Don’t be surprised if it gets a little noisy in the area of City Hall in downtown Tampa today. Gasparilla pirates are expected to make their annual raid to demand the key to the city from Mayor Jane Castor around noon. You can join in the fun in Lykes Gaslight Park on Franklin Street, between Kennedy and Madison. For additional information on Invasion Day this Saturday, including parking maps and more, click here.

All those beads cluttering up Bayshore Blvd can help you get 50% off your admission to the Florida Aquarium on an adult ticket. Keeping them out the Bay as well is crucial, so here’s the deal. Get a five gallon bucket, fill it up and get the details on how to turn them in here. Those beads are recycled through the MacDonald Training Center, a nonprofit organization that helps adults with disabilities prepare for the workforce through vocational training, employment pathways, residential supports and life-enrichment opportunities. Workers will sanitize and repackage the beads for reuse at future events. Funds raised support the Center’s career and education programs. For what you need to know on a Bead-Free Bay, just click here.

Warmer weather is arriving in Tampa Bay, with rain chances very low today and a high around 77. The Bay area will hit 80 tomorrow through Saturday. The next good chance for rain will be Sunday.

No chili for you. Skyline Chili on Gulf to Bay in Clearwater will be closed for possibly the rest of the week, thanks to an alleged drunk driver who first went through Greenberg Dental. Thankfully, no one was hurt but 22-year-old Danya Trejo of Clearwater is facing DUI charges.

It’s National Blood Donor Month, with the lack of donations causing a critical blood shortage. Senior VP for Corporate Communications and Public Relations Susan Forbes spoke with Ann Kelly on the need for blood and plasma donations. The podcast is live here, and for additional information and to host your own blood drive, go to oneblood.org.

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