Inside Azaleaville

Not long ago, this neighborhood was a wide green expanse, the fairways of a historic golf course. In the mid-1950s, bulldozers cleared the greens, sand traps, and bunkers, and Azaleaville was born. Over time, the name was shortened to Azalea. When we call this newsletter Inside Azaleaville, we honor the neighborhood’s original name and spirit while looking forward to the promise of Azalea’s future.

Cover art: Jungle Hotel Centennial (2026), Inside Azaleaville Studio
Digital illustration on archival substrate
A stylized homage to the Jungle Country Club Hotel and the era that transformed the Jungle into a place of leisure, legend, and lasting character.

Inside Azaleaville is an independent publication created for neighborhood readers. Links to the Azalea Neighborhood Association are included for convenience, but the content and opinions here are produced independently by the editor. It’s designed for neighbors who don’t regularly follow social media. It organizes the most important local information in one calm place with no comments or drama.

Plans for the Azalea booth at the CommUNITY Festival are still coming together, so it may not resemble the image above, but come find your neighbors between 1 and 5 PM on March 7 in Azalea Park.

White Peacock Babies Update

The white peachicks are all grown up now, and they seem to have made themselves at home. They grow up so fast. This photo was taken on Farragut Drive on Thanksgiving. Neighbors have been sharing updates on these birds since earlier in the year, when they were still peachicks, and they’re still being seen regularly.

White peafowl aren’t albino, they’re a naturally occurring color variation of the Indian blue peafowl, caused by a rare genetic trait called leucism.

In the wild, these birds are extremely uncommon. Estimates suggest that fewer than 1 in 10,000 peafowl will show this pure white coloration. The chance of seeing two together and in my front yard? Astronomically rare.

🌿 Azalea Neighborhood Meeting

Wednesday, February 4 | 6:00 PM
Azalea Recreation Center | 1600 72nd St N

Meeting Chair: Loren Zamora, host of Outdoor Family Movie Night
Police Update: from our Community Service Officer
City Update: from Councilman Gerdes’ office
Video Presentation: Kim’s Cat Crusade Linda McConnell will share a short video introducing the local nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of community cats in Pinellas County. The organization supports neighborhood cats through daily feeding, care, and advocacy, helping reduce hunger and disease while promoting compassionate, responsible care. More information: kimscatcrusade.org
Open discussion: March 7 CommUNITY Festival Azalea booth planning session and open floor for questions and discussion

Free and open to the public — come as you are, and bring a neighbor!

Join your neighbors — learn and connect!

We meet on the first Wednesday of every month ● 6 pm ● Azalea Rec Center