St. Petersburg officials are purchasing a dilapidated home that blocks views of city-owned Harbordale Park and provides cover for illegal activities. City council members unanimously authorized administrators to acquire the property at 2405 6th St. S. for $239,000 and up to $10,000 in closing costs. They also approved transferring $350,000 from the General Capital Improvement Fund to the Harbordale Park Expansion project at the April 18 meeting. The acquisition will facilitate several enhancements to the community amenity at 6th Street and East Harbor Drive South. Councilmember Gina Driscoll p ..read more

Cathie Wood began expressing her desire to pilot a local version of Austin’s South by Southwest (SXSW) festival soon after relocating ARK Invest to St. Petersburg. The Tampa Bay Rays plan to host year-round events in and around a new ballpark. Those worlds are colliding. Wood reasserted her intention to establish something akin to a South by St. Pete event at the mayor’s State of the Economy summit, held March 28 at the ARK Innovation Center. She then announced her support for the stadium and Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment plan. Wood said ARK “would love to fill” a new ballpark in t ..read more

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” That quote, generally attributed to John Lennon, is a tidy summation of the independent film Two Lives in Pittsburgh, screening Sunday (April 28) at the Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Petersburg. Written and directed by Brian Silverman, it’s the story of a conservative blue-collar worker raising his 10-year-old son by himself. Matty has little interest in baseball or hockey, and at first Bernie Evers (played by Silverman) is frustrated and angry. Matty now wants to be called Maddie. And he wants to be a girl. “The heart of the ..read more

If you’re searching for a way to give back to your community, the Catalyst’s Impact Connector is here to help. Each week, we feature five organizations in the Tampa Bay area that need your input, whether that’s time, talent, items, funding or simply awareness. We’re certain you’ll find something here that matches your interests and will positively impact the community. STEM Guest Speaker Needed YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg is seeking STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) guest speakers for its Middle School Academies program. Volunteers must be currently employed or recently ..read more

Sitting by the big streetside windows inside The Studio@620, Bob Devin Jones is reflecting on two subjects close to his heart: The upcoming production of Hamlet, which he’s directing, and his retirement after two breathless decades of running the little theater/art gallery/performance space that could. His voice is soft, his tone measured. He is, as ever, both erudite and folksy, and he peppers the conversation with song lyrics from Boyz II Men, the Bluenotes and Frank Sinatra. Jones was a professional actor for years, but much to his chagrin never got to play Shakespeare’s tormented Danish pr ..read more

Paradise Ventures CEO Mike Connor is not backing down from a lawsuit that claims ongoing construction at the Sundial in downtown St. Petersburg violates a 25-year-old agreement. Connor and Andrew Wright, CEO of Tampa-based Franklin Street and Ally Capital Group, bought the open-air retail center at 153 2nd Ave. N. in February 2022. The joint venture announced plans for a reimagined courtyard a year later. New York-based Florida 2005 Theaters LLC, the entity that owns the AMC Sundial 12 movie theater, is now suing to stop construction. The April 16 lawsuit alleges that operating agreements proh ..read more

A weekly roundup of notable local real estate news. The owners of the Tarpon Springs Castle Winery, located at 320 E. Tarpon Ave., are selling their land, building and business for an asking price of $1.2 million. The winery has been a fixture in the heart of the Tarpon Springs historical district for the past 20+ years. Joseph and Diana Marks purchased the land in 1998 for $39,900. The building was constructed in 2001 to resemble an 1820 federal building. Diana Marks consulted with the Tarpon Springs historical society as well as historical boards in Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, North Ca ..read more

Pinellas County is home to nearly 24,000 known short-term vacation rentals, and elected officials have found it increasingly difficult to regulate a now sophisticated and nuanced industry. They must also balance the need for housing options and the quality of life in surrounding neighborhoods. However, state preemptions likely present the tallest hurdle for local governments. The local political and business leaders who comprise the Tourist Development Council (TDC) discussed the issue Wednesday. County Commissioners brainstormed solutions – including establishing a department dedicated to ove ..read more

Today’s Arts Alive! conversation with Pinellas County Film Commissioner Lisa Dozois covers a lot of ground. We talk about the history of movie-making in Florida, the benefits to city, county and region when filmmakers come to the area to work, and about the role of the film commissioner: Facilitator, cheerleader, location scout, lobbyist, advocate. And, when necessary, a person who has to wear rose-colored glasses. That’s because for all the independent, low-budget movies shot in Pinellas County, and commercials, and episodes of historic or documentary TV, the big guns – the major Hollywood st ..read more

Recently released financial numbers for World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) Royal Rumble confirmed what many local stakeholders expected – the event body-slammed an influx of cash into the area. Visit St. Pete/Clearwater (VSPC) reported that the event, held Jan. 27 in St. Petersburg at Tropicana Field, provided a $47.05 million economic impact. Caleb Peterson, senior business development manager for the agency, called the Royal Rumble a “home run” for businesses and hotels. Peterson led a Tourist Development Council presentation Wednesday on the event’s local impact. The Royal Rumble brought ..read more