Kimberly DiVito, Director of Tourism Product Development and Strategy at Creative Pinellas, will serve as the arts organization's interim CEO until a new executive director is brought on board. Longtime CEO Barbara St. Clair retired Dec. 20.
The St. Pete Catalyst staff is taking a few days off for family time; we'll be back Wednesday, Dec. 27. Happy holidays!
SPCA Tampa Bay is waiving adoption fees for dogs that are 2 years old and up through Sunday, Dec. 24. View adoptable dogs at spcatampabay.org/dogs.
Digital Inclusion St. Pete is hosting an after-Christmas Gadgets for Good event Jan. 6 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. People can bring their old electronic devices (excluding televisions) to the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg at 2333 34th St. S. and give someone the gift of digital inclusion. ESmart Recycling will donate refurbished computers according to the amount collected.
Mike Williams, the former receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, died from bacterial sepsis. The Hillsborough Medical Examiners office detailed "cerebral abscesses and necrotizing lobar pneumonia due to multiple dental caries and retained dental roots." Williams died Sept 12, days after being struck on his head by heavy supplies at a job site where he was working as a contractor.
The University of South Florida Bulls finished their 2023 season in dominating fashion, drubbing the Syracuse Orangemen 45-0 in Thursday night’s Boca Raton Bowl. The Bulls finished the season 7-6, their first season above .500 since 2018, and first shutout in 14 years. Quarterback Byrum Brown led the way, tossing three touchdown passes.
The Indian Shores Police Department's 2023 Charity Toy Drive and No Shave fundraiser exceeded all goals, Chief Rick Swann announced Thursday; the Indian Shores-Redington Shores departments delivered five truckloads of toys to the Santa’s Angels distribution facility over the past 10 days. The departments also raised $12,171 in direct and in-kind monetary donations to be shared between four charities serving Pinellas County. Santa’s Angels will provide toys, food and other essential items to 88 local families.
St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce officials are hiring two new coordinators to work in the organization’s downtown office. The community alliance coordinator will serve a critical role in supporting the recently established We Are St. Pete Community Alliance, which will help ensure equitable economic development. The Chamber is also hiring a marketing and communications coordinator.
University of South Florida head football coach Alex Golesh continues to impress on and off the field as he welcomed 25 new Bulls to the team Wednesday. Rivals ranked USF’s 2024 recruiting class No. 48 nationally, well ahead of Tulsa (No. 63), the closest conference foe. That represents the Bulls’ highest-rated recruiting class since 2014 (No.39).
Dr. Julia Pfaff, chair of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg’s Department of Head and Neck Surgery, was recently inducted into the prestigious American College of Surgeons. Pfaff’s induction coincides with the hospital’s 300 Inspire procedure that treats sleep apnea without requiring patients to wear an air pressure mask while they sleep. Pfaff is the nation’s second-most prolific Inspire provider.
Google recently released its Local Year in Search 2023 report, and Tampa Bay was the nation’s only metropolitan area with “lagoon near me” as a top trending search. That query placed second to “pawn shop near me.” The Last of Us was the area’s top trending TV show, and Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” was the most searched concert.
PGA Tour officials recently named the 2023 Valspar Championship its “Most Fan-First Event. The award recognizes the tournament that provides an exceptional fan experience through services like affordable ticket options, parking and transportation accessibility, food options, amenity stations and social media engagement. Palm Harbor’s Innisbrook Resort will host the 2024 Valspar Championship on its Copperhead Course March 18-24.
