In a lengthy Instagram post Tuesday afternoon, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski announced he is retiring from football. Gronkowski retired as New England Patriot before the 2019 season, only to follow his friend and former teammate to Tampa Bay in 2020. In his farewell address, Gronkowski relayed a college assignment that required him to write about a dream job and where it would take place. He wrote that he wanted to play professional football in Tampa for the Buccaneers. “And let me tell ya, the journey in Tampa over the last two years has blown away what I originally wrote about in college,” he said. “Big time.” Gronkowski, 33, is a lock to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame after the mandatory five-year waiting period. In 11 seasons, the last two with the Bucs, the dominant tight end won four Super Bowls and caught 621 passes for 9,286 yards and 92 touchdowns.
Starting Wednesday, the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge will be lit in rainbow colors for seven days to celebrate Pride. The rainbow spectrum could be seen from several locations, including the fishing pier in the rest area at the north end of the bridge or on the Causeway leading to Tierre Verde or Fort DeSoto.
Just two days after a potentially demoralizing beating at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, the Tampa Bay Lightning came home and returned the favor. Returning to the friendly confines of Amalie Arena Monday night, the Bolts put on an offensive display that resulted in the Avalanche benching their goaltender midway through the 6-2 Tampa Bay victory. Anthony Cirelli and Ondrej Palat opened the scoring for the Lightning in the first period, followed by Nick Paul, Steven Stamkos, Pat Maroon and Corey Perry in the middle frame. Andrei Vasilevskiy played solid defense against the high-powered Colorado offense, with the two Avalanche goals coming on powerplays after Tampa Bay penalties. Now down 2-1 in the best-of-seven final, the Lighting will once again look to defend their home ice on Wednesday.
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium plans to use $3.5 million in state funding to establish a new manatee research and rehabilitation facility. The money stems from $20 million state leadership recently allocated toward enhancing Florida’s acute care services for manatees and restoring spring access and habitat restoration. The funding follows the state setting a new record for manatee deaths in 2021. Over 1,000 of the gentle marine mammals died last year, and 575 have died through June 3, according to a press release.
Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill into law allowing local governments to ban smoking on Florida’s public beaches. J.P. Brooker, director of the of Florida Conservation at the Ocean Conservancy, called the bill’s passage a “major victory for the health of our beaches” in a statement. He added that while cigarette butts may be small, they have a harmful and lasting effect on the environment. “Ocean Conservancy research has found cigarette butts to be the fourth most harmful type of plastic to marine life due to ingestion and contamination,” he said. According to the release, cigarette butts have been the most commonly found form of litter on Florida’s beaches during the organization’s annual cleanup day for the past 31 years.
Bayfront Health St. Petersburg will have a mass hiring event for registered nurses, lab assistants, paramedics and other types of certified nurses to fill positions. The event, called the Splash Into Summer Hiring Event, will be held on Tuesday, June 21 from 4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at the Bayfront Health Medical Plaza. Parking is available in the Bayfront Health St. Petersburg West Parking Garage. Candidates will have the opportunity to meet hiring managers and have on-the-spot offers.
The Tampa Bay Lightning find themselves in familiar territory as they return home after dropping two games on the road for the second-straight playoff series. However, unlike Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bolts were completely demolished 7-0 by the Colorado Avalanche in the second game of the Stanley Cup Finals in Denver Saturday night. After the game, Lightning star Steven Stamkos said a loss is a loss regardless of the score, and “let’s get back home in front of our fans and let’s see what we’re made of.” Tampa Bay has the chance to right the ship at 8 pm. Monday night in Amalie Arena.
St. Peter Pride is hosting a wide-ranging event featuring LGBTQIA+ performers, a poetry slam and thought-provoking panel discussions. Held Sunday, June 19, from 2 – 9 p.m. at The Factory, the free event will celebrate Juneteenth and recognize the intersectional queer communities of Tampa Bay. Located at 2622 Fairfield Ave. S., attendees can enjoy indoor and outdoor live music, Black and Brown food trucks and vendors and a party after 7 p.m. Television personality, actress, entrepreneur and activist TS Madison will host the event. Panelists include Rep. Michelle Raynor-Goolsby, Esther Matthews, Mhariel Summers, Trevor Pettiford, Ella K. Coffee, J. Carl DeVine, Kori Stevens, IMAN, Bob Devin Jones, Eunic Ortiz, Jalessa Blackshear and Johnny Boykins. St. Pete Pride is approaching its 20th anniversary and has made a public commitment to support and celebrate intersectionality, diversity and equity.
After St. Petersburg-based tech giant Jabil Inc. (NYSE: JBL) released its third-quarter results, the company said it foresees earning $32.8 billion in revenue this fiscal year. “As we look ahead, we see solid demand in key areas of our business,” Chairman and CEO Mark Mondello said in a press release. “Given this ongoing momentum, we now expect FY22 [the fiscal year 2022] revenue to be in the neighborhood of $32.8 billion and core EPS [earnings per share] to be $7.45." In the third quarter, Jabil's net revenue was $8.3 billion. In the fourth quarter, the company projects its net revenue will be between $8.1 billion to $8.7 billion.
The LGBTQ Caregiver Center, created in June 2021 in Dunedin, is celebrating its one-year anniversary of being in business. The Caregiver Wellness Collective Inc. is a nonprofit startup focused on holistic wellness education and services for caregivers and aims to raise awareness of the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ caregivers, according to the Center's website. The center was founded by Jennifer Henius, founder of Yoga4Caregivers, and Zander Keig.
The 3rd annual Juneteenth Business Expo is returning to the Deuces Saturday, bringing together Black-owned vendors, educational and kid-friendly activities, a “journey” of Black music and art and food trucks. Located at 9th Ave. S. and 22nd Street, the expo will feature a panel of local Black-owned business owners representing several industries. Titled “The Blackest Dollar” and presented by Lynda Elle Public Relations, the panel runs from 1 – 2:00 p.m. The family-friendly expo is held outdoors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
The Associated Press reported that following Thursday’s MLB owners' meeting, Commissioner Rob Manfred said that there is an urgency with respect to a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium. “There needs to be a resolution in the Tampa Bay region,” he said. The Rays’ lease with Tropicana Field expires after the 2027 season, and Manfred noted that stadiums take time to build. He added that if the region is interested in having baseball, “they need to get to it.” He said the team is anxious to work out a deal, and when asked if he is considering relocation, Manfred said, “right now, I’m focused on Tampa.” He later clarified he was referring to the region rather than the city. Somewhat cryptically, Manfred relayed that a great man once said, “all good things must end at some point.” Tampa Bay’s average attendance this year is 13,740, which ranks the Rays ahead of Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Miami and Oakland.
