dictates where that roughly $750 million each year will go, and some of it will be for environmental projects across the Tampa Bay area.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Florida Flood Hub studies how sea level rise and rainfall patterns affect flooding 

    • A lengthy list of projects to reduce localized flooding and improve water quality made the list, as well as a $100 million for the Resilient Florida Program

    A lengthy list of projects to reduce localized flooding and improve water quality made the list, as well as a $100 million for the Resilient Florida Program.

    The Florida Flood Hub in St. Pete received funding through the Resilient Florida Program. Its goal is to model and predict how flooding will affect Florida in the future, so informed decisions can be made at the state and local levels on the best ways to mitigate flood risks.

    “We’re trying to draw together all of the best possible approaches and say here’s the statewide approach,” said Charles Jacoby with the Florida Flood Hub.

    Researchers with the Florida Flood Hub are looking at models for sea level rise and rainfall patterns to focus on what’s called “compound flooding.”

    “We need predictions because the climate is changing,” Jacoby said. “So our past data doesn’t hold as well as the climate changes.”

    In addition to the funding for the Resilient Florida Program and the Flood Hub’s research, $150 million will go toward improvements to the South Florida Water Management District, $100 million will go to the management of uplands and the removal of invasive species, $100 million will go to land acquisitions to support the wildlife corridor, and $79 million for the Water Quality Improvement Grant Program.

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    Angie Angers

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  • Hope springs again for Tangerine Plaza as plans announced

    Hope springs again for Tangerine Plaza as plans announced

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — For seven years, Tangerine Plaza in South St. Petersburg has sat mostly dormant.

    In fact, with the last grocery store gone from the plaza in 2017, the area has been federally declared a “food desert.”

    What You Need To Know

    • Development deal announced for St. Pete’s Tangerine Plaza

    • Plaza has sat without a main grocery tenant and most empty since 2017 

    • Partnership with New Urban Development out of Miami to build 115 affordable housing units and then discuss a grocery store
    • MORE COVERAGE: New offers to purchase Tangerine Plaza 

    But now there are new plans for the plaza, located in the 1700 block of 22nd Street South.

    Some of the main concerns for development were creating enough affordable housing and bringing back a grocery store to the area.

    The Sugar Hill Group development team announced that it has secured a partnership with New Urban Development out of Miami to build 115 affordable housing units. 

    Developers also announced they are in discussions with several prospects, but they can’t secure a deal until they have site control, which must be approved by St. Pete’s city council.

    As of right now, the former vendor Walmart is still paying rent. Walmart left the plaza in 2017 and previous tenant, Sweetbay, went out of business in 2013.

    “It’s hard for you to sell something that’s not yours,” said Rev. Louis Murphy. “You can’t negotiate the sale on your house unless you own your house.

    “Until we have sight control and then we can really start serious negotiations with some of the tenants that we have been. But we’re excited for the ones that we’ve spoken with. And they’re going to have to want to come into this community.”

    The Sugar Hill Group now plans to present the updated plans to the city of St. Pete for approval.

    They hope to sign a new development agreement by this summer.

    Previous Coverage:

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    Fadia Patterson

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  • Sugar Hill Group set to announce plans for dormant Tangerine Plaza

    Sugar Hill Group set to announce plans for dormant Tangerine Plaza

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Sugar Hill Group, which was selected by the city of St. Petersburg to redevelop the nearly vacant Tangerine Plaza on the city’s south side, plans to reveal major project updates on Tuesday.

    A press conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday and will include members of the Sugar Hill Group as well as their community partners. A bulletin advertising the press conference states, “this momentous occasion will provide the public with invaluable insights into the progress of negotiations with the City of St. Petersburg, marking a significant stride towards realizing the shared vision for a vibrant and thriving community hub.”

    The large commercial space that anchors Tangerine Plaza has been vacant since 2017 when first Sweetbay and then a Walmart Neighborhood Market closed their doors. Since then, the area of South St. Pete has become a designated food desert.

    Just before the pandemic, the city of St. Petersburg entered into an agreement with the Sugar Hill Group to redevelop the plaza, but there’s been little movement at the site.

    During an economic and workforce development and committee meeting in late March, St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch stated his support for the Sugar Hill Group. Other council members voiced concerns over the proposed redevelopment timeline and plans, which include affordable housing and a small grocery store.

    Some council members pointed out that because the 40,000 square foot space hasn’t attracted a grocer, there’s even less of a likelihood that the proposed 10,000 square foot space will be able to get a reputable grocery store as a long-term tenant.

    “When we’ve been looking for an answer to this property for seven years already, its hard for me get on board with something that could take seven more years before we see something real happening here,” St. Pete City Council member Gina Driscoll stated to board members.

