The St. Petersburg City Council voted Thursday to repeal the city’s campaign finance rules. A city ordinance approved in 2017 limited contributions to political action committees and required more disclosure by contributors. On May 11, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed state legislation that preempts local campaign finance regulations. The new state law takes effect July 1. City Council member Darden Rice, who championed the 2017 ordinance, was the only Council member to vote against the repeal.
In a rebuff of the Kriseman administration, St. Petersburg City Council members voted Thursday to support funding for the vertical construction of Fire Station No. 2 in the city budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The current fire station is located in what used to be a residential home on 66th Street. Replacing it has been a priority for Council member and mayoral candidate Robert Blackmon, who said the current station is unsafe. Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin said fiscal year 2022, which starts Oct. 1, already has $1.7 million budgeted for pre-development services for the fire station. Budgeting additional money for vertical construction would mean less funding for other projects, Tomalin told Council members. Despite that, a resolution supporting construction funding passed four-to-three with yes votes from Council members Blackmon, Ed Montanari, Gina Driscoll and Darden Rice, who is also a mayoral candidate. Council members Deborah Figgs-Sanders, Amy Foster and Brandi Gabbard voted no, and Council member Lisa Wheeler-Bowman was not present for the vote.
A-LIGN founder and CEO Scott Price has been chosen as a finalist for Ernst & Young LLP’s Florida Entrepreneur of the Year award. First awarded 35 years ago, it’s one of the preeminent competitive award programs for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. A-LIGN, based in Tampa, was founded in 2009 and specializes in cybersecurity, assurance and compliance solutions for businesses of all sizes. According to a news release, it has 350 employees, offices in five countries and 2,500 customers around the world. "Being recognized as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist is a tremendous honor not only for me but for the entire team at A-LIGN," Price stated in the release. "The entrepreneurial spirit runs deep throughout our company and I attribute much of our success to this mindset.”
For the first time in its history, Tampa International Airport will have a nonstop flight to Portland, Oregon. Alaska Airlines will launch the new flights on Dec. 16. Portland is one of Tampa Bay's most hotly demanded routes for both leisure and pleasure travelers, according to TPA's announcement on Thursday. “This huge win for Tampa International Airport now gives us an important connection to the West Coast and one that we’ve been pursuing for years," TPA CEO and President Joe Lopano said in the release. The seasonal service is scheduled to operate four days a week between Dec. 16 and April 18 aboard a Boeing 737.
St. Petersburg-based marketing firm Valpak has launched an expansion that will see its coupon-stuffed blue envelopes mailed to 57 new neighborhoods and 610,000 additional homes throughout the country. The expansion, according to a news release, is happening this month in Albuquerque, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Omaha and close to home in the Tampa Bay region. Also, Valpak has added Chattanooga, Tenn., to its footprint and plans to expand to nearby Knoxville in 2022.
Jabil Inc.'s (NYSE: JBL) packaging division has launched its new hybrid water bottle product. The packaging prototype, the Eco.bottle product platform for Vittel, is a leading mineral water brand in Europe from the water division of Nestlé, according to Jabil's news release. The bottle is entirely comprised of recycled paper and plastic materials. Consumer testing in Europe will begin in June and the bottle will be showcased to the media during the upcoming Tour de France, taking place June 26 through July 18. Jabil was able to create the product as it recently acquired Ecologic Brands Inc., a leading provider of sustainable packaging specializing in paper-based packaging solutions.
While many health care workers have voluntarily been given a Covid-19 vaccination, Johns Hopkins Medicine is making vaccinations a requirement for all workers. On Wednesday, Johns Hopkins Medicine announced a new policy that requires all clinical and non-clinical personnel to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 1. “Since Johns Hopkins Medicine first offered the Covid-19 vaccine to our personnel in December 2020, we know that more than three-quarters of our clinically facing staff have been vaccinated. To avoid a rise in viral transmission as restrictions are lifted, we need as many people vaccinated as possible," Paul Rothman, dean of the medical faculty for the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, said in the release.
The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), known as America's largest grocery retailer, will open a customer fulfillment center in Groveland. This marks the first time the Cincinnati-based retailer will have an e-commerce presence in Florida, according to Kroger's Wednesday announcement. The 375,000-square-foot warehouse will house robotics and other advanced technology. Although Kroger does not currently have stores in Tampa Bay, the grocery giant does have plans to open a store in Tampa and other locations.
A $15,000 prosthetic leg that was stolen from a car-crash victim has been recovered. According to a news release, St. Petersburg police officers located the leg, which is covered in custom artwork depicting Marvel superheroes, behind a laundromat following a tip that was called in to the department. The device has been returned to the family of Christopher Harris, 49, who remains hospitalized in critical condition after being hit by a car late Monday evening at the intersection of 49th Street North and 5th Avenue North.
Tampa-based Miles Space is among 20 companies chosen to present at Florida Venture Forum’s 2021 Aerospace Innovation and Tech Forum, a virtual event that takes place on Thursday and is co-hosted by Space Florida. Miles Space, according to a news release, specializes in signal processing for military passive radar, satellite communications, drone detection technology and water vapor-based thrusters for satellites and space probes. Presenting companies were selected by a committee of active venture investors and will present via webinar to an audience of investors, other deal professionals and aerospace industry leaders. The event will provide a total of $100,000 in cash awards presented to four winning companies.
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed eight people to the state Board of Professional Engineers, including three from the Tampa-St. Petersburg area. One of the local appointees is Pankaj Shah of Clearwater. Shah is president and CEO of Cumbey and Fair and has been a member of the CEO Council of Tampa Bay, Countryside Rotary Club, American Water Works Association and the Florida Engineering Society. Another local appointee is Dylan Albergo of Tampa. Albergo is a project engineer with the Wantman Group. He is a member of the American Society of Professional Engineers, the Florida Engineering Society and was named the American Society of Professional Engineers West Coast Branch 2018 Young Engineer of the Year. Also named to the board was Jeb Mulock of Bradenton. Mulock is president of ZNS Engineering. He is a past president of the Kiwanis of Bradenton and previously served on the Manatee County Children Services Advisory Board. The Florida Board of Professional Engineers regulates the practice of engineering in Florida.
The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners rescinded the appointment of Tracy Mater to the Citizens Advisory Committee for the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area. Mater is employed by Contemporary Housing Alternatives of Florida, which has contracts with the city of St. Petersburg that constitute a conflict of interest, the county's attorney told commissioners. Commissioners voted Tuesday to rescind her appointment and to advertise to find additional candidates for the committee post. Mater was one of three appointees commissioners approved last month. committee. The other two appointees — Erin McFarley and Steven Morrison — attended Monday's meeting of the committee, which advises the St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Agency on the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Plan. The committee has nine members, six appointed by the St. Pete mayor and three appointed by the county commission.
