St. Petersburg's Albert Whitted Airport and its nearly 100-year history take the spotlight in a new documentary premiering this week.

Why it matters: "It's such a public place, downtown in a metro city," says a voiceover in a preview for "Our City, Our Airport."

• "But so many people don't even know it's here, or they pass by and they don't know what goes on here."

State of play: The documentary by St. Pete-based Roundhouse Creative has been 2.5 years in the making, Friends of Albert Whitted Airport president Walt Driggers told reporters during a preview event last week.

• It premieres tomorrow night in a sold-out screening at the Palladium Theater. Another screening is scheduled for Wednesday.

The big picture: The 1.5-hour flick was built on interviews with 95 people, including Mayor Ken Welch and several of his predecessors. It covers four phases, Driggers said:

• The airport's early flights and the development of the hospitality industry in St. Pete;
• the airport's shift to a military air base in World War II and the city's post-war population boom;
• the present-day growth of the airport and how it has helped draw new developments such as 400 Central and the Waldorf Astoria Residences;
• and its role in emerging aviation technology, such as electric-powered aircraft.

Between the lines: The film also covers moments of turbulence for the airport, Driggers said, including efforts to develop the waterfront land into something else.

• That was Welch's goal when he first took over as mayor, but he's abandoned plans to study alternate uses primarily because of its utility in disaster recovery, the Tampa Bay Times previously reported.
• He noted that, should a storm wash out the bridges to Pinellas County, the airport could be a fly-in site for supplies and recovery resources.

Fun fact: St. Pete is known as the birthplace of commercial aviation because the first commercial flight took off from the waterfront on New Year's Day 1914.

• With thousands gathered to watch, pilot Tony Jannus successfully navigated across the bay and landed near the mouth of the Hillsborough River in Tampa.
• The journey took 23 minutes.

What they're saying: "Our goal with this documentary is to really take viewers on a journey," Roundhouse filmmaker Andrew Lee said.

• The narrative covers not only the history, Lee said, but "the many ways that this little airport has a really surprising impact on everyday life in St. Petersburg."

Spread the word

Today is the sports equinox, a day when games across the four major sports — the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL — are scheduled, marking the start of the busiest season of the year for gambling.

• It comes as Gen Z and millennials are driving the fastest growth in sports betting, according to TransUnion's latest U.S. gaming report.

Why it matters: The credit bureau says gambling responsibly is "more important than ever" due to economic uncertainty and growing debt obligations for young bettors.

• The total monthly debt payment for millennial and Gen Z consumers is up 20% and 27%, respectively, way above the inflation rate (6%) and wage growth (8%).
• Meanwhile, casinos are cashing in as more states legalize sports betting.

State of play: Legal Sports Report data shows that bettors across the U.S. wagered a record $16.25 billion in November 2024 — the biggest month yet for legal sports betting.

• Casinos also took in their highest-ever revenue that month — $1.73 billion, a figure they haven't matched so far in 2025 (as of August).
• The sports equinox fell on Oct. 28 last year.

What they're saying: "The zenith for any sports fan, and for us, is late October and early November, when everything is starting or ending," Lamarr Mitchell, director of trading for MGM Resorts, tells Axios.

The big picture: TransUnion found that betting activity rose to 30% of consumers in Q2 2025, up from 25% in Q2 2024.

• Brick-and-mortar casinos remained the top venue in Q2, but online betting is a close second with increased activity from Gen Z and millennial bettors.
• Activity on online sportsbooks has risen 7% year-over-year for both generations.

Go deeper: Superstars align for "sports equinox"

🚫 A chunk of the south Skyway Fishing Pier State Park, located on the Manatee County side of the bridge, closes to the public indefinitely today. (Bradenton Herald)

✋ New College of Florida president Richard Corcoran denied the honorary title of "professor emerita" to a former professor who opposed Corcoran's hiring in 2023. (Florida Politics)

• "Regrettably, Professor Reid was one of the leading voices of hyperbolic alarmism and needless obstruction," Corcoran wrote in an email.
• Amy Reid, who taught at the college for 30 years and had the provost's support for the title, said it was "stunning" to her that Corcoran "made it clear that this was retaliation for my advocacy as chair of the faculty."

🎨 Ideas that St. Petersburg City Council members discussed last week to replace street art painted over by the state included new murals on city-owned buildings, rainbow bike racks and a Unity Celebration Day. (WTSP)

Air traffic controllers will miss their first paychecks tomorrow due to the ongoing government shutdown, with likely consequences for travelers.

Why it matters: Travelers have already seen disruptions at airports plagued by staffing shortages, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned last week that the situation could worsen.

• Air travel was paralyzed during the 2019 shutdown.

Threat level: "Eventually, people are going to have to make human decisions," a current air traffic controller who wished to remain anonymous for fear of employer retribution told Axios.

• The controller guessed most will "hang on" for their first missed paycheck.
• "The second one will likely be where people can't last any longer without money coming in," they said.

Between the lines: Controller shortages, overwork and fatigue were already pressing issues before the funding lapse, and this piles onto existing safety concerns.

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👋 Editor Jeff here. Kathryn and I had a blast last night dancing, singing and celebrating with Yacob at his wedding.

• He and his incredible wife Maya are off on their honeymoon. Kathryn and I will hold down the fort in the meantime.

We made Yacob promise not to check his phone, but we'll happily stash any well-wishes for when he returns. Thanks for reading!