The countywide Tenants Bill of Rights takes effect on Oct. 3, and Pinellas County officials are launching an educational campaign to ensure landlords and tenants stay well-informed. Detailed information about rights and approved ordinance language is now available online. The county is also hosting a webinar for landlords and anyone that desires more information about the ordinance via Zoom on Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 1 p.m. Participants can register for the meeting here.
According to an analysis by Bookies.com, spending a Sunday watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium will cost a family of four nearly $1,000. The site calculated the cost of attending an NFL game at all 32 stadiums, and the Bucs came in second at $947.69. The San Francisco 49ers came in first with a $1,028 price tag for a family of four. Bookies.com counted the cost of four tickets, parking, two beers, two sodas and four hot dogs when compiling the overall cost. Bucs tickets alone came in at $868.44. The average price of four NFL tickets was $438.88. Read the full list here.
Because a member of the company has tested positive for Covid-19, the David A. Straz Center production of the musical comedy Avenue Q has been put on hold. All performances between today (Sept. 7) and Sunday (Sept. 11) have been canceled. Shows resume Sept. 14, and the run will be extended
Danielle Collins, who grew up in St. Pete, played through the fourth round of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament before ultimately losing the competition on Monday. Player Aryna Sabalenka topped Collins.
St. Petersburg-based Mother Kombucha announced the company earned B Corp certification Wednesday for meeting high standards of social and environmental performance. According to the release, women-owned Mother Kombucha is the fastest growing kombucha brewery in Florida and uses regeneratively farmed organic fair trade teas. It also composts all food waste with local community gardens and offers home brewing workshops. “As our business grows, so does the opportunity and the responsibility to effect positive change and magnify our impact,” said Tonya Donati, founder and CEO.
St. Petersburg-based Brick Street Farms, known for converting shipping containers to urban farming units, has been named as one of GrowFL's Companies to Watch. GrowFL recognizes second-stage companies that demonstrate high performance in the marketplace with innovative strategies and processes. Another Pinellas County-based company, My Employment Options, was also named on the list. The finalists were selected from more than 400 nominations from throughout Florida and will complete a second-round application and undergo a final round of judging before the top 50 companies are selected. GrowFL will host its annual awards celebration on Feb. 23 at Hard Rock Live in Orlando.
President Rhea Law announced Tuesday the University of South Florida will raise its minimum wage by the end of this month and increase base salaries by the end of October. University employees will now make a minimum of $15 per hour, and workers represented by the United Faculty of Florida will receive a $2,000 bonus, a 3.5% base salary increase and another 2% increase next year. USF will also increase stipends for graduate and doctoral assistants for the next three years and pay for health insurance premiums. Law said the increases were necessary to remain competitive “in a race for talent.”
Financial information provider SmartAsset recently released its rankings of America’s most financially stressed cities. The Tampa metropolitan area ranked 12th due to costs of living, employment levels and affordability. SmartAsset compiled the list by comparing the 150 largest cities according to eight financial metrics. Tallahassee was the highest-ranked Florida city at 5. Augusta, Georgia, was named the most financially stressed city in America. View the full study here.
The Queen’s Court, a local not-for-profit corporation dedicated to advancing charitable organizations and recognizing volunteerism, is now accepting nominations for outstanding female volunteers in Pinellas County. According to the release, guilds, auxiliaries or nonprofits must make the nominations, and nominees must “demonstrate a depth and breadth of volunteer and leadership service.” The Queen’s Court annually selects one Queen and six Princesses in recognition of their community service. Nominations are due by Nov. 11, and the organization will present its Royal Court at the Queen of Hearts Ball on Feb. 25, 2023. View the nomination packet here.
The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority is relaunching its TD Tampa Bay, a regional transportation disadvantaged service in partnership with Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties, PSTA announced Tuesday. The regional service is provided by Uber, Lyft, Wheelchair Transport and taxi services. The TD-Tampa Bay service was discontinued in June 2021 due to a lack of funding. In June 2022, PSTA received $1 million from the Florida Commission for Transportation Disadvantaged for the re-launch of the service.
Because of the Labor Day holiday, the St. Pete Catalyst will be closed Monday, Sept. 5. Publishing will resume Tuesday.
1 Million Cups, CodeBoxx and the St. Pete Catalyst are partnering for Startup Report LIVE, with hosts Kim Vogel from CodeBoxx, and Catalyst publisher Joe Hamilton. Episodes will be recorded once a month the during the regular 1 Million Cups event - Wednesday, 9 a.m. at Thrive DTSP. The series debuted with Spontivly on Aug. 17 and continues with Chris Krimitsos, founder of the official Florida Bitcoin and Blockchain Summit, on Sept. 14.
