Welcome to the May 2026 edition of Paradise News. May is typically a time for celebration in Paradise marking the end of snowbird season and spring break, we celebrate the perfect weather that follows the occasional cool spell that we call our “winter season.” The beaches were quieter again this season, as some of our homes, vacation rentals and hotels are still recovering from the flood and hurricane winds Helene and Milton treated us to. There was also a distinct lack of international visitors, likely due to sentiments over I.C.E. and the tariff situation that makes us look like others are not welcome.
Next month summer begins in earnest, as does our “hurricane season.” While “hurricane season” runs from June 1 to November, most of our storm threats come from August to October. Multiple blessings are expected to keep the worst weather away this season, including an “El Nino effect” and cooler-than-usual Gulf temperatures.
Our Tampa Bay Rays are back at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and crowds have been thick next door at Ferg’s Sports Bar before, after and even during the games. The economic effect of the Rays was missed last season while the dome was out of service after Hurricane Milton tore the roof off, subjecting the inside to months of weather. The city of St. Petersburg spent almost $60 million on a thicker fiberglass membrane that is rated for 165 mph winds and have made the Trop even nicer than before. The Bucs season is also starting, and both teams are in the news, angling for deals on potential new stadiums in Tampa.
Some people who live in single-story homes on the coast have returned home to their renovated, previously flooded properties. Most have been lucky enough to make a few desired improvements during recovery. Some are planning to elevate. I’ve been told that Modern House and Building Movers, who were featured on the cover of last year’s March edition, have a backlog of hundreds of homes to raise. A possible alternative for many is flood barriers designed to keep the water out of the house. We interviewed a number of companies in that industry and were most impressed with the cover story subject of this issue, FloodSafe Solutions. Don’t make a deal on flood barriers until you have read the story and talked to them.
You may notice your Paradise News has fewer pages this month than usual. The page count is advertising-driven, and we had a number of regulars take this month off for a variety of reasons. With less space, we still tried to provide as much info as we could, but some categories of Arts and Leisure that we usually print are only available on our website www.ParadiseNewsfl.com. You can help us and many neighbors out by bringing Paradise News Magazine to the attention of businesses you like to do business with or letting us know who to contact. Please have prospects email sales@paradisenewsfl.com or call Peter Roos’ cell at 813-230-3965 or office at 727-363-6888. Thanks as always for reading Paradise News.