Three of the Coolest Things in Tampa Bay
Plus, one of the 50 restaurants The New York Times is "most excited about" right now.
Happy Friday! The tornadoes are gone, and another cold front is on its way, but for now let’s take the time to focus on Secret Tampa Bay, new restaurants, and our cute pet of the week. First, today’s top news.
CURRENTS
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TOP NEWS
Advocates hailed a new law to help stabilize Florida’s housing crisis, but implementation has been rocky. Florida Phoenix
U.S. Supreme Court puts temporary stay on Florida sports betting case. Politico
Statewide injunction against enforcing FL’s anti-drag law upheld on appeal. Florida Phoenix
DeSantis orders Florida to organize charter flights for Americans stranded in Israel. Politico
DeSantis declares state of emergency in Florida because of Israel-Hamas war. Florida Phoenix
Ben Albritton is poised to become Florida's next senate leader. WUSF
How 2 Tampa Bay county pet shelters bucked national spike in euthanasia. Tampa Bay Times $
HART outperforms other US transit agencies in recovered ridership. Tampa Bay Business Journal $
Billy Joel and Sting will perform together at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium this spring. Creative Loafing
No. 1 FSU soccer soars past no. 11 Notre Dame. Tomahawk Nation
BRIEFS
Bats in the Belfry? If bats have invaded your home or other structures, now is the time to exclude them, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Exclusion is not permitted during bat maternity season, April 15-Aug. 15. Exclusion devices let bats safely exit a structure without reentry and are the only legal and appropriate method to remove bats from a home or building. It is illegal in Florida to kill or harm bats. Native bats typically roost in trees, caves, or other natural spaces, but they like human-made structures, too. Florida boasts 13 native bat species, all of which are both ecologically and economically beneficial. Report unusual bat behavior, as well as sick or dead bats, here: MyFWC.com/BatMortality. For more information on proper exclusion techniques and ways to help bats in Florida thrive, visit MyFWC.com/Bats.
Too Many Mullet: In Brevard County, Officer Specialist Balgo and Officer Osborn observed a vessel return to Port Canaveral with several scales, according to the FWC law enforcement division’s weekly report. While inspecting the vessel, they found approximately 200 mullet inside coolers and buckets. The individuals had several prior violations with FWC. They were cited accordingly for possession of over the bag limit of mullet.
Got news? Send it here.
3 QUESTIONS
Joshua Ginsberg’s Odd Path to Ghosts and the Obscure
By Judith M. Gallman
When Joshua Ginsberg was growing up outside of Philly, his best mate was Steven Josselson. They shared a love for writing, produced literary magazines, and explored their environment to the fullest. Fast-forward a short lifetime ahead, past college at the University of Michigan and residency in Seattle, to Chicago where Ginsberg was writing business proposals and resumes. Eight years ago, he had for the most part given up any notion of becoming an author. Sadly, his friend died, but the passing set Ginsberg on a different path. “I realized I had gone blind to the wonder and the magic of the place that I lived in,” Ginsberg said. “Even though Steven passed away, his final gift to me was reawakening in me the interest we’d had as kids, writing and exploring, so I decided to reclaim those things. Even though, sadly, he’s not with us physically, I really, really feel like he’s kind of with me in spirit. Producing these works is a way to keep him in my world.” And that’s how Ginbsberg, now a Town and County resident in Tampa, along with his wife, Jen Weiner, and dog Tinkerbell, came to author quirky books. His first was 2020’s Secret Tampa Bay: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Learn more at SecretTampaBay.com or on his Facebook page.
What are the five coolest secret Tampa Bay elements, things, or attractions someone should check into?
