Hey, y’all—welcome back! Spring is upon us, and that means it’s pollen season. Luckily, I was blessed without seasonal allergies, but in case this Florida air has you sneezing, take a Zyrtec and my thoughts and prayers.
The good news is, to celebrate the first day of spring, Rita’s (my wife’s favorite) in Tyrone is giving every guest a free Italian Ice of their choice tomorrow, March 20.
With that, we’ve got an awesome weekend ahead, so let’s dive in!
ST. PETE NAMED BEST PLACE TO LIVE IN FLORIDA
To no one’s surprise (certainly not mine), St. Pete was named the best city to live in Florida in Livability’s new study, which analyzed many different data points, including a city's economy, housing, cost of living, amenities, and more. Some of the highlights called out included:
Our Guinness World Record for most consecutive days of sunshine (768 days).
More than 1,000 special events and festivals including Florida’s largest Pride celebration, long-running Dr. MLK Jr. parade, and more (as readers of this newsletter can attest).
Perfect score for inclusivity on the Municipality Equality Index
Amenities like parks, Pinellas Trail, golf courses, shuffleboard, and more.
The arts, including our museums and arts district.
Natural beauty: access to 244 miles of shoreline, the beaches, and more.
The ranking put St. Pete at the #8 city in the Southeast. See why St. Pete rocks.
DINNER CLUB IS BACK
After the huge success of our first dinner club earlier this month, we’ll be running it back on Thursday, April 16 at 6:30pm. This time, we’ll be headed to the Grand Central District.
Big thank you to all of you who took a leap of faith on a new idea! We sold out of all 60 of our slots for the last dinner, and had around 40 folks come to the casual meet up afterwards at St. Pete Brewing! I’ve even seen that some of the dinner groups met back up to go to dinner together again, which really warms my heart 🤗.
I’ve expanded the seats for the next dinner club to 120, and, before I even announced the event, we already have 50 folks signed up!
Plus, you can now sign up with a +1, so couples can attend dinner together!
A reminder for how Dinner Club works:
You sign up for $15 and fill out a short survey about you/your dinner preferences.
We match you with with 5 other folks looking for a similar experience & handle all the logistics.
The morning of the dinner, you get a text notifying you which restaurant you’ll be eating at.
Towards the end of dinner, you get another text with the location for the casual afterparty to meet the rest of the dinner groups.
If you’d like to make some new friends, you can reserve your spot at the next Dinner Club here.
VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE PUP
Mutt Madness is now live and the first round of voting is open! Be sure to check out the bracket and cast your votes for your favorite dogs! Thank you to all our competitors for their entry fee donations to Pet Pal Animal Shelter.
Here’s a reminder of what’s up for grabs:
All of our Final Four dogs will win an annual membership to Mutts & Martinis ($179 value).
Winning dog will receive a additional prizes (bringing the total grand prize to more than a $500 value) including:
Gift basket worth of goodies from St. PetersBARK Natural Pet Market ($300 value)
Treats from Moo's Ba[R]kery ($50 value)
Voting Round Dates:
Round of 32: 3/19 - 3/25 @7pm
Sweet 16: 3/26 - 4/1 @7pm
Elite 8: 4/2 - 4/8 @7pm
Final Four: 4/9 - 4/14 @7pm
Championship: 4/15 - 4/19 @7pm
And if Mutt Madness speaks your language, NCAA March Madness starts today and there’s no better spot to watch than at Mutts & Martinis! They’ll have the games going on all the TVs, and, honestly, you should probably just take off work this afternoon to head over to catch all 16 games. Plus, Mutts is St. Pete’s Gator Bar (Go Gators), so you should join the rest of us Gator fans at 9:25pm tomorrow to catch UF’s first round game.
EVERY DAY I’M SHUFFLIN’
Today’s your last chance to sign up for the Spring Shuffleboard Club leagues! Whether you’re a seasoned pro or you’ve never been to the Shuffleboard Club, there’s a league for you. This is one of our coolest, most unique St. Pete spots, and it’s also a great way to make new friends here in town!
You can register here or contact Jaye at [email protected] to find a team! Registration closes at 6pm.
I can’t speak highly enough about the Shuffleboard Club, so even if you don’t end up playing in a league, you should still go check it out on a Friday night for $10 open play! I love the place so much, I even went and got married there!
CIVIC NEWS
The St. Petersburg City Council approved $10,000 to upgrade bike racks and improve bike parking infrastructure due to the success of the e-bike-share program. The program, which launched in 2016 and expanded to include e-bikes in 2021, has seen over 72,000 trips since partnering with Lime in 2023. That said, I always feel like I need to remind tourists that being on vacation doesn’t make you invincible when I see them flying around town on those scooters…
St. Petersburg is seeking proposals for a feasibility study to determine the long-term impacts of building a convention center downtown. The study will assess market demand, competitive positioning, financial performance, and economic impact. The city is also reviewing redevelopment proposals for the Historic Gas Plant District, some of which include event venues.
BAYFRONT BULLETIN
Want to spread the word about your business, a project you’re working on, an exciting event, a hiring opportunity, or just want to say hi to thousands of neighbors?
