Good morning, St. Pete! The Winter Olympics officially kicked off in Milan, which means we're about to spend the next two weeks watching sports we completely forget exist and suddenly caring deeply about luge. In related news, it's 72 degrees here today while Italy is buried in snow — so maybe we're the ones living the dream. Let's get into what's happening in our corner of paradise.
Top Stories
🏖️ It's Official: Our Beaches Are Back
IAfter two hurricanes, six months of work, and $126 million, Pinellas County placed the last grains of sand on its massive beach renourishment project Monday. The job is done.
The 2024 hurricane season left our coastline gutted — in some spots the beach "barely existed at all," according to officials. The county responded by pumping millions of tons of sand onto eight communities: Clearwater's Sand Key, Belleair Beach, North Redington Beach, Redington Shores, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores, Treasure Island, and Upham Beach. The timing is nearly perfect — spring break tourism starts ramping up in just a few weeks.
One thing worth watching going forward: Pinellas completed this project without the Army Corps of Engineers, after a dispute over easement requirements. The Corps wanted every beachfront property owner to sign over access for future renourishment — that partnership fell apart, leaving the county to foot more of the bill independently. Future renourishment cycles are going to cost more and be more complicated because of it.
But for now? Go touch some sand this weekend. You've earned it.
Bottom line: The beaches are fully restored just in time for spring. Eight Pinellas communities got their coastlines back after the 2024 hurricane season tried to take them.
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⚓ Pinellas County's Biggest Boat Retailer Is in a Full-On Corporate Brawl
Pinellas County's own MarineMax — the Oldsmar-based company that is literally the largest recreational boat and yacht retailer on the planet — is in a very public, very messy fight with an activist investor, and it just got nastier.
LA-based investment firm The Donerail Group, which owns nearly 5% of MarineMax shares, issued an open letter to shareholders Monday calling out what they described as "board entrenchment, nepotism, and obstruction." They're urging shareholders to vote against CEO Brett McGill at the March 3 annual meeting, and they've reaffirmed their all-cash offer to buy the entire company for $1.1 billion at $35 per share — a 38% premium over recent trading prices.
The nepotism accusation is the spiciest part: Donerail claims two of McGill's sons are on the company payroll and that the board has become effectively "captive" to the CEO. They also note MarineMax shares are down more than 35% over five years under his leadership. Ouch.
MarineMax fired back Tuesday, calling Donerail's characterization false. The company says it's maintained ongoing dialogue with the firm, defended its performance against industry-wide headwinds — higher interest rates, softer boat demand, tariff uncertainty — and said the board is unanimously behind McGill. They also argued that compared to their closest competitor, OneWater Marine, their shareholder returns actually look decent. Donerail, they say, "conveniently overlooked" that comparison.
Two very different stories. One $1.1 billion buyout offer sitting in the middle. Annual meeting: March 3.
Bottom line: A major Pinellas County employer is at the center of a corporate showdown. Whether it ends in a sale, a leadership change, or Donerail walking away, the next few weeks are going to be interesting.
Local Events For Today
🎨 The Dalí Museum — 10 AM to 6 PM at 1 Dalí Blvd. Currently featuring "Dalí Alive 360°" and "Van Gogh Alive 360°" immersive experiences. Adults $29, Seniors $27, Students $20. Local rates available for Pinellas/Hillsborough residents.
🎷 Monday Night Jazz — 7:00-9:00 PM at The Hangar. Presented by Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association. Weekly jazz sessions featuring local musicians. Free admission, donations appreciated.
☕ Back to Normal Monday — After a wild cold weekend, most restaurants, breweries, and usual Monday spots are back to regular hours. Good day to support your favorite local spot after they survived the great Florida freeze of '26.
On This Day…
February 11, 1922 — The St. Petersburg Museum of History opened its doors for the very first time at its location on 335 Second Avenue NE — the same spot it still occupies over 100 years later.
The museum was the brainchild of the St. Petersburg Memorial Historical Society, founded in 1920 by Mary Wheeler Eaton. The city granted the land after the 1921 hurricane destroyed an aquarium at the site. What started as a small community effort to preserve local history grew into the oldest museum in Pinellas County. The collection today spans prehistoric artifacts, exhibits on the 1914 commercial aviation flight that started right here on our waterfront, and everything in between. The museum recently celebrated its centennial in 2022 and is currently undergoing a 10,000 square foot expansion. Not bad for a project that started 104 years ago today.
Happy birthday to St. Pete's oldest museum. If you haven't been lately, it's worth a stop.