Bright Ice owners to open Kitty’s House of Pizza in Central Oak Park

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Bright Ice owners to open Kitty’s House of Pizza in Central Oak Park

A new neighborhood pizzeria is coming to St. Petersburg’s Central Oak Park, bringing brick-oven pizzas, house-made pastas, and a familiar local name behind the concept.

The restaurant is the latest project from Steve Garrahan and Kurt Drake, the founders of Bright Ice, a small-batch ice cream brand known for its creative flavor combinations like roasted strawberries with brown sugar and balsamic and blueberries with cinnamon.

Kitty’s House of Pizza is slated to open in early 2026 at 4059 5th Avenue North, just four blocks west of Bright Ice’s original St. Pete scoop shop.

The building, which Garrahan and Drake purchased in June, previously housed a gym and, before that, a convenience store.

The idea for Kitty’s House of Pizza grew organically out of Bright Ice’s continued expansion.

Bright Ice opened in St. Petersburg in late 2019 and has since expanded to Tampa, Pinellas Park, Venice, and Lakeland.

“We’ve outgrown our current commercial kitchen for ice cream production, especially when it comes to cold storage,” Garrahan said. “This new space allows us to more than double our freezer capacity and better serve our existing locations.”

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Hubbard’s Marina approved to run ferry between downtown St. Pete and downtown Tampa

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Hubbard’s Marina approved to run ferry between downtown St. Pete and downtown Tampa

The Cross Bay Ferry is getting a new name, a new operator, a new boat, and a new long-term vision for water transit in Tampa Bay.

On Wednesday, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) Board of Directors voted unanimously to name Madeira Beach-based Hubbard’s Marina as the new operator for the ferry service, now called the Tampa Bay Ferry, which has connected downtown St. Pete and downtown Tampa since 2016.

The decision authorizes PSTA to enter into a five-year agreement with Hubbard’s Marina, with an option to extend the contract for an additional five years.

The approval follows months of evaluation by St. Petersburg, Tampa, and local transportation agencies excited to build a ferry service that is more reliable and sustainable than the prior model, which was operated by Boston-based HMS Ferries.

Hillsborough County ended its contract with HMS Ferries earlier this year after the company proposed replacing the existing vessel with a slower boat that would have extended the one-way crossing from about 50 minutes to more than two hours.

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Beloved downtown diner expands with new location on Pasadena Avenue

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Beloved downtown diner expands with new location on Pasadena Avenue

Central Diner, the downtown St. Pete staple known for its no-frills breakfasts, oversized portions, and loyal following, has quietly expanded west.

The longtime neighborhood favorite, at 530 Central Avenue, has opened a second location at 2525 Pasadena Avenue South in the Village Plaza in South Pasadena.

The expansion is a big step for a spot that has been part of St. Pete’s food scene for almost fifty years.

Central Diner began in 1975 as Central Coffee Shoppe, opened by John and Chris Mangels.

Over the years it became a go-to eatery for downtown workers, long-time residents, and anyone craving a dependable plate of pancakes or corned beef hash.

Their daughters, Michelle, Cassie, and Nicole, took over the restaurant in 2004 and continued running it until 2018.

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St. Pete florists plant roots together in new floral shop with a garden and drive-thru

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St. Pete florists plant roots together in new floral shop with a garden and drive-thru

A colorful new floral shop has taken root in St. Petersburg’s Euclid Heights neighborhood, blending creativity, community, and craftsmanship under one roof.

Located at 1506 54th Avenue North, the freshly opened space brings together two local floral powerhouses, Arms of Persephone and The Roaming Petal, offering everything from handcrafted bouquets to immersive floral workshops.

The collaboration marks the first time the two longtime florists, Regan Smith of Arms of Persephone and Erica Holland of The Roaming Petal, have shared a physical space.

Though they’ve referred clients to one another for years, their new studio merges retail, workshops, and events into a single destination for flower lovers across Tampa Bay.

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St. Pete explores permanent ferry dock at St. Pete Pier for service to downtown Tampa

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St. Pete explores permanent ferry dock at St. Pete Pier for service to downtown Tampa

The passenger ferry linking downtown St. Pete and downtown Tampa may soon have a new home on the St. Pete Pier.

As the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) prepares to relaunch the Tampa Bay Ferry, formerly known as the Cross Bay Ferry, the city is evaluating plans to construct a permanent dock near the St. Petersburg Museum of History, according to documents obtained by St. Pete Rising.

When the ferry service began in 2016, it carried passengers on a roughly 50-minute ride from North Straub Park in downtown St. Pete to the Tampa Convention Center in downtown Tampa.

