Can Tampa Bay keep up with up-and-coming sister cities? New study casts doubt

But certain economic factors play a serious role in the growth of cities, and Tampa Bay isn’t keeping up. Increasing cost of living and lagging wage growth are nationwide problems. But are they exacerbated in some areas?

What if you could move to a city within a day’s driving distance of Tampa Bay, with a similar mix of jobs and economic circumstances, and enjoy a 22 percent increase in standard of living?

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Arts Alliance schedules SHINE and St. Pete Festival of the Arts

Executive Director John Collins and the staff and artists of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance are in high gear, planning several major events in furtherance of the organizations’ stated goal, “advocating for the arts, facilitating the growth of our arts community and driving arts-related economic development in St. Petersburg.”

Coming Oct. 6-14 is the fourth annual SHINE Mural Festival, during which more than a dozen new public murals will be created, right before our eyes, by mural artists of varying styles from our area and around the globe.

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Bridge loan program helps small businesses affected by red tide

As red tide makes its way up Florida’s Gulf Coast and threatens Tampa Bay, businesses across Pinellas County are preparing for the losses that the ominous algae bloom may incur.

Luckily for the county’s hotels, restaurants and fishing charters on the waters of the bay and the Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity has implemented the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program. The program will support small businesses affected by the red tide, whether they are actually affected or merely perceived to be affected.

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