The City of St. Petersburg is seeking members to join the advisory committee formed to make recommendations to the city council and mayor on projects subject to the Community Benefits Agreement program, which was approved last year. The CBA creates a process that considers the social and community impact of major development plans through a public-private agreement. The city is launching the program today (March 9) by requesting applications for the newly created Community Benefits Advisory Committee (CBAC) — a non-partisan board. The committee will be made up of four standing members, who will consult on all CBA projects, as well as four ad-hoc members are chosen on a project-by-project basis from neighboring areas within one mile of the project site. Two of the standing member appointments are made by the mayor and two by the city council. Additionally, one city council member is selected by the council for each project, according to the city's news release. Interested St. Pete residents and business owners can apply at stpete.org/CBAC. Applications are due March 30.
The University of South Florida has announced dates for the next step in its search for an eighth president - campus visits. Following Friday’s interview session, the presidential search committee voted for both of the final two candidates to advance in the process. Both Interim President Rhea Law and Army Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Talley will visit all three campuses on Monday, March 21, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. The candidates will alternate trips between the Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee campuses, and the visits allow stakeholders to interact with and pose questions to the candidate. The university is asking participants to share feedback after the visits, and the board of trustees will review that information prior to interviewing the candidates on Tuesday, March 22. The board may name the next president following that meeting.
The Clearwater municipal takes place on Tuesday, March 8, and residents can find their polling location here. Voters can drop off their ballots at 315 Court Street, Room 117, in Clearwater between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Residents can drop off ballots between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on election day. As of Friday, 14% of registered voters have cast their ballots.
Embarc Collective CEO Lakshmi Shenoy will be recognized by the Indo-US Chamber of Commerce in Tampa and will receive a Businesswoman of the Year award at this year’s Banyan Ball. The event will take place on April 16 at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Tampa. Under her leadership, Embarc has reached over 100 members and continues to foster innovation in Tampa Bay.
Beginning Saturday, March 12, and extending through Sunday, March 20, the University of South Florida and the Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, Manatee and Sarasota County school systems will all take the same week off for spring break. Nearly 570,000 students are out of school during that time. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of area students and faculty looking for ways to enjoy the break, Tampa International Airport expects over 80,000 daily travelers on peak days through the spring break period, which runs through April 26.
Tampa Bay-based BRP Group (NASDAQ: BRP) is acquiring California-based Westwood Insurance Agency for $385 million. It's the largest deal to date for BRP Group, and will add $81.8M of revenue.
Irish step dancers and rock tribute acts will provide the entertainment at Saturday's Shamrock Fest St. Patrick's Day celebration at the St. Pete Pier, Spa Beach area. Tickets to the 1-9 p.m. event are $15 advance and $20 at the gate. Food and beverage will be available for purchase.
Eight months after announcing plans for a St. Pete location, the popular Ybor City-based La Segunda Bakery and Cafe is finally heading across the bay. Famous for its fresh-baked Cuban bread, the 106-year-old bakery will open in St. Pete on Monday, March 21. The location, at 2436 4th Street N., will focus on grab-and-go service, delivery and catering. While smaller than the Ybor City and South Tampa location, the new site will seat 40 people inside and 40 on an outdoor, pet-friendly patio. La Segunda is the world's largest producer of Cuban, baking 18,000 loaves a day.
Seven University of South Florida faculty members have earned recognition as Fulbright scholars for the 2021-2022 school year, the most in Florida and tied for seventh nationally. The recipients of the highly competitive award represent several disciplines, including biomedical engineering, education, business, philosophy and psychology. Fulbright scholars teach or conduct research abroad and then integrate that experience into the classroom.
Indianapolis-based marketing tech firm TrendyMinds plans to open a St. Pete location. TrendyMinds, which has clients such as Humana, Salesforce Tampa-based Drift, plans to add more than 100 local employees at the St. Pete location, which the address of was not disclosed. The news follows the company securing an eight-figure investment from San Antonio-based firm Contour Ridge, which will allow TrendyMinds to add at least 600 positions nationwide. The firm will also open a hub in San Antonio, Texas.
Pinellas County Utilities is closing the westbound lanes of State Road 580 to repair a leaking water main. The project, adjacent to Countryside Highschool, begins on March 12 and will last through spring break. The county encourages motorists to avoid the area if possible and expect delays through the project’s expected completion date of April 3. Eastbound lanes will remain open, and detours will direct traffic north and south on McMullen Booth Road. Residents and visitors can receive project alerts by texting “SR580” to 888-777.
