Beach Beacon

Country Thunder will move its three-day music festival from St. Pete Beach to Coachman Park in Clearwater, organizers announced April 14, ending a weeks-long standoff over environmental permits and the threat the beach concert posed to nesting sea turtles and shorebirds.

ST. PETE BEACH — The city manager has directed TradeWinds Island Resort to move the Country Thunder music festival off the beach, and the resort has not said whether it will comply. In a March 31 letter to TradeWinds and Country Thunder Executive Director Kim Blevins, City Manager Frances Robustelli said the city has not received sufficient information to approve the special event permit.

TREASURE ISLAND — An April 21 recall election set into motion by a group of residents from Treasure Island District 3 to remove their representative, City Commissioner Arthur Czyszczon, from office has been temporarily postponed by a judge from the Second District Court of Appeal. Any recall effort would only be voted on by District 3 residents, of which, according to the Pinellas Supervisor of Elections, there are currently 1,132 active voters.

Voters in St. Pete Beach and Indian Rocks Beach decided to make a change at the top March 10 during Pinellas County municipal elections. Those races were among the highlights of races for posts on city councils and commissions around the county. Of the 58,059 registered voters, 15,222 cast their ballots for a 26.2% turnout. Here’s a look at some of the races, including several along the gulf beaches.

TREASURE ISLAND — The Sanding Ovations Masters Cup is back. After last year's cancellation due to hurricanes Helene and Milton, the beach is back and ready to show off some world-class art. Here are five things to know about the event. The annual event takes place on the beach at Treasure Island at 10650 Gulf Blvd. It will be held Friday-Sunday, Nov. 20-23, and Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 29-30, but sculpture work is already underway. Here is the full schedule: Thursday, Nov.

Sea Dog Brewing is Taste of the Beaches winner ST. PETE BEACH — The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce has announced Sea Dog Brewing Co. as the winner of the 2025 Taste of the Beaches . “This year’s winner was determined by the total number of Taste of the Beaches tickets redeemed at each participating restaurant,” officials said. “After more than a week of tasting and exploring from Oct.

TREASURE ISLAND — The city will solicit bids from master planners to comply with the City Charter's competitive bidding process, but two city commissioners and the mayor say their favorite is ex-Carmel, Indiana Mayor Jim Brainard, now a consultant in the field.

INDIAN SHORES — After the year the barrier islands have endured, it’s nice to hear some good news. The Indian Shores Town Council unanimously passed a resolution recognizing Florida City Week at its Oct. 14 meeting. Vice Mayor Ellen Bauer was absent. According to the Florida League of Cities, Oct.

Masons partner on books to bikes MADEIRA BEACH — Gulf Beaches Masonic Lodge has partnered with Seminole Elementary School on this school year’s “Bikes For Books” program. The program, which the lodge began in 2017, is designed to encourage students at local elementary schools to increase the number of teacher-approved books that they read during the school year. A boy and girl from each grade level (K-5) who read the most books during the year will win a new bicycle purchased by the Masonic Lodge.

ST. PETE BEACH — City commissioners presented the developer of a revamped Corey Landings project with a lengthy list of demands Oct. 14 before agreeing to vote on the proposal. After nearly four hours of deliberation, commissioners delayed action on a first reading ordinance that would allocate 25 residential units from the city's density unit pool reserve, along with a conditional use permit for the mixed-use development. The items will be reconsidered at the Oct.