News

Water transit, Take 2: The Cross-Bay Ferry is back

The Cross-Bay Ferry, which began with an exploratory pilot program in 2016-2017, will officially return Nov. 1, running between St. Petersburg and Tampa six days a week.

There were lessons learned during that six-month test run: This time out, the boat will make more back-and-forth runs, staying docked later in each city to accommodate concerts, sporting events and date night dinners, and ticket prices have been lowered.

The cities of Tampa and St. Pete have each pledged a $150,000 subsidy for the 2018 edition; another $300,000 will be split between Pinellas and Hillsborough county governments. Should the ferry turn a profit – and more than 37,000 riders bought tickets during that relatively brief pilot season – they’ll get a return on their investments.

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HSN’s new owner cuts 350 jobs, many in St. Petersburg

Qurate Retail Group Inc. will eliminate 350 positions by the end of this year, most of them at HSN’s St. Petersburg and Long Island, N.Y. operations.

It’s one of a series of initiatives by Qurate, the new name for what was QVC Group, that the company said are designed to better position its HSN and QVC US businesses for long term growth, increase synergies, and accelerate its digital transformation.

The changes come less than a year after the December 2017 purchase of HSN Inc., a St. Petersburg-based multi-channel retailer, in a deal with an equity value of $1.9 billion.

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New market aims to incubate business, build community on Thursday nights

If there’s one informal economic indicator that displays youth, community, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit all in one place, it’s the presence of markets.

If you’re local to the ‘Burg, you’ve likely noticed the increasing popularity of markets throughout the city. Alongside the infamous and stalwart Saturday Morning Market is the highly sought-after Brocante vintage market, the ever-changing Indie Market, the Night Market and many more. As St. Pete’s renaissance has blossomed, so too has its markets.

But is there room for more? Despite what some might consider a crowded space, Lauren Segedin saw an opening. That’s why on Thursday, she’ll launch Royal Palm Market, an all-local market that stays put. Every Thursday night, 6 p.m. to “late,” the market will be set up in the side lot of Intermezzo, rain or shine, under the royal palms that give it its name.

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Media

SPx Classic: Kelly McBride of Poynter Institute, Kyle Parks of B2 Communications

Kelly McBride and Kyle Parks talk being a couple in media, modern journalism, and the fight against fake news.

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The Hustle

Harry Sauers (Tech Consultant)

Harry Sauers has always been fascinated by computers. Growing up with a father working in software development and IT, he followed in these footsteps from a young age. He now puts his passions to good use, working in his spare time as a tech consultant.

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Profile

Friends of Weedon Island

Through the efforts of volunteers and organization members, Friends of Weedon Island dedicates itself to education, preservation and protection of Weedon Island Preserve.

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The Shuffle

JJ Miranda
SunTrust Bank

Maria S. Lucas
Accenture

Influencer

Jason Mathis
St. Pete Downtown Partnership

Focus: Tech

Jabil, Intel partnership makes vending machines smarter

Jabil, a St. Petersburg-based manufacturing solutions firm, has developed a new platform that makes it simpler and faster to add digital technologies to traditional vending machines. The resulting equipment becomes a highly connected smart machine with touchscreen controls, video, audio, scent, gesture-based interaction and cashless payment, a news release said.

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Events

Nov 6-7

October 19

October 25

ACUMEN: Beyond Identity Politics

Christine Hallquist Would Like to Talk About the Power Grid [New York Times]

Christine Hallquist is the first transgender person to be nominated for governor by a major party, and she knows people are interested in hearing her life story.

She is more than happy to tell it, but the thing she really wants to talk about is the electric grid.

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