The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) is moving forward in the next stage in testing and implementing connected vehicle technology in Tampa and it needs more drivers. THEA is recruiting volunteer drivers who drive a Honda, Acura, Hyundai, Kia or Toyota for the THEA Connected Vehicle Pilot. This research project has the potential to improve driving safety in downtown Tampa and elsewhere. THEA expects to equip approximately 300 privately-owned automobiles with connected vehicle technology by late 2022. Volunteers’ automobiles will be outfitted with devices that communicate to other connected vehicles and to roadway infrastructure to help prevent crashes. The technology includes pedestrian collision warnings, collision warnings, wrong-way driving detections and other warnings. Prospective participants must take the online prescreening questionnaire at theacvpilot.com/2021-survey/ to determine whether they are eligible. {articipating drivers receive up to a 30% rebate for tolls on the Selmon Expressway.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies closed out the regular season with another victory Saturday night, beating the Las Vegas Lights FC by a score of 2-1. The win earned the Rowdies their second USL regular-season title in club history. The last time the team earned that distinction was in 1976. The Rowdies also finished the season with 71 points, a new club record in the USL Championship, and four points ahead of second-place Phoenix Rising FC. The Rowdies have secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and face FC Tulsa in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal on Nov. 6 at Al Lang Stadium.
Sports legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson was scheduled to hand out free turkeys Monday afternoon in the parking lot directly to the west of Tropicana Field, across 16th Street. The basketball star-turned philanthropist is in St. Pete in his role as spokesman for the Miami-based Simply Healthcare company. The drive-through giveaway was scheduled to begin around 4:30 p.m. and continue until 7, or as long as supplies last.
Two miles along Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete were shut off to cars to celebrate the first-ever, car-free Halloween on Central event. The event was a collaboration between the City of St. Pete, Car-free St. Pete, the St. Pete Downtown Partnership, the Edge District and Grand Central District. Thousands of people flocked to the streets for trick-or-treating, games, contests and live music. Wide media coverage, public officials and social media posts from residents touted the event as a major success.
The Coffee Pot Turkey Trot 5Kwill be an in-person race this year on Thanksgiving morning. The 5K, newly certified by the USATF, loops around St. Petersburg’s Coffee Pot Bayou on Nov. 25 at 7:45 a.m. This is the fifth year the popular event will be held. The race was held virtually last year. Registration is available at www.runsignup.com/
Clearwater-based boat and yacht retailer MarineMax announced Monday that it has purchased Texas MasterCraft, a towboat dealer in the Dallas area. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Texas MasterCraft generated more than $45 million last year alone, according to MarineMax. “This strategic acquisition allows our existing Dallas-area operation to join forces with those of the Texas MasterCraft team, creating the most powerful customer servicing dealership organization in the important north Texas towboat market,” MarineMax president and CEO W. Brett McGill said in a statement.
The Cross-Bay Ferry set a new record for the number of riders it carried this past weekend. Mayor Rick Kriseman announced on Facebook Thursday that the 2,182 passengers the ferry brought across Tampa Bay were a new record for an opening weekend. The ferry first launched its pilot program in 2016 and hopes to become a permanent transportation option by 2024. The 149-passenger catamaran docks at the Vinoy Boat Basin in St. Pete and at the Tampa Convention Center across the bay. Demand has grown for the ferry service over the years, and the Hillsborough Area Regional Transportation Authority recently applied for a $5 million federal grant to add a larger vessel.
Terri Lipsey Scott, director of the Carter G. Woodson African American Museum, has organized a caravan to "Roll to the Polls" Tuesday, during the St. Petersburg elections. There's a free to-go lunch for every mail-in voter - in or on a vehicle - who meets at the museum at 11:30 a.m. The caravan will proceed to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections office so that mail-in ballots can be dropped off en masse.
Canadian airline Swoop will launch a new international service at the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport next week. Nonstop flights from Swoop will begin on Nov. 5 from Toronto Pearson International Airport and on Nov. 9 from John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport. This will be the St. Pete airport's first international flight since 2020. The scheduled winter flights between Toronto and PIE will be offered three times a week, on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Tampa General Hospital along with several partners have formed a collaborative partnership with plans to build a proton therapy cancer center in Tampa Bay. It would be the first of its kind for Tampa Bay and would allow patients to access an advanced alternative to traditional radiation treatments. The partnership is with the Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, Proton Therapy Partners and Florida Urology Partners. Under the support of a proposed LLC, the free-standing proton therapy center is expected to break ground in Tampa Bay in the second quarter of 2022. The exact location has not been confirmed. By using proton therapy, it delivers beams of high-energy protons to target tumors. It's highly effective in treating a wide range of adult cancers, from breast to head and neck to prostate cancer and pediatric brain and spinal tumors. Proton therapy is often the preferred treatment delivery modality when a cancerous tumor is close to a vital structure, according to TGH. Tampa Bay is the only major market in Florida without a proton therapy center.
The downtown boutique swah-rey bakery, known for its mini cupcakes and cake slices, will close both of its Central Avenue locations next month. Owner Leslie Ciccone announced the news via Facebook that her and husband/business partner Greg are moving back to San Diego due to her job with the Federal Aviation Administration. The first swah-rey shop opened in 2015 at 2105 Central Ave. Cake orders can still be made at the locations through Nov. 7.
Hertz has made headlines this week - first announcing the purchase of 100,000 Teslas and then enlisting Tampa Bay Buccaneers star quarterback Tom Brady to promote the new fleet. On Monday, the Estero-based rental car company announced they are buying 100,000 of the electric vehicles it will then rent to customers, a deal valued at $4.2 billion. In conjunction, Hertz also announced the partnership with Brady. A commercial featuring Brady promoting the new fleet was recently released, garnering more buzz for a company that filed for bankruptcy last year. Uber also announced a partnership with Hertz Wednesday and will offer 50,000 of the Model 3 sedans that Hertz receives as rentals for the rideshare company’s drivers. Following the deal with Hertz, Tesla reached a $1 trillion market cap, becoming one of just a few companies to reach the mark.
