You’ll find vestiges of Tampa’s first female mayor’s influence across the Cigar City — besides the Sandra W. Freedman Tennis Complex. During her tenure, Tampa opened both the City Convention Center and the Florida Aquarium, and led the Bayshore Boulevard Restoration Project.
Elected in 1977, Corrinne Freeman was St. Pete’s first — and so far, only — female mayor. The next time you head for a jog or stroll down the Pier after work, think of Freeman. She was a staunch proponent of a Pier park.
Castor kicked off her first term by implementing Transforming Tampa’s Tomorrow: an initiative focusing on improving housing affordability, infrastructure and mobility, resident services, sustainability and resilience + workforce development.
Sometimes called “Pamelot,” Iorio’s eight-year reign was marked by accomplishments like reducing Tampa’s crime, beefing up the city’s infrastructure, and, of course, launching the campaign for the Tampa Riverwalk.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Pittsburgh Pirates | 7:05 p.m. | George M. Steinbrenner Field | $11+ | Watch the Rays take on the Pittsburgh squad while the sun sets at the outdoor stadium.
Tal Cohen Trio | 7:30 p.m. | Palladium Theater | $30+ | It’s night one of the St. Pete Jazz Festival, featuring the Grammy award-winning jazz pianist.
Tuesday, April 1
Art and Meditation | 12-1 p.m. | The Dali Museum | $10 | Meditate on a piece from the museum’s collection to the tune of a Tibetan singing bowl.
Happy Hour Yoga | 5:30-6:30 p.m. | Intersection of Twiggs, Downtown Tampa | Free | Take advantage of the extra daylight with a guided flow by Yogasix Downtown Tampa — yogis get 10% off after at Bar AW.
“Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One” | 7-8 p.m. | Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg | $7 | Celebrate the release of the bestselling-author Kristen Arnett’s latest novel, following a professional Orlando-based clown.
Wednesday, April 2
Disney’s “The Lion King” | Wednesday, April 2-Sunday, April 20 | Times vary | Carol Morsani Hall | $59+ | Experience the magic of the long-running musical featuring Simba, Mufasa, and Scar at the downtown Tampa venue.
Thursday, April 3
WUSF’s Longest Table 2025 | 4-10 p.m. | North Straub Park, St. Petersburg | $265+ | Sample eats from chefs across Tampa Bay and sip on cocktails at a table stretching along Bayshore Drive at this fundraiser meal benefiting WUSF News.
What’s going up in the old Goody Goody location? Well, we aren’t sure yet, but soil rigs — machines designed for deep foundation work — have been spotted on-site. Right now, there’s no concrete plans for the Hyde Park Village location. (Tampa Tomorrow)
Biz
Geico is opening a Tampa campus later this year. Leaders announced the news late last week, saying it will bring 1,000+ jobs to TBAY. The company expects to open its new office near Tampa International Airport in August. A reminder: You can find and add opportunities to our local job board. (Tampa Bay Times)
Announced
Welcome to Bananaland, really. Now, you can enjoy the Savannah Bananas’ antics-filled baseball spectacular on the water. The new four-day cruise, Bananaland at Sea, launches from Tampa in 2026, sailing to Cozumel, Mexico. Sign up for presale. (That’s So Tampa)
Ranked
No. 4. That’s where Harbour Island ranked on Niche’s 2025 Best Places to Live in America list. The study also named the Tampa neighborhood the No. 3 best neighborhood in America and the best place to raise a family in Tampa. (Tampa Bay Business Journal)
Asked
Where did your Tampa Bay lore start? What we mean is, we want to know the places, spaces, restaurants, and activities in and around TBAY which helped shape you as a person, or maybe something funny and nostalgic. Write to us and we could include them in future content.
Sports
Rays up: Baseball is back. Get game coverage, analysis, insights, interviews, and more from local experts of the Tampa Bay Rays with Locked On’s daily podcasts.
Home
Tired of high electric bills? Switch to solar. Save even more when you use EnergySage’s Solar Marketplace to compare custom quotes with zero sales pressure. Start saving.*
The Buy
The Buy
It’s the last day of Amazon’s spring sale deals. Shop some of the deepest discounts we’ve seen:
🌸 Get an indoor camera for security, baby, or pet monitoring — usually $79.99, it’s discounted to $29.99.
🌸 Finally try the viral COSRX Snail Mucin with 66% off this all-in-one cream.
🌸 Make your patio or bar pop with a smart flex lighting strip that’s marked down from $24.99 to $10.
🌸 Cuisinart’s 4.6-star rated salad spinner is 71% off.
🌸 Get two cotton waffle weave tea towels for $7.49 (usually $19.99).
As a loyal “West Wing” viewer + huge local government nerd, I blissed out while writing this piece. Are there any local government stories — past or present — you’d like me to dig into? Let me know.
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