Treasure Island officials hope upcoming events will help heal after back-to-back hurricanes
The Brief
Treasure Island events canceled due to the hurricanes have been rescheduled for early 2025. The profits will be funneled back into the community.
The events include the Sand & Kites & Coastal Delights festival and the county's annual Chili Cook-Off.
Community leaders hope the events will mark a return to normalcy for residents as they continue to recover from the storms.
TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. - As more and more businesses at the beaches reopen after the hurricanes, those communities are starting to hold events to bring people back to the area.
Treasure Island recently announced the Back to the Beach: Sand & Kites & Coastal Delights festival, which will take place on March 8th and 9th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.
Dig deeper
The annual Treasure Island Fire Rescue Chili Cook-Off is also coming up on Feb. 21 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
READ: MacDill airman killed by hit-and-run suspect before I-275 shooting with Tampa police
Tickets are $10, and it will be held on the fifth floor of City Hall. Anyone can enter their chili into the competition.
Why you should care
Money from that event will go to the Treasure Island Fire Association to help the fire department, which, along with the police department, was displaced, and their stations were destroyed by the hurricanes.
Officials say that while they hope the events bring some sense of normalcy back, they know many residents' lives are still anything but normal.
"I know some people are worried about their homes, especially when they're still not in them, bringing people in, visitors into the island when they can't even access their homes," Beisel said. "But we've got a police department that's been here protecting the island since the storms. They're going to continue to do that. And we want people to know we can do two things at once."
READ: Undocumented immigration bill has Florida's governor, agriculture commissioner and legislation at odds
Beisel continued, saying, "The first priority is our residents. That is our number one priority, and we are working hard to get them back in their homes, and we're doing everything we can."
"Most businesses that can, they're starting to reopen, and that's what we like to see and to help these businesses survive, we need people here in Treasure Island. We know people are still hurting," Beisel said. "We know people are still out of their homes. We know people are still waiting on permits, but we still need to bring people into the island to support some of these businesses, to support our community, and to help get this recovery going quicker and faster."
Big picture view
As far as permits go, the city starts a new permitting process on Monday. Beisel said you'll walk out with a permit the same day you walk in to apply for one.
"When they come in to apply for a permit, they're going to deal with each part of that permit process, whether it's a building official fire, a general contractor, floodplain management," Beisel said. "We're going to get all the information they need that day when they come in, instead of having them fill out the application, then leaving and then finding out there's some missing information, they go home, we have to bring them back in, or we had to contact them and play that back and forth game."
Follow FOX 13 on YouTube
"That delays the process. We want them to come in, and when they leave City Hall, we want to make sure they have all the information they need, Beisel said. "Hopefully, they'll have that permit in hand."
Three more floodplain managers from the state are also helping with the permitting process.
Mayor John Doctor also recently wrote a letter to President Donald Trump asking for disaster relief help, citing FEMA's bureaucracy as an obstacle.
The Source
FOX 13's Kailey Tracy collected the information in this story.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:
Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV
Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android
Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines
Download the SkyTower Radar app
Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Miss Huntington Beach queen's rose garden celebrates 60th anniversary
The rose garden at Huntington Beach Civic Center has a new addition. Nicole Allyson Vogt, the 2025 Miss Huntington Beach Queen, chose a 'Mellow Yellow' rose to be planted on Friday morning. 'As Miss Huntington Beach 2025, I've had the honor of representing a city full of vibrant spirit, continuous warmth and community pride,' said Vogt, a recent graduate of Cal State Long Beach, the 112th queen in Huntington Beach history. 'Through this journey, I've learned that kindness is not a gesture, it's a way of life, just has Huntington Beach loves to represent.' Vogt said the yellow rose signified that spirit, as a symbol of joy, friendship and new beginnings. 'It embodies the kind of light I strive to bring into every space I enter,' she said, adding that her mother and grandmother taught her what it meant to shine for others. The 60th anniversary Queen's Rose Garden ceremony was put on by the Sand Dollars of Huntington Beach. The nonprofit Sand Dollars and president Love Ghione organize the Miss Huntington Beach scholarship and pageant program each year; Vogt was crowed queen last October. 