The Tampa Bay Buccaneers boosted their playoff odds Sunday with a 29-25 road win over the Atlanta Falcons. Tampa Bay’s 6-7 record moves the Bucs into a three-way tie for first place in the dismal NFC South with four games remaining in the season. Tampa Bay holds a tiebreaker over the Falcons and New Orleans Saints with a better winning percentage against common opponents.
Michael Penix Jr., a Tampa Bay native, is among three finalists for college football’s highest individual honor - the Heisman Trophy. The University of Washington quarterback attended high school at Tampa Bay Tech and led the nation in passing yards this year while propelling the second-ranked Huskies to an undefeated season. Penix is the region’s first Heisman finalist and could hear his name called as the 2023 winner at 8 p.m. Saturday.
The Florida Department of Transportation received a $500,000 federal grant to study the rail corridor from Orlando to Tampa. Officials with Miami-based Brightline hope to extend their higher-speed rail route from Orlando International Airport to Tampa Bay. Hillsborough County legislators have requested $50 million in state funding to begin laying tracks for Brightline.
The St. Petersburg City Council approved a $1.25 million contract with David Abrams and Inner Circle Sports to provide additional Tropicana Field redevelopment consultation services at its Dec. 7 meeting. Council members postponed a Nov. 30 vote due to the inclusion of a new entity and lack of financial information. Multiple council members expressed gratitude for recent one-on-one meetings with Abrams and cautious comfortability with a new limited liability corporation (LLC) that will act on the Tampa Bay Rays’ behalf.
Applications are now open for St. Petersburg’s Tree Mini-Grant program, which provides $10,000 to neighborhood and business associations for projects that foster relationships and improve the surrounding community. The goal is to increase and diversify the city’s tree canopy in optimal public locations. For more information, visit the website here.
St. Petersburg residents can soon learn about and offer input on the community benefits provided by the upcoming $6.5 billion Historic Gas Plant Redevelopment. The Tampa Bay Rays/Hines development group has pledged $50 million to bolster the surrounding community. The Coliseum at 535 4th Ave. N. will host the first information session Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m.
Congregation B'nai Israel's annual Chase the Dreidel 5K and fun run takes place Sunday (Dec. 10) at 4 p.m.; the starting line is at the intersection of 4th Ave N and 59th St. Participants also receive a pancake latke supper (complete with doughnuts) and the opportunity to help light the biggest menorah in Pinellas County for the fourth night of Chanukah. Find all info at this link.
Tampa-based coffee roaster, bar and restaurant King State announced it will celebrate its first St. Petersburg location with a grand opening party Friday from 4 p.m. until 11 p.m. King State joins the COhatch coworking space at 15 8th St. N. Its first full day of service begins Dec. 12 at 8 a.m., with dinner reservations starting at 5 p.m.
University of South Florida President Rhea Law will receive $300,000 in annual performance bonuses, the maximum amount allowable. Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford said Law, who earns $600,000 annually, “is actually underpaid” at a recent meeting. Weatherford noted USF’s “banner year,” which included an invitation to join the prestigious Association of American Universities and long-awaited state funding for an Environment and Oceanographic Science Research and Teaching Facility on the St. Petersburg campus.
According to personal finance platform WalletHub, Tampa is a more enjoyable place to live than St. Petersburg. Tampa ranked 17th in its recently released “Most Fun Cities in America” list, while St. Pete placed 38th - just below Jacksonville and one spot higher than Birmingham. While Tampa scored higher in the entertainment & recreation and nightlife & parties metrics, St. Pete has a seven-spot edge in costs.
According to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, Raymond James CEO Paul Reilly recently sold 50,000 shares in the St. Petersburg-based company. While that only amounts to about 15% of his holdings, the sale netted Reilly over $5 million. Raymond James reported record annual net revenues and shareholder earnings of $11.62 billion and $1.73 billion, respectively, this fiscal year.
St. Petersburg-based Duke Energy Florida announced Tuesday that the Florida Public Service Commission unanimously approved the company’s request to lower rates in January. An average resident using 1,000 kWh will see a monthly decrease of $11.29. Duke officials credited lower-than-expected storm recovery, fuel and capacity costs for the reduction.
