Axios Tampa Bay

June 07, 2021
🥱 Monday is here. (Yes, we double-checked.) And we're back in full swing.
- 🌤 High of 88, low of 75 and partly cloudy.
🥣 Situation-bowl awareness: SoHo Juice Co., located in both St. Pete and Tampa, is giving out free 12 oz. unlimited-topping bowls today!
Today's newsletter is 1,033 words, a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: Chris Vasilakis' soaring VR dreams
Chris Vasilakis with a propeller plane he flew at Atlas Aviation in Tampa. PIcture: Selene San Felice/Axios
If you tell Chris Vasilakis he can't do something, he'll find a way.
- One example: He didn't get to fly planes when he served in the Marine Corps, so he learned to fly them on his own at Atlas Aviation in Tampa. Soon, he wants to move from propeller planes to fighter jets.
When the coronavirus pandemic upended everyday life, the 40-year-old Tampa resident used virtual reality to find solutions.
- His company, Guided Virtual Tours, made headlines for allowing people to get immersive real estate tours when it wasn't safe to do so in person.
- "I'm all about finding opportunities to solve problems. With virtual reality, you can transport places from one place to another. And I thought what problems can we solve with that? I saw the opportunity and I became obsessed," he told Selene.
What's next: His other VR venture, Virtual Recess Foundation, gives children in the hospital the chance to go anywhere and live their dreams.
- The experiences include driving exotic cars, riding roller coasters and meeting Lego Batman.
- Vasilakis wants to expand it to include more celebrity and sports experiences, along with everyday activities like playing at the park or going to the beach.
- Nicklaus Children's Hospital and Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in South Florida are piloting the program before Vasilakis takes it nationwide.
His bottom line: "Make-A-Wish can grant one wish to one kid. We can grant every wish to every kid."
2. Slide into this retro Sarasota beachfront mansion
Photo: Coastal Home Photography, courtesy of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty
This Sarasota home, listed at $12.9 million, feels like a throwback waterfront resort, complete with a rooftop waterslide and three-story sea life mural, reports Axios' Brianna Crane.
One way to think about it: Creative Loafing (correctly) said it has "90s cruise ship vibes."
- Beyond the waterslide, the outdoor space features a heated saltwater infinity-edge pool, kitchen, plenty of lounge spaces and 175 feet of beachfront.

Go deeper: You'll really want to see the rest of the pics Bri rounded up.
3. Catch up quick: The state of the Rays
Michael Wacha pitches in the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on Sunday in Arlington, Texas. Photo: Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images
Axios Sports' Jeff Tracy gave us his take on how the Rays are doing after yesterday's win against the Texas Rangers.
- Despite losing two of their best starting pitchers in the off-season (Blake Snell to a trade; Charlie Morton to free agency), the Rays are once again proving the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Entering play Monday, their 38-23 record is the best in the American League, thanks to a hot streak in which they’ve won 19 of their past 23.
- The team effort has been bolstered by star performances from DH Austin Meadows (14 home runs and 16 doubles) and pitcher Tyler Glasnow (4-2, 2.69 ERA).
What's next: The Rays head back home tomorrow to take on the Washington Nationals.
4. The Pulp: Just like a pear, you know I'll take you there
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
🚨 After a human leg was found on the side of the road, a Hernando County man was arrested for hitting a pedestrian and dumping the body behind a bait shop. (Tampa Bay Times)
🏘 Want to buy a tiny town in St. Pete? All you need is $450,000. (Creative Loafing)
⬠ Entropy Technology Design in Tampa signed a multimillion-dollar contract with the Pentagon. (Tampa Bay Business Journal)
🏃♂ St. Pete restaurateur Pete Boland has filed to run for mayor. (Bay News 9)
🐶 Miss Bliss, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in Gulfport, will be in the Westminster Dog Show this weekend. (Gulfport Gabber)
🏝 Caladesi Island was named one of the best beaches in America by "one of the world's foremost beach experts." (ilovetheburg)
5. Screen Time with Rachel Covello
Photo illustration: Axios Visuals
Rachel Covello has only lived in Florida for four years, but she's already an expert on the state's LGBTQ-inclusive destinations.
- As publisher of Out Coast Gay Florida Travel, it's her duty to find the best places in the Sunshine State to visit, celebrate and live.
- She lives in St. Pete with her wife, two dogs, one cat, four chickens and several giant goldfish.
How does someone like Covello interact with tech? She took a break from Pride month kickoff events to tell us about her habits:
- 🤳🏻 Device of choice: iPhone XS Max. "I'm an addict. ... I record a lot of travel vlogs so I use it to capture video everywhere."
- 👇 First tap of the day: Facebook. "I kind of have a little pattern in the mornings. I'll post on my business page, then I head to Instagram for updates, then I check my email."
- 🗞 Go-to news source: Apple News. "I like to look at news from all different perspectives."
- 🎶 On rotation: "If I want to relax, I listen to the Radio Garden app. One of my favorite things to do with my wife is sit down and have a drink and we literally travel the world with music. Our favorite station, Nostalgie, plays 60s music, some American, some French."
- 📚 Reading list: "Everybody Fights: So Why Not Get Better at It?" and "Emotionally Healthy Spirituality." "My goal has been by the end of 2021 to finish reading The Bible."
📬 Who should we feature next? Hit reply and nominate someone for this recurring item.
6. Artist spotlight: Kye Armstrong
Photo courtesy of Kye Armstrong
Kye Armstrong is stepping out of the background.
- The 26-year-old Clearwater resident specializes in environment design (aka designing sets and props in animated worlds), but now she's bringing her skills to the business world.
- Full disclosure: Armstrong is Selene's friend, but we think her art is story-worthy regardless.

What's new: Her Etsy shop dropped today, and it's full of LGBTQ Pride-themed prints and stickers. When fall comes, the shop will get witchy.
- "I'm trying to keep it gay, they and Black people-friendly," she told Axios. "I'm making art for myself that I hope people want to buy."
Her inspirations: "Steven Universe," Studio Ghibli, "Sailor Moon," books by N. K. Jemisin and S.A. Chakraborty, and "anything with a strong female lead."
Her dream: Working for an animation studio to tell more inclusive and Black-friendly stories.

"I want to be able to see myself in animation. I had 'The Proud Family' growing up and maybe one other show with a black character in it.
"Reading sci-fi and fantasy as a kid, there weren't any female main characters, and if there were they definitely weren't brown or Black. I want to elevate more Black female voices."
Want more? Check out her illustration work at kyejynelle.com and follow her on Instagram.
🎧 Selene is listening to "The Shrink Next Door" and eating Thai Am. 🥢
🛫 Ben is still on vacation, climbing a giant volcano in Ecuador. 🌋
See you tomorrow!
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