With the temperature rising and summer break rapidly approaching, the St. Petersburg Parks & Recreation Department will open the city’s seasonal neighborhood pools on Saturday, May 28. The last day of school for Pinellas County students is Thursday, May 26. Neighborhood pool admission is $1 for ages 3-12 and $2 for ages 13 and older. North Shore Aquatic Complex admission is $4.50 for ages 3-12 and $5 for ages 13 and older. Admission for “Splash Days” on Memorial Day and the Fourth of July is $1 at all City pools. For more information or to find a pool near you, visit the website here or call 727-893-7441.
With funding from the Report for America national service program, WUSF Public Media is launching a new reporting focus this summer. According to the press release, a third of Tampa Bay residents live just above the federal poverty line and struggle to afford basic necessities. WUSF hired a new multi-media journalist, Gabriella Paul, to lead the reporting on their personal stories. The projects will showcase the tens of thousands of people in the region that are categorized as the working poor, “struggling to survive in a region where a growth and a tourism-based economy has fewer paths into the middle class.” Report for America is a national program that helps put more journalists in local newsrooms to report on overlooked issues by providing salary funding. WUSF plans to distribute the stories across all platforms, including radio, its website, podcasting and social media.
It was a good weekend for Tampa Bay sports, beginning with the Lightning securing a 2-1 Game 7 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the NHL’s playoffs Saturday. Lightning left wing Nick Paul scored both of Tampa Bay’s goals on Toronto’s home ice in the elimination game. The Bolts now face the top-seeded Florida Panthers in the second round. In soccer, the Tampa Bay Rowdies embarrassed the Phoenix Rising FC 5-1 in Arizona on Sunday. Jake LaCava, Dayonn Harris, Jake Areman, Sivert Haugli and Ryan Flood all notched goals for Tampa Bay, which now sits at fifth in the USL’s 14-team Eastern Conference. The Tampa Bay Rays continued their winning ways in MLB, shutting out the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0 on Sunday. That win followed a 5-2 route on Saturday, and the Rays took the series two games to one. The Rays are now 21-14 on the season and hold second place in the AL East.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch recently responded to Pinellas County’s termination of an interlocal agreement for the operation of the Cross Bay Ferry between them, Hillsborough, and the cities of St. Pete and Tampa. County commissioners hope to renegotiate better terms and reduce taxpayer funding for the service. In a release, Welch called the ferry “an economic driver for cultural attractions and small businesses, as well as a job supporter …” He said he is optimistic that the four partners can work together to craft an updated agreement, but the service “must grow beyond what it is today to make a major impact on public transportation and traffic congestion.” Welch noted many other pressing transit needs, such as improving the primary bus service.
Michigan-based DFCU Financial will merge with the Tampa-based First Citrus Bank through n all-cash acquisition. Upon completion of the transaction, the entire management team of FCB will join DFCU. DFCU intends to keep all of FCB’s branches open following the completion of the transaction this fourth quarter. As of March 31, 2022, FCB had approximately $689 million in assets, $398 million in loans, and $622 million in deposits. The combined entity will have approximately $7.1 billion in assets and nearly $800 million in capital across its Michigan and Florida footprint with a total of 33 branch locations, according to a news release. Subject to the terms of the agreement, shareholders of FCB will receive $47.75 in cash for each share owned.
In an effort to provide more access to parents, the Early Learning Coalition (ELC) of Pinellas County is hosting Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) registration events throughout Pinellas County, beginning May 18. VPK is a free program for 4-year-old children whose families reside in Florida. According to the ELC release, the program builds a strong foundation for primary school by utilizing educational materials that correlate to different stages in a child’s development. Hundreds of public, private and faith-based schools and centers offer VPK programs in Pinellas County. Parents interested in registering their child must bring proof of residency, proof of the child’s age and their current immunization records. Registration events are as follows: Clearwater - 2536 Countryside Blvd. #500 on May 18 from 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.; St. Petersburg - 3420 8th Ave. S. on June 3 from 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.; and Lealman - 3815 43rd St. N., Building 8 on June 25 from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. For more information, visit the website here.
The Tampa Bay Lightning forced a decisive Game 7 in thrilling fashion Thursday night, outlasting the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3. The Lightning jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second period, but the Maple Leafs responded with three unanswered goals. Down 3-2, Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov tied it up with a power-play goal in the third frame. With just 1:56 remaining in sudden-death overtime, Brayden Point once again lived up to his last name and scored the game-winner in front of a raucous crowd at Amalie Arena. Tampa Bay continues its quest for a three-peat in Toronto on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Tampa Bay Lightning find themselves in a rare position as they face the Toronto Maple Leafs in a crucial Game 6 Thursday night. Since the Columbus Blue Jackets handed them a shocking sweep in 2019, the Lightning has won eight straight playoff series and consecutive Stanley Cup titles. Tampa Bay now must win two in a row against Toronto or face a first-round exit. Tampa Bay could have avoided this scenario but let a 2-0 lead slip away in Game 5. The Maple Leafs, who lead the best-of-seven series 3-2, have not made it to the second round of the NHL playoffs since 2004. The Lightning will fight for their playoff lives at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night from the friendly confines of Amalie Arena.
Five students from St. Pete High School’s Junior Achievement 3DE program recently won the 2022 Home Depot National Case Challenge. The winning 10th-grade team consisted of Amaya Aikens, Kenyon Clarkson, Alisha Ford, Tate Keber and Mya Muar. The St. Pete High team took first place out of 15 teams nationwide. The 3DE program utilizes business professionals as student advisors and coaches, helping to bring real-world situations to the classroom. For the competition, Home Depot challenged the teams to create an innovative showroom-type experience based on kitchen products. St. Pete High hosted a watch party in the school’s cafeteria so fellow students could cheer on their classmates as they competed on a national stage.
The St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport is hosting a job fair for its tenants, including airline and concessionaire jobs. It will be held on May 17 from 10 a.m. till noon, and then again from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. till 8 p.m. The tenants hiring include Allegiant Air, the Hudson Group, SSP America, Sheltair Aviation and the airport itself. The interviews will be held on the second level inside the airport. All positions require a criminal background check.
Community Tampa Bay will recognize community leaders and advocates May 25 with its Silver Medallion Award. The honorees will be celebrated at Tampa River Center, in front of 150 event guests (registration is here). The awards have been given out every year since 1970. This year's honorees are the Green Book of Tampa Bay (Hillary Van Dyke and Joshua Bean) for their work establishing a directory of Black-owned area businesses, disability rights advocates Karen Clay and her son, Michael Phillips (posthumously), and Equality Florida's Director of Development Mark Puskarich.
Leasecake, a tech firm based in Tampa that aims to transform lease and location management with its cloud-based system, has raised $12 million in an oversubscribed Series A funding round. The round was led by PeakSpan Capital, an investment firm in Silicon Valley and New York City that's focused on business-to-business software companies in the growth stage. Las Olas Venture Capital, an existing investor, participated in the round as well as Branded Strategic Hospitality, according to a news release. Leasecake allows tenants, brokers and landlords to manage leases, accounting, insurance agreements and franchise operations.
