According to unofficial results from the Pinellas Supervisor of Election's office, Ken Welch and Robert Blackmon will now face off in the Nov.3 general election to become the next Mayor of St. Petersburg. Tuesday night's primary results whittled the number of candidates from eight to two, as no one in the crowded field secured more than 50% of the votes. Ken Welch received the highest number of votes with about 39%, Robert Blackmon came in second with close to 29%, and Darden Rice missed the runoff with under 17% of the vote. Three city council seats are also up for grabs, with the top two vote-getters from each district moving on to the general election for a city-wide vote. Copley Gerdes and Bobbie Shay Lee will advance from District 1, Lissete Hanewicz and Tom Mullins from District 4, and Richie Floyd and Jeff Danner will vie to represent District 8.
A precautionary boil water is still in effect for Redington Shores and portions of Seminole and Indian Shores after a water main break occurred Monday night. Pinellas County Utilities recommends boiling tap water for at least three minutes to kill potential impurities until the required bacteriological testing is completed. The water main break that caused the temporary service interruption has been isolated, and pressure is back to normal. Liz Lebron, Utilities Communication Manager, told the Catalyst that no wastewater was released, and the boil water notice was strictly precautionary. The notice was issued Monday night and is expected to last 48 hours, pending satisfactory water quality tests. Please visit the county website here or call 727-464-4000 for more information.
The 2021 St. Petersburg primary began today, with the city’s 189,359 voters moving one step closer to electing a new mayor after eight years of the Rick Kriseman administration. Voting began at 7 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m. According to the Supervisor of Election’s website, 40,471 votes have been cast as of 10:30 a.m., or 21.37% of registered voters. Nine candidates are vying to be the next mayor, with recent polls showing Ken Welch and Robert Blackmon in the lead. The two candidates who receive the most votes will be placed on the general election ballot for Nov.2. If a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote they are automatically elected and will not be required to go through the general election. In addition to the mayoral race, the city will also vote on three city council seats. Visit votepinellas.com for your precinct information and to view a sample ballot.
The southbound ramp from U.S. 19 to Bryan Dairy Road and 118th Ave. N. will close to accommodate the Gateway Expressway project. To access those roads after the closure, exit at 110th Ave. N. and make a u-turn.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has announced several new offerings at the local theme park. Busch Gardens, a SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment-owned park, announced it will open Iron Gwazi in March 2022. The Rocky Mountain Construction Group rebuilt the old wooden Gwazi coaster by combining wood and steel, dubbing it Iron Gwazi. Once opened, it will be North America’s tallest hybrid coaster. It will reach a top speed of 76 miles per hour and have a 91-degree drop. Meanwhile, Busch Gardens also announced that a Chick-fil-A restaurant will open this fall in the Jungala section of the park in the spot that formally housed the Bengal Bistro. It will be the first on-site theme park location for the Chick-fil-A chain.
The two companies, who will continue under the Syncron name, offer complementary solutions to manufacturers for post-sales service. Mize founder Ashok Kartham shared the strategy behind the union: “With a unique ability to have one common real-time view on service parts, field service workforce, service histories, parts data, and pricing, we can provide a new level of value creation for our customers unmatched in the industry." Kartham will become the Chief Product Officer for Syncron.
AdventHealth has named David Ottati will be the next president and CEO of its West Florida Division. The division encompasses locations throughout the Tampa Bay, Sebring and Ocala regions. Ottati will transition into the role over the next several months, replacing Mike Schultz, who recently announced he will retire at the end of this year. Schultz has served the health care system for over 30 years. Ottati currently serves as President and CEO for the Central Florida division.
Gwendolyn Reece and Jon Wilson have been awarded a Key to the City during the city council meeting on Thursday. Wilson is a lifelong journalist and was a former editorial writer and editor at the St. Petersburg Times. Reese is President of the African American Heritage Association of St. Petersburg. She’s part of the Black Health Equity Alliance, an organization dedicated to addressing inequities related to birth outcomes and maternal and child health through policy and legislation. Additionally, Reece has been instrumental in creating a virtual tour of the African American Heritage Trail and adding QR codes to its historical markers. Wilson is also playing a major part in the virtual experience of the trial.
Houston-based Avelo Airlines, which serves the West Coast, will begin service to and from Tampa International Airport in November. The airline will have a direct nonstop flight from Tampa to New Haven, Connecticut, the airline announced Thursday. The flights will be offered three times weekly. This will be the only carrier with a direct nonstop flight from Tampa to New Haven, according to the airport. The introductory fares start at $59.
Allegiant (NASDAQ: ALGT) will have a new nonstop route to Key West from St. Petersburg beginning Nov. 19. The new nonstop route from St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport to Key West International Airport will operate twice weekly, the airline announced Wednesday. The Las Vegas-based airline is offering introductory one-way fares starting at $39.
On Wednesday, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority board unanimously approved a contract to raise wages for bus operators to $16 per hour. It was previously $15 per hour. The increase is effective Oct.1 and will impact 490 employees who serve as bus operators, are in the maintenance crew and in customer service. The workers can expect another increase to $16.50 per hour after the first six months. After four-and-a-half years, the pay per hour will have increased to $27.55.
Tampa cybersecurity compliance company A-LIGN has recently landed a nine-figure investment from the New York-based private equity firm Warburg Pincus LLC. The investment, which the exact figure was not disclosed, will help extend the company's software capabilities to help organizations simplify their audits through automation and consolidation, and expand its portfolio of cybersecurity assets. Over the last few years, A-LIGN has worked with the FTV Capital firm.
