Hey, Sunny Squad!

Welcome back! And thank you to all attendees of our 120-person, sold out Dinner Club last week! I had a blast talking to a bunch of you at the afterparty. I’m so proud of the awesome community we’re building here.

Tons of great things to talk about this week, but before we get to that, let me take a moment to wish my wonderful wife a happy (early) birthday for tomorrow! Thanks for being my sounding board, graphic designer, and best friend. If you like the color scheme, fonts, logos, line breaks, etc. on the newsletter, you’ve got her to thank. Love you, Rachel!

Ok, now let’s dive in.

I’ve been getting some feedback recently from folks that they’d find the newsletter more useful if it was delivered a day earlier to give them more time to plan their weekends. I’m totally fine with this, but wanted to check in with everyone before shifting things around. I’d really appreciate a quick vote on your preference!

The wet season just arrived, and for a state that's been baking through one of its worst droughts in years, it’s a welcome relief. I often joke that we only have two seasons. Summer and not-summer. More accurately, wet and dry season.

May through October, Florida gets about 70% of its annual rainfall. Those afternoon thunderstorms that build up because of the Gulf sea breezes and roll in around 3 pm aren't just aesthetic, they're keeping the whole ecosystem alive.

For St. Pete specifically: the drought has been rough on our freshwater, our plants, and the rivers feeding into Tampa Bay, but as I wrote about last week, it's also been giving Old Tampa Bay's struggling seagrass a rare window to recover. Clearer water means more sunlight reaching the grass beds. Now that the rains are back, the hope is that the bay keeps what it gained.

I often hear people talk about Florida summers like they do winters in Boston. As if it’s the time of year folks should hide indoors or leave the state. Personally, summers in Florida are my favorite time of the year. I love summer thunderstorms, and I missed them while living in Boston. Traffic improves, it stays light late, and things slow down a bit.

I think the nostalgia of growing up here sheds a different light on the thunderstorms. The rain starting means school is ending. Some of my best childhood memories are getting caught in the rain with friends, watching a storm forming and racing back inshore on the boat to beat it, the smell and feeling of the storm on its way, or seeing how lush everything looks after a nice downpour.

Anyway, enough musing about rain. Suffice it to say that my garden and I are glad that it’s back!

There's now a (not-so) secret cocktail bar inside the distillery, literally above the gin tanks.

31 South is the new 45-seat speakeasy at St. Petersburg Distillery (800 31st Street South in the Warehouse Arts District), tucked into the space above the production floor where guided tours usually end. It's open Thursday through Saturday, 6 to 11 pm, and yes, there's a password to get in.

What used to be a plain tasting room has been rebuilt as a proper lounge: dim mood lighting, vintage furnishings, gold-and-green accents, jazz humming overhead. The cocktail menu runs nine drinks, all built on the distillery's own spirits. There’s a matcha latte martini, an elderflower lemon drop, a coconut daiquiri, plus the kind of classics you'd expect from a place that makes its own gin and whiskey downstairs. The small-bites menu is by Michelin-trained chef Johnathan Rodriguez.

This is all the more reason to head over to a Makers & Shakers night market every second Thursday of the month. Explore the vendors, take a tour, and check out the speakeasy afterwards.

The password for each week is shared on St. Petersburg Distillery’s Instagram.

This past weekend, we took another visit to one of my favorite (free!) spots in St. Pete: the Duncan McClellan Gallery.

The 7,800 square foot gallery has a rotating display of incredible artwork and a beautiful sculpture garden. I’m a huge fan of the gardens; they’ve got mature fruit trees, seating areas, and an awesome orchid collection.

Every visit, I’m amazed at what these artists are able to do with such a tricky medium. You can just drop in to grab a drink and peruse, sign up for one of the classes, or host your event at the venue with live hot glass demonstrations.

The art on display is constantly changing, and the curator Gillian is always so welcoming and happy to share her knowledge. If you’ve never been, check them out. Next month, they’ll be featuring a new display with a water theme, which I’m very excited to see, because I especially love the drippy glass!

Be glass half full and drop by.

Speaking of summer thunderstorms, I have a new favorite place to sit and watch them. We recently added a screened back patio to our house, just in time for the season.

Before we built our addition, which was designed by the most talented architect I know (my wife), we had a small back patio. In addition to being beautiful and talented, said wife is also, unfortunately, a mosquito magnet. While she’s the best bug spray for me (all mosquitos ignore me and make a beeline for her), it did render our back patio unusable for her for a significant portion of the year.

Since that patio had to get demolished for our addition, and our house doesn’t have an actual dining room, we wanted the new patio to really feel like an extension of the house. So, rather than running screens all the way to the ground, we opted to build a knee wall around the slab to help enclose the space.