'Our mission here is to support young women in their quest to achieve their dreams,' Ghione said, giving a special shout out to Sand Dollars treasurer April Gentry and member Andrea Roberson for nursing the rose bushes back to health. Marlena Guadarrama, the director of Miss Huntington Beach, introduced the queen and court to the audience. Vogt was joined at Friday's ceremony by her court princess, Huntington Beach High graduate Catherine Dosier, who sang the national anthem. Dosier now attends UC Irvine. Other former Miss Huntington Beach Queens at the event included Laura Sholar Roberts (1976), Elaine Bauer Keeley (1979), Stacey Jue (1995), Jena Jean Faris (2017) and Ruby Brown-Bilyeu (2024). Each queen since 1963 has been honored by planting a rose bush in a public location, which became City Hall when the new building was constructed in the 1970s. Mayor Pat Burns, City Council members Don Kennedy and Butch Twining and City Clerk Lisa Lane Barnes also attended. 'I love the tradition,' Burns said. 'Believe it or not, I'm kind of a goofy guy because I love roses. I used to grow them myself when I'd give them to my girlfriends and stuff when I was young. Now I've been married 37 years, so the roses don't come as often, but they still come. 'Now I know a source of them,' he added, as the audience laughed. Former Mayor Lyn Semeta emceed the event, which was followed by a catered reception at City Hall.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Everything you need to know about Buffalo's Juneteenth festival
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Juneteenth parade and festival are coming to Buffalo next weekend, one of the largest in the nation. Here's everything you need to know about the festivities. The celebration begins at noon on June 6 with a flag raising in Niagara Square in front of City Hall. The liberation flag will be raised to honor Black history and culture, and to celebrate the end of slavery in America. The parade kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 14 at St. Louis Avenue and Genesee Street. Paradegoers will march into MLK Jr. Park where numerous activities will take place during the festival on June 14 and June 15. Highlights of the festival will include an inflatable theme park, a science fair, carnival games, a heritage tent, and an African drum and dance class. Food, drinks, and vendors will also be available during the festival. There will also be events leading up to the festival, including a 2K run on June 8 and a praise and worship event on June 13, both at MLK Park. For more information, click here. Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Pride Month: Find free festivities near you
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — It's officially Pride Month, and there is no shortage of free events you can attend in Rhode Island and Massachusetts this June. From parades to festivals and more, here is a look at what's happening in Southern New England: June 18: Central Falls will be hosting a flag-raising at 3:30 p.m. at Central Falls City Hall. June 7: The city of East Providence will be hosting a Pride Flag raising at 10 a.m. at City Hall. The city's parade will then kick off at 11 a.m. from City Hall. The festivities will wrap up with a celebration from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. on the lawn of Weaver Library. June 28: There will be a series of events in Newport for Pride Month. The main event, the Newport Pride Festival and Parade, will be held on June 28. The parade will start downtown at 11 a.m. at the Great Friends Meeting House. The festival will then be held from 12 p.m. until 5 p.m. at the Meeting House. There will be live music, local vendors, artists, drag performances and food trucks. June 21: Rhode Island Pride is returning with PrideFest and the Illuminated Night Parade. Both events will be held on June 21. The festival will kick off at 11:30 a.m. with music and hundreds of vendors. The parade will start at 8 p.m. and is viewable from Dorrance, Washington and Weybosset streets. ALSO READ: Rock and Roll Yard Sale finds new home in Providence's West End June 14: The South County Pride Festival will be held at 327 Main St. in Wakefield. There will be a car parade at 11:30 a.m. followed by live music, food trucks and drag performances. The festivities will wrap up around 6:30 p.m. June 14: West Warwick Pride starts at noon at the West Warwick Civic Center. The family-friendly event will have food trucks, LGBTQ+ vendors, bingo and a fashion show. June 8: Woonsocket Pride Festival will kick off at noon at River Island Park and run until 6 p.m. Local leaders, artists, food trucks and vendors will all be in attendance. June 14: Boston Pride For The People (BP4TP) will be holding a parade. Boston Common and at City Hall Plaza will have festivals following the parade. June 7: South Coast Pride will be hosting celebrations from 12 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Buttonwood Park, rain or shine. The event will feature live music, food, local crafts and community resources. June 28: The North Attleborough Pride Festival will be held from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. at Veterans Park with crafters, food trucks, a silent auction and drag story time. June 14: South Coast Pride will be holding festivities from 12 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Hopewell Park. There will be live music, food, local crafts and community resources. June 8: Love Lives in Seekonk will be hosting its 2nd Annual Seekonk Pride from 1 p.m. until 5:15 p.m. at the Newman YMCA. If you know of an event that's not on this list, send us a Report It here. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
