From our friends at

80º | 10% chance of precipitation

Sunrise 7:05 a.m. | Sunset 6:22 p.m.

Tides | Old Tampa Bay | High: 3:49 p.m. | Low: 9:24 a.m. + 8:40 p.m.

Clearwater Beach | High: 12:12 p.m. + 11:29 p.m. | Low: 5:26 p.m.

Full Weather Report | Traffic Report

We’ll be sending you our newsletter for the next five days, but if you’re not feeling it after that, we’ll call it quits — no action required. If you like what you see, click any link in this email, and each morning, we’ll keep sending the most relevant news, events, and updates from around Tampa Bay. Our newsletters are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Event Spotlight

People carrying a long paper dragon. The animal is orange and there are green plants in the background in Water Works Park. — Lunar New Year has been celebrated for 3,000+ years.

Events

Tuesday, Feb. 17

Wednesday, Feb. 18

“Greenwich": An Evening with Kate Broad | 7-8 p.m. | Tombolo Books | Free

Boy George & Culture Club | 8 p.m. | Seminole Hard Rock | $152+

Thursday, Feb. 19

Ybor Arts Tour | 5-8 p.m. | Florida Museum of Photographic Arts | Free

Maddie & Tae | 7-11 p.m. | Jannus Live | $60+

Friday, Feb. 20

Saturday, Feb. 21

79th Fiesta Day 2026 | 11 a.m.-6 p.m. | Ybor City | Free

See our full events calendar

Feature your event here, or make a bigger splash

News Notes

Sports

Opening Day is nigh, and the Trop is ready for its post-hurricane renovation debut. Beyond the new roof, Rays fans can expect an expanded jumbotron, beefed-up suites and luxury seating, and better safety netting. Take a peek at the digs. (Tampa Bay Times)

Real Estate

No developers submitted plans to re-envision “Big Blue,” the Tampa Police Department’s downtown property. The city’s deadline for proposals was Feb. 6. We’ll keep you posted on what’s next. (Tampa Bay Business Journal)

Development

Speaking of hot Tampa real estate, Mayor Jane donned a hard hat to share an update on the Gasworx project. Not to spoil her news dump, but developers plan to debut 1,200+ residences, 100,000 sqft of office space, and 100,000 sqft of retail space by 2027.

Coming Soon

Is Water Street the new Ocean Drive? Just kidding. In case you missed it, Tampa Bay’s getting a Pura Vida. The Miami-based juice, açaí bowl, and health-conscious hotspot will soon open next door to Wagamama. (Tampa Tomorrow)

Eat

Dads’ Kitchen and Co. is opening up in the old 2D Cafe spot on Central Avenue. The former owners of Roo Roo’s Diner plan to serve American and Southern-inspired comfort eats. (Creative Loafing Tampa Bay)

Announced

Say goodbye to Haven. Bern’s Steak House owners plan to tear down the South Tampa restaurant to build a new seafood eatery. Haven will stay open through the summer, and the new concept will open in 2027. (Tampa Bay Business Journal)

Plan Ahead

Legendary rapper J. Cole is bringing his “The Fall-Off Tour” to Tampa this summer. Get tickets to the July 15 show at Benchmark International Arena. Then, get to work blasting “No Role Modelz” and “She Knows.”

Play

Are you looking for our Games page? You can find it here. Thanks to all of our readers who let us know you’re enjoying this page — our team is continuing to work on even more ways to play in future.

Health

Wellness is not one-size-fits-all. With a science-backed program that combines personalized coaching with habit-building tools, Noom is ditching restrictive diets for nourishing meals that lead to real results. Start a free trial.*

The Buy

Sometimes the simplest solutions make the biggest difference. These four products tackle everyday headaches — each for under $30.

👜 Tired of your purse tipping over or disappearing on the car floor? These car purse hooks keep your bags within reach.
🚽 Late-night bathroom runs will no longer feel like an obstacle course thanks to this toilet bowl night light.
🧅 Swap baking soda for this fridge deodorizer that works for up to 10 years, so you can set it once and forget it.
🚗 Designed to reduce strain, this vehicle assist handle provides sturdy support to help you get in + out of your car with ease and stability.

More worth The Buy

Answered

A solid 60% of our readers correctly guessed the Cubbies used to call TBAY their Spring Training home. Le sigh, if only they still did.

The Chicago ball club warmed up for the season at Plant Field from 1913 to 1916. The since-demolished stadium used to sit plopped beside the Tampa Bay Hotel — now the University of Tampa.

The Wrap

As your resident Catholic TBAY representative, I’m here to remind you that today is also Fat Tuesday. I plan on picking up at least one pint of Chill Bros’ King Cake ice cream. Trust I’ll be going full gluttony before Lent kicks off.

The Tampa Bay Times rounded up spots to pick up King Cake, Cajun-style seafood, and other Mardi Gras delights.

Send us a scoop, question, or feedback

ADVERTISE | GUIDES | EVENTS | SHOP | SUPPORT

† Disclaimers and Legal | * Advertising Policy

The company may also generate commission from affiliate links in the newsletter.

Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.

P.O. Box 2505, Greenville, SC 29602