The University of South Florida’s Board of Trustees agreed Tuesday to increase President Rhea Law’s annual base pay from $655,000 to $825,000. The board also raised her performance pay cap from $300,000 to $412,500. Per state law, public funding will only account for $250,000 of her salary.
St. Petersburg-based Jabil will establish a manufacturing plant in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu with a $238.2 million investment. The state’s industries minister said Tuesday it will create nearly 5,000 jobs. In July, the electronics manufacturing behemoth announced plans to lay off 130 employees in Albuquerque.
The St. Pete Innovation District has launched a small business survey sponsored by JPMorgan Chase and the Pinellas Community Foundation-funded Diverse Ventures program. Responses will help inform efforts to support the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. The survey will close Oct. 1, and to participate, visit the website here.
After announcing it would be expanding into Hernando County earlier this year, Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties is unveiling new branding. The nonprofit will now be called Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside.
WalletHub recently compared over 180 cities across 45 metrics related to retirement, including living costs and health care quality, to determine the “best and worst places to retire in 2024". Tampa ranked 4th and St. Petersburg placed 8th. While Tampa had a significantly better activities score, St. Pete fared slightly better in quality-of-life rankings.
The University of South Florida recently unveiled Tampa Bay’s first functional MRI machine with new innovative research capabilities, or “mindreading technology.” Congresswoman Kathy Castor secured $1 million in federal community project funding to support the purchase and advance regional brain disease prevention and treatment efforts. The new MRI machine measures activity in various parts of the brain as someone completes mental and physical tasks.
Pinellas County officials announced that crews have completed the first phase of the Pass-a-Grille renourishment project and will now reopen the beach’s south end, from the 3rd Avenue access point to Paradise Grille. The jetty pier and access points at 1st and 2nd Avenue will remain closed until the county completes the project in late November. Officials will close the beach from the Grille to the 15th Avenue access point until the project’s second phase concludes by the end of the month.
Renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma will perform with The Florida Orchestra'sat the 2025 fundraising Gala Feb. 28, at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Ma will play Dvorak's Cello Concerto. Tickets will go one sale, for TFO subscribers, Oct. 15. Tickets for the general public will be available Oct. 22.
St. Petersburg officials provided several updates Friday afternoon on wastewater issues resulting from heavy rains Wednesday evening. That included notifying residents that a treated water sample from the Northwest Water Reclamation Facility was nearly 10 times over the allowable suspended solid limit Wednesday. Crews captured and sent the unusable water into deep injection wells. To view Friday afternoon's wastewater discharge updates, visit the website here.
The St. Petersburg City Council approved allocating $1 million to establish the Opioid Support Grants Program. Nonprofits that provide treatment and recovery, overdose prevention and harm reduction, and substance use prevention and education services can apply for grants until Oct. 20. The tiered program will provide up to $25,000 or up to $100,000 in funding. For more information, visit the website here.
The American Planning Association (APA) of Florida has named Elizabeth “Liz” Abernethy, planning and development director for the City of St. Petersburg, its Outstanding Local Public Official of the Year. She received the award Friday at AMA Florida’s 2024 Planning Conference. Abernethy began her career with the city in September 2014 and now leads building, zoning, planning and historic preservation operations.
The City of St. Petersburg has extended its sandbag distribution hours amid historic rainfall and peak hurricane season. Residents can now pick up sandbags at 1744 9th Ave. N. Saturday, Sept. 7, and Saturday, Sept. 14, from 7 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. The Pavement and Traffic Operations Building is also open Monday through Friday. For more information, visit the website here.
