Good morning. Quick shoutout to the neighbors currently trying to decide if Saturday's Children's Gasparilla in Tampa is worth dealing with Bayshore traffic or if you'd rather just watch the fireworks from your patio in peace. Both are valid life choices. Meanwhile, in actual Florida Man news: someone in Lee County got arrested this week for allegedly breaking into a Waffle House to make themselves breakfast at 3 a.m. They didn't steal anything—just made waffles and left. Honestly? Respect the audacity.
Let's get into it.
Top Stories
Want to Actually Do Something In St Pete? The City Has Seats to Fill
Here's your chance to be one of those people who complains about local government—except now you can do it from the inside.
The City of St. Petersburg just announced a bunch of open seats on city boards and committees, and they're actively looking for residents to fill them. We're talking about the Advisory Commission on Aging (one seat), the City Beautiful Commission (three seats), the Consolidated Plan Application Review Committee (seven seats), and the Nuisance Abatement Board (two seats).
That last one sounds intense—it's the board that hears cases about properties being used for illegal activity. Basically, if you've ever driven by a house and thought "something shady is definitely happening there," this is the board that deals with it.
The Consolidated Plan committee is worth noting too: they review applications for Community Development Block Grants and HOME Investment Partnerships. Translation? They help decide where federal housing and community development dollars go in St. Pete.
If you're the type who attends city council meetings and yells at the TV during budget discussions (we see you), this is your formal invitation to put that energy to use.
Bottom line: St. Pete needs engaged residents on these boards. Apply at stpete.org/GetInvolved. Complaining on Nextdoor doesn't count as civic participation.
DeSantis Drops $20 Million on Nursing Programs—Right Here at SPC
Governor Ron DeSantis made a stop at St. Petersburg College's Caruth Health Education Center this past Tuesday to announce $20 million in new funding for nursing programs across Florida's colleges and universities.
About $14.5 million is going to state colleges and private post-secondary institutions, with another $6 million headed to state universities. The money flows through the LINE program (Linking Industry to Nursing Education) and PIPELINE (yes, that's an acronym—Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers, and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education).
The programs have apparently been producing more than 1,000 new nurses per year since launching, and DeSantis said the state has invested over $500 million in nursing education since 2022.
Florida Commissioner of Education Stasi Kamoutsas and State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues joined him for the announcement. St. Pete College was specifically highlighted as one of the institutions doing the work to address the nationwide nursing shortage.
If you've been in an ER lately, you know the staffing issues are real. More nurses coming through the pipeline (see what they did there?) is genuinely good news.
Bottom line: $20 million for nursing education statewide, announced locally at SPC. More nurses = better healthcare access for everyone.
South St. Pete's Housing Push: New Townhomes Actually Happening
Here's some housing news that isn't about luxury condos downtown.
Franklin & Associates Realty—run by Bishop Mo Franklin and Pastor Sam Franklin—is expanding homeownership opportunities in South St. Pete, specifically in the Deuces Live District where Samantha Franklin grew up.
The couple, who blend ministry with real estate ("you carry the heart of the pastor as you do it"), are gearing up to welcome first-time buyers into the Deuces Rising Townhomes this spring—a 24-unit affordable housing development on 22nd Street South that's been in the works for years. Half the units are for households earning under 80% of area median income ($75,150 for a family of three), with the rest for those up to 120% AMI.
They also host an annual "No Place Like Home" event at SPC's Midtown Campus that's helped over 300 residents navigate credit, mortgages, and affordable housing options over the past two years.
Meanwhile, Habitat for Humanity is moving forward on Pelican Place, a 40-unit affordable townhome community at 2100 18th Ave. S., plus The Grove (11 units) nearby. Between these projects, South St. Pete is actually seeing the affordable homeownership pipeline people have been asking about for years.
Bottom line: Multiple affordable housing projects are actually moving forward in South St. Pete—not just announcements, but actual construction and move-in dates in 2026.
Quick Hits
🏴☠️ Children's Gasparilla is Saturday. The kids' version of Tampa's pirate invasion hits Bayshore Boulevard on January 24, noon to 7:30 p.m. Air shows, preschooler stroll, 125 floats, fireworks. Main pirate fest is January 31. Road closures start Friday.
🏎️ Grand Prix single-day tickets are live. The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Feb. 27–March 1) dropped single-day tickets. Friday GA is $30, Saturday $55, Sunday $70. This year includes the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series racing on a street circuit for the first time. Tickets at gpstpete.com.
💰 Duke Energy grants for nonprofits. The Duke Energy Foundation is offering $5,000 to $20,000 grants for America's 250th anniversary projects—veteran workforce programs, local history exhibits, community cleanups. Applications due soon.
🚔 CVS pepper spray robbers arrested. Update on that downtown CVS robbery case: both suspects have been nabbed. Antone Jones, 26, was arrested January 13, and Joseph Lee-Brown, 27, was picked up earlier. The pair had hit at least three CVS stores in St. Pete since December, pepper-spraying employees.
Local Events For Today
🚢 Tampa Bay History Lunch Cruise — Noon at Tampa Bay History Center. Set sail with historian Rodney Kite-Powell for narrated tales of Henry Plant's railroad and Hillsborough history.
🎵 Matt Pless (Live Music) — Evening at The Potion Portal, St. Petersburg. Punk-folk singer-songwriter vibes if you're into that.
🎤 Taylor Leopold — Evening at Tryst, St. Petersburg. Live music to accompany your drinks.
On This Day…
January 22, 1824: Fort Brooke was officially named. The military outpost at the mouth of the Hillsborough River—established just 12 days earlier by Colonel George Mercer Brooke—became the foundation of what would eventually grow into the city of Tampa. The site sat where the Tampa Convention Center stands today, marked by a massive hickory tree atop an ancient Indian mound built by the Tocobaga centuries before. Colonel Brooke ordered his troops to spare several ancient live oaks inside the encampment for shade and "cheer." Two hundred and two years later, Tampa Bay wouldn't exist without that sandy little fort.