This time around, we added a screen with the no-see-um mesh, and we’re loving sitting out there for morning coffee and evening meals. I wanted to give a huge shoutout to McLachlan Concrete and Murphy’s Aluminum for their work on this. Everything from communication, to the form work, the pour, and building out the screen room was top notch. If you’re in the market, I highly recommend them!

The rest of the patio came together from trusty ol’ Facebook Marketplace. Next step for my backyard oasis is a pond with some bubbling water features. If anyone knows a great pond guy or gal, let me know!

Also, if you’re thinking of remodeling or building your dream home, reach out my wife, Rachel. She can do design work, drawings, and architectural project management. Best architect I know. I liked her so much, I married her! Find her at @neu.spaces.

🚗 City Council unanimously approved the SunRunner Bus Rapid Transit Overlay on May 14, eliminating parking minimums within a quarter mile of SunRunner stations, lifting allowable building heights to 150 feet in some segments, and creating a new transit-oriented development district along the 1st Ave N/S corridor. This is the biggest zoning shift the city has made in years and a clear bet that more housing should land where the bus already runs.

🚋 The Pier's diesel tram is on its way out: federal funding secured by Rep. Kathy Castor through the 2026 THUD Appropriations Bill will electrify the entire St. Pete Pier tram system, with PSTA running the procurement. No firm rollout date yet, but expect quieter, cleaner rides up and down the approach before too long.

📚 St. Pete is taking proposals for $42M in HUD disaster-recovery funds for affordable rental projects (up to $15M each) for the construction-funding phase of the Sunrise St. Pete plan; applications are due June 12 at 5 p.m., with council land awards expected Sept. 17.

🇺🇸 Memorial Day is Monday. City offices, libraries, and rec centers are closed; trash and recycling pickup shifts one day later all week. Beaches and parks stay open. So do the bridges.

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: Another hugely successful, sold out Dinner Club in the books! The next one, May 28th, is almost sold out. Reserve your seat while you can!

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

CATCH OF THE DAY: Adopt Winston the dog or Pearl the cat.

FLIGHT DEAL: TPA → Fiji. $963 round trip next month (43% cheaper than usual). Go in honor of the Survivor 50 season finale last night.

‘BURG ABODES: Craftsman bungalow in Historic Old Northeast. $784,000 | 2bd 1ba | 1,128 sqft. Adorable 1920s bungalow with full renovation.

LAST WEEK’S SCRAMBLE: Caterpillar

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!

Get ready for a delicious weekend at the annual Tampa Bay BBQ Festival! Over 30 of Florida's top competition teams are taking over Vinoy Park to serve up more than 100 mouthwatering dishes, from rich brisket to fall-off-the-bone ribs.

Running Saturday and Sunday, this waterside festival features live music, lawn games, live mural artists, and a wide selection of craft beer and cocktails. Sample the best local eats and cast your vote to help crown Tampa Bay's Best Barbecue Team.

Children 13 and under get in free, and utilizing downtown parking structures like the SouthCore Garage is highly recommended.

Get tickets!

80s Prom Night | Good Night John Boy | May 21, all night | Free
80s music, hair & costume contest

HAAPIFEST: AAPI Heritage Festival | Win! Derby | May 22–24, 5-11pm | Free 🎟️
AAPI heritage food and culture festival

Protoje at Jannus Live | Jannus Live | May 23, 8pm | $49 🎟️
Jamaican reggae headliner outdoors

Adult Night Hike at Boyd Hill | Boyd Hill Nature Preserve | May 23, 7pm | $5 🎟️
21+ guided after-dark hike

Get Artsy: Leaf Clay Dishes | Boyd Hill Nature Preserve | May 23, 10-11:30am | $5 🎟️
Leaf-impression clay dish workshop

Rowdies Recharge: Yoga on the Pitch | Al Lang Stadium | May 23, 8:30-10am | $35-$55 🎟️
Pre-match yoga at Al Lang Stadium

Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Phoenix Rising FC | Al Lang Stadium | May 23, 7:30pm | Prices vary 🎟️
Rowdies soccer waterfront match

St. Pete Street Market at PAW | Pinellas Ale Works | May 23, 12-4pm | Free
Local goods, food, and brews

St Pete Paint Party — Wine & City | Pinellas Ale Works | May 23, 5-8pm | $35-$39 🎟️
Guided sip-and-paint social

L8 Night Flights – Pier Pop Up | St. Pete Pier | May 24, 2-10pm | $30 🎟️
Outdoor music pop-up event

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?

Know someone who’d love to hear the local scoop? If you refer 10 friends, you’ll get a free t-shirt! Here’s your personalized referral link that you can copy and paste easily to share.

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

Stay Sunny,
Josh