Applications have opened for Leadership St. Pete, a division of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, which seeks to identify, recruit and develop leaders who represent the diversity of the local community. Through a six-month period, Leadership St. Pete provides a curriculum that enhances community acumen to develop the future leaders who will assume roles throughout the community, including within the City of St. Petersburg staff. Applications are being accepted for the 2023 class and the next information session will be held on Sept. 6 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at the St. Pete Chamber of Commerce. The application deadline is Sept. 27.
The Tampa Bay Rays continued their late-season push Friday night with a dominant 9-0 victory over the league-leading New York Yankees at Tropicana Field. The 15.5 game advantage the Yankees once enjoyed over the Rays has since evaporated to just five. Friday night also marked the first of six games between the division rivals in 10 days. New York has lost five of their six while Tampa Bay has won four straight to move 16 games over .500, a season-high. The Rays’ playoff push could soon receive another boost as phenom shortstop Wander Franco said he expects to return soon, and pitching ace Tyler Glasnow plans to start a minor league rehab assignment next week.
With just over a month until the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual Taste of the Beaches event, participating restaurants are now providing ticket pop-up sales every Thursday through the month of September. Taste of the Beaches is a week-long “taste tour” featuring over 40 local eateries. It takes place from Saturday, Oct. 8 until Friday, Oct. 14. Patrons can purchase tickets for $10, redeemable for one “taste” from a participating restaurant. The PARC Center for Disabilities will receive a portion of all proceeds. For pop-up locations and more information, visit the website here.
People and Great Place to Work recently named BayCare Health System one of the nation’s best employers. The healthcare system ranked 30th out of 100 companies based on survey feedback from over 6.1 million employees. The designation marks the second time BayCare made the list, and the organization was recognized for addressing behavioral health issues throughout the community. Great Place to Work bills itself as a global authority on workplace culture and compiled the list using rigorous analytics and confidential survey results, according to the release.
The City of St. Petersburg announced the temporary closure of the 40th Avenue NE bridge is now complete, and the roadway has reopened. There's a new traffic pattern that shifts access to the newly constructed northern section of the bridge. Construction will now begin on the southern segment of the bridge, according to the city.
St. Petersburg-based Kawha Coffee plans to launch a long-discussed franchise program this month. What started as a single location in 2006 has since blossomed into 15 shops. It recently opened a location at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and enjoys over 1,000 wholesale partnerships across Florida. According to a release, Kahwha’s plan is to confine franchise sales to the state throughout the first year before expanding its footprint. Franchisees will receive training at a corporate store and ongoing support for the duration of ownership.
All Pinellas County government offices will close on Monday, Sept. 5, in observance of Labor Day. While the county’s Parks and Conservation administrative office, Heritage Village and education centers will close, all county parks and preserves will remain open. Residents can also still visit the Florida Botanical Gardens and utilize county boat ramps and beach access parking. The Solid Waste Disposal Complex will remain open for business from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday. However, the administrative building and the household electronics and chemical collection centers will close. Normal operating hours will resume Tuesday, Sept. 6.
The Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority plans to spend $733 million on road and trail projects over the next six years, according to its latest work program unveiled this week. THEA is projected to invest $663.6 million in community enhancement and expanded capacity projects and $69.6 million in maintenance and preservation projects. A large portion of the funding will go toward the South Lee Roy Selmon Expressway.
According to a recent report from Yardi Matrix, self-storage rental rates have soared in Florida as its cities attracted remote workers during the pandemic. Orlando ranked first with a 7% year-over-year increase in rent for a 10’x10’ climate-controlled unit. Tampa and Miami tied Charleston, Charlotte and Seattle for the second-highest rate increase, at 5%. View the full report here.
Janelle Irwin Taylor, the city's director of communications under Mayor Ken Welch, resigned today, effective immediately. In her letter to Welch, Taylor said: "After our discussion on August 30, 2022, I have determined that the disclosed hostile work environment, lack of communication or guidance and overall culture of bullying, all related to my direct supervisor, were not adequately addressed, and thus warrant my immediate departure from this administration." No other information was immediately available.
Parking in the mangroves that line Gandy Beach has long been a popular activity for residents and visitors. However, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is now installing posts to reduce litter and protect the trees. According to the agency, about 8,000 pounds of trash are left on the beach on any given day. People also camp along the water, which is illegal, and high tides often inundate the vehicles. Construction crews are installing the eight feet tall posts over the next several days. FDOT estimates it will take 880 posts to close off the sandy area of the beach to vehicles. The area will still have parking and remain open to pedestrians, said FDOT in a release.
St. Petersburg-based Dynasty Financial Partners was one of the firms that invested in VRGL Inc.'s $15 million Series A round. Texas-based VRGL, a company founded in 2021 that provides analytics and automated data extraction to the wealth management industry, announced this week that the Series A round was led by MissionOG and FINTOP Capital. Founding investors Sallyport Investments and Checchi Capital also participated. The round also included investments from other venture firms and strategic partners including Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, Flyover Capital, Fin Capital and The Compound Capital.
