Today’s Forecast

🕵️ Would you rather...

Play “Would You Rather” with us, Tampa Bay

Play this game with your friends as the perfect nightcap. | Photo via @trevorcreative

When was the last time you played a game of “Would You Rather,” TBAY?

In case you’ve never played, here’s a quick rundown:

Step 1 — A question is posed that pitches two options. Example: “Would you rather live in the Tampa Bay area, South Florida, like Miami and the Keys, or any other city in the world?”

Step 2 — You decide what you’d rather do. No surprise here; we’re saying the 813/727.

Now that you’re a “Would You Rather” expert, let’s tap into our inner middle schoolers and play this nostalgic game featuring some of TBAY’s most iconic landmarks, qualities, and dishes.

Don’t worry, we won’t ask you anything gruesome or anxiety provoking (that’s not really our style).

Whether it’s choosing between spending time with Tampa influencer Kat Stickler or Stephen Marley or deciding if you’d rather have a lifetime supply of Jai Alai or Busch Gardens tickets, we want to know what you’d rather do.

Question one

Would you rather spend two hours playing tourist around town with social media influencer and comedian star Kat Stickler OR go behind the scenes/be on stage for any future Jannus Live concert?

I want to play tourist with Kat.
I want to ask The Backseat Lovers and Stephen Marley if I can play on stage.

Question two

Would you rather have the endurance to run the Tampa Riverwalk without stopping OR the speed to walk from the St. Pete Pier to St. Pete Beach in two minutes or less?

Give me endurance.
Give me speed.

Record your answers here. Thanks for playing, TBAY. Is there a “Would You Rather” question about the city that you’d like to see answered? Send it our way, and we might just pose it to your fellow readers.

5 more questions

Events

Today, May 8

Pizza Skate | Monday, May 8 | 5:30-8 p.m. | SkateWorld Tampa, 7510 Paula Dr., Tampa | $11-$14 | Indulge in endless cheese pizza and skating fun on the brand-new, super-smooth floors.
Dan’s Super Secret Open Mic | Monday, May 8 | 8-10 p.m. | The Gimmick, 2213 E. 6th Ave., Tampa | $5 | Check out some of Tampa’s best comics — it’s BYOB.

Tuesday, May 9

Sunset Wave Painting Party | Tuesday, May 9 | 6 p.m. | Mastry’s Brewing Co., 7701 Blind Pass Rd., St. Pete Beach | $46.49 | Paint the inside of a tumbling wave using the colors of a Tampa Bay sunset — the canvas is 16×20 inches.

Wednesday, May 10

2023 Emerging Artist Exhibition | Wednesday, May 10-Thursday, May 11 | 12-5 p.m. | The Gallery at Creative Pinellas, 12211 Walsingham Rd., Largo | Free | Check out art from ten local, undiscovered creators.

Thursday, May 11

7th Annual Tampa International Fringe Festival | Thursday, May 11-Sunday, May 14 | 6-10:30 p.m. | Ybor City, 1700 E. Seventh Ave., Tampa | $0-$15 | Prepare for more than 30 one-hour performances like “Big Dad Energy,” plus comedy, indie music, and shows for kids.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Arts

Culture

Inside two new exhibitions coming to the Polk Museum of Art this spring + summer

Presented by a TBAYtoday Partner

Slideshow of photographs and paintings by Imogen Cunningham and Steven Kenny

The Museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sundays from 1-5 p.m. and closed Sundays beginning May 31 through Labor Day. | Imogen Cunningham Magnolia Blossom 1925 Collection of Imogen Cunningham Trust; Imogen Cunningham Paris 1961 Collection of the Imogen Cunningham Trust; Steven Kenny The Monarchs 2019 Collection of Ms. Sylvia Rusche St. Petersburg, FL; Steven Kenny The Prince 2004 Oil on linen Gift of the artist Polk Museum of Art Permanent Collection

This spring and summer, the Polk Museum of Art welcomes two can’t-miss exhibitions, including the work of one of the most celebrated photographers in the history of art.

Seen & Unseen: Photographs by Imogen Cunningham

The exhibition features 60 photographs by Imogen Cunningham, whose life and career traversed nearly a century.

Cunningham was a female member of the male-dominated f/64 group of photographers (think: Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Willard Van Dyke) and left her indelible stamp on the history + development of modern photography. The exhibition will run through July 15.

