Winter Haven Firefighter Honored By Wife

Today a Winter Haven Firefighter was honored by his wife for First Responder Friday. Jessica reached out to us to share about her husband Michael who is a fire/medic. Michael has been serving with the Winter Haven Fire Department for the last 6 years. He is described by his wife as a "low-key laid back guy" who just wants to help people. His father-in-law was also a Polk County Battalion Fire Chief who was instrumental in his calling to become a firefighter. We were honored to be able to shine a light on Michael and his dedication to our community. Thank you Michael for your service as a firefighter in the city on Winter Haven.

Congrats to Michael as he receives a $100 gift card from Crown Buick GMC. He also gets another $100 gift card from Demesmin & Dover Law Firm.

Every Friday we honor a first responder in Tampa Bay. Do you have someone in your life that is a first responder? Someone that you admire, a relative, a friend? Whoever it is that you want to spotlight. We want to hear from you, and you can nominate someone right now by doing so HERE. The nomination process takes about five minutes. Once you nominate someone we will be in touch with you to schedule a call with you.

It's time to close the chapter to 2023 and look forward to the next year. Luckily for us in Tampa, there's a lot to be excited about in 2024. Be on the lookout for these new businesses and experiences in Tampa Bay next year.

Champa Bay seems to be growing and expanding more and more each year. So many new places and experiences popped up in 2023, and it was hard to keep track. We discovered a bunch of new restaurants, hotels, and adventures that opened up this past year. 2024 might be even better! We get to look forward to new restaurants and bars, roller coasters, and so many big acts playing Tampa venues (just to name a few). With the help of Creative Loafing and That's So Tampa, we made a list of 5 things to look forward to in Tampa in 2024

To help make this list, we got some of our inspiration from Creative Loafing. They told us 20 new restaurants to look out for in 2024. A couple of them made our list, but you can check out the full list here. But we wanted to expand more on things to get excited about in Tampa for next year.

Tampa had a lot of growth in 2023, leaving us excited for what's to come. This year we said "hello" to many new businesses and attractions including the tallest rooftop bar in Tampa, new restaurants with Michelin-star chefs, changes to our favorite theme park, and more. We also said "goodbye" to some of our favorite businesses and athletes who got traded to other teams (like Pat Maroon on the Tampa Bay Lightning and Ji-man Choi on the Rays).

One of the great things about Tampa is it's constantly changing for the better. But that also means it's becoming a really competitive market for those looking to move here. One thing we can count on with all of these new additions of 5-star restaurants and new affordable and luxury housing is that more people will surely be packing their things and heading to the Tampa Bay area. If you plan on making the move next year, check out some of our realistic advise before making the move.

We've already told you about some of the new places we're excited to see open in 2024. Coffee enthusiasts can get excited for a famous west coast coffee chain to open in Tampa next year. Dutch Bros coffee will be coming to the Ballast Point sometime in 2024. Learn more about that here.

Water street will continue to grow with the highly anticipated Italian-inspired restaurant Ash opening in the early spring. The Edition will also be gaining a new cocktail lounge called Alter Ego. This spot will offer an energetic vibe with a curated musical experience.

A few of Tampa's staple restaurants will be opening second locations across the bridge in St. Pete. Now there will be an Olivia and Forbici in the burg!

Tampa's favorite theme parks are also making some changes in 2024. Phoenix Rising is a new family-friendly coaster coming to Busch Gardens in the spring of 2024 in the Pantopia area of the park.

Adventure Island is also adding a new interactive splash and play area opening in Spring of 2024. Castaway Falls is the ideal play and relax spot for kids of all ages.

Earlier this year ZooTampa announced a $125 million expansion with multiple new habitats. First up on the expansion is the Stingray in-water experience. The Wallaroo are is also being reimagined as Australia with new rides, expanded splash pad, new restaurant and bar and even a wallaby encounter! You can also now reserve your encounter with a clouded leopard where you can witness a training session with the beautiful cat!

Gas Worx is going to be one of the biggest developments in Tampa. The first 317-unit apartment development within Gas Worx is scheduled to be completed in early Spring 2024! Gas Worx will certainly enhance Ybor and make a better connection to Downtown.

There have already been so many awesome concerts announced for 2024. Billy Joel & Sting, Morgan Wallen, Madonna, Bad Bunny, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and more!