Danielle Collins, St. Petersburg’s homegrown tennis star, easily won her second-round match at the French Open in Paris on Wednesday, defeating Ukraine’s Anhelina Kilinina 6-0, 6-2. Her third-round opponent could be the legendary Serena Williams, the No. 7 seed at Roland Garros, who faces Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu in a second-round match later on Wednesday.
St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman says he will not run for the open U.S. House seat in Pinellas County. "I am truly appreciative of the encouragement I’ve received to run, and given the appeal of such an opportunity, I strongly considered it," Kriseman said in a public message regarding running as a candidate to fill Charlie Crist's seat. Crist's seat became available as he plans to run for state governor in 2022. "I do not yet know what the future holds, except that I was reelected to serve a four year term, and I have seven full months left as mayor to get us closer to our vision of being a 'city of opportunity where the sun shines on all,'" Kriseman said. "We’ve come a long way, St. Pete. Let’s go even further and finish strong."
Spirit Airlines (NYSE: SAVE) is launching two new nonstops from the Tampa International Airport this November. The Florida-based airline will add daily flights from St. Louis to Tampa starting Nov. 17. It's also adding three-times weekly flights from Louisville, Kentucky to Tampa starting Nov. 18.
The second part of the collaborative art exhibit Skyway 20/21, featuring 18 area artists, opens Thursday at the Tampa Museum of Art, and will be on view through Oct. 10. The first part is now on exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art St. Petersburg (through Aug 22); the other participants are Sarasota’s Ringling Museum of Art (June 20-Sept. 26) and USF Contemporary Art Museum (June 14-Sept. 1). More information.
Patrick Kennedy, founder of the national mental health nonprofit, The Kennedy Forum, has joined Ascellus as a strategic advisor. Ascellus, which recently changed its name from IMCS Group, is a St. Petersburg-based behavioral health provider focused on helping injured workers restore their physical and emotional wellbeing. Kennedy is a former U.S. congressman who served 16 years in the House of Representatives, where he co-authored a federal parity law that requires insurers to cover treatment for mental health and substance use disorders no more restrictively than for illnesses of the body.
Pro tennis player Danielle Collins, a St. Petersburg native, has advanced to the second round of the French Open in Paris, defeating China’s Wang Xiyu 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 on Sunday, the first day of the red-clay Grand Slam. It was the first win since March for Collins, who recently underwent surgery to treat endometriosis, a condition that affects women’s ovaries and fallopian tubes and can cause severe pain and even infertility. The 50th-ranked Collins’ next opponent is Anhelina Kilinina of Ukraine, currently ranked No. 123 in the world.
Ali Holding, an Italian company with North American operations in Chicago, has offered $23 a share in cash to buy Welbilt, a commercial food equipment manufacturer in New Port Richey. Ali Holding is the second bidder for Welbilt. In April, Middleby Corp., an Elgin, Illinois food service equipment company, proposed an all-stock deal in which Welbilt shareholders would receive 0.1240 shares of Middleby common stock for each share of Welbilt common stock they own. Ali Holding said in a news release that its proposal represents a premium of about 13.9 percent to the implied value of the Middleby transaction as of May 24. The company said it has substantial cash on hand and has received a "highly confident letter" from Goldman Sachs International for new financing to fund the proposed transaction. Welbilt (NYSE: WBT) is one of the larger publicly traded companies headquartered in the area, with $1.15 billion in net sales in 2020.
The St Pete Catalyst will be closed Memorial Day to remember, mourn and celebrate those that made the greatest sacrifice for our country so that we need only make the smallest for it. Thank you to our Catalyst community for putting ideas over ego in reading, commenting and adding your voices.
WMNF-FM announced Friday that Seán Kinane has been hired as Director of News and Public Affairs, replacing Rob Lorei, who was let go by the community radio station in April after 43 years. Kinane has been the station’s Assistant Director of News and Public Affairs since 2009, and before that was WMNF’s senior reporter.
St. Petersburg development officials have updated a draft community benefits agreement, after getting feedback from City Council members and community leaders. The CBA applies to certain public-private partnership projects and generally requires additional investment by a developer in the community. Development officials outlined about a dozen updates to the City Council's Health, Energy, Resiliency & Sustainability Committee Thursday including an exemption for historic preservation projects and clarification that the Tropicana Field site redevelopment cannot receive exemptions. There's also a financial hardship waiver for projects in some low-income areas and revised langaug regarding an advisory council. The committee voted 3-to-1 to send the draft to the full City Council for consideration. Council Vice Chair Gina Driscoll and Council members Brandi Gabbard and Darden Rice voted to advance the plan, while Council Chairman Ed Montanari voted no.
Growve, a St. Petersburg company in the e-commerce marketplace, announced a $175 million credit facility from a syndicate of 10 banks. Growve is a "brand consolidator" that specializes in buying and operating brands in the supplement, body care, food, household and pet categories. The company has a portfolio of more than 20 brands. The credit facility will sustain Growve's long-term growth capital structure , Brian Baer, CEO, said in a news release. The banks that make up the syndicate are: Truist, Compeer Financial, Wells Fargo, First Horizon, JPMorgan Chase, Synovus, South State, Atlantic Capital, HSBC, and Seaside. The bank syndication comes a few days Palm Beach Capital invested an undisclosed amount in Growve. Palm Beach Capital is a private equity firm with offices in West Palm Beach and Sarasota.
St. Petersburg police detectives are investigating what the department is calling a hate crime at the Florida Holocaust Museum in downtown St. Petersburg. Officers on patrol at about 4 a.m. Thursday spotted graffiti along the 1st Avenue South side of the museum. The message, sprayed painted in black, included a swastika and "Jews are guilty," according to a news release from the police department. City sanitation workers were called to paint over the graffiti, the news release said. Anyone who may have information is asked to contact the St. Petersburg Police Department at 727-893-7780 or text SPPD+ your tip to TIP411. The Florida Holocaust Museum, at 55 5th St. S., is planning structural upgrades intended to make the museum a safer place to visit, as Anti-Semitic incidents remained at a historically high level across the United States in 2020.