In the Eye of the Mind: The Fantastic Realities of Steven Kenny

Inspired stylistically by Dutch and Flemish masters of the Renaissance + Baroque eras, the paintings of Steven Kenny are eye-catching for their simultaneous mix of the rational and the irrational.

In this exhibition of his work from the past two decades, Steven Kenny invites Lakelanders to enter his imagined world. Visit the museum now through August 6 to see Kenny’s work.

Bonus: Museum admission is always free.*

Experience the exhibitions

News Notes

Development

Hensel Phelps Construction Co., a Colorado-based contractor, will build TPA’s first new terminal since 2005. The $790 million Airside D terminal project is set to be completed by 2027. Take a look. (Tampa Bay Business Journal)

Edu

Pending state approval, $117 million could land in USF’s pockets. The majority of funds would support the university’s day-to-day operations, and about $44 million would help fund a new nursing/STEM building at the Sarasota-Manatee campus + an oceanographic sciences facility at USFSP. (Tampa Bay Business Journal)

Closed

Mermaid Tavern, nestled at 6719 N. Nebraska Ave. in Seminole Heights, has officially shut its doors. The 70-year-old drinkery + burger spot is in need of extensive repairs and updates. (Creative Loafing Tampa Bay)
Bay Cannon Beer Company’s taproom has also officially closed its doors. The 3,700-sqft West Tampa space, along with its kitchen and brewery equipment, is now listed for sale at $1,950,000. (Creative Loafing Tampa Bay)

Outdoors

Attention beachgoers. Davis Islands Beach has elevated bacteria levels. The water will be retested soon, but in the meantime, the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County advises against taking a dip there. Pro tip: Check water quality online before heading to the beach. (Spectrum Bay News 9)

Plan Ahead

The first Tampa Bay Chalk Festival arrives at St. Pete’s Deuces District this Saturday, May 13. The sidewalks between 7th and 9th Avenue South will be transformed into a vibrant canvas. Themes span from “Unity in the Community” to “Afro-Anime.” (I Love the Burg)

Finance

The free Upside app gets you cash back on everyday purchases at 50,000+ locations nationwide, from gas stations to restaurants and grocery stores. Frequent users earn ~$340 per year. Bonus: Use code TBAY25 for an extra 25 cents per gallon cash back on your first tank of gas.*

Shop

She doesn’t need another bouquet of flowers — give mom the gift of learning a new language instead. Bonus: Get 55% off.*
It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and we’re helping you choose the perfect gift for your favorite educators. Show them love with Marble and Steel Craft Chocolates or a handwritten note using a Joy Paper Co. card.

Eat

What you get with an Offline membership, the restaurant + social club that launched this month in Tampa Bay: custom matches with local eateries, up to $50 monthly towards dining out, and exclusive invites to pre-opening parties, chefs tastings, and private events. Snag a spot with code TBTODAY.

Development

🏘 A plan to add more homes to Pinellas

Breaking down Pinellas County’s Housing Action Plan

Screen Shot 2023-05-05 at 2.30.40 PM.png

What do you think about the plan? | Video screenshot via Pinellas County

We didn’t fully understand The Advantage Pinellas Housing Action Plan that dropped at the 2023 Homes for Pinellas Summit last week. So we got to Googling.

Pinellas County and Forward Pinellas drafted this step-by-step plan for tackling the housing shortage, the high cost of homes, and homelessness in the county over the next 10 years.

Here’s the breakdown:

Getting denser

Add different housing options like townhomes + tiny homes
Leaders hope to boil down existing rules of where contractors can and can’t build — making it easier to construct new homes
One way to add new homes would be to build on underdeveloped + unused government land

Monetary solutions

Create new funding sources (like loans for contractors) to develop more affordable homes near the louder and buzzier bus terminals and highways (aka “transit corridors”)
Support low-income families with housing prices that will remain permanently stable — through shared equity homeownership (a deal between a lender + a homebuyer, in which they share ownership of the property)
The plan also calls for financial assistance for home improvements
Reduce homelessness through short-term rentals + monetary help from the county, tailored to each resident

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Brad

From the editor

Have you checked out Good Night John Boy? I went this weekend and was transported back to the 70s. I recommend it 100% if you’re looking for a place to start your evening or a solid place for a nightcap.

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