In 2023, when the permit for the St. Pete dock expired, the St. Pete terminus was relocated to the Port of St. Petersburg, south of Albert Whitted Airport.

While the Port location kept the service operational, it’s been criticized by riders and city officials for being out of sight and inconvenient compared to the original downtown stop.

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Local boating company Hubbard's Marina selected as new operator of Cross Bay Ferry

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Local boating company Hubbard's Marina selected as new operator of Cross Bay Ferry

A longtime local boating business may bring back the popular ferry service connecting downtown St. Petersburg and downtown Tampa, with more frequent trips and year-round service.

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) has recommended Hubbard’s Marina, a nearly century-old Madeira Beach-based business, to relaunch and manage the Cross Bay Ferry, which first launched in 2016. If approved, service could resume as early as 2026, ahead of the peak spring break season.

Hubbard’s Marina, which would operate the service as the Tampa Bay Ferry, was one of four respondents to PSTA’s Request for Proposals (RFP) issued on August 5th.

Founded in 1928 by Captain Wilson Hubbard as a bait-and-tackle shop, Hubbard’s Marina has grown into a major fishing and boating business. The family-owned company moved to John’s Pass on Maderia Beach in 1976, where it now offers deep-sea fishing, sightseeing tours, and operates a maintenance and manufacturing facility in Gulfport.

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Habitat for Humanity to break ground on 57-home community in Lealman

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Habitat for Humanity to break ground on 57-home community in Lealman

Nearly six acres of underutilized land in St. Pete’s Lealman neighborhood is set to be transformed into a new affordable housing community.

Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside is expected to break ground by the end of the year on a project that will bring 57 new homes to families in need.

Located across from Lealman Elementary School at the corner of 58th Avenue North and 40th Street North, the new community will feature 31 single-family homes and 26 townhomes.

The townhomes will rise on a 1.74-acre parcel at 4000 58th Avenue North, while the single-family homes will be constructed on surrounding land.

The Housing Finance Authority of Pinellas County acquired the properties in 2016.

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St. Pete–Tampa ferry prepares for relaunch with new operator search

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St. Pete–Tampa ferry prepares for relaunch with new operator search

After a three-month pause, daily ferry service across Tampa Bay is now one step closer to returning.

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) has begun a competitive procurement process to select a private operator to relaunch and manage a year-round, more frequent ferry connection between downtown St. Petersburg and downtown Tampa.

On August 5th, PSTA issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit interested operators, with submissions due by Thursday, August 28th.

The new RFP follows Hillsborough County’s recent decision to terminate its contract with the previous Cross Bay Ferry operator, HMS Ferries, after the company proposed replacing the current vessel with a slower one that would extend the one-way trip from 50 minutes to more than two hours.

When the county canceled its contract with HMS, ending the Cross Bay Ferry operations on April 30th, it left $4,863,280 of unspent Federal Transit Authority (FTA) dollars on the table, which can be used towards the purchase of two new ferry boats for the Tampa-to-St. Pete service.

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Aldi to replace Winn-Dixie on 4th Street North in St. Pete

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Aldi to replace Winn-Dixie on 4th Street North in St. Pete

A major shakeup is coming to one of St. Pete’s long-standing grocery stores.

After serving the community for 35 years, the Winn-Dixie at 11100 4th Street North in the Bayview Shopping Plaza is set to close on August 3rd and undergo a $1.7 million renovation to become an Aldi.

The conversion is part of the German-based discount grocery chain’s continued expansion across Florida and the U.S., following its March 2024 acquisition of Southeastern Grocers and the rollout of new Aldi stores in former Winn-Dixie locations.

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PSTA approves $4.8 million federal grant to restore Cross Bay Ferry service between St. Pete and Tampa

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PSTA approves $4.8 million federal grant to restore Cross Bay Ferry service between St. Pete and Tampa

The Cross Bay Ferry, which has linked passengers between downtown St. Petersburg and downtown Tampa since 2017, could once again sail under a new operator.

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), which operates the Clearwater Ferry, is now leading efforts to restore ferry service between St. Pete and Tampa after Hillsborough County recently ended its contract with HMS Ferries.

The termination came after HMS proposed replacing the current ferry with a slower vessel that would more than double one-way travel time from 50 minutes to two hours.

When the county canceled its contract with HMS, ending the Cross Bay Ferry operations on April 30th, it left $4,863,280 of unspent Federal Transit Authority (FTA) dollars on the table, which can be used towards the purchase of two new ferry boats for the Tampa-to-St. Pete service.

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