St. Petersburg native Danielle Collins has advanced to the third round at the French Open in Paris, but her next opponent is 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, who defeated Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu in three sets on Wednesday. Collins was at the top of her game in her second-round win over Anhelina Kilinina, trouncing the Ukrainian 6-0, 6-2, earlier on Wednesday. Williams, 39, is seeking to win Roland Garros for the fourth time in her storied tennis career.
Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital is working with the Florida Department of Health and the Juvenile Welfare Board to offer a free Covid-19 vaccine at three Pinellas County schools. The free Pfizer vaccine will be administered to those 12 years old and older starting in late June. The vaccination will be available at the following locations from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.:
R.W. Caldwell Realty Inc., a fourth-generation, family-owned real estate sales and management company in Gulfport, has filed a lawsuit against the Centers for Disease Control, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Justice. The complaint, filed in federal court in Tampa, alleges that the federal government’s moratorium on eviction of renters, implemented last fall and recently extended through June 30, protected renters who were adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic but, in doing so, prevented landlords from evicting tenants whose leases had expired. Caldwell, which is joined in the suit by the Florida Association of Realtors, seeks a court order prohibiting federal agencies from enforcing the CDC’s moratorium.
St. Petersburg-based SalonCentric will launch an ecommerce marketplace in the second half of 2021. The marketplace will offer a one-stop shop for salons and stylists, a news release said. Salons and stylists have been under pressure during the Covid-19 pandemic to adapt to new customer behaviors while protecting their bottom line, the company said in a news release. It said current procurement options are fractured and inefficient, and salon and spa owners need an efficient, convenient channel to obtain professional products at competitive prices. The marketplace, which will operate on the Mirakl Marketplace platform, will triple SalonCentric's product selection online with the addition of more than 350 third-party vendors, in addition to its current 150 vendors, on SalonCentric.com, the news release said. SalonCentric is L'Oréal USA's salon professional distribution operation.
International Data Corp. continues to do due diligence to find a site for a sales operation in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, sales director Arnie Perez tells the St. Pete Catalyst. IDC, a market intelligence and technology research company, announced earlier that it has chosen the metro area to expand sales operations after a study showed the benefits and value of tapping into an extensive talent pool, local colleges and universities, economic growth and a rapidly growing market for emerging tech vendors. The company expects to hire 80 people for its new sales center by the end of 2023. “Our number one priority is to find qualified talent for our great sales positions with a global organization that is in hyper growth mode. And we are open to candidates from the Tampa-St. Pete area,” Perez said in an email to the Catalyst. IDC doesn’t have a specific date to sign a lease as it continues to work remotely for the next few months, he said.
CaseGlide Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Wesley Todd will host the Litigation Management Podcast. “Although there are a number of groups and associations that do a great job of bringing the claims and litigation management communities together at conferences and through webinars, no one out there is speaking directly to these audiences in this way,” Todd said in the company's Wednesday press release. Each podcast episode which will be published at least once per month, will include an interview between Todd and an industry thought leader. The debut episode, titled “The Future Landscape of Claims Litigation," features thought leader and fellow podcast host Nick Lamperelli. He and Todd will discuss topics such as including how insurers how litigation leaders can best use the data available to them and the emergence of technology and cutting-edge marketing techniques. The podcast is available now via the CaseGlide website and on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, Audible and Google Podcasts.
Paul Hodgkins of Tampa has pled guilty to a charge related to his participation in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Hodgkins, 38, admitted to breaching the Capitol and entering the Senate chamber, along with other supporters of former President Trump who attempted to disrupt the counting of electoral votes that would certify Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. Hodgkins pled guilty to one count of obstructing an official proceeding, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He could also be fined up to $250,000. Hodgkins will be sentenced on July 19.
St. Pete's emphasis on maintaining and preserving parklands and realted recreational activities has landed it the top spot in a state ranking. The The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people," ranked St. Petersburg No. 1 in Florida and No. 14 nationally in this year's ParkScore index. The 2021 ParkScore index evaluates 100 of the largest U.S. cities using mapping technology and demographic date to determine how well each city is meeting the needs for parks. Each city was scored in five categories: access, acreage, amenities, equity and investment, according to the index. St. Petersburg and the St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation Department earned a 78 out of 100 in investment and 78 out of 100 in equity. According to the ParkScore index, "75% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park" in St. Petersburg.
Tampa Bay Wave is now accepting applications for the 2021 TechWomen Rising Accelerator program. The 90-day accelerator program is meant to help female-led tech startups connect with investors and connect with customers. The companies in the accelerator program will receive a mentor and one-on-one feedback with notable tech founders. There will also be pitch coaching and investment readiness programs. The program is funded by a $500,000 philanthropic commitment from JPMorgan Chase to Tampa Bay Wave and Embarc Collective. Those interested in applying can apply here.
Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority's autonomous shuttle service will extend beyond Dunedin. PSTA recently launched its AVA (Autonomous Vehicle Advantage) shuttles in Dunedin along Douglas Avenue after having a successful run in St. Pete last year. During a Pinellas County meeting, PSTA CEO Brad Miller said its use will grow in Dunedin and eventually extend elsewhere. AVA will start operating on Main Street in Dunedin June 16. After several months in Dunedin, it will transition into Clearwater Beach, Miller said.
Bloomin’ Brands promoted Danielle Vona to senior vice president, chief marketing officer. She will also join the executive leadership team. As CMO, Vona will oversee marketing from brand strategy to implementation and will guide a team responsible for consumer insights, brand marketing, food and beverage development and field marketing. Vona previously held senior marketing positions at PepsiCo and Sonic. She returned to Bloomin’ Brands in 2019 as CMO for Outback Steakhouse; she earlier held the same position at Carrabba’s Italian Grill. Outback and Carrabba's, along with Bonefish Grill and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, are the brands that are part of Bloomin' Brands (Nasdaq: BLMN), a Tampa casual dining restaurant company,