    Karen Rae, Executive Director of Positive Impact Ministries, hosts a free drive-through grocery pick up in the parking lot of Tangerine Plaza each Saturday morning. With the help of nearly 50 volunteers, the group distributes boxes of food to 700 families who either drive, walk or bike to the plaza.

    She says it’s critical these families have access to fresh food within a reasonable distance. She says she hopes the city realizes how much people in the area need access to fresh food, and that the final plans for the plaza include a viable option for that.

    “Their options would be either to go to the convenience store or maybe the dollar store to get their groceries,” she said. “There’s a lot of children in this neighborhood that need to have fresh fruits and vegetables.”

    In 2024, both Positive Impact Ministries and St. Pete developer Stoneweg have put in offers to buy the plaza. The Sugar Hill Group still remains in negotiations with city leadership.

    Positive Impact Ministries hopes to use the existing space for a no-cost neighborhood market and culinary arts center, while Stoneweg wishes to include affordable housing in their site plans.

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    Angie Angers

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  • St. Petersburg College hosting watch party for Monday’s total solar eclipse

    St. Petersburg College hosting watch party for Monday’s total solar eclipse

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Avid star gazers and casual gazers alike will be looking up to the sky come Monday for a total solar eclipse.

    What You Need To Know

    • St. Petersburg College will be hosting a free watch party for Monday’s total solar eclipse

    • Telescopes will be set up along with special eclipse glasses so that viewers can watch the spectacle safely

    • Those with the college ask attendees to park in the north and west lots off 69th street on the campus, with the watch party starting at 1:30 p.m.

    Though Florida will not be in the eclipse’s path, those around the Tampa Bay area are prepping to catch a glimpse. A rare sight that has those at St. Petersburg College getting ready.

    “I teach the astronomy classes here on the Gibbs campus of SPC for the past 27 years, now,” said Dr. Craig Joseph, planetarium director at St. Pete College.

    Inside the natural sciences building at St. Petersburg College, Joseph provides third graders with a lesson on space. Bringing up images of planets and constellations from the comfort of the planetarium.

    “You’ll see a big bite taken out of the sun during the eclipse,” he said. “Here in Florida and throughout most of the country, it’ll be just a partial eclipse where part of the sun will be covered up. Here in Florida and the Tampa Bay area, we’ll get about 60 or 65% of the sun will be covered up by the eclipse.”

    Viewing the spectacle requires some special equipment. Like these total eclipse glasses.

    “Now this does give the sun a false color- it will make the sun orange in color, although the sun is actually white,” says Dr. Joseph. “Many people are surprised to hear that. But most eclipse viewers they give a false color to the sun, just so people know.” 

    Another method of viewing is by telescope, but not in the traditional sense. If you have a telescope or binoculars, Dr. Joseph says, don’t look thru them at the sun. Instead, you can project the sun’s image on a piece of paper.

    “I really think that a great way to watch the eclipse is simply to either project the sun’s image using a smaller telescope or pair of binoculars and project the image on a piece of paper or use what’s called a pinhole camera,” he said. “Which can also be projected on a piece of paper so you can view the sun that way also.”

    The college will be hosting their own viewing party on campus, with telescopes and viewing glasses made available to watch safely.

    “Anybody that wants to stop by is free to do that and stop by the college,” said Dr. Joseph.

    A rare sight not expected to be seen again in more than 20 years.

    St. Pete College’s viewing party is free to attend. Those with the college ask attendees to park in the north and west lots off 69th street. The party starts at 1:30 p.m.

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    Calvin Lewis

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  • Nonprofit starts program to give free produce to seniors

    Nonprofit starts program to give free produce to seniors

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    PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — A nonprofit in Pinellas County is launching a new program designed to deliver fresh produce to seniors in the area.

    What You Need To Know

    • A nonprofit in Pinellas County, Saving Our Seniors, has created a new program called ProducePac

    • The program provides free boxes of fresh produce for seniors for every box that’s purchased by someone in the community

    • According to Saving Our Seniors’ founder Kelli Casto, she hopes the money that’s generated through ProducePac will lead to her to be able to help double the number of senior citizens she’s currently helping

    • ProducePac had its soft launch on April 6

    It’s called ProducePac, and it’s being started by the organization Saving Our Seniors, where every box of produce that’s purchased by a customer will lead to a free box going to a senior citizen.

    Kelli Casto is the founder of Saving our Seniors, a nonprofit organization that originally helped folks with finding durable medical equipment.

    Being an occupational therapist for 15 years, that was her expertise, but when the COVID-19 pandemic began, many of her clients were having trouble finding good produce.

    After some time just recommending places, Casto decided to add on produce delivery to saving our seniors, which has become the main thing for years now.

    “We started our farmers market, literally in our Chevy Malibu, and we’ve grown it, you know, from just like 50 spots to having over 180 different locations that we service monthly,” Casto said.

