This week, the City of St. Petersburg and Mayor Ken Welch held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Sanitation Department complex, which will be built at the same location as the existing Joseph E. Savage complex, at 2001 28th St. N. The new $14 million complex will be a 18,600-square-foot, two-story building and replace two 50-year-old buildings. The building will also be solar powered, helping the city achieve net zero energy for the first time.
Virginia-based Ridgeline International, a cybersecurity firm that works with the government, has expanded to Tampa with an office in the Westshore District. The company, which is leasing office space at 4010 W. Boy Scout Blvd., plans to create up to 30 jobs over the next couple of years in business development and technical training instruction roles. Ridgeline was attracted to Tampa due to the SOCOM presence and the area's large military and veteran population, according to a press release from the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council.
Officials with Keep Pinellas Beautiful (KPB) recently recognized County Commissioner Charlie Justice as their “Outstanding Environmental Civil Servant” at the organization’s annual luncheon. Pat DePlasco, executive director for KPB, credited Justice for helping enact policies that protect the Tampa Bay estuary system. He has also served three consecutive terms as chairman of the board for the Tampa Bay Estuary Program.
The 2023 Clearwater Invitation kicked off in Clearwater Thursday with 16 teams from 13 states taking over the Eddie C. Moore Complex. The tournament will feature 40 games over four days, and participating teams include three teams ranked in top-five: UCLA, Oklahoma State and Florida State. ESPN will broadcast all 40 games on its networks.
The Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland is launching two new bachelor’s degrees for students this fall: civil engineering and industrial engineering. The new degrees were approved by the university’s board of trustees Thursday. “We are pleased to continue our strategic growth of academic offerings, aligning our degrees with the needs of students and of industry,” Dr. Terry Parker, Florida Poly’s provost, said in an announcement. “As our campus and enrollment continue to grow, so too will our curriculum.”
St. Petersburg's lively Saturday Morning Market will relocate to the intersection of 2nd Avenue and 5th Street N on Feb. 25, to allow Firestone Grand Prix crews to use its regular location - the Al Lang Stadium parking lot - as a staging area. There will be no market March 4 - during race weekend - and things will return to normal (at the Al Lang site) March 11.
The 2023 Collard Green Festival will take over St. Petersburg’s Deuces corridor Saturday, Feb. 18, from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. It will feature live music, a block party, cooking demonstrations and a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Deuces Corner Park pavilion at 11 a.m. For more information, visit the website here.
Tampa-based deepwatch, the leader in advanced managed detection and response security, announced it has received $180 million in equity investments and strategic financing from Springcoast Capital Partners, Splunk Ventures and Vista Credit Partners, a subsidiary of Vista Equity Partners. “Business transformation to cloud and digital, coupled with increasing levels of cyber risk drives strong demand for advanced protection from Deepwatch," CEO Charlie Thomas said in the company's Wednesday announcement. The new investors join ABS Capital and Goldman Sachs.
The latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area’s inflation rate far surpasses the national average, at 8.9% and 6.4%, respectively. Finance platform WalletHub also showed that Tampa Bay prices increased faster than any other metro area in the country. Local energy costs soared 14.8% over the past year, while food prices rose 8.5%.
Breeze Airways, a Utah-based airline, is launching three new nonstops from the Tampa International Airport. The new routes include connections to Hartford, Connecticut, starting May 17; Portland, Maine, starting May 17; and Providence, Rhode Island, starting July 14.
Cross Bay Ferry officials are hosting members of the Tampa Mayor’s Alliance for Persons with Disabilities and the Hillsborough County Alliance for Citizens with Disabilities aboard the ship Tuesday to gather accessibility feedback. The ride will precede a joint meeting between the organizations. The goal is to establish the service as a long-term, accessible transportation option for travel across Tampa Bay.
The Tampa Bay Rays Fan Fest returns to Tropicana Field Saturday, Feb. 18, and features player meet-and-greets; a charity yard sale; games, inflatables and mascots; and a stage show. The free event takes place from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. in Lots 6 and 7. For more information, visit the website here.
