Hey everyone!

Happy May and Happy Mother’s Day in advance to my mom and all the moms out there reading this! Don’t forget to remind everyone that none of us would be here if it weren’t for you. We’ve got tons of Mother’s Day activities in this week’s newsletter, so send this to your procrastinating son or daughter (let’s be honest…probably son) to give them some ideas.

Speaking of moms, shoutout to the mom and dad bluejays that keep taking baths in the bird bath outside my window this past week. These little fellas are too cute.

Let’s dive in.

On the evening of May 2, during a lightning storm, a two-alarm fire tore through the Marine Science Laboratory at USF St. Petersburg. By the time 200 firefighters had it under control, the building, an 80-year-old structure at 140 Seventh Ave. S., once a U.S. Merchant Marines dormitory, now one of the country's top marine research facilities, was a total loss.

What burned wasn't just a building. Inside were specialized freezers holding rare specimens and sediment cores gathered from ocean floors around the world — samples frozen carefully in tubes over years of painstaking fieldwork, designed to let scientists peer millions of years back into Earth's environmental history. Those samples may be gone. The fire killed the power. Firefighters used saltwater, which is corrosive. Equipment doesn't survive that combination.

Dean Tom Frazer put it plainly: "Almost everybody that was doing research and using that facility will be impacted one way or another." Oceanography professor Chuanmin Hu watched from outside as smoke rose over Tampa Bay: "It's heartbreaking. All we could do was hope for the best." He noted that graduate students who spent years collecting and preparing samples for their dissertations may have lost that work overnight.

The lab also served as a hub for NOAA, the USGS, and Florida Fish and Wildlife — neighbors in what is the largest cluster of marine science institutions in the Southeast.

No one was hurt. USF has an $80 million Center of Excellence in Environmental and Oceanographic Sciences already in the works, and Dean Frazer says they'll build back better. But what was in those freezers can't be rebuilt. Some of it was irreplaceable by definition. If you’d like to help out, you can donate to USF Marine Science Operating fund.

Coastal House Vintage — the secondhand-and-handmade home decor spot that quietly won over Gulfport — has officially moved into 2820 1st Avenue North in St. Pete's Grand Central District. Co-founders Robin Kee (an interior designer) and Kaley Prado (a holistic hairstylist) soft-launched April 29 in a converted 1926 bungalow, nearly tripling their footprint from roughly 500 to 1,700 square feet.

Open Monday–Saturday 10am–6pm and Sunday noon–5pm, with a formal grand opening ribbon cutting coming later this summer. Check ‘em out.

If pickleball was 2024 and 2025, St. Pete Athletic is making a bet on what's next: padel. The club's new padel facility opened to the general public a couple weekend’s ago, and they're the only indoor courts of their kind in all of Tampa Bay.

Quick primer if padel isn't on your radar yet: it's a doubles racquet sport played on a smaller, walled-in court — a mashup of tennis and squash, with serves and volleys but bounces off the back wall in play. It's huge in Spain and across Latin America, and it's been catching on stateside fast.

The grand opening weekend included a pre-party with Red Bull, a mini-tournament, semi-pro exhibitions, and a ribbon cutting from Mayor Welch. Now that the spotlight's moved on, the real perk for St. Pete: four indoor courts, four adult coaches on staff for lessons, and open play available to book whenever the heat is too much for outdoor anything.

If you've been looking for a reason to try it — this is it. St. Pete Athletic is at The Factory.

Geoffrey Zakarian (Iron Chef America, Chopped, The Kitchen) is opening a 200+ seat restaurant at The Central, the new mixed-use development going up at 1301 Central Avenue in the EDGE District. This will be the only restaurant Zakarian operates worldwide!

The space will sit adjacent to the lobby of the 168-room Central Hotel, with Zakarian Hospitality also running food, beverage, and hospitality service for Halcyon, the project's neighboring office tower. The name and full menu haven't been announced yet, but the press copy says it's being designed around St. Pete's "unique story," with local flavor through a polished, fine-dining lens.

We've watched Central Avenue add new restaurants nearly every month over the last couple of years, but this feels especially noteworthy because it's the first time a celebrity chef of Zakarian's tier has chosen St. Pete (instead of Miami or Tampa) to plant a flag.

The Central is still under construction, so we're not eating there next week. But this’ll give you a chance go back and binge watch some Food Network. Read more.

At an April 30 town hall, four finalists pitched their visions for redeveloping St. Petersburg's 86-acre Historic Gas Plant District, each taking a fundamentally different approach ahead of Mayor Ken Welch's expected June decision.

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: The May 14th Dinner Club filled up so fast, and tons of people reached out wanting to attend, so I scheduled another one for May 28th. Reserve your seat while you can!

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

CATCH OF THE DAY: Adopt Cooper the dog or Lexie the cat.

FLIGHT DEAL: Tampa Airport is adding two new twice-weekly routes to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands and Cancun starting in December (a perfect time to plan that tropical getaway). Wheels up.

‘BURG ABODES: Mid-modern ranch home in NW St. Pete. $500,000 | 3bd 2ba | 1,580 sqft. Love the terrazzo, pool, and that beautiful tree out front!

