Hey, everyone! Welcome back to another edition. The beach is calling, so off I go, but enjoy today’s newsletter! We’ve got some sad news about restaurant closures, but some even happier news about re-openings. Plus, much more.

Let’s dive in!

St. Pete has lost two restaurants in the past few weeks. Red Mesa Cantina downtown closed after 16 years; no warning, no goodbye. Good Intentions, Tampa Bay's first all-vegan restaurant and bar, announced it's closing this summer. The reasons feel familiar: rents, margins, and the tricky math of keeping a restaurant alive in 2026.

The Chattaway was supposed to be next.

In March, owner Jillian Frers announced she was heading back to London, the property was under contract, and the last meals would go out in mid-July. For a lot of people, that hit differently than the others. The Chattaway has been open since 1922. It started as a general store, then sandwich and beer joint (after Prohibition), before 1951 when the current family ownership took over. In 1999, owner Jillian Lund added the formal English Tea room. The bathtub garden is one of a kind, and there was going to be nothing like it left.

Then the buyer changed course. Real estate investor Cullen Mahoney, who put the property under contract in March, spent the next few months finding partners who wanted to keep it running. He landed on Mark Ferguson, owner of Ferg's Sports Bar, who grew up in Lakewood Estates and rode his bike to The Chattaway as a kid, and John John Delladonna, owner of Shrimpy's Waterfront.

The sale closes in August and there’ll be no gap in service. The bathtubs stay. "The Chattaway stays The Chattaway," Mahoney told St. Pete Rising.

In light of the other closures, this is welcome news for everyone hoping to keep our St. Pete institutions around!

Visit the Chattaway.

If you've been quietly hoping the Old Northeast Tavern would come back, this week brought good news.

Co-owner Bob Wareham confirmed the tavern at 201 7th Ave N is expected to reopen later this year, along with the adjacent Old Northeast Pizza. The spot closed in late 2024 for renovations and an expansion that was supposed to finish by summer 2025. Permitting delays pushed it out.

The two concepts will keep separate menus but share a larger connected dining room. The tavern is also getting a liquor license, meaning cocktails are coming for the first time, along with burgers and fries, a new addition.

The classics aren't going anywhere: the reuben, the chicken and plantain quesadilla, and Old Northeast Pizza's thin-crust New Jersey-style pies will be back.

No firm date yet, but the building has been sitting there since 1925, so it can wait just a little longer.

The team from Clearwater Marine Aquarium is on the beach 45 minutes before sunrise, three mornings a week, scanning the shoreline for evidence of sea turtle nests. For $99.95, you can be in the UTV with them.

The ride-along runs Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from May 4 through September 4. Sessions last four to six hours. Groups top out at three people, so you get an intimate educational excursion: just you, maybe two others, and CMA biologists combing the sand for crawl marks left by nesting females. When they find a nest, you watch them measure and mark it.

Loggerheads are the most common nesters on Pinellas beaches. Green turtles and Kemp's ridleys turn up occasionally. No sightings are ever guaranteed, but the patrol covers miles of shoreline before most of the county is awake.

There’s no personal photography or hands-on wildlife interaction, but you get a peak behind the curtain at the hard work that goes into sharing our shoreline with our shelled buddies. The program runs rain or shine (only cancelled for lightning). Kids 10 and up are welcome with a participating adult.

Book here.

Ingrid Bridges has been slowly building out a destination on Gandy Boulevard North for a few years: first her furniture store IM Vintage, then the thrift shop Ingrid's next door. This week she added a third piece.

Atomic Cat Cafe opened June 12 at 10387 Gandy Blvd N, in a 2,500-square-foot space that used to hold her furniture inventory. Two rooms, two vibes: one side is bright and retro-70s with vinyl spinning; the other is darker and more Victorian, with leather seating and a quieter atmosphere. Charging ports throughout, free Wi-Fi, no one rushing you out.

Coffee comes from Tampa roaster Wuz Here. The Arista-Cat Latte is made with brown sugar, housemade bourbon syrup, and orange cold foam. The Cheshire Cat has rose, cardamom, and vanilla syrup. Food includes bagels, pastries, and other prepared items. Several of the vintage pieces on the walls are available to buy.

We love grabbing a coffee and driving around checking out a few vintage and thrift stores for some great finds, so this one is an awesome all-in-one destination.

Hours: Tuesday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., weekends 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Mondays.

Check them out.

Have you seen our new Sunny St. Pete event calendar? We’ve been working on switching over to it in the background, but are now ready to officially unveil it!

The goal is to help you find events that you’re interested in, plus make it easier to share events with friends or save them to your calendar. There’s a community upvoting feature to help naturally push events that folks are most interested in towards the top.

Plus, if you want to submit events to the calendar, it’s now much easier and quicker than the manual Google Form process I was using before. You can do that from the event page linked below.

Now, I know that less is sometimes more, so I’m going to keep writing a more curated event list at the bottom of each newsletter. But if you’ve got the “Events This Month and Next” page bookmarked to dive deeper, you’ll want to replace it with this one going forward: scoop.sunnystpete.com/events.

Two EDGE District fixtures are joining forces this summer for a delicious limited time offer: specialty sandwiches and craft beer pairings.

Green Bench Brewing and Offset Sandwich Exchange launched Sunday Sandwich Club on June 12. The format: three specialty sandwiches over three months, each matched with a Green Bench beer chosen specifically for it. Membership comes with exclusive merch (hat & t-shirt) and discounts (10% off) on top of the food and drink. The club runs through the summer, Sundays only, at 1133 Baum Ave N in the EDGE District.

