Radian Capital, a New York City-based growth equity fund, has joined the board of directors of Florida Venture Forum. Dave Sack, principal with Radian Capital, will serve as board representative and Dana Sadovnic will serve as board alternate, a news release said. Radian Capital invests primarily in B2B software and technology-enabled services business and backs growth-stage businesses with a combination of capital and its operating team. It is geography agnostic in its approach. The Florida Venture Forum, headquartered in Tampa, is a statewide support organization for investors and entrepreneurs.
Trash Butler, a Tampa company that provides trash and recycling services for multifamily apartment buildings, has acquired WellKept, a service provider for multifamily communities. The purchase price was not disclosed, but a news release announcing the deal said the prior ownership of WellKept now has a material ownership interest in Trash Butler. As a result of the deal, Trash Butler has nearly doubled in size, the news release said. Trash Butler separately partnered with a large Fortune 500 company, the news release said. The Fortune 500 company was not identified, but Trash Butler said the partnership gives it access to more than 1,000 salespeople nationwide to help scale its growth and relationships in the multi-family housing industry. Trash Butler also secured exclusive national agreements with some of the largest multi-family management companies and its clients, accounting for more than 700,000 apartment units. Trash Butler, which has financial backing from Florida Funders, was founded by the same entrepreneurs who founded College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving.
The Pinellas County state of local emergency will continue through Oct. 30, after a vote Tuesday afternoon by the Board of County Commissioners. The extension keeps in effect a county ordinance requiring face coverings within public places and restaurants and bars to serve only patrons who are seated. The vote followed an uptick in Covid-19 cases in the county. As of Tuesday, there’s been a total of 24,327 confirmed cases in Pinellas County, an increase of 158 cases overnight. There were two additional deaths, for a total of 803 deaths in Pinellas County since the pandemic began.
The City of St. Petersburg is currently seeking feedback on how to transform 18th Ave. South as part of its Complete Streets program. Until Oct. 25, residents can take a brief survey to help identify design solutions for the street space on 18th Avenue South between 34th Street and 16th Street so that it can be shared equitably among all users and all transportation modes. To take the survey, click here.
Speaking at a press conference at a Jacksonville charter school Tuesday, Governor Ron DeSantis said that “going forward, whatever the future may hold, school closures should be off the table,” adding that closures “don’t do anything to mitigate Covid but they do cause catastrophic damage to the physical, mental and social well-being of our youth. Let’s not repeat any mistakes of the past.” He also criticized legal actions taken by the Florida Education Association in light of Covid-related safety concerns. “The union filed lawsuits and they’ve gotten totally dismissed out of hand, those bogus claims. Their goal was to keep kids out of school. They were wrong.” The state reported a total of 760,389 positive cases of Covid-19 Tuesday, with 16,105 deaths.
Herzing University will open a new campus in Tampa in early 2021. The Tampa campus will offer several programs, including a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Practical Nursing (LPN); an accelerated BSN program option for individuals who already hold a non-nursing bachelor's degree; and several bridge program options that provide degree credits for prior training, education and work experience. The programs are modeled after the programs at the school's Orlando campus, which has graduated more than 1,000 nurses since 2006, a news release said. The new campus will be at 3632 Queen Palm Drive in Tampa. The school will occupy the entire third floor and part of the first floor of the Sabal Corporate Center building. Enrollment is open immediately, with general education courses beginning in January and core nursing classes starting later in the year. Herzing University is an accredited, private nonprofit institution with ten campuses across seven states and an online division.
USF Federal Credit Union was named credit union of the year in the state of Florida by the League of Southeastern Credit Unions. The honor recognizes the credit union for maintaining sound finances, caring for its members and giving back to the community, a news release said. USF FCU was cited for internal cost savings due to performance improvements of $218,000; creation of special mortgage programs for medical professionals and educators; more than 2,000 staff volunteer hours on projects that gave back to the community; and donations of more than $200,000 in student scholarships at USF. The Credit Union of the Year award came on the heels of USF FCU earning the Governor's Sterling Award for performance excellence.
The Duke Energy Foundation is powering Florida communities with nearly $260,000 in grants to fund accessibility to the arts, promote diversity and inclusion, and address storm preparedness and Covid-19 challenges. Three grant recipients in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area received $15,000 each. They are the Clearwater Jazz Holiday, to support the virtual Journey through Jazz afterschool program in economically challenged communities; the Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg to support free virtual lessons for grades 1 to 12 to promote civility and embracing differences between people; and the John Morroni Legacy Foundation, to support a first responder mental health initiative. A $50,000 grant went to Prospera, an economic development organization based in Orlando and offering bilingual assistance to Hispanic entrepreneurs trying to establish or expand their business. Other grants went to organizations in Orlando, Tallahassee and Gainesville. The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) customers live and work.
Marc Lawrence, a St. Petersburg man who was senior executive of several corporate entities, pled guilty to two counts of securities fraud and one count of wire fraud in federal court in New York. Lawrence was accused of soliciting millions of dollars from investors in the corporate entities, which collectively were called Downing, a purported venture capital firm that would invest in healthcare start-ups, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. He was accused of making materially false and misleading statements regarding portfolio companies, use of investor proceeds, sources of funding, financial condition and ability to pay salaries to employee-investors, the news release said. Lawrence is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 1. As part of the plea agreement, he agreed to forfeit $150,000 in U.S. currency and pay restitution of $4.4 to victims. A co-defendant, David Wagner, the CEO of Downing, pled guilty to securities fraud and wire fraud last month.
First Citrus Bancorporation reported net earnings of $1.3 million, or 63 cents a share, for the three months ended Sept. 30, compared to $781,000 or 37 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. The third quarter of 2020 had the strongest quarterly earnings performance in company history, a news release said. The bank also posted asset growth of 36 percent to $565.7 million as of Sept. 30, and loan and deposit growth of 37 percent each. The gains were largely due to loans made under the SBA Paycheck Protection Program and related depository accounts established with new PPP loan customers, the news release said. First Citrus Bancorporation (OTC: FCIT), based in Tampa, is the parent company of First Citrus Bank.
A technical glitch caused the postponement of Monday's scheduled virtual performance by the Radio Theatre Project, "Spooky and Sweet," from thestudio@620. The streaming show has been re-scheduled for next Monday, Oct. 26.
The City of St. Petersburg and Visit St. Pete/Clearwater are teaming up to sponsor a series of watch parties to support the Tampa Bay Rays in their quest to win the World Series. The parties, which kick off Tuesday (Oct. 20), will be held at Spa Beach Park at the St. Petersburg Pier. To support social distancing, roughly 400 8x8 pods will be set up at the park, with six people being permitted per pod. The pods, which are available on a first come, first served basis, are wheelchair accessible and provide space for people to bring their own seating. No outside alcoholic beverages are permitted. Gates open at 6 p.m.; Tuesday's game begins at 8:09 p.m. Future games will be held Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. If needed, games will also be held Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
