Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Michael Magli was killed in the line of duty on Wednesday when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Robert Holzaepfel. A seven-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, Magli and other members of the Patrol Operations Bureau were pursuing Holzaepfel, 33, in an unincorporated part of Tarpon Springs. Magli exited his patrol car to deploy stop sticks when Holzaepfel, who was traveling southbound on East Lake Road between Forelock Road and Keystone Road, lost control of his truck, entered the median and collided with Magli. Holzaepfel, whose address is listed as “transient,” was taken into custody and has been charged with first degree felony murder, DUI manslaughter, driving with a suspended license, leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage and aggravated fleeing and eluding. He also faces probation violation charges in Manatee County.
More than two dozen artists, jewelers, crafts makers and creatives will participate in Gulfport's Third Saturday Indie Faire, Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. along Beach Boulevard. The curated, free event highlights arts, crafts, jewelry and botanicals, and observes all social distancing and safety protocols.
Pfizer will open a global capability hub in Tampa. The new facility will be located just north of downtown Tampa in Heights Union, a news release said. It will bring together Pfizer's multi-disciplinary professional services, such as finance, human resources, digital, and sourcing, into a consolidated and simplified structure. Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) will join life sciences company Axogen, which chose Tampa for its second headquarters office in 2018. Other biopharmas that have opened global hubs in Hillsborough County include Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson and Amgen.
RoundTable Healthcare Partners has acquired DDS Lab, headquartered in Tampa. Financial terms were not disclosed. DDS is a national dental laboratory offering a comprehensive line of fixed crown and bridge, removable, implant and orthodontic products. The company stands out due to its centralized manufacturing, investments in digital capabilities, and commitment to customer service and quality, according to Tom Kapfer, RoundTable managing partner. RoundTable is an operating-oriented private equity firm focused exclusively on the healthcare industry.
First it was the pirate invasion and Bayshore Boulevard parades. Now another Gasparilla season tradition — the Knight Parade in Ybor City — has been mothballed until at least 2022 because of the Covid-19 crisis. The Krewe of the Knights of Sant’ Yago, which organizes the Knight Parade, said this week that the 2021 parade will not go forward as scheduled, and instead the group will focus on next year’s event, set for Saturday, Feb. 12. “We’ve worked closely with the City of Tampa and the parade’s presenting sponsor MOR-TV to assess the potential health risks to the community,” stated Ken Willis, Krewe of the Knights of Sant’ Yago member and 2021 parade chairman, in a news release. “Our board of directors has decided it’s best for our community to cancel this year’s parade, and plan to celebrate safely in 2022.”
The Tampa Bay Rays have signed free agent pitchers Rich Hill and Oliver Drake to one-year contracts for the 2021 season. Hill, 40, is a 16-year MLB veteran who has made 13 postseason appearances in his career. The left-hander was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers when they won back-to-back National League pennants in 2017 and 2018. The right-handed Drake, 34, made the Rays opening day roster in 2020 but was limited to 11 appearances due to an Aug. 9-Sept. 14 stint on the injured list. In 2018, Drake pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins, becoming the first player in major league history to pitch for five different teams in one season.
Citing Covid-19 travel restrictions that have closed the U.S.-Canada border, the Toronto Blue Jays have decided to play the first two home stands of the 2021 Major League Baseball season at their spring training facility in Dunedin. The decision will see the team use TD Ballpark as its home stadium until May 2, when it hopes to return to the Rogers Centre in Toronto. "Next to the health and safety of our fans, players and staff, the Blue Jays’ top priority is returning home to play on Canadian soil as soon as it is safe to do so," the team said in a statement. "The club has been actively working through plans for what a safe return to Rogers Centre could look like."
Jabil said it is ready to deliver personal protective equipment orders of medical-quality, FDA-cleared, made-in-US face masks. The masks are produced at Jabil operations in Memphis, Tennessee. Jabil, a St. Petersburg-based manufacturing services company and a GSA-Schedule holder, said in a news release that it is positioned to quickly support the mask mandate recently issued by President Biden, requiring individuals to wear masks on federal property as well as on planes, trains, buses and at airports. Jabil is offering the masks for large orders from states, communities or organizations. The masks are designed to meet the stringent protection requirements of operating room personnel, general healthcare workers and their patients, the news release said.
InformedDNA, a genomics company in St. Petersburg, named Dan Lieber as CEO and a member of the board of directors. Lieber previously held senior healthcare leadership positions at AbleTo (now part of Optum), Altegra Health (now part of Change Healthcare), and Universal American (now part of Centene). David Nixon, a cofounder of InformedDNA and former CEO, will become executive chair of the board of directors. InformedDNA provides clinical genetic counseling, genetic testing utilization management, genetic testing payment integrity and expert genetics clinical trial support.
One-year-old Tinnley Sage West has been reunited with her family after she was abducted by an unknown suspect on Tuesday in Valrico. The toddler was asleep in her family’s 2018 Volkswagen SUV when the vehicle was stolen around 3 p.m. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office conducted an extensive search, including air surveillance, and located the vehicle at St. Andrews United Methodist Church in Brandon, where it had been abandoned. Officers found the child inside the vehicle, presumably unharmed. The suspect remains at large. Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 813-247-8200.
Capstone Business Brokers LLC has expanded to the Tampa Bay area, opening an office in Largo. Headquartered in St. Augustine, the firm specializes in advisory services for anyone looking to buy or sell a business of any size in Florida. According to a news release, the Capstone team has more than 50 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions. The company’s Largo office is located at 801 West Bay Drive. “Our new Tampa area office will better enable our team to provide the personal service and assistance that our clients require and deserve,” Capstone CEO Tracey Deuschle-Burke stated in the release. “The new location will also provide a closer working relationship with our financial and legal partners in the area.”