There are so many. The area keeps changing so quickly. If there is something strange and wondrous you want to go see, you should do that today. There are no promises it will be around later. One is Egmont Key, where there’s a lighthouse. It's an island, and it was an internment camp during The Seminole Wars. It’s a nature preserve, accessible only by boat. You take a ferry from Hubbard’s Marina, from right outside Fort De Soto. It’s a deserted island, and there are ruins of an old military outpost. It’s right there and probably most people don’t know about it. Something new: The Oldsmar Phantom History House. These people started their own Gothic-Victorian bed and breakfast, and they have a podcast. The thing is, they have you walk into all these different rooms with themes — there’s a Ouija room, a cemetery room. They run ghost tours. It’s a really, really cool and unique-themed bed and breakfast. People might know about this one: There’s this amazing, artistic sort of wonderland/universe at Fairgrounds St. Pete. There’s a group of muralists and artists, and they transformed all this old waterhouse space into part gallery, part choose-your-own adventure with all these interactive components. You can try to solve a mystery that supposedly happened at this fictional place, the Mermaid Star Hotel. There’s a lot of Floridiana woven in. It’s an immersive feast of visual and sensory activity.
What other books have you written, and what has inspired them or what unites or differentiates them?
Tampa Bay Scavenger: The Ultimate Search for Tampa Bay’s Hidden Treasures, Oldest Tampa Bay, and Secret Orlando: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Each is a little bit different. Each one requires a bit of a different style. Secret Tampa Bay is all about going to see all these places, some that I found out about by word-of-mouth or from Roadside America and Atlas Obscura or other weird media. I read a lot, so I’m always kind of looking out for things. With Tampa Bay Scavenger Hunt, I was going deeper, and taking pictures and coming up with rhymes as clues for how to find them. Oldest Tampa Bay is more historical, so I turned to books, libraries, and historic societies. Secret Orlando came out last week. I co-wrote it and was able to apply some lessons learned, and I really tried to make sure to include a mix of things people knew about and almost certainly ones people didn’t know about. I am working on Haunted Orlando, which is by a different publisher. It’s got a lot of ghosts, paranormal investigators, ghost hunters. I am skeptical about ghosts. I haven’t had any paranormal experience to convince me of their existence. So I’m something of a skeptic. I told the publisher I don’t know entirely if I believe in ghosts, but I sure do believe in writing books about them. All these things are connected; they give different windows into where you live. They change the way you see the place you live and direct you to things you would have walked by without even noticing. My hope is that I share with others the same kind of paradigm shifts I felt and experienced.
What’s next for you on the book front?
As I have been finishing up Haunted Orlando, I started writing a lot of short fiction, and this is very much informed by strange and offbeat places and things. I’ve had some early success, with a few short stories published in print and online magazines. My hope is by 2024 to have enough polished fiction to shape around a collection. Ultimately, writing nonfiction feels like climbing foothills, and if short fiction is climbing a foothill, then my real Everest is as a novelist. And I think that I do have a book in me.
Learn more about Joshua Ginsberg and his books at SecretTampaBay.com or on his Facebook page. Fans can purchase signed copies, by the way.
BITES
Salt Shack on the Bay: When The New York Times calls out a local restaurant as one of “the 50 places in the United States we’re most excited about right now,” you take notice. So what’s all the hubbub about? The view and vibe primarily, though the fresh peel-and-eat Gulf shrimp, baskets of seafood selections, and collections of handhelds plus fritters, chowders, and catch of the day can satisfy just about any appetite. Only around since 2019, this sprawling, beachy enclave definitely has an old-school feel, and there are plenty of cocktails and beers available to cinch its status as a destination restaurant. It’s worth showing off to your visiting guests for sure. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tue.-Thu., 11 am.-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat, and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun.; closed Mon. 5415 W. Tyson Ave., Tampa, 813-444-4569.
New Restaurant Openings
There is no shortage of new restaurants coming to the Tampa Bay Area. Here’s a list of places. Some are now open; others are coming. Call ahead before visiting.
Strachan’s, 5435 Bayshore Blvd., Tampa: homemade ice cream, yum! The Pinellas County chain’s first venture across the Bay.
