PGIM Inc., which is the investment arm of Prudential Financial, a Fortune 500 company, announced it is leasing 22,272 square feet at Midtown West, joining Kforce, Primo Water and others in the $1 billion development. Although New Jersey-based Prudential currently has existing offices in Tampa, it’s a new market for PGIM, according to a news release. The new PGIM office will bring 150 new jobs to Tampa when it moves into the office next year. “They join the building’s distinguished customers who have helped make Midtown function as the area’s workforce epicenter,” Dan Woodward, senior vice president and Tampa market leader for Highwoods, said in a release.
U.K.-based Clarify, an integrated sales and marketing firm, has opened its U.S. operations in Tampa. The company will initially set up operations at the WeWork co-working space in downtown Tampa and plans to create 25 new jobs in the first 12 months with an average salary of $75,000, the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council announced Wednesday. Clarify's clients include major brands such as Adobe, PayPal, Okta and Nutanix. “Our success globally has allowed us to break into the U.S. market where we see significant opportunity to expand our client base, so it was critical for us to establish an office in the U.S.,” Amanda Abernethy, chief strategy officer of Clarify, said in a statement. “Tampa is quickly establishing itself as a top technology hub with the skilled talent and projected growth we need to continue our success.” The Tampa Bay EDC conducted a virtual visit with the Clarify team, providing a community overview and market insight on the local technology ecosystem.
Creative Pinellas has issued a Call to Artists for the creation of two murals at the St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport's Gate 12, an outdoor walkthrough space - the murals will be the first thing visitors see as they arrive. Artists are encouraged to visit www.creativepinellas.org/
The U.K-based Virgin Atlantic airline is launching a new route from London to Tampa starting Nov. 3. The year-round service will initially fly four times a week, but then it will be increasing to daily starting Nov. 28. The airline has existing route connections in Orlando and Miami.
Fans of pickleball, which Sports Illustrated called “the fastest-growing sport in America,” will now have the chance to play in sanctioned leagues in St. Petersburg. The city’s parks and recreation department recently announced the formation of its first adult pickleball leagues, with matches beginning in July. The game consists of two or four players with solid paddles hitting something similar to a Wiffle ball over a net. The burgeoning sport, which some describe as a cross between tennis and Pin-Pong, has exploded in popularity over the past few years. For more information on the St. Pete pickleball leagues, which are both recreational and competitive, visit the website here.
Local non-profit Keep Pinellas Beautiful (KPB), in partnership with the City of Madeira Beach, is providing Pinellas County residents and visitors the chance to watch a beach cleaning robot in action through the month of July. Donated by Surfing’s Evolution and Preservation Foundation, the remotely controlled BeBot collects small trash and debris from beach sand that may otherwise go unnoticed. The kickoff event was Tuesday morning at Madeira Beach, but the BeBot will visit Pinellas County beaches throughout July. For a full schedule of cleanup and demonstration dates, visit the website here.
Bayfront Health St. Petersburg has been nationally recognized for its commitment to providing high-quality stroke care. The hospital received the American Heart Association’s GoldPlus Get With The Guidelines stroke quality achievement award, Bayfront Health announced Tuesday. The hospital's program, called Get With The Guidelines – Stroke, was created for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and death.
WalletHub recently named St. Petersburg the best-managed city in the state and its economy the second-best in the nation. The personal finance website compared the operating efficiency of the largest 150 cities to determine the effectiveness of local leadership. That included creating a “Quality of Services” based on 38 metrics across six categories, which WalletHub then measured against a city’s per-capita budget. St. Pete ranked first in Florida and 41st in the U.S. The city’s economic efficiency ranking fared even better, placing second in the nation. Austin, Texas, ranked first. View the full list here.
The St. Pete Catalyst will not publish on Monday, July 4, Independence Day. We will return on Tuesday the 5th.
In observance of Independence Day on Monday, July 4, St. Petersburg City Hall and all government facilities will close in observance of the holiday. Residential trash and recycling collection scheduled for Monday will move to Tuesday, and Tuesday’s services will move to Wednesday. All Pinellas County government offices will close July 4, though county parks and outdoor areas of county preserves remain open during the holiday. The Solid Waste Disposal Complex will also remain open from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Monday.
The EDGE Eatery, a concept featuring three food concepts at 1572 Central Ave., formerly a Pinot’s Palette location, has opened on the ground floor of the Fusion 1560 apartments. The food is currently open but has a grand opening planned for July 15. The restaurant concepts include the Italian Carne D’Vino, The Cuban Sandwicherie and the Sangrias at Saint Pete. There is also a hidden lounge.
The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity on Thursday for the first-of-its-kind Reconnecting Communities pilot program established under President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This $1 billion program will help reconnect communities that were previously cut off from economic opportunities due to insufficient or ineffective transportation infrastructure, allowing St. Pete to pursue a share of the funding, the City of St. Petersburg stated in a news release. “As one of my top priorities, our Administration is working to incorporate equity into all policies to ensure growth benefits the entire community. This new available funding can serve as a catalyst for building a connected city and dismantling historic transportation barriers to success while connecting businesses to customers and employees and providing safe transportation options," St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said in the release. He plans to meet with city staff to explore how to best tap into this historic funding, which comes at a crucial and pivotal moment on the heels of the request for proposals process restarting for the Historic Gas Plant District/Tropicana Field site.
