St. Petersburg-based Raymond James Financial reported its second-quarter revenues, showing an increase year-over-year, but it also showed a decline when compared to the last quarter. The quarterly net revenues increased 13% year-over-year to $2.67 billion but declined 4% from last quarter. Chairman and CEO Paul Reilly attributed the shortfall to an uncertain environment during an earnings call Thursday morning. Despite the change in the quarterly revenue, the financial institution has been on an overall growth streak as revenues have increased by 19% to a record $5.45 billion for the first half of this fiscal year.
The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council and its partners will gather in St. Pete to discuss strategies on how to tackle sustainability issues for affordable housing. The event will be hosted in partnership with The Florida Housing Coalition, Forward Pinellas and The Urban Land Institute Tampa Bay. The REACH (Resilience and Energy Assessment of Communities and Housing) conference will take place on May 6, at the Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park hotel from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The discussion will highlight strategies such as reducing energy bills with weatherization and energy efficiency programs, and opportunities to increase funding for housing mitigation in vulnerable communities, according to the event advisory.
Former St. Petersburg city administrator and deputy mayor Kanika Tomalin is one of eight semifinalists chosen to replace outgoing Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock as the primary leader of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus. Tomalin currently serves as the COO and vice president of strategy at nearby Eckerd College. Nine candidates were chosen from a pool of 56 applicants and will interview Wednesday and Thursday. Tomalin is the only candidate with local ties. According to an email Tuesday afternoon, USF expects to select three finalists who will then participate in a series of town hall meetings next week. The meetings, held from 1-2 p.m. on May 2, 3 and 4, will take place at the University Student Center Ballroom and live stream via Microsoft Teams. Dates may shift if the search committee only selects two finalists. View this week’s schedule for the nine semifinalists here.
Florida Speaker of the House Chris Sprowls is holding a press conference at Fairmount Elementary School on Wednesday, April 27, at 9:30 a.m. The press conference is to celebrate the corporate donors that support the state’s New Worlds Reading Initiative. The program is the largest of its kind in the U.S. and provides free books and supplementary learning resources to eligible students from kindergarten through fifth grade. Over 500,000 Florida children are eligible for the initiative.
Hillsborough County developer Dick Corbett has donated $25 million to the Tampa Museum of Art's Centennial Capital Campaign for Renovation and Expansion. According to museum executive director Michael Tomor, it's the single largest private donation ever made to a public art museum and art education center in Florida. The campaign, with a $100 million goal, was launched in 2020.
A mobile farmers market has arrived at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg today (Tuesday). The Villages Grown Mobile Market will provide fresh fruit and vegetables with a rotating menu, depending on what is fresh and in season. The market will be open to the public and Bayfront Health St. Petersburg team members, according to a news release from Bayfront. It is located at the west entrance of Bayfront, operating from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will return to the hospital on the last Tuesday of every month.
Six Tampa Bay Rays pitchers combined to throw nine innings without allowing a hit to the Boston Red Sox Saturday night, with the game tied 0-0 before extra innings. Things appeared to go downhill from there, as Boston’s Bobby Dalbec opened the 10th with a triple. The extra-base hit drove in automatic runner Jackie Bradley Jr. for a 1-0 Red Sox lead. Christian Vazquez then scored Dalbec with a sacrifice fly. Down 2-0 with two outs in the bottom of the 10th, Tampa Bay’s Taylor Walls reached first following a Boston throwing error that scored automatic runner Randy Arozarena. After Walls stole second, a slumping Kevin Kiermaier took a 3-1 pitch deep to right field for his first home run of the season and a 3-2 Rays victory. After the game, Kiermaier said it was his first walk-off homer at any level of baseball. Tampa Bay then beat Boston 5-2 on Sunday to take the series against their rivals, two games to one.
A late goal helped the Tampa Bay Rowdies avoid a loss against the New York Red Bulls II, as the match ended in a 1-1 tie. New York held the Rowdies scoreless until the 85th minute at MSU Soccer Park in New Jersey. Connor Antley, who shifted from the back line to right wingback, then fired a shot that was narrowly blocked by New York keeper AJ Marcucci. However, substitute Leo Fernandes seized the rebound and evened the match. It appeared as if Tampa Bay would have one last shot at the win in the 90th minute when substitute Junior Etou intercepted a New York pass and drove behind the back line. As Etou lined up his kick, the Red Bulls’ Lamine Conte slid in for the challenge. The center referee quickly called a penalty that he subsequently waived following protests from New York and a consultation with the sideline referee. Tampa Bay’s road trip continues with a match against Memphis 901 FC Wednesday. The Rowdies return to Al Lang Stadium on Saturday, April 30, to face the San Diego Loyal SC.
On Thursday, the St. Petersburg City Council unanimously approved a resolution for the CRA application entailing the construction of a 23-story tower at 155 17th Street South on the northwest corner of 17th Street South. The council members found the project is consistent with the Intown West Redevelopment Plan. The project is being developed by St. Petersburg-based Apogee Real Estate Partners, which is led by John Stadler and John Barkett. It would consist of 204 apartments, a 300-space parking garage, and 6,000 square feet of retail space that would front the Pinellas Trail. The final building plans will be reviewed by staff.
The University of South Florida recently reported it received gifts from nearly 5,000 donors during Giving Week this month, more than doubling the previous record. Over 10% were first-time donors. From April 4-8, alumni, friends and community partners joined together to support 198 funds at the university - from mitigating student hunger to providing scholarships. On April 6, Jeff and Penny Vinik gave $5 million for an on-campus stadium, matching Carol and Frank Morsani’s donation to the same effort in March. In a release, the university said the outpouring of generosity would positively impact the lives of students from all three campuses. “This groundswell of support underscores just how much our community values our students and understands the impact they have on Tampa Bay and beyond,” said USF President Rhea Law in the release.
Florida’s House passed a controversial congressional redistricting map along party lines Thursday, paving the way for it to take effect ahead of the 2022 midterms, although court challenges are likely. The Senate approved the measure on Wednesday, and it now awaits the governor’s signature. Thursday’s vote was filled with drama, as democratic lawmakers staged a protest on the House floor following over an hour of debate. The new map, put forward by the governor in a special session after he vetoed a version approved by legislators in March, divides St. Petersburg in half. U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor’s district, which includes South Tampa and other parts of Hillsborough County, adds downtown and eastern portions of St. Pete. While that likely ensures the Democrat’s victory in that district, the new map packs more Republican-leaning neighborhoods into Sen. Charlie Crist’s District 13. Rep. Ben Diamond, running to replace Crist, now faces a steep challenge to win the once evenly split district.