If you haven't been to Offset yet, this is your reason. John and Amy Harrell have been running their food truck at the Green Bench beer garden for a couple years, and what they do with a Korean fried chicken sandwich or a smash burger has made them a neighborhood staple. Green Bench, of course, needs no introduction, but they do have my favorite hefeweizen in town.

Three months. Three sandwiches. Three good beers. They say good things come in threes!

Spots are limited and tickets are required. Sign up here before it fills.

🅿️ City Council voted June 12 not to advance a residential permit parking ordinance, ending a proposal that would have allowed neighborhoods near busy commercial corridors to petition for resident-only parking zones. The idea surfaced after the SunRunner overlay eliminated parking minimums along Central Ave west of 19th Street.

🗳️ St. Pete held its first mayoral debate on June 9, with challengers Charlie Crist, Brandi Gabbard, Maria Scruggs, and Kevin Batdorf pressing incumbent Ken Welch on hurricane preparedness, transparency, and leadership. The August 18 primary is now under ten weeks out.

🗑️ In observance of Juneteenth, residential trash and recycling collection regularly scheduled on Monday and Tuesday remain the same, but Thursday collections will be made on Wednesday and Friday collection will be on Thursday.

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 10,000+ neighbors?

DINNER CLUB: July 1 is sold out, but July 29 just dropped. Reserve your seat while you can! Especially if you’re a guy 😁. If you applied to be an ambassador, I’ll be reaching out soon!

DOODLE CROP: Designed by my wife and screen printed here locally in St. Pete by Sick Dope Fresh. Only a few of these left! Get yours.

CATCH OF THE DAY: Adopt Larry the dog or Big Bertha the cat. See them here.

FLIGHT DEAL: St. Pete → Nashville. $90 round trip at the end of July (25% cheaper than usual).

‘BURG ABODES: Waterfront corner lot on Boca Ciega Bay. $1,875,000 | 3bd 2.5ba | 2,582 sqft.

LAST WEEK’S SCRAMBLE: Earthquake

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!

Step into St. Pete's vibrant contemporary art scene at the Ultra Mundane Gallery for the opening reception of Held Together, a compelling solo exhibition by artist Vincent Ricottili. Located in the heart of the Grand Central District, Ultra Mundane is celebrated for its Y2K-inspired aesthetic, clean minimalism, and deep dedication to showcasing boundary-pushing, experimental voices.

Held Together invites viewers into a thought-provoking visual narrative, exploring the delicate intersections of connection, form, and texture. Guests can browse the brand-new collection, mingle with the local creative community, and touch the art!

Admission is completely free, but RSVPs are highly encouraged! Arrive early to get the first look at Ricottili’s new works and explore the gallery’s unique permanent selection of rare designer toys, vintage comics, and limited-edition zines.

RSVP here.

FloridaRAMA x SPAA MLP Tournament Weekend Pass | FloridaRAMA | Jun 18–21, 12–8pm | $15 single visit / $40 4-day weekend pass 🎟️
Unlimited 4-day pass, pickleball weekend

Major League Pickleball Tournament | St. Pete Athletic | June 17-21 | Prices vary 🎟️
St. Pete’s first professional pickleball tournament

Live Music & Movement with The Velvet Mat & Chris McCarty | St. Pete Pier | Jun 18, 7-8pm | Free
Free yoga and live music at Spa Beach

Meet the Chefs | The Birchwood | Jun 18, 7-10pm | $93+ 🎟️
Samplings from 15+ top local chefs

Surreal Summer Nights: Celebrating Pride | The Dalí Museum | Jun 18, 5-9pm | Prices vary 🎟️
Pride night at the Dalí

USA Soccer World Cup Watch Party | Jannus Live | Jun 19, 1:30 PM | $15 🎟️
Open-air World Cup watch party

Flick & Splash | North Shore Aquatics Complex | North Shore Aquatics Complex | Jun 19, 7-10pm | Free
Family movie night at the pool

Juneteenth: A Freedom Celebration | Sunshine Senior Center | Jun 19, 1-3pm | Free
Juneteenth community freedom celebration

Juneteenth Free Museum Day at the James Museum | The James Museum | Jun 19, 10am-5pm | Free
Free museum admission for Juneteenth

Juneteenth Backyard Boogie | Deuces Park | Jun 19, 4-10pm | Free
Good eats, good beats, good people

Shades of Pride | Downtown St. Petersburg | Jun 19, 7-11pm | Prices vary 🎟️
Pride weekend BIPOC celebration

Tampa Bay Rays Pride Game | Tropicana Field | Jun 20, 4:10 PM | Prices vary 🎟️
Rays Pride Game vs Nationals

Modern Urban Barn Quilts with Laura York | Morean Arts Center | Jun 20, 10:30am-4:30pm | $70 🎟️
All-day modern quilting workshop

Beach Blonde Block Party Summer Kickoff | 3 Daughters Brewing | June 21, 12-6pm | Free
3D’s biggest celebration. Market, music, food & giveaways

Father's Day Mugs & Monsters Pottery Class | The Clay Co-Op | Jun 21, 12-1:30pm | $100 (1 adult + child), $30 for add’l child 🎟️
Family pottery class for Dad

$5 Dads for Father's Day | Tampa Bay Automobile Museum | Jun 21, 12-4:30pm | $5
$5 dad admission at auto museum

Want to see the full list of events this weekend and in the coming months? Plus, local shows and concerts coming up? Peep the new Event Calendar page.

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