Manila Eats, 1601 S. 22nd St., Palmetto Beach, Tampa: Filipino hot spot moving from Riverview to Tampa. Opening Sept. 28.
Izakaya Tori, 442 W. Kennedy Blvd.: Japanese tapas and pub with Japanese whisky, sushi handrolls, sushi, and sashimi. That’s So Tampa
Beacon, JW Marriott Tampa Bay: 510 Water St., Tampa: Tampa’s tallest rooftop bar with craft cocktails, interesting tartines, and artisanal charcuterie.
Everglazed, Sparkman Wharf: crazy kinds of doughnut flavors. That’s So Tampa
Toastique, ground floor of Cora, 1011 E. Cumberland Ave.: a gourmet toast and juice bar. That’s So Tampa
Got restaurant news? Send it here.
TODAY’S SPONSOR
The Navigator is sponsored by Mary’s Little Lamb Preschool at 7311 N. Armenia Ave. in Tampa. We are a nationally accredited preschool established in 1959.
Free Childcare and a paycheck. We are currently seeking a qualified toddler teacher or teaching assistant. The ideal candidate must be creative, energetic, dependable, nurturing, patient, have a passion about the growth and development of the children, and be a team player. Requirements: pass a level 2 background screening, high school diploma or higher, completed or willing to start and complete the DCF 45 training hours, get CPR/First aid certified.
Interested in sponsoring the Navigator? We need to talk.
YOU NEED A PET
This is Homer from Mercy Full Project, a little chihuahua weighing in at about 9 pounds. He is a sweet boy once he gets to know you. We don’t know this little guy’s background, so we don’t know what he’s been through. He needs a home that’s quiet and few people because he needs to know he’s safe. If he feels threatened he will nip. He is loving once he knows you won’t hurt him and that he can trust you. He’s about 2 years old and ready for his home!
Mercy Full Project, 901 N. Fremont Ave., Tampa, 33606.
CURRENTS
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BAY AREA
Straz Center raises $27.5 million and gets approval from CRA for project extension. Tampa Bay Business Journal $
Blake Casper gives alma mater Jesuit High School $1 million. Tampa Bay Business Journal $
Booming government budgets in Tampa Bay still can’t meet growth demand. Tampa Bay Business Journal $
HART seeks $45M in federal money for rapid transit stations. Tampa Bay Business Journal $
Pinellas commissioners want assurances on the Rays' stadium cost. WUSF
Tampa St. Patrick’s Day 2024 parade will be downtown, not in Ybor City. Tampa Bay Times $
UT’s Symphony Orchestra Begins New Era. The Minaret
Florida's largest pumpkin arrives in Tampa. 10 Tampa Bay
Are cryptids creeping through county parks? Hillsborough County
FLORIDA
Florida's elections supervisors look to exempt poll workers from public records requests. WUSF
U.S Department of Agriculture report projects rebound after record-low orange production in Florida. Florida Phoenix
Florida among states with highest mental health labor shortage. Are financial incentives a solution? Florida Phoenix
Slide strikes deal for 86,000 Farmers homeowners policies as insurer exits Florida. Tampa Bay Business Journal $
POLITICS
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell raised $1.5M in five weeks to take on Rick Scott. Florida Politics
Poll: Ron DeSantis in 2nd place in Iowa, 41 points behind Donald Trump. Florida Politics
Ron DeSantis threatens to cut off Harvard funding over anti-Israel protests. Florida Politics
DeSantis jab at Trump over Israel may be a hard sell to Florida Jewish Republicans. Politico
COMMENTARY
Preserving ‘Heart of the Everglades’ sparks fuss over access by Florida airboat operators. Florida Phoenix
Here’s the privacy that Floridians are in danger of losing. Tampa Bay Times $
Ben Sasse’s Letter on Israel to Jewish Gators. The Wall Street Journal $
Got news? Send it here.