Students interested in the fitness industry or maintaining a healthier lifestyle now have a dedicated facility at Lakewood High in South St. Pete. The school’s Athletic Lifestyle Management Academy converted a classroom into what it is calling an exercise lab. The lab is supported through a $25,000 grant from the John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Foundation, and Valor Fitness donated weightlifting and exercise equipment. The school held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility, which will also help students prepare for the National Association of Sports Medicine Certification on Monday afternoon.
Craft Kafe, a St. Petersburg restaurant providing gluten-free pastries, pizza and bread, has opened a third location across the bay. On Aug. 3, owner Teddy Skiadiotis opened a Craft Kafe at 442 W. Kennedy Blvd. in South Tampa, adding to locations in downtown and West St. Pete. Skiadiotis also co-owns Skidder’s Restaurant on St. Pete beach with a family member.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies have extended their unbeaten streak to 13 matches after picking up their seventh-straight win Saturday night. The club outlasted Detroit City FC for a 1-0 victory at Al Lang Stadium, with forward Steevan Dos Santos scoring his fifth goal in four matches. The Rowdies, who have not lost since April, remain one point behind Louisville FC for first place in the USL’s Eastern Conference. The two teams will meet next Saturday night at Lynn Family Stadium in Kentucky.
Tampa-based First Citrus Bancorporation Inc. (OTC Markets: FCIT), the parent bank holding company of First Citrus Bank, announced that its shareholders unanimously approved the DFCU Financial all-cash transaction on Aug. 4. “It’s no surprise that shareholders overwhelmingly approved our merger because DFCU Financial is such a quality organization. This merger is quite good for our shareholders, many of whom are First Citrus bankers and clients,” CEO and President John Barrett said in the announcement. As a result, shareholders of FCB will receive $47.75 in cash for each share owned. Michigan-based DFCU will also cash out the outstanding options at FCB at the difference between the strike price and the per share cash consideration to First Citrus shareholders. The combined entity will have approximately $7.1 billion in assets and nearly $800 million in capital across its Michigan and Florida footprint with a total of 33 branch locations, according to a news release.
This week, the Tampa City Council unanimously granted preliminary approval to Gas Worx, the mixed-use development that would revitalize the Ybor area that's being spearheaded by landowner Daryl Shaw. The approval on Thursday covered 5.2 million square feet on 26 acres. The final approval for Gas Worx will be heard on Aug. 25. Gas Worx, which would help bridge Water Street Tampa to Ybor City, entails building roughly 5,000 residential units, more than 140,000 square feet of retail and 500,000 square feet of office space.
Pinellas County officials celebrated the opening of the Pinellas Duke Energy Trail Friday, with several dozen people in attendance. The new 6.7-mile section runs through the Countryside area of Clearwater to John Chestnut St. Park in Palm Harbor. The latest addition to the popular multi-use path completes the north gap of the planned Pinellas Trail Loop, a continuous, 75-mile pathway that will encircle the entire county. Officials must still construct a pedestrian bridge over the Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal, which should begin next spring and conclude in the summer of 2024.
The former Tebella hub inside the co-working Station House building in downtown St. Pete will now be the new home of Bad Mother Coffee Bar. “For those who don’t know, Chris and I have been working on this dream project for months. We’ve traveled the world in our kitchen, tasting some of the most stunning, exquisite, coffees a gal could dream of,” owner Emily Demikat wrote in an Instagram post. The coffee bar officially opens today, Aug. 6, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Several concerned residents reported receiving antisemitic fliers Friday, which began by condemning progressives for promoting communism and conservatives for focusing on money. However, the brunt of the note’s vitriol was aimed at Jewish people and their allies. The hate mail featured Nazi symbols while promoting replacement theory, the white nationalist ideology that has inspired several mass shootings. A QR code on the bottom of the flier links to an antisemitic film. In a social media post, state senate candidate Eunic Ortiz reported that notes in the Greater Woodlawn neighborhood of St. Petersburg were placed in a plastic bag with a rock and tossed onto doorsteps. “No resident of St. Pete or anywhere else deserves this, and our hearts go out to those who received these repugnant fliers,” said Florida Holocaust Museum Chairman Mike Igel in a statement. “While it’s exhausting and enraging to confront this hate time after time, it is fundamentally necessary for our entire community to do so with a united voice.” Residents receiving the fliers or with any information regarding who is delivering them are encouraged to the St. Pete Police Department at (727) 551-3182.
The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg (MFA) announced Thursday that its executive director has stepped down from her post. A press release stated that the chair of the museum’s board of trustees accepted Kristen A. Shepherd’s resignation in July. Shepherd became MFA’s first female director when she assumed the role in 2017 and just the sixth overall since it opened in 1965. According to the announcement, an executive committee of board members, in close collaboration with museum leadership, will guide MFA while it searches for Shepherd’s replacement. “I’m departing at a good moment, with a talented team in place,” said Shepherd in the release.
Clearwater-based health care system BayCare has named Stephanie D. Conners, an experienced health care leader who began her career as a nurse, as its next CEO and President. Conners, was selected by the BayCare Board of Trustees following an extensive national search that began in February after Tommy Inzina, BayCare’s current CEO and President, announced his plans to retire, according to BayCare's announcement. Conners currently serves as the executive vice president and chief operating officer for Jefferson Health in Philadelphia. Conners will become BayCare’s leader shortly before it opens its sixteenth hospital in Wesley Chapel in 2023 and as it finalizes its decision on a new hospital for north Manatee County.
The ride-sharing giant Uber has launched a new service for Tampa, Miami and Orlando - Uber Charter. The new feature offers users the option to book larger vehicles, including vans, minibuses and coaches, through the app. The vehicles and drivers will be provided by U.S. Coachways. The new option initially launched first in Dallas and Houston in July.
