Good morning, St. Pete! Fun fact: Scientists recently discovered that crows can hold grudges for up to 17 years. Meanwhile, your neighbor who you accidentally cut off in the Publix parking lot in 2009 is still giving you the stink eye, so apparently humans aren't far behind. Anyway, yesterday was a big day for downtown St. Pete's future—nine developers submitted proposals to reshape the Gas Plant District. Let's dig into what's happening.

The deadline closed yesterday morning at 10 a.m., and nine proposals landed on Mayor Ken Welch's desk for the 86-acre Historic Gas Plant District surrounding Tropicana Field. This is St. Pete's third attempt at redeveloping the site in recent years, and the stakes couldn't be higher.

Here's who's in the running:

ARK Ellison Horus submitted their massive $6.8 billion proposal that triggered this whole competition back in October. Their vision includes 3,700+ residential units (with a mix of affordable, workforce, and senior housing), 1,500+ hotel rooms, cultural spaces, and what they're calling an "innovation district." They're offering $202 million for the site, including $50 million for community benefits and $12 million to demolish the Trop.

Thompson Whitney Blake partnered with Blue Sky Communities (the local affordable housing developer behind Skyway Lofts) to handle all affordable and workforce housing both on-site and across the city. Blake's been in St. Pete for 23 years and brought his entire team to recent City Council meetings to emphasize their local roots.

The Tampa Bay Boom Inc. submitted perhaps the wildest proposal: they want to buy the Rays, build a new stadium, AND develop the Gas Plant site. Their plan includes bringing an NBA team (Tampa Bay Boom), a WNBA team (Tampa Bay Angels), and a G League team to St. Pete, plus building a 17,000-seat arena on the Al Lang Stadium parking lot.

Pinellas County Housing Authority submitted a standalone proposal for a seven-story affordable senior housing tower on Lot 3—80 apartments for very-low-income seniors, with preference for former Gas Plant District residents.

Other teams include Foundation Vision Partners, Freedom Communities Company, Logical Sites Inc, Reparations Land Trust and Development Authority (proposing a community land trust model), and Tempo Novus.

What happens next? City staff will spend months reviewing all submissions. Mayor Welch will eventually pick a winner (or winners—nothing says it has to be one developer), and there will be public forums where developers present to the community.

City Council member Corey Givens is already raising concerns: "I think it's a reckless decision to choose one developer to redevelop the entire 86-acre site." City Council is expected to consider a resolution Thursday that would push back against selecting a developer before creating a formal planning framework for the site.

Bottom line: St. Pete's about to pick who gets to reshape downtown for the next 50 years. This is the biggest development decision in the city's modern history, and by lunchtime yesterday, we finally knew all the contenders.

A 40-year-old Clearwater woman was shot by Pinellas County deputies early Tuesday morning after telling them she had a gun, then pulling what turned out to be a cordless drill from her jacket as she rushed toward them.

Here's what happened: Around 2 a.m., deputies responded to a 911 call at 2137 Capri Drive in Clearwater for an "unknown problem"—the caller was evasive and hung up. When deputies arrived, they encountered Meaghan Ratcliffe, who told them she was armed with a handgun and kept her hands concealed in her jacket.

Deputies immediately retreated to a safe location and began negotiating with her while establishing a contact team. She was out of sight in her driveway for about 18 minutes. When she reappeared in the roadway, deputies ordered her to show her hands. She initially moved slowly toward them, then suddenly accelerated and rapidly pulled her hand from her jacket, producing what deputies perceived as a weapon.

Two deputies fired, striking Ratcliffe once. She was airlifted to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa for emergency surgery.

Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy, whose department is leading the investigation, didn't mince words at a press conference Tuesday morning: "Having watched this video, as the lead investigative agency, the case here is clearly a situation of suicide by cop. The actions of Miss Ratcliffe led to this shooting." Gandy noted that Ratcliffe had told deputies "It ends tonight" during negotiations.

The two deputies involved—Corporal Gary Wilson (19 years with PCSO) and Deputy Alyson Extine (12 years)—have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure. Neither was injured.

The Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Investigative Task Force is handling the investigation. The task force was established in 2020 to conduct independent investigations of law enforcement use-of-deadly-force incidents.

Bottom line: A tragic situation that police are treating as an attempted suicide by law enforcement. The woman remains hospitalized in critical condition.

The city just opened applications for the Level Up Arts Grant, which provides up to $5,000 for nonprofit arts and culture organizations with budgets of $50,000 or less. This is the second year of the program, which is designed to help smaller arts groups build capacity and sustainability.

To qualify, organizations must:

Applications are accepted until 5 p.m. on April 30, 2026, or until funds run out—and they're reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. The Arts Advisory Committee reviews proposals and makes funding recommendations to City Council.

"This opportunity represents more than just financial support—it embodies our commitment to fostering artistic excellence in our community," said Celeste Davis, Director of Arts, Culture, and Tourism.

Organizations that receive funding also get to participate in a customized business workshop curriculum through the St. Pete Greenhouse to help build long-term sustainability.

Bottom line: If you run a small arts nonprofit in St. Pete, this is free money to help you level up. Applications are open now.

Apply at stpete.org | City announcement

🌡️ Statewide tornado drill happening today: Florida's annual Severe Weather Awareness Week includes a statewide tornado drill set for 10 a.m. today. Your phone might buzz—don't panic, it's just a test.

🏒 Lightning hosting Carolina tonight: The Bolts take on the Hurricanes at 7 p.m. at Amalie Arena. After Sunday's epic comeback win in the outdoor game, Tampa Bay is riding high as one of the hottest teams in the NHL.

☀️ Warming trend this week: After the cold snap, temps are climbing back to the mid-60s today and should hit the 70s by the weekend. Classic February in Florida—you'll see people in shorts and winter coats at the same time.

🏗️ Gas Plant decision timeline: Mayor Welch says reviewing the nine proposals could take months. Don't expect a decision anytime soon—this is going to be a long process with plenty of community input.

Live Music at Ruby's Elixir - Evening at 15 3rd St N. Check their schedule for tonight's jazz session—Ruby's is always a solid bet for good vibes and smooth sounds.

We couldn't dig up anything that happened specifically on February 4 in St. Pete history—if you know of something, hit reply and let us know!

In the meantime, here's a cool Florida history fact from this date: On February 4, 1822, the first session of the Territorial Legislative Council was held in St. Augustine. This council was the precursor to the Florida legislature and eventually became the official governing body of the state. Florida was still 23 years away from statehood, but the wheels of bureaucracy were already turning.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ AMAZING!!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, do better
⭐️ You didn't bring the heat