Oh hey, Wednesday! Fancy seeing you here.

Welcome to our first Wednesday edition of the Sunny St. Pete Scoop. So glad you made it!

In other big news, the Sunny St. Pete newsletter has now officially passed TEN THOUSAND subscribers. I’m blown away and can’t thank y’all enough for the support!

Let’s dive in.

Speaking of diving in, if you've driven past the Pier in the last week, you've probably noticed something new looming over Tampa Bay: a 103-foot dive tower.

This Friday and Saturday, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series makes its only U.S. stop of the 2026 season at the St. Pete Pier, the first time the series has landed in Florida. Twenty-four of the world's best cliff divers (12 women, 12 men) will throw themselves off platforms reaching 70 feet for the women's competition and 90 feet for the men's, twisting through three seconds of freefall before hitting the bay at around 53 mph.

When we lived in Boston, the Cliff Diving World Series came to Boston Harbor, and my wife went to watch. I asked her what she remembered of it, and she said it was super impressive how high the platforms were and very fun! The divers had heart rate monitors on and the speakers played their heart rates out loud for spectators. “My heart rate was higher than the divers just from watching,” she said.

Action runs roughly noon to 6:30 pm both days, with Friday's qualifying rounds setting up Saturday's main show.

It's free, but organizers are expecting 50,000+ people on the waterfront across the weekend. Get there early and find some shade. Take a dive and learn more.

Sunshine City Paint opens this month at 909 Central Ave, in the space between the old Buya ramen bar and Fusillo. Owner Julie Gioscio is a Marine Corps veteran who spent five years as an aircraft mechanic, before coming back to St. Pete to open her first business.

Guided two-hour paint classes run $35, open-canvas sessions for kids are $10, and there's a full private event setup for birthdays and bachelorettes. The lounge pours six wines on tap plus beer and seltzer. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.

The experience is the point, and artists of all levels are welcome. It’s a great for a family outing, a date night, or a Tuesday you want to do something with.

Follow along on Instagram for updates on the official opening!

If you love pickleball, mark your calendar for June 17–21. Major League Pickleball is bringing its flagship pro team tournament to St. Pete Athletic, the newly-opened racquet club at 680 28th St S, for the first time in St. Pete. The top 60 players in the world will be on court, and unlike most pro racquet sports, MLP leans into the festival format: music between matches, real team rivalries, fan interaction, actual crowd energy.

I’ll be honest, I’m not personally a pickler. There’s just not enough hours in the week for me to pick up a new hobby, and ball is already life (basketball, that is). But whenever I’m at a basketball court here in St. Pete, you can bet that the pickleball courts are slammed. So, I know there are tons of pickleball enthusiasts here. If you’re one of them and haven’t already been to St. Pete Athletic, here’s a good excuse to check it out.

Tickets are on sale now.

Thanks everyone for another amazing, sold-out dinner club last week! I had a great time talking to many of you at the afterparty at Green Bench. The next Dinner Club is almost sold out for June 11 in the Grand Central District.

I really appreciate all the great feedback everyone has shared, and I can’t believe how quickly this has grown! I’ve received two pieces of feedback more than any others: “it would be great to have some icebreakers/conversation starters at dinner” and “where are the men?”

For the first point, I’m looking for volunteers to be Dinner Club Ambassadors! Since I can’t be at every restaurant, one ambassador would be at each restaurant and help ensure that things run smoothly/help get the conversations started. In exchange, ambassadors’ Dinner Club seats would be free! If you’re interested, please fill out this three question form.

On the second point, we need more men to sign up for the Dinner Club! We’re at 80% women, 20% men historically across all of our Dinner Clubs so far. We love a girl’s night out, but it would be great to bring some more diversity to the tables! If you’re a gentleman or know one who you think would enjoy the club, here’s the link! Tell them about that ratio!

I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is that I spaced out and wrote that Elliot Aster opened in May 2026 (rather than May 2025) in last week’s newsletter. Oops, note to self to triple-check my dates when doing research.

Luckily, sharp-eyed readers caught this and let me know right away, so I updated the web version of the newsletter. Which brings me to the good news: I had numerous people write in raving about Elliot Aster. “The best restaurant in town…by far.” And that’s a direct quote from a reader.

The pull-apart focaccia, radiatore alla vodka, and espresso martini have been among the customer favorites over the course of the restaurant’s first year. Check it out here and sorry for the mix-up!

🏳️‍🌈 St. Pete Kicks Off Pride Month at City Hall. The city is raising the St. Pete Pride flag at City Hall (175 5th St. N) on Thursday, June 4 at 9 a.m., with a free family-friendly pop-up running 8 a.m. to noon. The first 400 attendees score a limited-edition St. Pete City Pride flag, plus We Are St. Pete and St. Pete Pride giveaways while supplies last.

