Food & Wine magazine recently asked readers to vote on what airports provided the best food options, and Tampa International Airport (TPA) placed sixth. The publication credited TPA’s “unexpected range,” which includes everything from sports bars to “tables with aquarium views.” The article specifically highlighted the Columbia Café, Bavaro’s and Cigar City Brewing.
The City of St. Petersburg's Public Works Department will host a job fair on Saturday, May 6, from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the Lake Vista Recreation Center, at 1401 62nd Ave. S. Attendees can apply for available jobs on-the-spot. The departments will look to fill positions for a water facility plant operator, maintenance technician, construction inspector, equipment operator and positions in management-level roles.
An Emergency Alert System test sent to phones jarred people throughout Florida awake at 4:45 a.m. Thursday. The state Division of Emergency Management later apologized for the extremely early “wake-up call” via Twitter. The agency added that the “inappropriate alert” was meant for television and that it was removing the “party responsible.”
A University of South Florida professor and former naval officer attempting to live 30 feet underwater for 100 days is halfway to his goal. Dr. Joseph Dituri announced his milestone from the Jules Undersea Lodge in Key Largo. He believes the ocean holds the answers to some of life’s most pressing questions and is conducting several groundbreaking research initiatives.
Tampa-based defense tech firm Tesseract Ventures has been awarded a direct-to-Phase II Small Business Innovation (SBIR) grant by the United States Space Force through AFWERX (a U.S. Air Force program), according to the company's Tuesday announcement. The awarded $1.25 million grant will allow Tesseract to further develop its software and tools that will enable the Space Force to accurately track machines, people and objects on the base, and create a clearer understanding of launch conditions through next generation data visualization. The research and development will take place at the Patrick Space Force Base in Cape Canaveral.
Forbes recently listed St. Petersburg among its “best places to travel in the U.S. in 2023.” Florida-based travel writer Terry Ward said the city offers “one of Florida’s best mixes of a cool and lively urban downtown with beautiful beaches right nearby.” The publication also cited St. Pete’s inclusivity, arts and culture and weather for making it one of the nation’s premier destinations.
A recent RentCafe study found that homeownership among Tampa Bay millennials - those born between 1981 and 1996 - increased 57.4% over the past five years. The demographic’s population of renters decreased by 31%. Despite rising prices and interest rates, nearly 53% of the nation’s millennials owned a home in 2022.
The Tampa Bay Lightning began their chase of the Stanley Cup with a resounding 7-3 win Tuesday night over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Brayden Point found the net twice for the Lighting and Andrei Vasilevsky made 28 saves in his 100th start. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Thursday night in Toronto.
Tampa-based BlueGrace Logistics, one of the largest third-party shipping providers, announced Tuesday it plans to open an office in Mexico this year. The office will provide support for an existing portfolio of shippers moving freight in and out of Mexico, according to a news release. "Our customers are becoming less reliant on overseas suppliers and this next phase in BlueGrace's growth will help clear the path of least resistance getting their products to market," BlueGrace CEO and founder Bobby Harris said in the release.
Tuesday morning, Southwest Airlines, one of the primary airlines at the Tampa International Airport, announced it was grounding all flights as it was experiencing a technical issue with one of their internal systems. At the airline’s request, the Federal Aviation Administration paused Southwest’s departures as they resolved the issue. The pause has been lifted and their service has resumed, according to the FAA.
According to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Tampa Bay metro area had the third lowest unemployment rate in the nation, at 2.5%. Orlando and Indianapolis tied for first with 2.6%, while that national average was 3.6% in February. The BLS reported that Tampa Bay’s unemployment rate fell .7% year-over-year.
Tampa Bay-based tech firm ConnectWise, which last sold in 2019 to Chicago and San Francisco-based private equity firm Thoma Bravo, may sell once again. According to CRN, Bravo is mulling bids from private investors and is in talks with Bain Capital.
