Starting May 27, Allegiant will offer a new nonstop route to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) from Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Ark. One-way fares will be available for as little as $59, the Las Vegas-based discount carrier stated in a press release. The service will operate twice weekly. “We welcome Little Rock to St. Pete-Clearwater and our award-winning beaches and vibrant cities," St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport Director Tom Jewsbury stated in the release. "With Allegiant in its 14th year serving PIE and as the fourth-largest airline in Tampa Bay, we are excited to celebrate continued growth with Arkansas as our 53rd non-stop route."
Gov. Ron DeSantis has tapped St. Petersburg lawyer and businessman James Holton for a seat on the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority’s governing board. Holton, according to a news release, is an attorney at Hall Booth Smith P.C. as well as the owner of JWH Properties Inc., a real estate investment firm. He has served on the board of Enterprise Florida Inc., the Florida Transportation Commission and the Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Board of Governors. Holton’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
It appears that St. Petersburg’s Al Lang Stadium was Plan B for many Kansas City Chiefs fans who made the trip to Florida for the Super Bowl but couldn’t score a ticket for the big game. A group of at least 500 Chiefs fans presumably rented out the waterfront stadium for a socially distanced, outdoor Super Bowl watch party Sunday evening. Dozens of tables, spread six feet apart, were set up on the field where the Tampa Bay Rowdies play. Chiefs fans could also be seen tailgating in the stadium parking lot before the game.
U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez has filed a criminal complaint against Orlando resident Henry Jimenez for allegedly violating national defense airspace in and around downtown Tampa. The complaint claims that Jimenez, 33, operated a drone near the Barrymore Hotel Tampa Riverwalk, which is part of a temporary flight restriction zone established to secure the Super Bowl and related events. Lopez’s complaint also said that Jimenez illegally flew the drone over people and moving vehicles near Julian B. Lane Waterfront Park, the site of many public events in the run-up to the Super Bowl. “This is a perfect example of the serious consequences drone operators face when they choose to ignore the temporary flight restrictions,” FBI Tampa Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson said. “The TFRs are in place for your safety during Super Bowl week. Be aware of the no-drone zones and report any suspicious activity to the FBI or local law enforcement.”
Kelly Wolfe, a 49-year-old resident of Indian Rocks Beach, has pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and filing a false tax return. In addition to the plea deal, Wolfe and her company, Regency Inc., have agreed to pay more than $20.3 million to resolve allegations that she and co-conspirators defrauded Medicare and a veterans’ health care program, robbing the programs of more than $400 million via phony and illegal durable medical equipment claims. Wolfe faces a maximum penalty of 13 years in federal prison.
Pinellas County physician Alina Pollan has pleaded guilty to one count of distributing oxycodone for no legitimate medical purpose and not in the usual course of professional practice, and to one count of tax evasion. Pollan, 56, worked for a company called Pain and Wellness Clinic and was investigated by an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent, who posed as a patient at the clinic and was able to obtain an oxycodone prescription despite numerous “red flags.” Pollan was also accused of filing tax returns in 2017 and 2018 that understated her reportable income. Pollan faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for the illegal drug distribution and five years’ imprisonment for the tax evasion count.
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area is among the places attracting homebuyers from more expensive communities, according to a new report from Redfin.com. In the Tampa metro, 47,000 more people moved into the area than out of it in 2020, attracted by relatively affordable home prices, the report said. But inventory is tight. The number of homes for sale dropped 31.3 percent and new construction permits were down 25.3 percent year-over-year locally, the report said. "The inventory crunch in popular destinations could intensify over the next few years as remote workers continue to relocate and buy homes. If developers, zoning boards and local governments prioritize building homes in the affordable areas people are moving into as opposed to coastal cities, that would help combat the housing shortage," Daryl Fairweather, Redfin's chief economist, said in the report.
Frontier Airlines plans to open a new crew base at Tampa International Airport in May. According to a news release, about 250 flight attendants and 140 pilots will be based at TIA, with more expected to use Tampa as their base in the future. Tampa, the release states, has become an important hub for Frontier, which operates nearly 20 nonstop routes to and from TIA. The airline also plans to establish a new crew base at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport later in the year.
The Florida Department of Health reported another 301 cases of Covid-19 in Pinellas County Thursday and five additional deaths, bringing the cumulative county total since March to 60,623 cases and 1,312 deaths. The two-week percent positivity rate now stands at 7.58 percent. As of Thursday afternoon, Pinellas County's acute-care hospitals had 17.4 percent of adult ICU beds available. More than 80,000 people have been , vaccinated against the virus countywide. To view an interactive ZIP code map of Covid cases in Pinellas County, click here.
Beginning on Sunday, Feb. 7, all PSTA routes will return to their normal operating schedules with all service ending at approximately 10 p.m. Passenger limits to allow for social distancing will remain at 15 plus two passengers with mobility devices per bus. Passengers should check the PSTA website for complete schedule information. To accommodate demand caused by maximum passenger safety limits, routes 19, 34, and 52 will have temporary “Covid Relief” trips added to regular service. To get the bus schedule, click here.
Vistapharm Inc., a New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company that has a manufacturing and distribution facility in Largo, has agreed to pay $325,000 in civil penalties to settle a federal case that alleged it had violated the Controlled Substances Act. The U.S. government claimed that Vistapharm had failed to maintain proper Drug Enforcement Agency forms regarding the purchase and sale of Schedule II controlled substances. The company was also accused of inadequate record keeping in regard to six types of controlled substances at its Largo facility. The case was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and the Tampa District Office of the DEA’s Miami Field Division.
Knight Global Entertainment — the parent company of several downtown St. Petersburg bars and entertainment venues, including Jannus Live, Ringside Cafe, Pelican Pub and MacDinton’s Irish Pub — has filed a lawsuit against the state of Florida, alleging that a mask order issued by St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman is not enforceable by local courts. Knight Global Entertainment, whose president is Largo resident Jeffry Knight, claims it has been cited 16 times by the City of St. Petersburg for violating the order, and that city officials have threatened to revoke the extended-hours permit that allows it to operate its venues after midnight. Such an action, the company claims, would effectively put it out of business.
