🌱 Florida Strawberry Fest Returns To Plant City + AdventHealth Tampa

Hello all. I'm back with your fresh copy of the Tampa Patch newsletter. Here's what you need to know about what's happening in town today, including:

• Tampa is ranked no. 7 in the nation for its financial conditions among 75 cities
• The Florida Strawberry Festival returns today for another season
• Tampa Bay Beer Week will kick off March 3 and run through March 12, featuring Tampa's growing local craft breweries

But first, today's weather: Partly sunny, warm and humid. High: 84 Low: 66.

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Here are the top stories in Tampa today:

1. Tampa has been ranked no. 7 in the nation for financial conditions by a new report of the 75 most populous cities. The report was prepared by Truth in Accounting, a nonprofit government finance watchdog group. The watchdog found that Tampa has $518 million available to pay future bills. (Tampa Patch)
2. The annual Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City starts today. The theme for 2023 is "We Have a Winner!" in honor of the strawberry shortcake being recognized as the official dessert of Florida. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visited the festival last year to sign the bill into law. (WFLA)
3. Tampa Bay Beer Week will return from March 3 to March 12 and feature dozens of events for craft beer fans to enjoy featuring Tampa's growing craft beer industry. Some events guests can enjoy are Hunahpu’s Day 2023, Berry Beer Fest, Arkane In The Membrane, and more. (Creative Loafing Tampa)
4. AdventHealth has opened a new heart failure unit in Tampa and will feature a 20-bed unit. The program is being led by doctors Gus Agocha, JaMia Washington, Oliver Abela, Rozales Swanson and Merna Armanious. (St. Pete Catalyst)
5. Emergency crews rushed to address a partial derailment of a train carrying thousands of gallons of propane near the Sarasota-Manatee County line. The incident caused the tracks to mangle. No propane leaked from the train and no injuries were reported at the scene. (USA Today, WFLA)

Today in Tampa:

• Art On The House at Tampa Museum Of Art. (4 p.m.)
• Kitchen Fundamentals: Seafood at Publix Aprons Cooking School — Citrus Park. (6 p.m.)
• Paint + Sip at Hotel Haya. (6:30 p.m.)
• Annabel Monaghan at Oxford Exchange. (6:30 p.m.)
• Ology Tampa Presents: TIKI! TIKI! TIKI! (8 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Humane Society of Tampa Bay shared: "HAPPY ENDING FOR CHACHA 🐶 When 8-year-old Chacha arrived at the shelter in mid-February, she had no idea where she was or what was going on, having been surrendered after living in the same house for her entire life." (Humane Society of Tampa Bay via Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Lightning shared: "'Clearly we're not playing with the same desperation that our opponents are.' 📹: tbl.co/cooper2-28" (Tampa Bay Lightning via Facebook)
• Hillsborough County Public Schools shared: "After 20 years in the district, Anna Brown was sent off from Gaither High School this afternoon for her final route. We cannot thank you enough, Ms. Brown, for all of your hard work and dedication to safely transporting our students every day." (Hillsborough County Public Schools via Facebook)
• Stuff to Do in Tampa Bay shared: "With new businesses popping up all the time it can be difficult to keep them all straight. Check out this guide for all of Tampa's recent additions." (Stuff to Do in Tampa Bay via Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured events:

• Echoes of Her presented by Moving Current Dance Collective (March 2)
• Sausage Fest (March 4)
• Shen Yun Classical Dance with Live Orchestra (March 7)
• Hope Spot Gala (March 19)
• Add your event

Featured announcements:

• Travel Agency — M and D Travel-Dream Vacations. (Details)
• Add your announcement

You're officially in the loop for today! See you all tomorrow for your next 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