The University of South Florida is one of the state’s best employers, according to a recently released list compiled by Forbes. USF ranked No. 21 out of 100 public and private employers and No. 2 among higher education institutions. Forbes partnered with Statista and surveyed 70,000 people working for companies with at least 500 employees across 25 industry sectors. Last month, Forbes also named the university - which employs nearly 15,700 people across campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee - one of the nation’s best employers for women. View the full “America’s Best Employers by State” list here.
According to a recent report by SmartAsset, Tampa and St. Petersburg are ranked among the top cities for young financial advisors to start their careers. Tampa came in at 23 while St. Pete finished 25th. Anchorage, Alaska, took the top spot on the list. SmartAsset considered five metrics when compiling its rankings, including rent as a percentage of average salary, total income and the percentage of a city’s population nearing retirement. The average starting salary for both Tampa Bay cities was $103,200. St. Pete’s rent accounted for 12.89% of a financial advisor’s average salary, while Tampa fared better at 12.46%. View the full list here.
A new ordinance can allow St. Petersburg to ban smoking at public parks and beaches. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 105 into law in June, allowing cities and counties the right to ban smoking at parks and beaches. The St. Petersburg City Council is expected to review the proposed ban in September.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies were able to exact some measure of revenge Saturday night as they prevailed over Orange County SC 3-1 in a rematch of last year’s USL Championship Final. The Rowdies fell to Orange County by an identical score during the 2021 finale. Despite going down a man just before the hour mark, Tampa Bay held on to win behind goals by Leo Fernandes and Dayonn Harris. Sebastian Guenzatti nearly found the net before Orange County defender Ian Hoffman buried it into his own goal. An announced 6,714 fans came out to Al Lang Stadium for the championship rematch, with many staying for a post-match fireworks show along the St. Petersburg waterfront.
County officials are now accepting applications for a five-year appointment to the Pinellas Educational Facilities Authority, which begins Oct. 26. Applications are due by 3 p.m. on Sept. 9. The authority assists accredited higher education institutions with projects by providing additional funding pathways for new facilities and structures. It issues bonds to provide loans for projects, with the institutions responsible for repayment and administrative costs. For more information and to apply, visit the website here.
Lakewood High School graduate and former Seattle Seahawks linebacker Shaquem Griffin, the first one-handed player in the NFL, announced his retirement Wednesday. The St. Petersburg native experienced amniotic band syndrome in the womb, which resulted in doctors amputating Griffin’s left hand at the wrist at age 4. Despite the challenges of playing football as a one-handed defender, he went on to star for the University of Central Florida. The Seahawks drafted Griffin in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, reuniting him with his twin brother, cornerback Shaquill. In his announcement, Griffin wrote that “football was always Plan B,” and he now hopes to make a positive impact throughout the NFL Legends Community foundation.
Tampa Bay Rays pitching ace Tyler Glasnow was back throwing at batting practices this week and said it is “easy to be very optimistic” about a potential return to the mound this season. Glasnow had Tommy John surgery on Aug. 4, 2021, and the team thought it would be without his services the entire year. According to ESPN, the star pitcher’s fastball reached 97 mph while pitching to minor leaguers before a recent game. Glasnow said he would not return unless he felt his arm was completely healed, and the regular season ends on Oct. 5.
United Insurance Holdings Corp., announced that United Property and Casualty Insurance Company, known as UPC Insurance, has filed plans to withdraw from Florida, Texas, Louisiana and New York. The company's Chairman and CEO Dan Peed said: “Due to significant uncertainty around the future availability of reinsurance for our personal lines business, I believe placing United P&C into an orderly run-off is prudent and necessary to protect the Company and its policyholders. The Company is actively pursuing opportunities to leverage our people, technology, and other capabilities. Our commercial business continues to perform well and provides the Company a stable platform to build new engines of growth and profitability." Earlier this year, United sold several of its parcels in St. Petersburg across from its headquarters at 800 2nd Ave. S.to an LLC connected to the St. Pete-based Moyer Law Group, in a $4.2 million deal. The news of the exit comes as UPC completed a reorganization plan to consolidate its four Florida domiciled insurance carriers into two and has experienced a downward spiral, reporting a $33 million loss in the first quarter, as well as a $59.9 million loss for 2021 and $95 million net loss in 2020.
A publicly traded Tampa-based firm recently donated $5.2 million to the University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus, the largest gift in school history. The funding is for the university’s risk management and insurance school, which will now be called the Baldwin Risk Partners (BRP) School of Risk Management and Insurance. According to a release, BRP made the investment to address a talent gap in the insurance industry resulting from “technological disruption and an aging workforce.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced the launch of “SunPass Savings,” a new toll discount program for customers who use Florida’s Turnpike system and toll facilities owned by the Florida Department of Transportation. This rewards program will begin Sept. 1 and will run for six months. It's estimated to provide $38 million in relief to SunPass commuters. “This program will help frequent SunPass customers keep more money in their pockets during a time of growing inflation,” DeSantis said in a news release. The program applies to two-axle vehicles and is available to customers who use SunPass or other Florida transponders with accounts in good standing, according to the announcement.
The public is invited to participate in two (identical) public hearings in September to learn about and provide input on St. Pete's upcoming redistricting process. The meeting will take place on Sept. 12 where there will be two (identical) public hearings held in Council Chambers at St. Petersburg City Hall. The first meeting will be at 9 a.m. and the second will be held at 5 p.m. Alternative maps have been developed and are being considered by the appointed Citizens Redistricting Commission, according to the city.
After two weeks on the road, the Tampa Bay Rowdies return to Al Lang Stadium to face Orange County SC in a rematch of last year’s USL Championship final. Tampa will look to settle the score after falling to Orange County 3-1 to cap the 2021 season. The Rowdies won seven straight matches before dropping the last two on the road - both by 1-0 score - and will celebrate their return home with a post-match fireworks show. For tickets, visit the website here.
