Clearwater-based Big Storm Brewing Co. has won the “Florida Distillery of the Year” title from the New York International Spirits Competition, according to the brewery's Friday announcement. The International Beverage Competitions organization received over 1,400 submissions from over 39 countries. There are more than 50 different categories competitors can place in. Big Storm placed in multiple categories.
Headquartered at the University of South Florida Tampa campus, WUSF Public Media has won three Regional Edward R. Murrow Regional Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association. The winners are: Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Black Mental Health; Excellence in Sound: Seagrass Thrive in the Gulf of Mexico While Withering Elsewhere; News Series: Black Mental Health.
The Florida League of Cities recently recognized Treasure Island Mayor Tyler Payne as a 2023 Home Rule Hero for his advocacy efforts throughout the recent Legislative Session. The organization credited Payne’s work to “promoted local voices making local choices” and “protect the home rule powers of Florida’s municipalities.” Home rule is the ability to address local problems with minimal state interference.
The St. Petersburg-based Harvard Jolly Architecture firm has entered a new partnership with PBK, a nationally-recognized architectural planning and design firm, according to a Tuesday announcement from HJA. The combined firms will have seven offices in St. Petersburg, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota, Fort Myers and Jacksonville. Ward Friszolowski, Rene Tercilla, Steve Johnson, Phil Trezza and the entire Harvard Jolly leadership team will continue to lead the firm’s regional operation. HJA is part of the development team that's building and designing the new Mangrove Bay Middle School and the Speer YMCA.
This Saturday, May 27, will mark the Saturday Morning Market's final seasonal appearance in the Al Lang Stadium parking lot. The farmers, food, arts, crafts and more market will move to its summer location in Williams Park for the months of June, July and August, before returning to Al Lang for the fall season.
Pinellas County Government offices will be closed on Monday, May 29, in observance of Memorial Day. The clerk’s office, tax collector, property appraiser and supervisor of elections departments will be closed. The offices and adoption center at Pinellas County Animal Services will also be closed.
Local school bus drivers are now among the region’s highest-paid after the Pinellas County School Board unanimously approved increasing salaries by 10% to 20%. Starting wages now range between $19.98 and $21.75 per hour, well above their Hillsborough County counterparts who earn just over $16 per hour. School officials hope the raises will help address the driver shortage affecting districts nationwide.
During a Wednesday board meeting, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority approved a $3.12 million purchase agreement to acquire three additional SunRunner buses. The new three 40-foot hybrid electric buses will be provided by the Gillig Corporation, a manufacturer PSTA has an existing relationship with. PSTA will receive the new buses by next spring. Since launching last year, PSTA's SunRunner has carried 635,000 passengers.
The Tampa-based National Pediatric Cancer Foundation recently raised $700,000 to fund childhood cancer research at its Fashion Funds the Cure event. The ultimate goal is identifying less toxic, novel therapies to treat pediatric patients. Local children battling cancer expressed their hopes for the future and walked the runway at the event.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) name St. Pete-Clearwater International (PIE) its 2022 Airport of the Year in the small to medium-sized category. PIE beat out 333 similar-sized airports to receive the recognition. TSA officials credited “outstanding team achievements” for creating “measurable improvements, superior performance and low passenger wait times while successfully navigating through record-breaking passenger volume.”
Tampa General Hospital has conducted its first living donor liver transplant, making it the first such surgery to occur on Florida’s West Coast, according to TGH's Tuesday announcement. Donations from living donors expand access to lifesaving liver transplantation for patients with end-stage liver disease and liver cancer, and typically results in a better outcome for those who receive organs from deceased donors. The process involves a healthy person donating a portion of their liver to an individual with a poorly functioning liver. Kiran Dhanireddy, vice president and chief of the TGH Transplant Institute and surgical director of the Comprehensive Liver Disease and Transplant Center at the TGH Transplant Institute, performed the recipient operation earlier this month.
The Tony Jannus Distinguished Aviation Society in Tampa Bay has named JetBlue President and COO Joanna Geraghty as this year's Tony Jannus Award recipient. Geraghty will be the second woman to receive the 59-year-old award that is presented annually to someone who has made a significant mark in the aviation industry, according to the society's announcement. Geraghty is responsible for JetBlue's operations, commercial performance and safety, helping JetBlue obtain a strong reputation in customer service and its corporate culture. She will receive the award Nov. 2 during the society's banquet at the JW Marriott Tampa hotel.
