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Tampa Bay’s Hometown Morning Krewe

Tampa Bay’s Hometown Morning Krewe

Tampa Bay’s Hometown Morning Krewe

New Cheap Flights Offered By Allegiant

Author Tampa Bay's Morning Krewe

There are some new cheap flights that are being offered by Allegiant Airlines. Allegiant announced that there will be three new routes that will be flown from Tampa Bay. All of them will be nonstop and it includes two Bay Area airports, Sarasota Bradenton International, and St. Pete/Clearwater International Airport. From Sarasota you’ll be able to fly to Plattsburgh International Airport starting June 12. For a one-way flight to Plattsburgh it will be $79. From St. Pete/Clearwater International Airport you’ll be able to fly nonstop to Evansville, Indiana and McAllen, Texas. You’ll be able to Evansville starting June 13 for a one-way fare of $49. Additionally you’ll be able to fly to McAllen starting June 14 from St. Pete/Clearwater for $59 for a one-way ticket.

There is a catch though as you will need to purchase your tickets by Tuesday, February 13. You’ll be able to travel with those tickets by November 11.

Big Things Happened At Both Airports In 2023

St. Pete/Clearwater Airport had some big news when it came to travel in 2023. The airport said a new all-time annual passenger record. They had almost 2.5 million people come through the airport in 2023. It’s a 2% increase over 2022. Although they did have a decrease in passengers in December from the previous year.

Sarasota International Airport also had a big 2023. They also had a record-breaking year with over 4.3 million passengers traveling through the airport. Over 400,000 people traveled through the airport in December. That’s actually a 7.5% income increase compared to the year before.

At Sarasota International Airport in March 2023 they announced that they broke ground in a new five gate terminal expansion. “SRQ has seen an unprecedented increase in passenger traffic and demand, growing from 6 airlines and 12 nonstop destinations to 11 airlines serving 55 nonstop destinations, over the last 5 years.  This new facility will ease crowding and allow for future expansion of airlines and destinations” said Rick Piccolo, President, CEO.

 

 

Residents Agree These 5 Things Are Missing In St. Pete

Overall, St Pete is a great place to live or visit. Depending on who you ask, they might say it’s even better than across the bridge in Tampa. Even though St. Pete has tons of nightlife, attractions, great restaurants, and breweries, some think it’s missing some key elements. We dove down a Reddit thread and found 5 things residents say that are missing from St. Pete.

The Sunshine City was recently named a trending travel destination by Trip Advisor. It ranked #2 in spots to travel for 2024. St. Pete is known to average over 300 days of sunshine, so there’s always an opportunity to explore, except it’s missing a vital element to allow residents and tourists to move around easily. Public transport is a big issue and wants in the Tampa Bay area. The only options you have in St. Pete are the PSTA busses and Sun Runner.

Pros and Cons of St. Pete

Like we said, there’s lots to love about St. Pete. One of the best things about the city is its easy beach access. Instead of dealing with crowded beaches and tourist nonsense, you can opt for a more local-friendly spot like Pass-a-Grille or Indian Rocks Beach. It’s the same gorgeous views, but less hassle. Another thing St. Pete has to offer is an amazing arts scene. Between the Dali Museum, The Fairgrounds, and the endless galleries on Central Ave, there is a lot to immerse yourself in. A lot of people also say that the nightlife scene is better in St. Pete compared to Tampa. In St. Pete, you have more walkable options and a big downtown stretch to bar hop, and most places are open pretty late. Tampa has a bunch of clubs in Ybor and Soho. But if you’re looking for a more laid-back vibe, St. Pete is the move.

Much like all the cities surrounding Tampa Bay, the lack of affordable housing is one of the biggest complaints from St. Pete residents. Every month it seems we read about a new luxury condo complex being built. We would like to see more affordable options, especially for those who have lived here their whole lives.

Here are 5 Things That Are Missing In St. Pete

  • Light Rail/Better Public Transit

    Like we said earlier, we have the PSTA and Sun Runner, but some type of light rail in Downtown St. Pete would be fantastic. Residents seem to agree overall that the city could use more bike lanes with medians, car free walkable spaces and more parks/ greenery in general.

     

     

     

  • Multipurpose "Food Hall" Space

    Tampa has Armature Works, so why doesn’t St. Pete have a similar concept of a food hall/multipurpose space. Unlike the pier, preferably something indoors would be nice!

    St. Pete Pier

     

  • Dueling Piano Bar

    We saw someone suggest this on the Reddit thread and loved the idea. There is a dueling piano bar in downtown clearwater, but that’s quite the hike when you’re spending the evening in St. Pete. With the late night hours in St. Pete, we think a spot like this would do really well.

  • Outdoor Skating Area

    This totally fits the vibe of St. Pete. We’re surprised there’s no public outdoor skating rink of any kind. A partnership with the Tampa Bay Lightning would get people out there too! If this ever happens, they better make sure it’s shaded!

    Detail of girls rollerblading with knee pads

  • Costco

    Last but not least on our list is Costco. The closest Costco to the St. Pete area is off Gulf To Bay Blvd in Clearwater. We need one off 4th street or 34th street!

    NILES, IL - JUNE 16: Shoppers enter and leave a Costco store June 16, 2005 in Niles, Illinois. The larger "big box" stores such as Costco, Target's SuperTarget and Wal-Mart's Supercenter stores are offering premium beef and poultry items, competing against other supermarkets and the smaller independent grocers and butcher shops. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

     

Kevin is a member of Tampa Bay‘s Hometown Morning Krewe on 995 QYK. He has been with the station for 25 years, is a Tampa native, and went to Jesuit High School and USF. Go Bulls!. He is passionate about all things Tampa Bay. Kevin writes articles on the ongoing road projects around the Tampa Bay area, awards that Tampa Bay cities and businesses have won and country music happenings around the Bay area. He is always doing many things with his wife and kids. He loves to read books and play video games in his spare time.

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