As hurricane season approaches, here’s how St. Pete and residents can prepare

/
As hurricane season approaches, here’s how St. Pete and residents can prepare

It’s almost that time of year again to prepare for hurricane season, which runs from June 1st through November 30th.

The City of St. Petersburg, in partnership with Pinellas County, is taking precautionary measures ahead of the looming season by strengthening the region’s infrastructure.

The actions follow the release of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 2025 Hurricane Outlook, which forecasts above-normal hurricane and tropical storm activity this season. The outlook predicts 13 to 19 named storms that could become hurricanes. Peak storm activity typically occurs between mid-August and mid-October, when tropical or subtropical cyclones are most likely to form in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Read More

The Common Thread yarn shop and cafe opens this August in the Warehouse Arts District

/
The Common Thread yarn shop and cafe opens this August in the Warehouse Arts District

A cozy new yarn shop and coffee shop is weaving its way into the Warehouse Arts District this summer.

The Common Thread is opening this August at 2462 5th Avenue South, in the location that previously housed HaleLife Bakery and Bistro, and before that, The Chelsea coffee shop.

Nicole Potts Hart of KW Commercial represented both O’Brien and the property owner in the lease transaction.

Founder Shannon O’Brien, a longtime crocheter and San Francisco transplant who made St. Pete her permanent home in 2022, had been searching for a local yarn shop in St. Pete.

Read More

St. Pete Beach’s historic Beach Theatre set to reopen this July after 13 years

/
St. Pete Beach’s historic Beach Theatre set to reopen this July after 13 years

The historic Beach Theatre on St. Pete Beach will reopen on Friday, July 18th for the first time in over a decade, bringing back the smell of fresh popcorn and the buzz of excited moviegoers.

The theatre, located at 315 Corey Avenue,firstopened in 1940 as the first venue in Pinellas County built exclusively for sound films.

The reopening follows a year of extensive renovations led by new owners and St. Pete Beach residents Ronald and Sissy Hockman and their daughter, Hannah. The family purchased the 85-year-old theatre in March 2024 for $1 million.

“I have dreamed of owning a theatre for as long as I can remember,” Hannah shared in a Facebook post.

Read More

Five-story resort with waterpark and rooftop bar rejected by St. Pete Beach officials

/
Five-story resort with waterpark and rooftop bar rejected by St. Pete Beach officials

A proposed resort on Gulf Boulevard in St. Pete Beach has encountered another setback after city officials rejected the plan for a second time.

The City Commission unanimously voted last Tuesday to reject a variance, density allocation, and a conditional use permit to construct a 104-unit resort on a vacant 2.76-acre strip of land between the Sand Cove Apartments and Sun Harbor Condos.

The Windward Pass Resort, led by Jack Bodziak of Bodziak/Hayes Architects, would feature a five-story, art deco-inspired building. Amenities include a waterpark with slides and a lazy river, a main pool, a sundeck with a swim-up bar, on-site restaurants, a rooftop bar, a 12-slip boat dock offering paddleboard and kayak rentals, and a 190-space parking garage.

Read More

Beloved Japanese-inspired Shiso Crispy food truck coming to the Jannus Block in downtown St. Pete

/
Beloved Japanese-inspired Shiso Crispy food truck coming to the Jannus Block in downtown St. Pete

Known in the Sunshine City for its handmade dumplings and Asian-fusion bowls, the popular food truck Shiso Crispy is opening a restaurant on one of downtown St. Pete’s most vibrant blocks.

Founded by award-winning chef Ronicca Whaley, a six-time contestant on Guy's Grocery Games, Shiso Crispy will debut this June on the Jannus Block at 226 1st Avenue North. The space was most recently home to T’s and Tacos, and before that, Cap's Steamer Bar & Grille and MacDinton's Irish Pub.

Shiso Crispy, named after the Japanese word shiso—which means “mint”—launched its first food truck in late 2019 to rave reviews. It went on to earn a Tampa Bay Times “Best of the Best” award in both 2020 and 2021.

Read More