🗳️ Florida's property tax cut heads to November ballot, and some St. Pete leaders are sounding the alarm. Florida lawmakers just sent a major property tax amendment to the November 3 ballot. If 60% of voters say yes, the homestead exemption jumps from $50,000 to $150,000 next year and climbs to $250,000 by 2028 (school taxes excluded), and annual taxable-value increases get capped at 5% instead of 10%.

However, some have pointed out that many of the basics, including how much the amendment will actually cost local governments and whether the state's promised trust fund will fully backfill the lost revenue, remain unanswered.

Locally, the math is steep. Mayor Ken Welch said the city stands to lose roughly $78 million, most of which currently funds police and fire, and warned programs like Forward Together (the city's anti-teen-violence initiative) could be cut. Pinellas County Property Appraiser Mike Twitty estimated the county would take a 24% hit to its general fund. Not everyone's opposed: Pinellas Commissioner Chris Latvala (R) called shorter library and park hours "a great tradeoff" for homeowner relief.

I’m curious where people stand on this and would love to hear from you.

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?

DINNER CLUB: We’ve been selling out each time! Next up is June 11 & July 1. Reserve your seat while you can! Especially if you’re a guy :)

CROSSWALK SUPERSOFT TEE: 50% of proceeds donated to St. Pete Pride! Get yours in honor of Pride Month!

CATCH OF THE DAY: Adopt RJ the dog or Bob the ferret. See them here.

FLIGHT DEAL: PIE → Atlantic City. $102 round trip in August (49% cheaper than usual). As Bruce Springsteen once said…

‘BURG ABODES: Historic 1918 home in Crescent Lake. $1,250,000 | 4bd 3ba | 2,430 sqft. Wraparound porch, beautiful pool, and amazing area.

LAST WEEK’S SCRAMBLE: Hurricane

Your contributions go directly towards keeping Sunny St. Pete alive and well so we can have more fun and build a stronger community. I appreciate any and all contributions to keep this locally-owned newsletter (and passion project of mine) going strong!

This is the big event this weekend. I covered it in the lead story today, but in case you skipped down to the events, make sure to check out the details at the top of the newsletter!

Ready for a "sip and paint" night that ends with artwork you'll love to display? Join Coastal House and Reagan Fennessy of Studio Reagan for a hands-on experience where creativity meets coastal science. Reagan will guide you step by step to paint a one-of-a-kind acrylic Eastern Oyster on a wood block canvas, sharing fascinating marine science and oyster recycling facts between brushstrokes.

No prior experience is required, and your $55 ticket includes all premium painting supplies, light snacks, and drinks (including raw oysters courtesy of Cheeky’s Fish & Oyster Bar). Plus, attendees score a 10% discount on Studio Reagan art and 10% off the entire Coastal House shop during the event.

Grab your spot!

St. Pete Night Market | Ferg's Sports Bar | Jun 3, 6-10pm | Free
Wednesday-night downtown market

Free Yoga at the Pier | St. Pete Pier | Jun 3, 7-8pm | Free
Free yoga benefitting Queer Expression

Boots & Brews County Line Dancing | 3 Daughters Brewing | Jun 4, 7pm | Free
Learn country line dancing

Flick & Splash | Northwest Pool | Northwest Pool | Jun 5, 7-10pm | $1–$2
Lilo & Stitch movie night at pool

The Art of Coffee: A Tasting Journey | Imagine Museum | Jun 5, 10-11am | Prices vary 🎟️
Coffee tasting with Mission Grounds

The Dalí Dozen: Ten-Year Anniversary | The Dalí Museum | Jun 5, 6:30 PM | Prices vary 🎟️
Ten-year artist showcase celebration

Vintage Marché Monthly Vintage Market | Vintage Marché | Jun 6, 9:00 AM | Free
Tampa Bay's largest vintage market

Cannadelic Night Market | Coastal Creative | Jun 6, 6pm-12am | Prices vary 🎟️
Music, art, food, cannabis community

Turn Off Your Phone: 2000s Pop Party | E2K Vintage | Jun 6, 7pm-midnight | Prices vary 🎟️
2000s music dance party at vintage shop

Bourbon Street BBQ & Jazz | Enoch Davis Center | Jun 7, 3-7pm | $30 🎟️
Soulful BBQ + live jazz

2026 Family Day on the Pier | St. Pete Pier | Jun 7, 10am-2pm | Free
All-ages family celebration with activities

Want to see the full list of events this weekend and in the coming months? Plus, local shows and concerts coming up? Peep the guide below or check out the new Event Calendar page I’ll be officially unveiling soon.

Looking for details on markets this week?

Thanks so much for reading! As always, you can reply directly to this email with any feedback.

Stay Sunny,
Josh