Rouge plant, true to its name, was used by indigenous Floridians to pigment their skin. Image by Jen Tyson

When you picture your favorite Florida landscapes, what plants do you see? Redolent plumerias? Bold, heart-shaped elephant ears? The traffic-cone orange plumes of bird of paradise or graceful fronds of coconut palms? These iconic flora have all found their way into Florida’s greenscapes. And, despite the fact that they come from across the world – hailing from Central America and the Caribbean, Asia, South Africa, and Oceania, respectively – they have come, over time, to evoke that special Florida feeling: verdant, tropical, and wild.… Read More

WTE holds events every month, as well as online webinars and tech mentoring, always free of charge. Photo courtesy of WTE.

It’s no secret that St. Petersburg, particularly downtown, is a growing hot spot for new-to-the-heat Floridians. Many of these transplants are young professionals, particularly tech professionals, including growing numbers of women in tech. 

Traditionally, the technology industry isn’t known to be the most inclusive for women, and that’s the reason for the Tampa-born Women in Tech & Entrepreneurship (WTE) organization. 

“I founded WTE in 2022 after witnessing the glaring gender disparities in tech and entrepreneurship,” says Raechel Canipe, CEO of WTE.… Read More

Mayor Ken Welch has called for another look at Albert Whitted and alternative uses, noting again possible expansion of the downtown waterfront parks. Photo courtesy of the City of St. Petersburg.

You might think aviation in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County began 1914 with the launching of the first commercial airline from the St. Petersburg Pier. Actually, the city’s aviation roots can be traced to what would become Albert Whitted Airport, where the first recorded flight in the county took off in 1912. 

In that year celebrated pioneer pilot Leonard Warden Bonney brought a new Wright Brothers biplane to St. Pete as part of an exhibition tour.… Read More

Without a large or flashing sign, Harvey’s 4th Street Grill might go overlooked by a tourist, but for locals, this cozy restaurant has long been a popular gathering spot for co-workers, friends, and family. Nestled in the corner of an otherwise ordinary shopping center, you know you’ve found it when you see the green awning and pristine landscaping leading to a treasure trove of St. Pete history. This April, the city icon celebrates 40 years of business, so it seems only fitting that we take a walk down memory lane. 

A Family Affair

I learned quickly that you cannot discuss the history of Harvey’s without discussing the patriarch of the family, Dan Harvey Sr.… Read More

This is a story about an unexpected and shocking diagnosis, a couple’s determination to never give up the fight, and a community rising up, circling the wagons to lend support.  

On August 28, 2022, Jim Wilson, a former professor of law at Cleveland State University, lost his balance, the room started to spin, and his muscles turned to rubber. As he started to slide to the floor, his wife Mimi Lord guided him to the couch in their classic Old Northeast Craftsman-style home. “We thought it was a stroke,” said Jim. 

The couple rushed to the hospital, and after multiple tests, doctors told Jim the terrible news.… Read More

Bob Preston was a student at St. Pete High when Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941. The professional photographer who worked on the school yearbook was soon drafted to serve in the Army. With no formal training in photography, Preston stepped in to take over as yearbook photo editor. After graduating in 1943, he too joined the Army. When asked what experience he had, he said, “Photography!”

Preston was assigned to the Army Signal Corp as a combat photographer, eventually ending up with General Douglas MacArthur’s headquarters in the Pacific.… Read More

Old Northeast resident Mallory Lykes Dimmitt admits to having a “big audacious goal” – permanently protecting millions of acres of natural, wild Florida from development. It’s a task that might seem impossible, but as CEO of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, Dimmitt is committed to making it happen. “We are acting now for future generations,” Dimmitt said. “We may not be able to protect every acre, but we can protect as much as we can, as fast as we can.”

I met with Dimmitt in her new spacious office at The Factory St. Pete, a burgeoning creative arts destination in the Warehouse Arts District.… Read More

The average price of a gym membership in St. Pete is $30-50 a month. A local personal trainer can run you up to $90 an hour. But the cost to join Healthy St. Pete programs and workout classes? $0. 

When the city of St. Pete launched Healthy St. Pete in 2015, it was only a small initiative to bring more health programs to Pinellas. Now in 2024, Healthy St. Pete is its own division of the St. Pete Parks and Recreation Department. Every month, the city-funded program holds free workout classes, mental health seminars, inexpensive races, and even sells produce – for cheap – out of 12 locations around the city. … Read More

The last six years have been a game of lost and found. Feeling a little lost in Northern Virginia, we had the chance to move to Old Northeast in 2017 and found this beautiful community along the water to start a new life. Even in this idyllic location, it can take a while to put down roots, however. I felt a little lost, until I found the yoga community here in St. Pete. 

Fast forward with two years of practice at YogaBlu and Body Electric Yoga Company, followed by yoga teacher training, and I was looking for a nonprofit for whom I could offer yoga on a donation basis.… Read More

There are two names that are intricately linked in St. Petersburg: Amanda Cooper and the Morean Arts Center. A familiar face about town, Cooper has worked tirelessly with the local arts community and is the chief curator for the center, with the daunting task of programming the gallery spaces at the Morean and Chihuly Collection. As part of the Morean’s exhibition team, she helps organize over 50 exhibitions each year across three different locations.

Cooper is also preparing to celebrate her 25th anniversary at the Morean this February. 

The first incarnation of her job was as the gallery director for the then-named Arts Center.  She… Read More