🌱 Tampa Elections Head To Runoff + The Maker And Merchant

Welcome back, Tampa. I'm here in your inbox this morning to get you caught up on everything you need to know about what's going on in town, including updates on:

• The Maker and Merchant is opening its first store in Tampa today at Citrus Park Town Center.
• Nestle is moving its Tampa headquarters to Midtown Tampa's first office tower.
• Gasparilla Music Festival is coming next month to Curtis Hixon Park.

But first, today's weather: Sunshine and patchy clouds. High: 82 Low: 67.

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Here are the top stories in Tampa today:

1. Swiss-based Nestle is moving its headquarters in Tampa to Midtown Tampa at Midtown West, which is an eight-story, 152,000-square-foot Class A office building and the first office tower in the development. "Tampa’s profile is rising nationally and internationally, and we see that reflected in the mix of retailers and office tenants that the Midtown Tampa team has been able to attract," said Craig J. Richard, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council. (Tampa Patch)
2. Gasparilla Music Festival is coming next month from April 29 to April 30 at Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa. This year's festival is presented by Coppertail Brewing. Tickets for the festival will go on sale Friday, March 10. The line-up includes The Revivalists, Ghost Front, Sam E. Hues, Imagination Movers, HGWT, and more. (Creative Loafing Tampa)
3. Riverview Public Library has dedicated a room in its local library to Gretchen DelSavio, who is the former Friends of the Riverview Library president and a long-time community servant. Room 137 has been dedicated to DelSavio, who recently returned to Ohio after serving for 11 years. (Osprey Observer)
4. The Maker and Merchant is opening its fifth location today, March 10 in Tampa at the Citrus Park Town Center. 100 local merchants will be able to sell their work out of the store. Stores are also located in four cities located in North Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia. (Bay News 9)
5. Tampa municipal elections will return on April 25. Four races will have runoff elections on that date, according to Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer. District 1, District 2, District 3, and District 4 will be held again on April 25. Only 13.64 percent (32,815 voters) voted in the municipal election this week. (Tampa Patch)

Today in Tampa:

• Florida's Largest Spring Home & Garden Show. (6 a.m.)
• Vintage Roost Market. (9 a.m.)
• Senior Day In The Park at MacFarlane Park. (9:30 a.m.)
• Chinese Brush Painting 2 at Life Enrichment Center. (10 a.m.)
• Mahjong at Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative. (2 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Tampa International Airport shared: "Book your nonstop flight from TPA to Santo Domingo or Punta Cana aboard Frontier Airlines today." (Tampa International Airport via Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers shared: "We partnered with Suzuki Marine USA and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful to help clean the beaches at Picnic Island. 🏖️ 📸: bccn.rs/3kY5rTL." (Tampa Bay Buccaneers via Facebook)
• Humane Society of Tampa Bay shared: "ISLAND PAWS SPONSOR & TICKETS 🌴 Island Paws is coming on April 28 from 6-11 p.m. It's a great evening on the Riverwalk, next to Ulele, where you can mingle with other animal lovers. Purchase your tickets now or become a sponsor." (Humane Society of Tampa Bay via Facebook)
• City of Tampa shared: "River O'Green Fest is just around the corner! 🌈 Join us at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park Saturday, March 18 for a day of fun for the whole family! ☘️ EVENT SCHEDULE ☘️ 11 a.m. - River dyeing 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. " (City of Tampa via Facebook)

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Featured events:

• "Go Moan For Man" Kerouac Documentary Fundraiser (March 12)
• Taxes in Retirement Seminar on March 14th and 16th at Tampa Museum of Art (March 14)
• Breast Ultrasound Screening Coming Direct to You! (March 15)
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That's it for today. I'll be in your inbox tomorrow morning with another update!

— Carlos Hernandez

About me: Hello my name is Carlos Hernandez and I am a food writer with over 10 years of experience in the industry. I write the food blog Carlos Eats (http://www.carloseats.com) and also contribute to several newspapers and magazines with food-related blogs and articles.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Tampa Patch newsletter? Contact me at SouthTampa@Patch.com