Port Tampa Bay officials are expecting cruise ships to return to Tampa in mid-October. The cruise sailings were discussed during Port Tampa Bay's Tuesday board meeting. The first cruises that depart from Tampa in October would be from Royal Caribbean, which includes a trip to the Bahamas departing on Oct. 16, and one for Cozumel, Mexico that departs from Tampa on Oct. 21.
Tampa-based telecommunications company Syniverse announced Tuesday morning it has entered into a merger agreement with M3-Brigade Acquisition II Corp. (NYSE: MBAC). The transaction would value Syniverse at $2.85 billion, according to a Syniverse press release. Institutional investors have also committed to participate in the transaction through Private Investment in Public Equity (PIPE) commitments totaling $265 million. It's expected to close by the end of the year. After the closing, Syniverse would be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “SYNV.”
Tampa International Airport and its tenants are looking to fill over 950 positions from more than 30 different companies at the airport. The hiring event will take place on Aug. 25 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the main terminal. It will be the largest hiring event in the airport's history. The companies looking to hire include American Airlines, FedEx Express, Hertz and many others. The positions largely range from ramp agents, rental car sales agents, and air cargo handlers to cooks and bartenders.
Hopebridge Autism Therapy Centers, a large autism therapy provider, will expand into Florida with 30 centers, including one in St. Petersburg. In total, the centers will create more than 1,500 jobs state-wide. The 10,000-square-foot St. Pete center will open in October, according to the provider's release. Each center is staffed with 50 employees and has 20 rooms that are focused on certain goals such as enhancing motor skills and reintegration into a school environment. The other nearby centers will be located in Brandon and Sarasota. According to the provider, 50% of Florida children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are on a waitlist to receive therapy.
St. Pete-based startup Anchor Yacht Rentals, which developed a tech platform that connects private yacht owners and licensed captains to those looking for experiences on the water, announced a $2.5 million in seed financing led by Austin-based Silverton Partners. Anchor was created in 2016 by Zach Hatraf after losing his dear friend in a drunk boating accident and set out initially to rent boats with sober captains on Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks. The platform is made to connect users with Coast Guard-certified captains that are trained in CPR, First Aid, safety and navigation. Related: Anchor on Startup Report #83
Tampa private equity firm Weatherford Capital, managed by former Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford and his brothers, has closed its first investment fund at $355 million, the firm announced on Monday. The Weatherford Capital Fund I, launched in April 2020, was targeting $300 million and $350 million as its hard cap. The investment gives Weatherford Capital a “blind pool” of capital they can invest more nimbly, rather than finding a startup to invest in and then raising funds around that deal, according to the release. Most of the investors are high-net-worth families from around the country, Weatherford said. The company invests in 18 companies and aims to invest about $100 million to $150 million per year. The firm typically does not largely work with startups; however, in January, the firm provided $22.5 million to Tampa’s SOMA Global, a startup that develops dispatch software for law enforcement and first responders.
Software technology firm ConnectWise will relocate its global headquarters from the Westshore area to an office tower in downtown Tampa. ConnectWise will occupy 65,500 square feet in the Park Tower Building on floors 1, 12, 23, 24, and 25, with ample space and options for future growth, the company announced on Monday. “As our company continues to grow and have a positive impact on small and medium-sized businesses around the globe, we are excited to have a presence in the vibrant, revitalized downtown area, and we look forward to our logo being featured prominently atop the building,” ConnectWise CEO Jason Magee said in the release. “This move is designed to help build brand awareness and solidify ConnectWise as a beacon in the Tampa business and technology scene. We also believe it’s important to prioritize working with local businesses to help build out the new space and support the Tampa economy.” The first floor will house the ConnectWise Center of Excellence, a multi-purpose showcase and exhibition space. In addition, ConnectWise will partner with local artists to enrich its multi-use space with unique artwork.
Sarasota-based Roper Technologies (NYSE: ROP), which designs software, will sell its subsidiary Zetec to Quebec-based Eddyfi/NDT in a $350 million deal, the company announced Tuesday. The deal will be all-cash and is expected to close by the end of the year. “Eddyfi/NDT is an ideal home for Zetec, and the combination of these businesses will be a great fit for Zetec’s talented employees and loyal customers,” Neil Hunn, Roper’s President and CEO, said in a statement. “We are thankful to everyone at Zetec for their many years of contributions to Roper and wish them continued success with their innovative work in nondestructive testing."
The University of South Florida announced its Morsani College of Medicine was selected as a site for clinical trial testing of the Moderna mRNA-1273 Covid-19 vaccine on pediatric patients. The vaccine will be tested on children from six months to 11 years old. Moderna hopes to enroll 12,000 kids from the U.S. and Canada for this Phase 2/3 research study, called KidCOVE. USF Health research physicians now seek Tampa Bay area volunteers to participate in the KidCOVE study to evaluate their safety and immune responses. Three out of four participants will receive the vaccine, and all participants will be monitored for 12 months for their health and safety.
Former employee Ralph Puglisi, who previously worked within a direct service organization of the University of South Florida, pled guilty in federal court to embezzling at least $12.8 million on Thursday, according to court documents filed in the Middle District of Florida. He was an accounting manager for the University Medical Service Association (UMSA), a nonprofit that provides staffing and other support for the university’s health care businesses. According to an investigative report from Greenberg Traurig, it found that Puglisi made at least $12.86 million in non-business charges on UMSA credit cards from June 2014 through November 2019. The charges were for “rent payments, extensive home renovations, travel, chartered yachts, and contributions to women affiliated with an interactive adult website.” Puglisi could face up to 20 years in prison.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued Tampa-based tech firm Syft a patent for its tech that tracks the location and status of a deceased person. Syft's management and tracking solution was created to helps hospitals ensure the safe and correct way of handling deceased patients. "Properly managing deceased patients is an essential task for hospitals, but unfortunately, many are relying on outdated and inefficient processes," CEO Todd Plesko said in a prepared statement. "The accelerated patient deaths due to Covid-19 exposed significant vulnerabilities that hospitals have related to ensuring the proper management of deceased patients."
AdventHealth is now halting elective procedures at three more campuses. Starting Aug. 16, AdventHealth, which has multiple Tampa Bay campuses, will temporarily stop non-urgent procedures that require an overnight stay at the Dade City, Sebring and Zephyrhills campuses. All AdventHealth West Florida Division hospital locations will continue to perform same-day procedures that do not require an overnight stay. The news follows the organization stopping elective procedures at the Wesley Chapel, North Pinellas and Carrollwood campuses.
