*Nerd Nite St. Pete will be at Coastal Creative*

Food Trucks open at 6pm:

Carupano Kitchen: https://www.carupanokitchen.com/

Francas Pizza: https://www.francas-pizza.com/

Learning hits different with a drink in your hand and smart people around you. Nerd Nite is a worldwide phenomenon, popping up in over a hundred cities, including right here in St. Pete.

Each month, three passionate presenters take the stage for fascinating and fun 20-minute talks on things they truly geek out about. You will get to sip cocktails, eat from local vendors, mingle, laugh, and follow curiosity wherever it wanders.

Think of it as a lecture series that ditched the podium and grabbed a beer instead.
Drink. Learn. Connect. Come for the fun facts, stay for the conversations, and leave knowing something you didn’t when you walked in.

Doors open at 6pm. Presentations begin promptly at 7pm.

Tickets are $6.91. All tickets will be sold online.
No need to print tickets: Give us your name and we will check you in.

Check out this month's speakers:

Julie Rocco

Who Holds the Mic?

What if the most powerful expertise isn’t found in institutions, but in lived experience? This talk explores narrative psychology, the role stories play in shaping identity and behavior, and how control over narrative is deeply tied to power. We’ll look at how shifting who gets to tell the story—centering voices often overlooked—can transform communities, influence systems, and create new pathways for connection and belonging. Through the lens of What I Would Have Missed, a storytelling platform for suicide ideation, attempt, and loss survivors, I’ll share how redistributing narrative authority can move us from observation to participation, reminding us that the stories we carry—and choose to share—have the power to change not just how we see ourselves, but how we build community together.

As a storyteller and systems thinker, Julie A. Rocco believes the most important data set is human experience. She is the creator of What I Would Have Missed and I Will See You Tomorrow, platforms built on the idea that people with lived experience are uniquely positioned to create connection, belonging, and a sense of comfort—a bridge to “I am not alone.” She is currently traveling the country in a camper van, filming a YouTube docuseries that amplifies the voices of suicide ideation, attempt, and loss survivors, while also highlighting the everyday mental health strategies people use to navigate their lives—one conversation at a time.

Mike Munger

Your Property Taxes and How They Are Spent

With property taxes suddenly becoming interesting, I feel some duty as a local public servant to pull back the curtain and explain how local governments spend our property tax dollars. Most people have a general idea, but if you only knew "how the sausage gets made" behind the scenes, you would likely have a greater appreciation for how much gets done with limited resources. If there is an opportunity now to get residents engaged with their local government, I have some responsibility to share what I know.

Mike Nunger is currently working on his 16th annual municipal budget and has helped adopt--8 of those years being the sole or lead person responsible. He is currently the Finance Director for the City of Seminole after having the same role in Treasure Island. Mike has worked in Budget & Finance roles for 4 communities across the state, and since I cut my teeth in the depths of the Great Recession, had to learn how to maximize every dollar. What I do isn't so much nerdy or boring as it is esoteric.

Meredith Moran

Paws with a Purpose: The science and soul of animal assisted therapy

Think therapy dogs are just a fluffy bonus? Think again. This talk breaks down the neuroscience of why animals make us measurably calmer, smarter about our emotions, and more willing to open up — and explains the surprisingly rigorous world of clinical animal assisted therapy, from ESAs and service dogs all the way to law enforcement investigative therapy dogs. You'll meet Gilbert Oliver Moran, a certified MDT-K9 who co-therapists alongside a licensed trauma clinician working with first responders, military personnel, and incarcerated individuals — and learn why a badge-carrying cop who won't talk to a therapist will absolutely talk to a dog. It's part neuroscience, part dog content, and 100% evidence-based.

Dr. Meredith B. Moran, Ed.D., LMHC, CCTP spent years on the streets of Largo as a law enforcement officer before trading her badge for a therapy couch — which means she understands her clients from the inside out. She's the founder of Front Line Wellness, a private practice specializing in first responders and military personnel, and serves as Clinical Director for CISM of West Central Florida, the regional crisis response team she's been part of since 1999. She holds a doctorate in education, is a licensed mental health counselor, and is a certified trauma professional — but her most credentialed colleague is Gilbert Oliver Moran, her certified MDT-K9 and law enforcement investigative therapy dog, who co-facilitates sessions and frankly gets better client reviews.

Contact the host of Nerd Nite St. Pete-Aug 2026