If it’s hot outside, then it’s time for Cool Art at the Coliseum! This summer staple, held July 19 and 20 this year, is a wonderful time for artists, patrons, and enthusiasts to come together – in air-conditioned splendor – for one of the oldest indoor art shows in the ‘Burg.

Cool Art first started in 1988, when some artists had gathered after enduring a rainy, poor-performing outdoor art show. As they commiserated, the idea of an artist-run indoor art show emerged. The first was held in Fox Hall at Eckerd College, then moved to the University of South Florida Campus Activity Center. It found a more permanent home at the Coliseum in 2005.  … Read More

Imagine this: You walk by a storm drain and know it like an old friend – because this year, it’s your responsibility. To the average person, that might sound like a burden. But to you, a ‘Burger with a sense of duty to your community, it’s the ultimate love letter to the city.

Starting this summer, the City of St. Petersburg is launching the Adopt-a-Drain program, which allows residents and organizations to “adopt” a local drain of their choosing and commit to keeping it clear for a year.

“It’s our newest program, and really it relies on volunteerism from our community,” said Ivan Fountain, a neighborhood specialist for the City of St.… Read More

In the heart of Tampa Bay, Florida’s largest open-water estuary, an initiative is unfolding that aims to bridge the persistent gender gap in STEM careers. For 34 years, the Oceanography Camp Especially for Girls (OCG), hosted by the University of South Florida College of Marine Science, has helped to guide young women in Pinellas County towards too often uncharted waters of scientific exploration. This year, the ANGARI Foundation, in its eighth consecutive year of support for this pivotal research cruise, once again collaborated with USF to take a group of female Pinellas County 9th graders aboard their research vessel, R/V ANGARI.… Read More

The fourth annual St. Petersburg Press Literary Event, held May 13 at The Palladium’s Side Door venue, celebrated the literary scene with the theme, “The State of the Word.” And the state of the word was good.

St. Petersburg Press is the foremost book publisher in the Tampa Bay area. The business was the brainchild of Joe Hamilton with collaborating insight from his coffee klatch buddies Paul Wilborn and Roy Peter Clark. All three are writer-celebrities in the local literary scene and beyond. Hamilton is not only the founder of St. Petersburg Press, but also of St. Pete Catalyst. Wilborn, who is the executive director of the Palladium Theatre, wore his familiar dual hats as master of ceremonies and chief piano player providing entertainment breaks for the event, now a tradition.… Read More

As the old saying goes, “the grass is always greener…”. But soon, sea grass will be greener at St. Pete’s North Shore Park – or rather, just offshore. 

Starting in late 2025, the City of St. Petersburg will be restoring 32 acres of seagrass habitat near the entrance to Coffee Pot Bayou. The restoration will begin by repairing a dredge hole just offshore using 470,000 cubic yards of fill from a recent channel deepening project at SeaPort Manatee. Over the summers of 2026 and 2027, manatee grass, turtle grass, and shoal grass plugs gathered from a donor site just to the north will be added to this new bay bottom, then monitored for growth.… Read More

You wouldn’t expect a busy doctor and a small-business owner to spend their precious evenings picking up trash and old fishing line. But nearly every night after dinner, Ashley and Lorenzo Hernandez do just that.

Their nightly walks along Coffee Pot Bayou in St. Petersburg have become a ritual. The couple walks the same path with trash pickers in hand, collecting cigarette butts, discarded bait containers, and bits of tangled line. It’s quiet, methodical work that they say started organically. 

“We were already walking every night,” Ashley said. “May as well help clean up while we’re out here.” 

Ashley says this while trying to keep one of her four dogs from yipping and jumping; the couple have three miniature Pomeranians and a one-eyed Yorkie with a big personality.… Read More

Last year, three major hurricanes – Debbie, Helene, and Milton – had a huge impact on our city. Debby was a near 100-year storm event, dropping almost 12 inches of rain in parts of the city in 30 hours, and generating a 3.4-foot surge. While Hurricane Helene landed 172 miles north of St. Petersburg, it generated a surge as high as 7.2 feet in some areas. Hurricane Milton was predicted to generate a devastating surge of as much as 10 to 15 feet.  Fortunately, Milton wobbled to the south, and Tampa Bay instead experienced a 3-foot negative surge rather than total devastation. Nevertheless, our city experienced a record “1,000-year” rainfall event with 18.75 inches of rain falling in parts of the city in 24 hours.… Read More