Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend area on September 26, one of the strongest and deadliest storms ever to hit the southeastern United States. A once-in-a-lifetime storm.

Less than two weeks later, the second strongest hurricane ever recorded in Gulf of Mexico hit just south of Sarasota, near Siesta Key.  

Few of us in the Bay Area were completely untouched. If it wasn’t our family or our home, it was someone we love or work alongside. It was the shared hurt of knowing a block, a neighborhood, a business, a community, that would simply never be the same.  

It is amazing that in just the last edition of the Northeast Journal we explored the impact of Tropical Storm Debby on St. Petersburg and the state of city flood control planning. We ended that article with the observation that “while the storm served as a good test of the extensive city storm and wastewater improvements to date, it also served as another warning of the urgent need to fully implement the Stormwater Master Plan with all deliberate speed, and to accelerate planning for mitigation of major storm surge.”

Little did we know how soon the next tests would come. 

Tropical Storm Debby impacted St.… Read More

What is the antithesis of last-minute scrambling to buy your family Starbucks and Amazon gift cards for the holidays? Shopapalooza. 

Shopapalooza is a giant, two-day outdoor market in Vinoy Park, packed with local vendors, artists, and cuisine. This year it runs from Saturday, November 30 and Sunday, December 1, 10 am to 5 pm. 

Just a few days after Thanksgiving, Shopapalooza is a chance to support local businesses, and get holiday shopping under wraps, but the very best part? Partial proceeds benefit non-profits for kids in Pinellas.