    Now, she’s upgraded from the Malibu, using a van to pack products for folks she’s delivering to and currently serving about 14,000 seniors a month.

    “Just in the last year or two,” said Casto. “We’ve really expanded.”

    But with that growth and the desire to purchase fresh produce from local farmer’s markets, fundraising and finances have gotten tight.

    So, Casto’s solution is through ProducePac.

    “This is a way for you to get fresh produce and then, in return, feed a senior in our community,” Casto said.

    According to Casto, there are two size options for these boxes of produce. Some of the money that a person spends on the box will be used to buy the exact same box to give to a senior citizen for free.

    “We’ll be able to have a little bit of money left over that will fund the ability to feed a senior in the community,” Casto said.

    Which means a lot to Casto, because she constantly is waking up at three in the morning to go buy these fruits and veggies to give away.

    “Being able to just help one person and helping others is key,” she said.

    Which is why so many people are lining up in a parking lot in Pinellas Park to get fruits and veggies from Casto, because her goal is to make sure no senior citizen goes hungry.

    Casto said she did a soft launch of ProducePac on April 6.

    She hopes to double the number of senior citizens she serves in the bay area from 14,000 to 28,000 with the introduction of ProducePac.

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    Nick Popham

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  • Oldsmar resident travels to New York to view the total solar eclipse

    Oldsmar resident travels to New York to view the total solar eclipse

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    PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The rare total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, is attracting many Tampa Bay area sky gazers.

    Mike Tierney lives in Oldsmar. However, he is traveling to upstate New York on Friday to be in the path of the total solar eclipse.

    “This is more of a science thing,” Tierney said when trying to explain his fascination with the eclipse.

    He called it nature at its finest.

    “It’s a once in a lifetime thing and it just happened to be going through my hometown,” Tierney said.

    He was raised in Medina, near Buffalo, New York. That’s where he will spend about four minutes, watching the sun cover the moon.

    To get ready to watch the total solar eclipse, his wife purchased special glasses for him to protect his eyes.

    Tierney said he’ll wear them before and after the eclipse.

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    Dalia Dangerfield

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  • Bay area rabbi and college students set sail to help clean the ocean

    Bay area rabbi and college students set sail to help clean the ocean

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Bay area faith-based conservation group is making waves internationally with its efforts to clean up our waterways.

    Repair the Sea was founded by Rabbi Ed Rosenthal, who is also a campus rabbi at Eckerd College.

    That’s where he started a scuba diving club called Scubi-Jew in 2010.

    The students go out diving twice a week to clean the waters off St. Pete.

    Their work inspired Rabbi Ed to create the nonprofit Repair the Sea in 2022.

    It encourages people of all faiths from around the world to make the same effort.

    Thousands of volunteers participated in the organization’s Reverse Tashlich last year, pulling an estimated 12 tons of debris from global waterways.

    “We like to see ourselves as the intersection between science and spirituality,” Rosenthal said. “So we see what we’re doing as protecting that which is God’s, yet we’re guided by the science.”

    Use the video player above to view the full story.

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    Cait McVey

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  • St. Pete faith leaders to hold prayer vigil over affordable housing issues

    St. Pete faith leaders to hold prayer vigil over affordable housing issues

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Dozens of Pinellas County faith leaders are planning a vigil Wednesday evening, hoping to spark a dialogue with St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch.

    FAST, which stands for Faith and Action for Strength Together, is a group made up of roughly 50 faith-based community leaders from around Pinellas County. They plan to meet around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the St. Peter Cathedral in downtown St. Pete, hoping that Mayor Welch will join them to hear their concerns regarding affordable housing. If the mayor does not attend, FAST leaders say they will head over to city hall and hold a prayer vigil.

    What You Need To Know

    •  FAST wants St. Pete to focus on housing for those making below 80% AMI

    •  Members meeting at St. Peter Cathedral in hopes Mayor Welch joins them 

    •  Prayer vigil to follow at steps of city hall

    Father Curtis said FAST first reached out to the mayor’s office last year to coordinate a meeting regarding affordable housing. Last week, Father Curtis said the mayor’s office agreed to hold the meeting but asked that it be with a few designated representatives of the group. Instead, FAST leaders decided that every congregation should be involved, so they would meet at the St. Peter Cathedral and ask the mayor to join them.

    “We’ve been reaching out to the mayor’s office for more than four months trying to get a meeting with him to talk about plans for affordable housing,” said Father Curtis Carro of St. Raphael Catholic Church. “He wanted to meet with just a small faction of our group, but we want all the member congregations to be able to have their voice heard.”

    Pastor Robert Ward of Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church feels the city hasn’t been fully transparent when talking about affordable housing goals. He feels a new housing development should only be labeled affordable if it markets to those making below a certain income level.