LAST WEEK’S SCRAMBLE: Clementine

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!

Mother's Day is Sunday — and by "Sunday" I mean May 10, 3 days after this hits your inbox. If you’ve been meaning to make a brunch reservation but haven’t, here are some ideas that still had availability (as of last night).

If brunch isn’t your mom’s speed, there are a ton of other Mother’s Day activities in the full event’s guide page, so check that out!

The Vinoy (downtown waterfront, 10am–1pm): Grand Ballroom, live music, gourmet action stations, a build-your-own flower bouquet bar, and house beer and wine included.

The Birchwood (340 Beach Dr NE, 10am–3pm): Same Beach Drive address, a touch more intimate — $75/adult, $20/kids in the elegant 4th-floor ballroom. Reserve on OpenTable or call 727-896-1080.

Taverna Costale (200 Central Ave, 10am–3pm): The value pick — coastal Italian brunch with bottomless mimosas, Bellinis, and Bloody Marys for $20. Reserve on OpenTable.

St. Petersburg Distillery (800 31st St S, 11am–2pm): The wildcard — and honestly, one of the coolest options on this list. Chef Lokesh Vale of Twisted Indian is running an Indian-style brunch pop-up at the craft distillery every Sunday through May, and Mother's Day is no exception. Think Bollywood Bowl, Naanwich, and a Mango Lassi made with the house spirits. There are lawn games on the grounds and distillery tours with a tasting at the end. It's a genuinely different kind of Mother's Day — go if your mom would love a cocktail in a barrel room more than a ballroom.

Want to head to the beaches? Three good ones:

Azura at Hotel Zamora (3701 Gulf Blvd, St Pete Beach, 11am–4pm): The indoor-outdoor restaurant at the Hotel Zamora overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway — it's a genuinely beautiful setting for a brunch buffet. Food stations, festive drinks, $80/adult, $35/kids 12-and-under. Reservations via OpenTable.

TradeWinds ($80+/adult, 11am–2pm, seatings on the hour): The buffet that earns the drive — truffle sea-salt prime rib, herb-crusted Gulf cobia, and enough stations to keep everyone happy.

The Don CeSar ($150/adult, $75/child, 10:30am-1:30pm: Elegant beachfront holiday buffet celebration with a wide array of dishes and live music.

Comedy Night at Greenlight Lounge | Green Light Cinema | May 8, 8-9:30pm | Prices vary 🎟️
Evening of live stand-up humor

Heated Rivalry Dance Party | Bayboro Brewing Co. | May 8, 8:30-10:30pm | Prices vary 🎟️
High-energy rivalry-inspired queer dance party

Mother's Day Bouquet Workshop | The Roaming Petal | May 8, 6:30-7:30pm | Prices vary 🎟️
Design custom floral gift arrangements

Country Thunder Florida Music Festival | Coachman Park | May 8-10, hours vary | Prices vary 🎟️
Outdoor country music artist performances

Maifest in the Biergarten | German American Society of Pinellas County | May 9, 12-7pm | Prices vary 🎟️
Celebrate spring with German beer.

Family Night Hike at Boyd Hill | Boyd Hill Nature Preserve | May 9, 7:00 pm | Prices vary 🎟️
Guided walk exploring nocturnal wildlife

Paws, Petals & Gifts for Mom | Outcast Brewing Company | May 9, 3-6pm | Free
Pet friendly Mother's Day market

Pioneer Nights at Boyd Hill | Boyd Hill Nature Preserve | May 9, 6:00 pm | Prices vary 🎟️
Nighttime historical tours and activities

FloridaRAMA ArtWalk | FloridaRAMA | May 9, 5-9pm | $15 🎟️
Monthly citywide studio gallery tours

Mezzo Market — Mother's Day Weekend | Mezzo Market | May 9, 11am-4pm | Free
Outdoor market with local vendors

Cinco de Mayo on the St. Pete Pier | St. Pete Pier | May 9, 12-10pm | Free
Festive waterfront Mexican cultural celebration

Dog Mom's Cruise | St. Pete Pier | May 9, 1-2:30pm | Prices vary 🎟️
Boat excursion for pet owners

Imagine Museum Sci-Fi Lecture: Dr. Rick Wilber | Imagine Museum | May 9, 6-7:30pm | Prices vary 🎟️
Science fiction author discusses literature.

MAACM Studio Sips - Mother's Day Glazed Tile Painting | Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement | May 10, 11am-1pm | Prices vary 🎟️
Paint glazed tiles while sipping.

Mother's Day Flower Arranging Workshop | Book + Bottle | May 10, 10am-12pm | Prices vary 🎟️
Learn to arrange fresh flowers

Hiking with Baby | Boyd Hill Nature Preserve | May 10, 9-10:30am | Free 🎟️
Guided nature walk with infants

Mother's Day at Imagine Museum | Imagine Museum | May 10, all week | Prices vary 🎟️
Free admission for all mothers.

Mother's Day Shuffle at St. Pete Shuffleboard Club | St. Pete Shuffleboard Club | May 10, 9am-noon | Free
Mom's Day BYOB shuffleboard morning

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.

Looking for details on markets this week?

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

Stay Sunny,
Josh