Florida's largest LGBTQ+ pride celebration returns to St. Pete this month

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Florida's largest LGBTQ+ pride celebration returns to St. Pete this month

The Sunshine City, home to the largest Pride celebration in Florida, will once again celebrate its vibrant LGBTQIA+ community during the 23rd annual St. Pete Pride.

The month-long celebration culminates with the signature Pride Parade along the downtown waterfront, drawing more than 300,000 attendees. This year’s parade day festivities kick off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 28th at North and South Straub Parks, featuring live music, local entertainers and artists, over 100 booths and vendors, and a wide variety of food and drink.

The Pride Parade will begin at 6 p.m., starting at Albert Whitted Park and continuing along Bayshore Drive to Vinoy Park. The Trans March will precede the main parade at 5 p.m.

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St. Pete-Clearwater Airport to build 1,800-space parking garage amid record-breaking passenger activity

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St. Pete-Clearwater Airport to build 1,800-space parking garage amid record-breaking passenger activity

St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport (PIE), now serving nearly 2.5 million passengers a year and offering nonstop flights to over 60 cities, is expanding its parking capacity to meet growing demand.

The airport, located at 14700 Terminal Boulevard in north St. Pete, recently began designing a terminal expansion project expected to exceed $110 million. As part of the plan, PIE will also build its first parking garage, adding to its current surface-level parking.

Last month was the busiest May in the airport’s history, with 242,162 passengers, 13% more than May of last year. Additionally, passenger activity is currently up 11% year over year.

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Pete’s Bagels opens new drive-thru in restored historic building in south St. Pete

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Pete’s Bagels opens new drive-thru in restored historic building in south St. Pete

After two years of extensive restoration, Pete’s Bagels has officially opened its newest location in the historic 1926-built Harbordale Standard Oil Station located at 2439 4th Street South in south St. Pete.

The 320-square-foot building, which is considered St. Pete’s oldest gas station, now has an drive-thru stocked with a menu of bagels and bagel sandwiches and coffee from local roaster Look Alive Coffee.

The opening comes several years after former City Councilman Robert Blackmon purchased the property in November 2019 for $125,000 and undertook an extensive restoration with plans to transform it into a boutique drive-through café.

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Former Ed White Hospital conversion to 71-unit affordable senior housing community advances in North Kenwood

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Former Ed White Hospital conversion to 71-unit affordable senior housing community advances in North Kenwood

The St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA) is expected to begin construction on the second phase of an extensive renovation to the former Edward White Hospital, converting the building into a 71-unit affordable housing complex for seniors, thanks to recently approved funding.

Last Thursday, the St. Petersburg City Council approved $8.9 million in funding for the $42.5 million project underway at 2323 9th Avenue North in North Kenwood.

The funding includes $6.9 million from Penny for Pinellas, of which $3 million was previously approved, and $2 million in HOME funds.

In 2022, the project was awarded $5.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, however those funds were rescinded in 2024 citing extensive project delays and reallocated to two other affordable housing projects—Flats on 4th and Palm Lake Urban Sanctuary.

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40-unit affordable townhome project planned for south St. Pete receives city funding

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40-unit affordable townhome project planned for south St. Pete receives city funding

After years of planning, an affordable townhome community is advancing with the help of newly approved funding.

At a Thursday meeting, the St. Petersburg City Council unanimously approved $2.18 million in funding for Habitat for Humanity of Tampa Bay Gulfside to build Pelican Place, a 40-unit affordable townhome community at 2100 18th Avenue South.

The funding is coming from previously allocated Tax Increment Financing (TIF) dollars from the South St. Petersburg Redevelopment District Fund.

The property, valued at $1.43 million and located across from Tangerine Plaza, was sold to Habitat for Humanity for $10, bringing the city’s total financial commitment to over $3.6 million for the project, or $90,000 per unit.

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