Terran Orbital, one of the world's leading providers and innovators of satellites, will build a $300 million commercial spacecraft and constellation facility on the Space Coast. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the news Monday morning during a press conference at Space Florida. DeSantis said it will bring more than 2,000 jobs to the state, with an estimated annual salary of $84,000 by the fourth quarter of 2025. Terran Orbital's new facility will be located at Space Florida's launch and landing facility. He said this will be the largest satellite manufacturing facility in the world.
Louie Spetrini is bringing 40 years of family recipes to Louie's Italian Eatery at 22 South Food Hall. Signature dishes include bruschetta, Caprese salad. Italian Wedding Soup and Caesar Salad. The newly formed Urban Collective is listed as proprietor.
The Hooters Clearwater Offshore Nationals kicks off this weekend. The race, presented by Visit St.Pete/Clearwater, starts on Saturday with the powerboat racing starting Sunday at Clearwater Beach. On the race day, typically 50,000 people attend and over 2,500 boats line the beaches of the 2.5-mile-long course. View the full schedule and details here.
On Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7 – 1 at Tropicana Field to clinch a playoff spot, their 94th win of the season. This guarantees that St. Pete will once again host playoff baseball after Covid-19 kept fans from cheering the team on in person last year. If the Rays once again make it to the World Series, at least three games of the best of seven series will be played at the ‘Trop. The team has made the playoffs for three years straight, but this is the first time the Rays have clinched at home since 2011.
Pinellas County residents may soon notice a slight difference in the taste and smell of their water, as the county begins its semiannual water system maintenance on Sept. 26. On Thursday, the county announced the second of two scheduled changes from chloramine to chlorine. According to the statement, this routine maintenance measure is designed to improve water quality. The switch will occur from Sept. 26 until Oct. 3, and water will continue to meet all state and federal guidelines. The county made the change to chloramine in 2002 to ensure its water met Environmental Protection Agency requirements.
Leaders of AdventHealth, an Altamonte Springs-based hospital system with campuses throughout Tampa Bay, have cut the ceremonial ribbon on Thursday to celebrate the new $300 million Taneja Center for Surgery at AdventHealth Tampa, the largest surgical expansion in Tampa Bay history. The 314,000-square-foot surgical tower houses larger robotics needed for intricate surgical cases that require multiple surgeons. The new tower has 18, 750-square-foot operating rooms, 96 private patient rooms, and a negative pressure room outside of the operating room that's used for protection against infectious diseases. People can view a timelapse of the construction here.
The well-known Tampa Jewish deli, the Cass Street Deli, will have a location inside the WaterView at Echelon City Center apartment complex. Echelon shared the news via Facebook. The location in the Carillon Park complex is expected to open by 2022. The deli will offer late operating hours and a new happy hour.
Florida Funders, a Tampa-based hybrid of a venture capital fund and an angel investor network, announced on Thursday its investment in Intecrowd's $4 million seed round. Intercrowd provides application management services and serves over 350 clients. Florida Funders invested $300,000 in the seed round from the Florida Funders’ Fund 2, LLC. Florida Funders’ investment in Intecrowd marks the eighth Florida-based company investment this year to date.
The Pinellas Board of County Commissioners approved the final millage rates and budget for the 2022 fiscal year on Tuesday. The $2.9 billion budget is balanced and includes funding to support community priorities such as infrastructure, affordable housing, and behavioral health. It will also stabilize the Transportation Trust Fund. Despite reporting inflationary-driven growth of $135.9 million, the budget includes the first voluntary millage rate decrease in 14 years, saving Pinellas homeowners an average of $25.44. Pinellas County continues to have the lowest per capita debt among large Florida counties.
Tampa General Hospital will embark on what it's calling its "largest master facility plan" in the hospital's history--a $550 million investment. TGH will add to its physical footprint, improve facilities and add new buildings, TGH announced on Wednesday. The master facility plan will have an economic impact of over $967 million and create more than 5,952 jobs. The new structures include a newly opened Intensive Care Unit, four floors to Tampa General’s Bayshore Pavilion, renovations and an expansion for its burn center, a freestanding emergency department and other projects.
