In the race to save the Great Florida Reef, scientists at the Florida Coral Rescue Center (FCRC) have successfully spawned hundreds of new rough cactus coral offspring — believed to be the first documented occurrence of this species propagating in human care.

Why it matters: It's good news for scientists trying to develop a large-scale breeding program to help restore Florida's Coral Reef, which stretches 350 miles from West Palm Beach to the Dry Tortugas.

Background: An affliction called stony coral tissue loss disease, discovered in 2014, has been leaving a trail of destruction across the Florida reef.

What's happening: Scientists with the SeaWorld-managed FCRC collected healthy specimens of threatened coral from outside the disease boundary in 2019 and 2020, hoping they'd reproduce in tanks.

• Larval release has been happening nightly for the last several weeks as the rough cactus corals fertilize the embryos within the colony, then send the larvae swimming.
• After release from the parent colony, the larvae settle onto hard tiles in their nursery pools, where they attach and begin growing into corals.

What they're saying: "These offspring are very important to the future of this threatened species and to the health of our oceans," Jim Kinsler, facility manager of FCRC and curator of Aquariums and Wild Arctic at SeaWorld, said in a statement.

It's no surprise that Publix dominates the supermarket scene in Tampa Bay, as it does for all of Florida. But you may not have guessed the runners-up.

• Walmart takes the No. 2 spot, with 19.7% of the market, per data provided to Axios from Chain Store Guides LLC.
• Members-only store Sam's Club comes in third, with 7.6%.

Selene's thought bubble: Walmart is a far less enjoyable shopping experience, but they do carry a lot more of the Impossible plant-based meat products than Publix and other grocers, which I appreciate.

• Also, don't sleep on Aldi.

• Hillsborough County Public Schools is facing federal scrutiny over its handling of sexual harassment. (Tampa Bay Times)
• Gubernatorial candidate Rep. Charlie Crist doubled down on his pledge to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida and expunge the records of nonviolent marijuana offenders. (Florida Politics)
• A Tampa woman was sentenced to 6 ½ years in prison for attempting to hire a hitman on the dark web to kill her ex-boyfriend's wife. (Associated Press)

🧑‍🎨 Venetian Art Show: A Renaissance-themed event featuring local artisans, fire performers, stilt walkers, live poetry and aerial acts. St. Petersburg Audubon Society will be raffling off a basket full of bird and outdoor goodies to raise money for bird conservation and education.

• 7-11pm Saturday at Coastal Creative in St. Pete. Dress to impress for a costume contest at 9:30pm. $25 at the door.

🪴 Green Thumb Garden Festival: St. Pete's annual Arbor Day Celebration with more than 120 garden, plant and flower vendors and exhibitors.

• Festival activities include "Ask an Arborist," a butterfly tent, children's crafts, a flower show, food trucks, plant, mulch and pine seedling giveaways, along with a garden wagon decorating contest and parade.
• 9am-4pm Saturday and Sunday at Walter Fuller Park, St. Pete. Free!

💿 Record Store Day: Celebrate the hippest day of the year with live music, album releases and more festivities at record stores in Tampa, St. Pete and Clearwater. More details.

🤿 Dive into a new role with our Job Board.

1. Branch Operations Manager at Wells Fargo.

2. Application Service Delivery Manager, Support & Operations at Pfizer.

3. Sr.Technical Support Specialist at OpenText.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Post a Job.

👋 Selene here. I have to admit, the thought of going somewhere to sit at a counter does not usually excite me. I'm more of a booth girl. The plushier the better.

Yes, but: I changed my mind after a visit to Chef Jeannie Pierola's Counter Culture in Tampa.

• On a busy Sunday, a friend and I were able to get seats at the outdoor part of the counter with our backs to Bayshore Boulevard. On a pleasant spring day, it was lovely.

• And the food and drinks delivered the promised "elevated" brunch experience.

I got the wood-roasted porchetta with parmesan fried eggs, stone-ground grits with balsamic lemon brown butter, and fennel salad. And wow.

• TBH, I did not know what porchetta was and guessed it might be a way to cook eggs, not a hunk of meat. I am usually disappointed when I accidentally order a hunk of meat because it usually ends up dry and underwhelming. But as a flexitarian, I was pleasantly surprised — it was wonderfully flavorful and moist.

The Blueberry Manilow cocktail with EG Vodka, St. Germain, lemon, blueberry-rosemary shrub, hibiscus water and orchid was super refreshing.

Plus: Look at my friend Nate's massive smoked salmon dish!

Go deeper: Check out more brunch suggestions in our spring guide.