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- Issue #662: Rays Stadium Deal Passes 4-3, Tampa Growth Earns National Buzz, Glazer Debuts Mini Train Exhibit, Free Concert Series Celebrates 16 Years
Issue #662: Rays Stadium Deal Passes 4-3, Tampa Growth Earns National Buzz, Glazer Debuts Mini Train Exhibit, Free Concert Series Celebrates 16 Years
8/28/2026
Ted Grellner
28 Aug
In partnership with
GOOD MORNING
Dr Ted
USAF Retired
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In this issue of NewTampa | WesleyChapel Local Pulse
Our Event Calendar - (Please post events of interest to our NT|WC Live Events Calendar) - Sorry - Out of Order
Local News
— Tampa Council Approves $80 Million Rays Stadium Deal in Narrow 4-3 Vote
— Study Names Tampa One of America’s Fastest-Growing Economic Hot Spots
Of Interest
— New Interactive Train Exhibit Brings Miniature Tampa to Glazer Children’s Museum
Entertainment
— Rock The Park Celebrates 16 Years of Free Music in Downtown Tampa
It's Here: Pique's New Caffeine-Free Afternoon Energy
I quit my afternoon coffee. Not because I wanted to — because I found something better.
You know that wall you hit every day around 2–3 PM? I used to just accept it as the cost of doing anything. Another coffee, a quick spike, then the crash — and somehow I'd still feel dehydrated by dinner.
Then I tried X·E Fountain, Pique's brand-new electrolyte energy drink, and I genuinely wasn't ready for how good "no crash" could feel.
No caffeine jitters. No 4 PM slump. Just clean, steady energy that actually hydrates me instead of draining me. It's built with a premium Vitamin B Complex for natural cellular energy, Magnesium Malate + Taurate for real focus, and a full electrolyte blend that makes it feel like a treat, not a chore.
The cucumber-celery-lime flavor is so crisp and refreshing — it's basically stolen my afternoon coffee slot completely.
Tampa Council Approves $80 Million Rays Stadium Deal in Narrow 4-3 Vote
A proposed Tampa Bay Rays stadium cleared a major hurdle Thursday as the Tampa City Council approved a development agreement 4-3, committing the city to significant infrastructure funding.
Under the agreement, Tampa would contribute $80 million in four installments between 2027 and 2029 toward infrastructure needed for the new ballpark. A proposed Community Development District would capture future tax revenue generated by development surrounding the stadium.
Supporters argued the project could keep Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay while helping transform roughly 100 acres surrounding the planned 20-acre stadium site into a major mixed-use district.
Opponents questioned the compressed review period, potential borrowing costs and whether other city priorities should receive the money. The agreement also leaves several issues unresolved, including stadium maintenance, management and portions of the surrounding redevelopment.
Hillsborough County commissioners are scheduled to consider the agreement Friday, with the county expected to provide substantially more funding than Tampa.
Study Names Tampa One of America’s Fastest-Growing Economic Hot Spots
Tampa’s rapid growth is earning national recognition, with a new LendingTree study ranking the metro No. 5 among America’s biggest boomtowns.
The study evaluated the nation’s largest metropolitan areas across three broad categories: people and housing, work and earnings, and business and economy. Tampa performed especially well in employment-related measures, ranking No. 2 nationally for its work and earnings score.
LendingTree analysts pointed to continued migration of residents and businesses to Southern states, where growing populations and favorable business conditions have helped fuel economic momentum. Austin, Texas, claimed the nation’s No. 1 spot for the third consecutive year.
Florida placed three metros in the top 10. In addition to Tampa’s fifth-place finish, Jacksonville ranked No. 7 and Orlando No. 8.
The findings reinforce Tampa Bay’s continuing emergence as a destination for workers, employers and new residents seeking economic opportunity and growth.
New Interactive Train Exhibit Brings Miniature Tampa to Glazer Children’s Museum
A new hands-on attraction is rolling into Tampa’s Glazer Children’s Museum, giving young visitors a chance to explore the city through play.
The Suncoast Imagination Station features an expansive interactive train table with winding tracks traveling through miniature buildings, bridges, natural landscapes and recognizable Tampa landmarks. Children can guide trains, solve challenges and create their own stories while developing spatial reasoning, fine motor skills and creativity.
The exhibit was designed for children of different ages and abilities, with multiple height levels, wheelchair accessibility, crawl-through spaces and center cut-outs that allow visitors to interact with the display from several positions.
Among the miniature Tampa features are representations of the Glazer Children’s Museum and the Sykes building, giving families familiar landmarks to discover.
Museum officials hope the exhibit encourages families to play together while inspiring children to transform familiar Tampa surroundings into imaginative new adventures.
Rock The Park Celebrates 16 Years of Free Music in Downtown Tampa
One of downtown Tampa’s longest-running live music traditions is celebrating a milestone as Rock The Park marks its 16th anniversary Thursday, Sept. 3, at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park.
The free First Thursday concert series has become a fixture of Tampa’s local music scene, bringing emerging and established Bay Area performers to the downtown waterfront each month.
The anniversary lineup features Saints of Saturn, soulful Tampa Bay singer-songwriter Sunde, and newer act Maryn Alyse, giving audiences a mix of local sounds and rising talent.
As always, admission is free, and families are encouraged to bring children, pets and blankets for an evening of live music beneath the downtown Tampa skyline.
After 16 years, Rock The Park remains a showcase for homegrown musicians and a gathering place for the community. The anniversary concert continues that tradition while highlighting another generation of artists helping shape Tampa Bay’s evolving music scene.
Tampa Bay’s Best Live Music Aug | Things to do Around Pasco this week: | Things to do Around |
Useful Arts & Entertainment Event Links
The Arts
- The Exhibiting Society of Artists (new)
- USF College of the Arts
- USF Steinway Piano Concert Series
Theater
- NTPAC - New Tampa Performing Arts Center
- New Tampa Players
- USF School of Theatre & Dance
- Wesley Chapel Theater Group
- Carrollwood Players Theatre
Misc
- Carrollwood Center Events
- Craft Festivals (new)
- Fall (Farmer’s) Market Guide for Tampa Bay (new)
- The Krate, WC
- The Shops at Wiregrass, WC
- visitflorida.com
For Kids
- Fun4TampaKids
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