A once level playing field has been decidedly tilted in favor of those who sell alcohol in the city of St. Petersburg, but balance soon may be restored.
You see, the St. Petersburg City Council agreed this week to change the long-standing blue law prohibiting alcohol sales on Sunday morning. Starting next week, all city vendors will be allowed to sell alcohol starting at 11 a.m.
Council members voted 5-2 Thursday to approve the earlier hour and to end the longtime ban on selling packaged liquor on Sunday.
Previously, liquor sales were banned until 1 p.m. A similar law exists on this side of the bay, but it could be argued that in the spirit of competition the law should change for Tampa vendors.
Tampa City Council Chairwoman Linda Saul-Sena said Friday that if approached, she would be in favor of changing the law.
In the grand scheme, it doesn't sound like a big deal. But think about those football Sundays when 65,000 are headed to Raymond James Stadium to see the Bucs. Most tailgaters have the forethought to get their adult beverages the night before, but with the new St. Pete law in place, you could see an exodus of folks bypassing Tampa establishments to get beer and liquor on the other side of the bridge.
A change would allow those dollars to stay in Tampa, and it could allow for earlier sales of liquor and beer at Raymond James.
Oh, wait. Given the behavior of drunken fans, that might be a reason not to change the law.
Oprah Winfrey and 10 of her staff members will have an exclusive lunch at Bern's today before her tour stops at the St. Pete Times Forum. Chef Jeannie Pierola prepared a menu especially for Oprah. Among the delicacies:
- Amuse duo of goat cheese packages.
- Organic arugula, shaved artichoke and Parmesan salad.
- Key West pink shrimp with spiny lobster mojo de ajo.
- Watercress avocado hearts.
- Soy truffle glazed salmon paillard.
Dessert will include marinated summer berries with blood orange tangerine swirl mousse.
I left out the things I couldn't pronounce.
Kudos to Profusion, which continues to use its restaurant for charitable purposes. On Thursday night, it was the scene of the first in a series of premier wine dinners benefiting the Abilities Foundation. In addition to ticket sales, a silent auction netted $1,200 for Abilities. The next wine dinner for Abilities will be July 15.
The next charity event at Profusion will be Sunday. Florida AIDS Action will host An Evening In Asia at 5 p.m. with live entertainment, an open martini bar, dinner and dessert. Tickets are $175 per person and $325 per couple.
And on July 18, Profusion teams with the 13 Ugly Men for a benefit for the Charity For Women. That's a new group created to raise awareness of breast cancer.
Word on the grapevine is the Tampa Tribune will open a South Tampa bureau in a former head shop on Bay to Bay. I guess you could say it adds new meaning to the term "rolling papers."
The former Egg Head's at 3253 Bay to Bay is slated to house reporters and editors beginning in October.
The site has received a parking and landscaping upgrade and the building has received a new paint job. No word whether the incense smell is gone.
That's all I'm saying.
- Correspondent Michael Canning contributed to this report. Ernest Hooper can be reached at 813 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com