    “Right now we’re seeing that they’re calling these type of units for people above 80% area median income affordable housing… so it’s very misleading,” he said.

    A spokesperson for the City of St. Pete said the city has affordable housing goals that align with those of FAST.

    “The City of St. Petersburg’s overall goals continue to align with FAST’s mission to protect, uplift, and educate families, especially in the critical area of affordable housing. At our 2024 State of the Economy, we shared a key update about the city’s comprehensive 10-year Housing Opportunities for All Plan: we have met 67% of our goal to create and preserve 3,200 multi-family homes by 2030. This percentage reflects the total number of units—2,146—that are in process, funded, permit-approved, under construction, preserved, or completed. Reaching or exceeding 100% of this goal can only occur through the strong public-private partnerships that the city enjoys with multiple community stakeholders, businesses, and organizations. We look forward to continuing our work together for the benefit of our families and communities in St. Pete,” city spokesperson Erica Riggins shared in a statement.

    FAST leaders say they want to collaborate and innovate new solutions with the city and to do that, it’s imperative to get Mayor Welch’s support.

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    Angie Angers

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  • Art in Bloom draws thousands in pursuit of floral beauty

    Art in Bloom draws thousands in pursuit of floral beauty

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Floral designer Cassie Osterloth is getting ready for “Art in Bloom,” a floral interpretation of a chosen work at the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg.

    What You Need To Know

    • Art in Bloom at the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg

    • It’s set for April 4 – 7

    • Hours: Thursday – Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

    • Sunday: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.

    “What I like about it is it is something totally different than what I do from day-to-day, while it’s still working with flowers,” said Osterloth.

    Osterloth has participated in 26 out of the 27 years of Art in Bloom.

    And she is always looking for a challenge as she creates at her shop Wonderland Floral Art and Gift Loft in St. Pete.

    She chose the installation “Debris Pile.”

    It’s pieces of manmade objects — broken, strewn about and covered in mosaic tiles.

    It’s a take on the negative ecological effects of commercial production by artist Jason Middlebrook.

    “So what I am looking at and what I’m trying to mimic in the florals are the different color patterns and the repetitive colors that you see here with these mosaic tiles,” said Osterloth.

    The event brings flower lovers to the MFA St. Petersburg.

    “People are more familiar with flowers and therefore they can come in, appreciate them as the art form that they are, but also be exposed to the art within the museum,” said Osterloth.

    It’s floral art as the bridge to fine art.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Safety Harbor family center received $1.4M for expansion project

    Safety Harbor family center received $1.4M for expansion project

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    SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. — The Mattie Williams Neighborhood Family Center has received $1.4 million from Pinellas County and the City of Safety Harbor for a much needed expansion project, according to executive director David Hale.

    What You Need To Know

    • Pinellas County and Safety Harbor donated $1.4M for center expansion  

    • Mattie Williams Center needs extra space for food pantry 

    • The need for food more than doubled during the pandemic   

    • The project is expected to be complete by late summer

    “We are so grateful to Pinellas County. They are the largest funder of this project at nearly $1 million,” he said. “This project would not have happened without Janet Hooper. This is her will and vision.”

    Janet Hooper, 73, has been with the center for 16 years and was its longest serving executive director. Hooper volunteered to chair the committee for expansion and said it was her vision two years ago to see the project happen before she retired.

    “I’m ecstatic. I can’t even tell you,” she said. “I almost cried when the county came through with extra funding.”

    Hooper said during the pandemic the need for food more than doubled from 10,000 to 23,000 people, and that number has not come down. Storing all of that extra food in the small facility at 1003 Martin Luther King Jr. St. N. has become overwhelming, according to Hooper.

    “It’s an incredible amount of food that you process through,” she said. “Everybody’s office wasn’t an office anymore. It became this storage area.”

    The 27-year-old center, which has been at its current location since 2000, added a big storage shed to the property during the pandemic but it too filled up quickly, according to Hooper.

    “By the time it was built it was already obsolete, so to speak,” she said. “We needed even more space.”

    County and city leaders gathered at the Mattie Williams Center on Feb. 28 for a groundbreaking ceremony. The project is expected to be complete by late summer and will add 1,545 square-feet of new building, which includes a multi-purpose room that can hold more than 100 people.

    “We are going to make sure this facility grows for the folks who are depending on us,” said Hale. “You can see where our current reception area becomes a much nicer welcome area for folks.”

    The center serves Safety Harbor, Oldsmar and eastern Clearwater. Last year, the center delivered 77,000 pounds of food to approximately 7,660 households where 7,400 kids live. The center also provides family services and utility assistance.

    “We are the lifeline for a lot of people in the community,” said Hooper. “We’re about feeding people, we’re about trying to give people an opportunity and give them hope.”

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    Josh Rojas

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