The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, in partnership with the Tampa Bay Rays, will host a PACT Act VetFest event Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Tropicana Field. The event educates and informs veterans about the PACT Act and provides onsite services, including VA health care enrollment, toxic exposure screenings, VA claims assistance, women’s health, mental health and more.
U.S. News & World Report has named Bayfront Health St. Petersburg a “high-performing” hospital for diabetes and stroke procedures and treatments. The publication analyzed over 4,500 hospitals across 15 specialties and 21 procedures to determine its rankings. “These distinctions demonstrate the expertise and commitment of our doctors, nurses and other team members to the health care needs of our community,” said Dr. Trina Espinola, chief physician officer for Bayfront.
Tampa-based Kforce Inc. (Nasdaq: KFRC), one of the area’s largest tech employers that provides staffing solutions to companies, has released its second quarter earnings results, showing a decrease in revenue. Revenue for the quarter, which ended June 30, was $389.2 million, which represents a 4.1% decrease of revenue compared to last year's second quarter revenue of $436.5 million. "Our results for the second quarter reflect the continuation of an uncertain economic environment and, we believe, the actions being broadly taken across industries by our market-leading clients to ensure they are prepared for the possibility of a slowdown," CEO and President Joseph Liberatore said in a prepared statement. "While the firm continues to operate efficiently, it became clear to us that we needed to adjust our structural costs to align them with the lower levels of revenue that we are experiencing without compromising investment in key strategic initiatives. We anticipate that these difficult actions will reduce annual operating costs from current run rates by approximately $14 million.”
The Tampa Bay Rowdies hosted a Community Clinic and Backpack Drive Tuesday evening that included 20 local schools and organizations. Players provided basic soccer skills through three drills on Al Lang Stadium’s pitch and concluded the event with an autograph session. Every child also received a backpack and school supplies for the upcoming year.
July was the warmest month ever recorded in Tampa, according to Bay News 9 meteorologist Kyle Hanson. The average high was 93.3, and the average low was 79.7, about 2.7 degrees above normal temperatures. Hanson said a lack of rainfall contributed to the heat, with St. Petersburg, Tampa and Bradenton well below typical monthly totals.
Tampa-based insurer Slide has been approved by the Florida regulator to take up to 100,000 policies from Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, the "last resort" taxpayer-subsidized insurance group. Slide currently has 175,000 policies and may not assume all of the additional policies. "I don’t think we’re going to get 100,000, that’s just an approval number,” Slide CEO Bruce Lucas told media outlets. “We still have Citizens policies that almost uniformly across the board are underpriced for the market, and that’s going to hamper our ability to take policies out.” Slide also recently acquired the exclusive renewal rights for over 91,400 Florida homeowners insurance policies from UPC.
After a two-week delay caused by an electrical malfunction, the Dali Museum's "Dali Alive 360" immersive experience will officially open Thursday. The a 40-minute, interpretive video/audio tour of Salvador Dali’s works takes place in the museum's outdoor, 45x60 foot geodesic dome.
The Center for First-generation Student Success recently announced that St. Petersburg College (SPC) is one of 76 new members of its First Scholars Network. The national network now includes over 350 higher-learning institutions with demonstrable success supporting first-generation students. Membership provides engagement opportunities with peer institutions and development resources.
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office reported receiving numerous 911 calls from concerned beachgoers due to herds of manatees mating close to shorelines in a July 28 social media post. A short video states the manatees "are more than fine." The caption explained that they often mate in herds during the summer and reminds viewers that touching or disturbing manatees is illegal.
Wawa, the Pennsylvania-based gas station and convenience store chain, will open its first Florida drive-thru restaurant in Largo. The company will construct a 2,036-square-foot building at 2530 East Bay Drive, which previously housed a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. The freestanding restaurant will serve the chain's popular hoagies, beverages and sides. Wawa has not announced an opening date.
Guinea pigs, birds, rabbits and other pocket pet animals will be free to adopt through Aug. 31. SPCA Tampa Bay is waiving adoption fees for the pocket pets and livestock animals as part of its Livestock-Pocket Pet Palooza event.
State prosecutors decided they will not pursue child neglect charges against a local man whose 13-year-old son died at a late-night street racing event in St. Petersburg. The teen was struck by a motorcyclist traveling over 100 mph in February, according to the St. Pete Police Department. Prosecutors dropped culpable negligence manslaughter charges against the motorcyclist in March.
