Reading, an 1888 impressionist painting by French artist Berthe Morisot at the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg, is the subject of an up-close profile sponsored by Bank of America as part of its Masterpiece Moments collection, showcasing works of art in the collections of 25 of the company's museum partners through video vignettes – highlighting important works of art from a range of perspectives and mediums, and "offering a pathway for communities to experience museums." View the video, featuring museum director Kristen A. Shepherd, here.
The SunRunner, which will be the first bus rapid transit option that will connect through St. Petersburg, South Pasadena and St. Pete Beach, will launch on Oct. 21, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority announced Wednesday. The $44 million project will have a total of 30 stations along the 10.3-mile route. PSTA recently finished painting red pavement areas throughout the area that the SunRunner will travel on. The SunRunner features semi-dedicated lanes, limited stops and safety enhancements for riders including level boarding platforms and crosswalks. The buses will run every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes in the evening. The SunRunner will also be free for riders for the first six months of service.
The Pinellas County school district is looking for paid tutors to help young children increase their reading skills. PCS developed the new Read Across Pinellas (RAP) program to help area students in kindergarten and first grade become stronger readers. Tutors, or RAP stars, meet with children two or three times a week for sessions lasting 30 minutes. RAP tutors receive paid training and earn $20 per hour for their time. The program begins Sept. 6, and no prior teaching experience is necessary. For more information, email RAP@pcsb.org or call (727) 588-6000, extension 2177.
Another professional sports team will soon call Tampa home, the Tampa Bay Strikers of the newly formed National Indoor Soccer League. The Strikers will feature a men’s and women’s team, led by the same coach, and play home games at the Yuengling Center at the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus. The indoor game is fast-paced, with four 14-minute quarters instead of two 45-minute halves. The league will feature five teams consisting of five field players and a goalkeeper on the field for each side. Andrew Haines, co-owner of the Strikers and other teams in the league, hopes to include several local players on the Tampa Bay roster. The team expects to begin play by the end of the year.
After losing its previous downtown St. Petersburg location at the beginning of the year, Ringside Café will soon come back for another round. The new location for the popular bar and music venue is at 350 1st Ave. N., across from Williams Park. While the owners have yet to announce an exact opening date, a June 27 social media post stated, “we’ll be up and running before you know it.” In a comment on the post, the business said it would open the doors on the new location about a month from that date, or around the end of July. Ringside Café left its previous location at 16 2nd St. N. after the building's owners failed to offer a lease renewal in January. An Ohio-based company plans to open a 70s-themed nightclub, Good Night John Boy, in the space later this year.
McDonald's is buying out Tampa-based Caspers Company's stake in the McDonald's franchise, which is the largest in the state. The Caspers announced Monday they plan to sell all of its McDonald’s locations and franchises on Oct. 1. The Caspers Company is controlled by Blake Casper and Allison Casper Adams and operates 60 locations in Tampa and Jacksonville. "Three generations of Caspers have shined the arches, serving millions of Happy Meals along the way," a release from Caspers reads. "Caspers has contributed to countless charitable organizations supporting the communities with which it has operated. Blake Casper, Allison Casper Adams, and husband Robby Adams wish to thank the thousands of loyal team members who have made Caspers McDonald's so successful over the generations. They have been the smiling faces making the difference in millions of Floridians' lives. We wish the McDonald's system much success in the future." The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The siblings also own the Oxford Exchange, a coworking space with a restaurant and retail, and The Stovall House in Tampa as well as The Library, the restaurant on the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital's St. Petersburg campus.
Tampa-based Florida Funders, recognized as the top VC in the Southeast region by Pitchbook, and the Florida Institute have invested in Gemini Sports Analytics (GSA), a platform that allows stakeholders at elite sports organizations to make better decisions faster as they optimize tactics, acquire, develop and manage their athletes. Florida Funders invested in GSA's $1.5 million seed round from the Florida Funders’ Fund 2 LLC. Alongside Fund 2 and the Florida Institute, Miami-based Ocean Azul Partners also contributed to the round, which was anchored by leAD Sports and Health Tech Partners, the Orlando-based joint venture between Tavistock (owners of Tottenham in the English Premier League) and the family offices of Adidas founder Adi Dassler and other sports executives, according to a press release. GSA currently has letters of intent to work with teams in the NFL, NBA and European soccer.
The West Community Library at St. Petersburg College is hosting a viewing party in honor of NASA releasing the first images from its James Webb Space Telescope. The event will also feature a lecture from a NASA Solar Ambassador, Dr. Kathleen Blackett. The pictures from the $10 billion infrared telescope are over 20 years in the making and show parts of deep space yet unseen by the human eye. The viewing party begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12, and participants will also have a chance to make paper models of the telescope. The library is located at 6700 8th Ave. N. in St. Petersburg.
A recent report shows Tampa Bay tech workers make just 75% of what their counterparts in San Francisco earn. According to private company data compiled by Carta, an equity management software provider, the region’s tech workers also make less than those in cities like Raleigh, Detroit and Nashville. The report is based on a survey of more than 127,000 tech employees from 2,000 startups that utilize Carta’s services. While the cost of living is much lower in Tampa Bay compared to San Francisco, Carta noted the rise in remote work is forcing companies to offer nationally competitive salaries. According to the report, the Tampa-St. Pete-Clearwater metro area is considered a “fourth-tier” city for tech wages. Workers in Austin and Miami reported strong earnings in the South. View the full report here.
During Thursday's meeting, the St. Petersburg City Council unanimously approved a resolution to set aside $1.47 million in annual rental assistance for the city’s lowest-paid employees. The move was expected after council members discussed details of the initiative at a Housing, Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting in June. Mayor Ken Welch must still include the funding in the city's budget. The city would provide a monthly stipend of $500 for employees with a residency requirement, a salary of less than $48,000 and a household income of less than 120% of the area median income. Nearly 250 city workers fall under those guidelines, and help could arrive as early as October. Read more here.
The Florida Department of Health issued an alert Friday warning residents of a harmful blue-green algal bloom found in Maximo Park. A June 30 water sample first detected the toxins near Sunshine Skyway Lane and Pinellas Point Drive South in St. Petersburg. In an email, the health department warned the public to exercise caution in and around the water at Maximo. The agency said it will post signs around the park to alert visitors. The health department urges people in the area to avoid drinking, swimming or boating in water where the bloom is visible.
After a complete rebuild, the much-anticipated Shore Acres Recreation Center is opening to the public. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand reopening event will take place on Saturday, July 9, at 10 a.m. Located at 4230 Shore Acres Blvd. NE., the 21,064-square-foot, two-story facility will serve residents of Shore Acres and throughout St. Petersburg. Among the center’s highlights is a 6-lane swimming pool, an indoor gym for basketball, volleyball and pickleball, an outdoor playground and greenspace. Programming offered at the facility includes yoga, Tae Kwon Do, dog obedience and before and after school childcare.
