The Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections is reminding voters that the deadline to request mail ballots is 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 29, for the Nov. 8 elections. To request a ballot or view samples, residents can visit votepinellas.gov or call 727-464-VOTE (8683). Voters can return mail ballots at 25 remote locations throughout Pinellas, including the three elections offices. Residents can also turn in completed ballots at the offices between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Nov. 7 and election day. The Supervisor of Elections stresses that voters should allow at least one week for the postal service to deliver mailed ballots. For more information, visit the website here.
St. Petersburg-based ARK Invest is joining Duke Energy and PODS Moving and Storage as a corporate organization supporting the first-ever climate tech accelerator program. The Tampa Bay Innovation Center accelerator will start the week of Jan. 9 for early-stage tech ventures, which include startups in the agtech, marine science, manufacturing and weather monitoring spaces. “The strategic partnership will expand next-gen technologies to assist with climate tech solutions as well as spur the growth of the Tampa Bay entrepreneurial ecosystem,” ARK Invest founder and CEO Cathie Wood said in a news release. "This team of partners provides forward-looking research, so entrepreneurs can develop solutions that will solve the negative impacts of climate change." The supporting companies will assist TBIC by providing industry insight and resources, including domain expertise, customer contacts and mentors. The program will conclude in March 2023. Applications are open for this program.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has issued over $1.39 billion in federal grants, disaster loans and flood insurance payments in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. According to a Tuesday release, the National Flood Insurance (NFIP) received more than 42,000 claims and pay over $184 million to policyholders. Individual assistance is available in 26 counties, including Pinellas. NFIP policyholders can also receive up to $1,000 in reimbursements for supplies like sandbags and lumber, along with storage expenses. For more information, visit the website here.
According to a Zillow analysis, mortgages in the area increased by 93.9% over the last year. The study shows the average mortgage payment in September was $2,016. Zillow, a real estate platform, stated that local home buyers now spend 35.5% of their income on housing, well above the 30% cost-burdened threshold. According to the report, it is “extremely unlikely” that home values will fall to previous affordability levels. Read the full analysis here.
Construction has kicked off for Fortune 500 company IFF's new Global Citrus Innovation Center at the Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland. The nearly 30,000-square-foot building will support global citrus research and development, and will include sensory and experience venues, research labs, processing, analytical departments, a fully equipped citrus garden and amenities for hosting customers and partners, according to the joint announcement on the groundbreaking. “Our students and faculty are making real contributions in growing the tech industry by influencing the designs of pioneering technologies and real-world solutions. We’re excited about the cross-disciplinary learning opportunities for our students through this partnership in fields such as metabolomics, automation, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, and biometric data capture and analysis, to name a few," Florida Poly President Randy Avent said in a news release. The new center is expected to be completed in 2023.
A 3-year-old is safe, and a suspect is in custody following a four-hour standoff with police early Tuesday morning. The St. Petersburg Police Department said a domestic incident occurred at 11:39 p.m. Monday night at a home on Norfolk St. N., near 18th Avenue. Police were called around 12:30 a.m. and were told that Matthew Perkins, 32, was “acting erratically” and took the child. With the assistance of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, officers located Perkins on Gandy Boulevard. He then crashed his truck under the I-275 overpass and refused to negotiate with police for four hours. Officers closed Gandy in both directions during the standoff. The SWAT team deployed its robotic dog, SPOT, to make provide a live video of Perkins and the child. Police also attempted to communicate through SPOT. At about 4:30 a.m., due to a heightened concern for the child’s safety, officers moved in and extracted the boy and arrested Perkins without injuries.
Tampa Bay's first bus rapid transit (BRT) service, the SunRunner, attracted over 10,000 riders since its grand debut on Oct. 21. “Seeing the SunRunner packed at 6 a.m. until the evening in both directions truly shows that this community needs more alternative transit solutions to get people to and from their destinations," Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority CEO Brad Miller said in PSTA's announcement. “We are seeing an unprecedented amount of riders showing their support for this service. Many are using the SunRunner to get to work, to get to the beach and just to get around." The BRT bus pulls in flush against the curb at its 30 stations along a 10.3-mile route that connects St. Petersburg, South Pasadena and St. Pete Beach.
The St. Pete Youth farm is now out of several lights, decorations and food after thieves recently took the items less than a week before its “Farm-O-Ween” event. Carla Bristol, the farm’s collaboration manager, wrote that someone stole 16 solar lights, decorative tombstones, a mummy, three packs of chicken and “countless other items” on social media Sunday. Bristol said that if anyone would like to donate new or used Halloween décor, “it would be greatly appreciated.” The Youth Farm’s event is Saturday, Oct. 29, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., at 1664 12th Street S. It will feature a haunted greenhouse, costume contest, scavenger hunt, food and music. All ages are welcome, and for more information, visit the website here.
The monthly data release from the state, released Oct. 21, shows the CareerSource Pinellas County region had a low unemployment rate of 2.4%, which is 1.1 percentage points lower than the area's rate a year ago. The data report also showed the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro had the highest annual job growth compared to all the metro areas in the state in the financial activities (with over 6,500 jobs) and the information sector (with over 1,000 jobs). The other industries gaining jobs over the year were leisure and hospitality (+18,100 jobs); trade, transportation and utilities (+15,400 jobs); education and health services (+13,400 jobs); professional and business services (+4,600 jobs); manufacturing (+2,500 jobs); and mining, logging and construction (+1,400 jobs).
The Florida Orchestra has rescheduled the concert featuring iconic violinist Itzhak Perlman, originally set for Oct. 1 but postponed because of Hurricane Ian. The new date is Saturday, March 11, 2023 at the Mahaffey Theater. The 8 p.m. performance will benefit TFO’s music and education programs. All tickets for the earlier date will be honored; additional tickets are available here.
Five teams competed at Thrive DTSP Oct. 21 in a Year Up pitch competition. Local judges, including Thrive's Brooke Beeler and CodeBoxx's Kim Vogel scored the teams and gave feedback on the performances. Hooper, a networked basketball app presented by Yaseen Ayoub and Najah Gibbs, took home the top honors, and a gift certificate. Year Up provides tuition-free job training programs, access to today's best companies and a proven path to career success.
Alabama-based Encompass Health Corp. (NYSE: EHC), the largest owner of rehab hospitals in the U.S., is planning to build a freestanding, 50-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital near the intersection of Tyrone Boulevard North and 9th Avenue North. The Friday announcement states the 50-bed rehab hospital will serve patients recovering from strokes and other neurological disorders, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations and complex orthopedic conditions. In addition to 24‑hour nursing care, this hospital will offer physical, occupational and speech therapies, and will have a therapy gym and courtyard. The announcement didn't include details on an opening date.
