05.08.2024

Today’s Forecast

Reasons for optimism

Lessons from Mayor Jane Castor at the State of Tampa’s Downtown Forum

Mayor Jane Castor speaks at a podium. A screen is next to her, with her image on it. A crowd sits in front, some of whom are taking photos.

Mayor Castor was elected in 2019. | Photo by TBAYtoday

The future is bright, TBAY. That’s a key takeaway from yesterday’s State of Tampa’s Downtown Forum.

One of the influential figures to speak at the event was Mayor Jane Castor. We wanted to dive deeper into what she said + fact-check her statements.

Development

Castor was full of praise for our development scene, noting that “we’re not just putting up buildings here and there; we’re building entire neighborhoods.”

This could be a reference to Water Street Tampa, the swanky neighborhood which has brought life to a previously under-used section of downtown Tampa. Castor’s comments are even more timely given the recent news of Water Street’s next phase.

The mayor also used our development growth to crack a joke: “The Tampa bird is the crane right now, because we’re seeing so much development.” The wisecrack comes amid a recent discussion among Florida officials to change the state bird.

A lot of our cranes do not offer birdsong, but instead emit the sweet sounds of construction on the condo complexes going up. We’re talking about ONE Tampa, The Pendry, and The Ritz-Carlton Residences Tampa, among others.

Rendering of the plans in Water Street Tampa. A building with a green roof and brown-colored design sits among the high rises. It's designed to be an office building. — Water Street Tampa continues to grow.
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Rendering via Strategic Property Partners

Travel + transit

The mayor also touched on plans to amp up public transportation options in our area, mentioning the ongoing “focus on long-range transportation solutions for the entire Tampa Bay region.”

This is already coming to fruition. The TECO Streetcar continues to offer free rides in Tampa, the Cross Bay Ferry offers affordable transport across Tampa Bay, DASH is the city’s latest rideshare option, and a Brightline train route between Tampa and Orlando is still in the works.

She could also be talking about recently tweaked plans to update the Selmon Expressway.

The future

Castor also made a promise: “If we continue to work together, we can ensure Tampa remains the best city in the nation.”

But what does the future hold for TBAY?

This button is a crystal ball

Events

Wednesday, May 8

“The Culture and History of Sicily” | Wednesday, May 8 | 5:30 p.m. | Italian Club, 1731 E. 7th Ave., Tampa | $35 | Learn about the Italian isle’s mysteries over dinner at the historic building.
Tampa Tarpons vs. Clearwater Threshers | Wednesday, May 8 | 6:30 p.m. | George M. Steinbrenner Field, 1 Steinbrenner Dr., Tampa | $8+ | It’s a Tampa Bay area showdown in the Big Guava — this one falls on a Wacky Deal Wednesday with food + drink discounts.
Toto: “Dogs of Oz Tour” | Wednesday, May 8 | 8 p.m. | Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Rd., Clearwater | $49+ | Listen to classic pop-rock tunes from throughout the band’s Grammy Award-laden decades.

Thursday, May 9

“My Favorite Scar” | Thursday, May 9 | 7-8 p.m. | Tombolo Books, 2153 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg | Free with registration | Join Tombolo’s Crime Travel Book Club to discuss this novel shrouded in uncertainty.

Friday, May 10

Preservation Expo | Friday, May 10 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. | St. Petersburg Museum of History, 335 2nd Ave. NE, St. Petersburg | Free, donation encouraged | Listen to a range of keynote speakers throughout the day, all focused on preserving our area’s history, heritage, and beauty.
St. Pete Tacos and Tequila Festival | Friday, May 10-Saturday, May 11 | Times vary | Vinoy Park, 701 Bay Shore Dr. NE, St. Petersburg | $7 | Head to the Burg’s waterfront to browse a range of food + drink options, plus enjoy live musical performances.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Environment

Tampa Bay Watch just placed three tons of oyster shells around MacDill Air Force Base for shoreline restoration. The bagged shells are a natural way to fight erosion + also promote new oyster growth.

Coming Soon

Traveling in style is about to get easier. Stoney Clover Lane is opening a brick-and-mortar store in Hyde Park Village this summer where its aesthetic + personalizable luxury travel goods will be up for grabs. It will be Stoney’s seventh store nationwide, and its first in TBAY. (Tampa Bay Business Journal)

Eat

The Columbia Restaurant is approaching its 120th birthday, and is still earning accolades. Ybor’s historic eatery just ranked among the nation’s top 100 brunches, according to OpenTable. Hint: Mother’s Day is around the corner, and we heard she’s craving a 1905 Salad.

Seasonal

Calling vendors + small business owners. Although Christmas is still 231 days away, holiday season planning is already under way. Downtown Tampa’s signature Winter Village event at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park is now accepting vendor applications for this year’s riverfront festivities.

Number

$8.25 million. That’s how much a 35th-floor condo just sold for in downtown St. Pete. Officials say its the highest-priced condo sale in the Burg’s history. The Saltaire penthouse boasts ~6,200 sqft, four bedrooms, and some simply ludicrous views. (St. Pete Catalyst)

Try This

Gaba-ghoul. The Italian Club is hosting a Paranormal Investigation later this month. Reserve your spot and head to Ybor City on Friday, May 31 to learn more about the spookier side of the storied club’s history, plus ghost hunting exploits. (That’s So Tampa)

Sports

Look away, Bolts fans: Steven Stamkos might be leaving Tampa Bay. Get game coverage, analysis, insights, interviews and more from local experts of the Tampa Bay Lightning with Locked On’s daily podcasts.

The Word

Service-learning. A mode of learning utilized by Learn and Serve Tampa that combines meaningful community service with academic content. See how this impacts local kids (and how you can bring the nonprofit’s service-learning program to your school).*

Wellness

Purple Carrot delivers plant-based meals right to your door. This month’s chef-prepared meal kits are spring-themed + filled with seasonal ingredients (think: Super Greens Fried Rice with Peanut Drizzle).*

History

⚡ We’re the Bolts for a reason

Looking back at Tampa Bay’s storm of 1979

A black and white aerial shot of Tampa International Airport taken in 1979.

Tampa International was evacuated during the event. | Photo via Florida Memory

It was labeled “the storm of the century” by what was then the St. Petersburg Times.

On May 8, 1979, the Tampa Bay area was hit by one of the worst storms in its history, encompassed by enormous rainfall. Part of what made the event unusual is its timing: May is typically a dry month, but 19.64 inches of rain drenched TBAY that day. St. Pete and Pinellas County were worst-impacted, with ~10,000 residents losing power.

More than a dozen tornadoes also hit the area, with winds of 108 mph leading to an emergency evacuation of Tampa International Airport.

On the 40th anniversary of the storm, the Tampa Bay Times collected stories from residents who recall the event. Accounts included knee-deep water, overflowing creeks, floating cars, and twisters touching down.

Now we want your input. Do you remember the storm? If so, we’d love to hear your stories and we can share them in the future. Get in touch.

The Buy

The Buy 5.08.24 (Affiliate + Six & Main)

Sunglasses under $100, because we’re heading into the brightest months of the year (yay). We like these tortoiseshell Ray-Bans or this cat-eye Jimmy Choo pair.

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Patrick

From the editor

Is it spooky season yet? Busch Gardens is here to help get you in a ghastly mood — Howl-o-Scream tickets are already on sale. Don’t hesitate: Tickets cost under $40 each through Sunday, May 12 if you buy two or more.

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