A traffic-free commute from downtown Tampa to St. Petersburg will soon be a reality for those in the Bay Area.

Starting October 15th, you can purchase tickets to travel on the brand new "Cross-Bay Ferry" from the St. Pete River Basin to the Tampa Riverwalk.

The City Council will likely spend much of its energy on the latest twists and turns of the city's sewage crisis today at its meeting, but members are also expected to give final approval to a $511 million budget and increased utility rates to pay for sewer and stormwater fixes.

While the budget process has been smooth this year without the rancor over union contracts that made previous budget cycles somewhat bumpy, this year's budget does differ from previous offerings from Mayor Rick Kriseman. 

Florida Holocaust Museum officials are pleased with the museum's recent designation as the top one to visit in the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area.

 

The stable outlook reflects the expectation that the system will maintain a sound financial position, demonstrated by adequate debt service coverage and ample liquidity, given a history of annual rate increase.

With the November 8 election on the horizon, so, too, is early voting.

Offered at limited sites throughout the state, it starts about two weeks ahead of Election Day as a convenience to voters who can't make it to the polls Nov. 8.

But in St. Pete, local leaders think the county's five early voting sites aren't incredibly accessible to south St. Pete residents, given their closest option is downtown. On Friday morning, they called on Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Deborah Clark to open up a fourth early voting site at south St. Pete's Lake Vista Recreation Center.