Ever since Lincoln declared an annual day of Thanksgiving in 1863, it became customary for presidents to issue a Proclamation of Thanksgiving each year. And in 1925, Calvin Coolidge did so on October 26th. His proclamation spoke to a year of national prosperity, noting that the nation was blessed with “resources whose potentiality in wealth is almost incalculable” and that the nation’s people “should set ourselves against evil and strive for righteousness in living, and observing the Golden Rule we should from our abundance help and serve those less fortunately placed.” (Coolidge incidentally made a visit to St. Pete with his wife Grace after he left office and stayed at the Vinoy Hotel.… Read More

As the adage goes, history repeats itself. But one St. Petersburg museum is intent on ensuring that never happens.

In their own words, the Florida Holocaust Museum (FHM) “honors the memory of millions of innocent men, women, and children who suffered or died in the Holocaust. The museum is dedicated to teaching people of all races and cultures the inherent worth and dignity of human life in order to prevent future genocides.”

The FHM, now one of the largest of its kind in the country, was founded in Madeira Beach in 1992 by Walter P. Loebenberg, a Holocaust survivor and U.S.… Read More

Pictured: Venouziou, right, and her friends Monica and Brian Guerrero celebrated her new citizenship outside the Citizenship and Immigration Services field office in Tampa.

For the last forty years, Ester Venouziou has felt as American as any of her friends and neighbors. But now, this renowned small business advocate has taken her oath and made it official. On August 5, 2025, alongside one hundred other applicants in the Citizenship and Immigration Services field office in Tampa, she became an U.S. citizen.

As the founder of LocalShops1 and St. Pete’s legendary Shopapalooza festival, Venouziou’s interest in small business began with her parents, two Greek immigrants who owned a fabric and linen business in Manaus, Brazil.… Read More

James Franklin Oliver, Sr., known popularly as Jim Oliver, was an amazing shortstop who played with the National, Florida, and local Negro Leagues and clubs from the 1940s to the 1950s. Equally noteworthy, he was a role model and mentor to hundreds of Black youths during the era of segregation. In addition to baseball, Oliver played semi-pro football and was an excellent golfer. Born near Waycross, Georgia in 1919, Oliver moved to St. Petersburg with his family at the age of 7. He attended Davis Elementary, but did not go on to high school and began working at about age 13.… 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

As St. Pete grows, so does the interest in our culture and history. Currently, there are many popular and informative tours of downtown and beyond, but only one examines one of the most important times in our city’s history: Civil Rights Era. 

The St. Petersburg Museum of History’s Historic Civil Rights Trolley Tour invites passengers on a compelling ride into the city’s often overlooked past. Winding through streets of St. Petersburg once marked by segregation, the trolley takes passengers through neighborhoods and by landmarks that once stood at the center of the city’s local civil rights movement. 

Lead by Museum Director Rui Farias, the tour immerses passengers in powerful stories about pivotal moments and courageous individuals who helped shape the area’s fight for racial equality.… Read More

One of our city’s leading environmentalists and preservationists was Mayor Charlie Schuh. Charles E. Schuh served on the city council from 1971 to 1974, and then as mayor from 1975 to 1977. At that time, the city had what is known as the “weak mayor” form of government. While the mayor held the title, he really served as a “first among equals” on the council, and true executive power was invested in a paid city manager. The mayor’s salary in 1975 was $5,000 per year, about $30,000 adjusted for inflation. As Schuh said later about the job: “You preside over council meetings, and you have a couple of other ceremonial functions and that’s it.”… Read More

You’re probably familiar with the “little ditty” about Jack and Diane, the bittersweet love story immortalized by John Cougar Mellencamp. But what about St. Petersburg’s own homegrown Jack-and-Diane romance – not of two kids growing up in the heartland, but of two ospreys growing up at a local credit union? 

It all started in 2016, when the two lovebirds attempted to build their first nest atop the large sign at Achieva Credit Union off 4th Street North. It is not unusual to observe ospreys’ nests in such unlikely places; these highly adaptable raptors naturally nest atop dead trees, but will readily adapt to nesting on utility poles, channel markers, and other tall, man-made structures.… Read More