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Spring is here, and so is a fresh round of plantings from HONNA’s street tree program. Working alongside the City of St. Petersburg, volunteers spent the past month identifying gaps in the neighborhood’s canopy and getting new trees into the ground before the summer heat sets in.

Residents can still join the tree mapping program, and HONNA members are welcome to apply for a free tree for their right-of-way. The goal is simple: keep the Old Northeast shaded, green, and walkable for generations to come.

This year’s Easter Eggstravaganza brought out families from every corner of the Old Northeast for an afternoon of egg hunts, lawn games, and face painting along the bayou. Volunteers hid more than 2,000 eggs across the park for kids of every age group.

Thank you to everyone who helped set up, hosted a table, or just showed up to enjoy the day — events like this are what make this neighborhood feel like home.

This quarter’s neighborhood meeting drew a full house at Westminster Palms, with residents turning out to hear from City Council Chair Person Lisset Hanewicz on stormwater resilience, tree canopy protection, and what sustainability means for a century-old waterfront neighborhood.

Discussion ranged from seawall maintenance to expanding the street tree program, and the board fielded plenty of questions from residents eager to get involved. Minutes from the meeting will be posted for members who couldn’t attend.

Robin Reed was involved with historic preservation long before she and her husband, Joe, moved to St. Pete, and once here, she devoted much of her time to preserving the architecture, culture, and identity that makes the city and the Historic Old Northeast special. Her recent passing leaves shoes too big to fill.

As Charleen McGrath, friend and fellow HONNA board member, explained, “I felt her passion for Old Northeast preservation the first time we met when she asked me to join the board as its treasurer in 2016. I think Robin spent every spare minute determining ways to support the Historic Old Northeast as well as her service to Preserve the ‘Burg, The St. Petersburg History Museum and Sunken Gardens.” Robin enjoyed leadership positions on each of these organizations. Old Northeast resident and close friend of Robin’s, Rick Carson, has fond memories of Robin’s dogged devotion to preservation.

“With her knowledge of the nitty-gritty details of building codes, she was a vigilant enforcer of them when developers and home renovators came before the city to argue for variances and setbacks. Thanks to Robin’s leadership and support from the HONNA board, she spared our neighborhood from countless ‘could-have-been’ that we’d be living with and regretting to this day.” Several years ago, Robin was named Preservationist of the Year by Preserve the ‘Burg, an honor Charleen says should have been an annual affair. “Robin really was an unsung hero who deserved that recognition every year.” The absence of her voice and vision will be felt deeply, Rick says. “And, personally, I’ll miss watching Robin tooling down Beach Drive in her vintage gray BMW convertible — two true classics.”

Thanks to Charleen and Rick for their fond recollections of Robin’s devotion and passion for the city and neighborhood she loved.

HONNA is pleased to welcome three new board members for the 2026 term. Each brings a different focus — preservation advocacy, event planning, and neighborhood communications — and all three have already been active volunteers in the neighborhood for years.

Interested in getting involved yourself? HONNA is always looking for neighbors willing to lend a few hours a month to committee work.

The annual Candlelight Tour of Homes brought record crowds to the Old Northeast this December, with six beautifully restored properties opening their doors for an evening walk through the neighborhood’s architectural history.

Proceeds from ticket sales go directly toward HONNA’s preservation and community programs. Thank you to the generous homeowners who made this year’s tour possible.

Established in 1925, Granada Terrace remains one of the most photographed corners of the Old Northeast, known for its stucco Spanish and Italian style homes and meandering streets. Nearly a century later, the design legacy is still very much alive.

HONNA’s Preservation and Planning Committee continues to work with homeowners in the district to maintain the architectural integrity that makes Granada Terrace special.

Porch Party season is back. This month’s gathering brought neighbors together for an evening of food trucks, live music, and the kind of front-porch conversation that makes the Old Northeast what it is.

Want to host a Porch Party on your own block? Reach out to HONNA and we’ll help you get it on the calendar.

HONNA’s street tree program hit a major milestone this month, planting its 1,000th tree since the initiative began. What started as a small volunteer effort has grown into one of the neighborhood’s most visible sustainability programs.

Thank you to every resident who has hosted a tree, joined a planting day, or simply kept an eye on a sapling through its first hot summer.

After months of advocacy from HONNA’s Preservation and Planning Committee, City Council has approved updated setback variance guidelines aimed at protecting the scale and character of homes throughout the Old Northeast historic district.

The new guidelines give homeowners clearer expectations during renovation and new-construction reviews, while helping preserve the streetscape that makes the neighborhood a National Historic Landmark.