At ABC Action News, we know it's the combination of all the communities that make Tampa Bay great to live in. That's why we've started a new series of reporting highlighting good things happening around town, discovering cool gems you may not know about, and uncovering the big news events impacting those areas.
On Friday, the Good Morning Tampa Bay team focused on Palm Harbor.
Complete Coverage: GMTB Local Spotlight
Palm Harbor library sees increase in online visitors
The Palm Harbor Libraryfeatures a lot of unique things to do from books to children's classes to a maker studio.
More than 100 volunteers give back here and make sure the library succeeds.
Innisbrook Golf Resort offers lessons for all ages
Palm Harbor is home to the Innisbrook Golf Resort, also the site of the Valspar Tournament.
They have four courses, including the famous Copperhead Course, for all skill levels.
It's not just for the professionals here at Innisbrook either, they offer lessons for kids and adults.
Paddleboard sharing app PADL coming to Palm Harbor
PADL, a paddleboarding sharing app is coming to Palm Harbor.
The self-service paddleboard rental company already has an existing location at Philippe Park in Safety Harbor. They'll be launching four more locations in the coming weeks, including one at Pop Stansell Park.
Palm Harbor children's playhouse starts non-profit to help foster families
A small business in Palm Harbor is starting a non-profit to help foster families in the area.
Little Explorers is an indoor play and educational area for kids under 6 years old.
Recently, the owner Caroline Sakla decided to turn things she was already doing as a business into an official non-profit called Heart of Little Explorers.
Palm Harbor CSA offers something for everyone
Palm Harbor is an unincorporated portion of Pinellas County which means the residents, through taxes, pay for their library and recreation.
Since there isn't a city-run Parks and Recreation department, it all goes through the Community Service Association (CSA).
The group here runs all kinds of events, helps maintain the parks and runs programs for kids and adults.
Changes to US 19 coming in late 2022
For years, ABC Action News has been following crashes on U.S. 19 in North Pinellas County and the states plan to make changes.
Now, we're learning a portion of these changes could start in late 2022.
Construction will start further south in Clearwater between SR 580 and Curlew Road.
Palm Harbor's Suncoast Animal League continues its mission of caring for animals
On any given day, you can bet Suncoast Animal League's Rick Chaboudy is on a mission to care for a dog, cat or maybe even a deer.
"We want to do things, we want to help," says co-founder Chaboudy.
The volunteers go above and beyond to make sure their call of service is taken of care. From rescuing dogs and cats who can't be treated by local shelters to driving out of state to help other shelters who may be faced with a hurricane.
Palm Harbor's Camp Wai Lani is a coastal paradise for Girl Scouts all over the country
Camp Wai Lani in Palm Harbor is one of the most cherished destinations for Girl Scouts in the country.
The 50-acre plot of coastal paradise includes a rope and zipline challenge course, a boathouse full of watercraft and fishing rods.
Road where Pinellas deputy Michael Magli was killed is renamed after him
It’s been nearly eight months since Pinellas County deputy Michael Magli was killed in the line of duty.
“It's darkest hour in the 109-year history of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, because it’s the day that we lost our first deputy in the line of duty,” said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.
Magli was killed after a drunk driver crashed into his squad car at the intersection of Eastlake Road and Forelock Road on February 17.
That very intersection, has now been renamed the Deputy Michael J. Magli Memorial Road. Magli’s oldest daughter helped the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office unveil the new sign this morning.
“The fact that he will forever be remembered, means so much for my girls. We call this the daddy road when we drive on it,” said Stephanie Magli, deputy Magli’s widow.
'It's a miracle': Palm Harbor firefighter released from hospital
Lt. Ashley White is now out of the hospital and at home with her family. The Palm Harbor Firefighter was struck by a speeding car on US-19 on Sept. 22 while helping two other drivers who crashed.
Tuesday, cheers echoed from the terrace of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg as Lt. White was wheeled outside and greeted by fellow first responders, nurses, and doctors who assisted in her care. Palm Harbor Fire Chief Scott Sanford said he couldn’t believe his eyes.
"It’s hard not to get choked up. Wednesday morning if you would have told me this would be the outcome of this, I would have never slightly imagined this could happen like this,” he said.
Family-owned restaurant goes above and beyond to keep customers safe
As the pandemic continues to impact every part of our lives, restaurants are doing everything they can to earn back customer trust.
In Palm Harbor, East Lake Cafe is one of only a handful of businesses in Pinellas County to receive a new Seal of Commitment award for COVID-19 sanitization and best practices.