SUNNY CIRCLE TEE: Super soft and flattering on anyone. Get yours.
FLIGHT DEAL: TPA airport has two new, 2x weekly direct flights with Breeze to Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic! Don’t mind if I do.
‘BURG ABODES: Poolside living in Allendale Terrace. $1,995,000 | 5bd 5ba | 4,518 sqft.
LAST WEEK’S SCRAMBLE: Leprechaun
SUPPORT SUNNY ST. PETE
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WHAT’S AFLOAT
FRESH CAUGHT FEATURES
Bayfest Seafood & Music Festival | North Straub Park | Mar 20-22, hours vary | $5 🎟️
Celebrate the best of the coast at the St. Petersburg BayFest, a three-day waterfront celebration of fresh seafood, live music, and local art. Held at the beautiful North Straub Park, this new festival offers a diverse menu of local catches, meat, and vegetarian dishes cooked fresh onsite, paired perfectly with refreshing beverages and bayside breezes.
The weekend kicks off Friday, March 20, with an incredible live music lineup including the Black Honkeys Band and Absolute Queen. Between sets, browse a curated marketplace of arts, crafts, and specialty products from local artisans. Whether you're a foodie or a music lover, this pet-friendly event is the perfect way to soak up the vibrant community spirit of downtown St. Pete.
2026 Tour of the Arts | Kenwood Artist Enclave | Mar 21-22, 10am-5pm | Free
Step inside the private sanctuaries of creativity during the 9th Annual Tour of the Arts. This premier self-guided event invites you to explore the homes and studios of nearly 30 local artists within the historic, bungalow-lined streets of Historic Kenwood, one of St. Pete’s officially designated Artist Enclaves.
The tour runs Saturday (10am–5pm) and Sunday (11am–5pm), offering a rare opportunity to chat one-on-one with creators, watch live demonstrations, and purchase original works directly from the source. From world-renowned masters to emerging innovators, you’ll discover a diverse range of disciplines including ceramics, jewelry, photography, fine painting, and mixed media.
Pro Tip: Begin your journey at any stop! Maps are available online or at participating studios, and visiting multiple locations enters you for a chance to win raffle prizes from local neighborhood businesses.
FRIDAY 20
Movies on the Pier: Sandlot | St. Pete Pier | Mar 20, 8pm | Free - $30
Outdoor film night with music.
SATURDAY 21
Charity Casino Night | FloridaRAMA | Mar 21, 7-10pm | $100 🎟️
Immersive art museum casino games
A Night at the Brewseum | Great Explorations Children's Museum | Mar 21, 7-10pm | $30-$55 🎟️
Museum transformed into beer garden.
Historic Roser Park Tour of Homes | 9th Ave S & MLK Jr St | Mar 21, 10am-3pm | $25+ 🎟️
Tour historic homes and gardens.
Fort Tour | Fort De Soto Park | Mar 21, 11-11:45am | Free 🎟️
Guided ranger history exploration walk
Tiny Wildlife Experience | Weedon Island Preserve | Mar 21, 9:30-11am | Free 🎟️
Walk observing butterflies and crabs.
Nature's Hidden Wonders Walk | Brooker Creek Preserve | Mar 21, 9-10:30am | Free 🎟️
Explore Brooker Creek's diverse habitats.
From Runways to Relics: A Tour of Weedon Island’s Aviation History | Weedon Island Preserve | Mar 21, 10-11:30am | Free 🎟️
Guided tour of aviation history.
Wildflower Walk | Boyd Hill Nature Preserve | Mar 21, 1-2:30pm | $5 🎟️
Guided hike identifying native blooms.
Art on Central | Suntan Art Center | Mar 21, 10am-3pm | Free
Monthly local artist handmade market
Pass-a-Grille Home Tour | Pass-a-Grille Woman's Club | Mar 21, 1-5pm | $35 🎟️
Tour historic homes and art.
Nedscursion: Sustainable Living in Urban Florida | Gulfport Homestead | Mar 21, 2-4:30pm | $20 🎟️
Urban homestead tour and workshop
SUNDAY 22
Hello Sunshine City Pool Party | Hollander Hotel | Mar 22, 1pm | Free
Free party with DJs, food.
Arrowhead Nature Walk | Fort De Soto Park | Mar 22, 11am | Free 🎟️
Guided ranger hike through hammock.
Yoga, beer, rose & mimosas | Grand Central Brewhouse | Mar 22, 10-11am | $20 🎟️
Morning yoga with complimentary drinks.
Teen's T-shirt Screen Printing Workshop | Museum of Fine Arts | Mar 22, 1-3pm | $25-$40 🎟️
High schoolers learn screen printing.
Page to Picture: A Book + Cinema Club | Book + Bottle | Mar 22, 3-8pm | $30 🎟️
Book discussion and film screening for The Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You
ON THE HORIZON
Want to see events beyond the weekend? Use the guide below.
MARKETS
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Thanks so much for reading! As always, you can reply directly to this email with any feedback.
Stay Sunny,
Josh
