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. 

Whether you’re new to the area or have had an historic bungalow in your family for generations, everyone falls in love with our little corner of St. Petersburg sooner or later. In honor of 20 years delivering stories about our community to our community, we asked readers to share their very favorite things about the greater Old Northeast neighborhoods.  

Year-round gardening. With an ever-growing tree canopy and beautiful weather (most of the year), there’s never a bad time to play in the yard. Unless you don’t enjoy that sort of thing, and then you can always admire the work of others.… Read More

Shuffleboard is fun! Hanging out with friends and making new ones? Also fun! Raising money for an incredibly good cause, while playing shuffleboard with friends and enjoying delicious food and drink? Right this way to the Ready to Shuffle charity event at St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club on Thursday, November 7. 

The second annual benefit for Ready for Life, a skill center that supports former foster care youth, offers attendees fun, refreshments, and the heartfelt satisfaction of helping those who need it. Whether you’re a regular shuffler or just curious, all are invited to come out for a cause that offers “homelessness prevention, education and employment, and lifeline support networks” for former foster youth.… Read More

Rev. Ben Atherton-Zeman has done impressions since childhood, and he’s good at them, immediately launching into an amusing channeling of broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite and the Monty Python comedy troupe. “What can I say,” he jokes, “I was an only child and growing up I had to entertain myself.” 

While Atherton-Zeman may have a gift for comedy – he met his wife Lucinda while they were both performing improv – it was not meant to be his life’s work. Instead, Atherton-Zeman, the new minister of the Unitarian Universality Church of St. Petersburg, used his talent for humor toward a very altruistic purpose: social justice.  … Read More

This fall, the Northeast Journal celebrates its 20th anniversary of bringing readers the “good news” stories that make St. Petersburg such a special place. It’s a remarkable accomplishment.  What’s been the secret to success? It’s the NEJ’s mission – the celebration of community and connection, with stories about friends, neighbors, colleagues, and acquaintances who are making a difference.  

“When the personal story can be told and readers can feel the common humanity, that’s what makes the NEJ successful,” said publisher Jen MacMillen. “With every story, we can’t just take the obvious top layer. We have to go deep. Why does that person volunteer at CASA?… Read More

We are again in the thick of the hurricane season and, while St. Petersburg has not had direct hit since the devastating Tarpon Springs Hurricane in October 1921, there have been many near misses: Hurricane Irma (Cat 5) in 2017, Hurricane Ian (Cat 5) in 2022, Hurricane Idalia (Cat 4) in 2023, and already this season Tropical Storm Debby, which evolved into a Category 1 after its center passed approximately 100 miles west of St. Pete. Even glancing blows from these storms caused significant damage to our city, particularly Hurricane Idalia, which flooded approximately 1400 homes though it made landfall 150 miles north. … Read More

Picture your favorite park in St. Pete. Chances are, there’s a lake or pond right in the center of it. While we are best known for our beautiful beaches, these humbler freshwater features are hidden gems, reflecting our polychrome sunsets, soothing our spirits, and hosting a diversity of wildlife. Keeping these waterways clean and healthy is a big job – one that requires love, labor, and, sometimes, a little bit of SoUL. 

Stewards of our Urban Lakes, that is. The nonprofit organization, whose origins date back to 2007, works to improve the water quality and restore the natural habitat of urban lakes through education and community engagement, hosting regular clean-ups and educational events at eight local lakes – including Crescent, Round, Mirror, Jungle, Winston, Pasadena, Eagle Crest, and Meadowlawn – and counting.… Read More

Whatever preconceptions you have about the art form that is opera, the St. Petersburg Opera Guild may just change them. 

“You can wear a t-shirt to the opera, and stop in on your lunch break,” says guild volunteer and opera enthusiast Kitty Grubb. “There are subtitles, you don’t need to know Italian. It’s for everyone, and that’s what people don’t understand.” 

The St. Pete Opera Guild is a 501c3 that supports St. Pete Opera, but it is its own entity – don’t confuse SPO with the guild. While St. Pete Opera, founded in 2007, is a company that puts on shows, the guild, founded in 1964, is a community infrastructure that supports and promotes all opera, especially young people who are coming into the art form. … Read More

Amber Bennett could be the poster child for living the “St. Pete dream” of living, working, and making the most of our Sunshine City. In her “day job” she’s a real estate rock star, but early each the morning, she’s an elite athlete. Volleyball is her game.

For the past nine years, Amber has trained in the heart of downtown. If you have ever passed by the beach volleyball courts at North Shore, you may have been watching volleyball players from around the world training in our slice of paradise.

I caught up with Amber to chat a few days before she was heading off to compete in yet another tournament.… Read More