Vasundara Srenivas, who spent 10 years in executive-level positions at aviation giant Boeing, has been named chief financial officer at Digital Media Solutions, a Clearwater-based provider of technology-enabled digital performance advertising solutions for the insurance industry and other sectors. Srenivas, according to a press release, will oversee the firm’s global finance and accounting teams when she begins work on March 13. She will report to DMS CEO Joe Marinucci, who stated, in the release, that her “experience managing financial portfolios for one of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S. will level up the finance team at DMS.”
After St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman blasted the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday during his final State of the City address, saying that it was time for the team to “pick a partner and get married,” the city has put out a call for help in its stadium negotiations with the Rays. The 42-page request for proposals seeks experts who can “provide substantial evidence of successfully negotiating with a Major League Baseball, or other professional sports [franchise], on behalf of a municipal government.” Stadium financing expertise is the primary criterion for proposals to meet, along with knowledge of the “financial structure of an MLB franchise and their capabilities and limitations.” Proposals are due March 3.
Oak Hill Capital, a New York-based middle-market private equity firm, announced an investment and partnership with American Veterinary Group. AVG, headquartered in Tampa, partners with over 150 veterinarians across nearly 50 veterinary practices and veterinary urgent care clinics throughout the south and southeast United States. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. AVG's CEO Craig Niebur, Chief Operating Officer Dr. Christopher Smith, and Chief Development Officer Jim Herring will continue to lead the company and retain an ownership stake, as will other members of management and veterinarian professionals at AVG, a news release said. AVG is currently a portfolio company of Latticework Capital Management and Trive Capital, both private equity firms in Dallas.
Hard Rock Hotels, in partnership with Hakeem Investments, has begun development of REVERB Tampa East, a new business casual hotel that will be adjacent to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino property in Tampa. The REVERB by Hard Rock brand, according to a news release, features modern, urban design elements, “smart room” technology and enhanced common spaces to foster collaboration. "REVERB Tampa East is a perfect new location for the REVERB by Hard Rock brand, with several announcements in other major U.S. cities set to be made within the year,” stated Todd Hricko, senior vice president of hotel development at Hard Rock International, in the release.
The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance has launched a new, streamlined website - easier to navigate and containing a bounty of resources for individual artists, arts organizations, aficionados and potential supporters/sponsors. Features include an FAQ page, a sizeable directory of artists and resources and an indexed Arts Resource Center.
The Gasparilla Knight Parade, scheduled for May 1, has been canceled, according to Ybor City's Krewe of Sant’ Yago. The "official" Ye Mystic Krewe Gasparilla events, the pirate invasion and day parade, were officially canceled last week.
A civil lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida accuses the operators of a Tampa medical clinic and pharmacy of prescribing and dispensing opioids in violation of the federal Controlled Substances Act. Dr. Tobias Bacaner, Theodore Ferguson II and Timothy Ferguson are named as defendants in the suit, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay Griffin and trial attorney Scott Dahlquist of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch. The government alleges that the three men ignored obvious signs of abuse or diversion when issuing and filling opioid prescriptions via Paragon Community Healthcare Inc. and Cobalt Pharmacy Inc. The suit also alleges that drug toxicity played a role in the deaths of several people who received controlled substances from the defendants.
A partnership between the state and federal governments will bring four Covid-19 vaccine sites to Florida, including one in Tampa. The vaccine site will be at the Tampa Greyhound track, 755 E. Waters Ave., according to a news release from Gov. Ron DeSantis. Other federally-supported sites are in Miami, Orlando and Jacksonville. The sites will open on March 3 and will operate seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Each site will administer 2,000 vaccines per day. Additionally, each site will have two smaller, mobile satellite sites that will conduct 500 vaccinations per day in underserved areas, the news release said. The state will use the current preregistration system and work with local community organizations to proactively schedule appointments. To preregister with the statewide system, individuals can either call the designated phone number for their county or visit myvaccine.fl.gov. Partners in the initiative are the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Defense, the Florida Department of Health, Florida Division of Emergency Management and Florida National Guard.
Tampa General Hospital reported double-digit gains in operating revenue and income in the first quarter of the hospital’s fiscal year. Tampa General had $427.5 million in operating revenue for the three months ended Dec. 31, up 15.4 percent from the same quarter a year ago, according to a public filing for bondholders by its parent company, Florida Health Sciences Center. Tampa General’s operating gain was $30.1 million for Q1 FY 2021, up 216 percent from the year-ago quarter. The hospital’s margin for the most recent quarter was 8.5 percent, compared to 4.6 percent a year ago. Tampa General is a 1,006-bed nonprofit academic medical center and the largest hospital in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area.
Charlotte Baker, the co-founder and CEO of Digital Hands, a Tampa cybersecurity firm, has been named chairwoman of the board at Tampa Bay Wave, a business incubator for tech startups. Baker, a 20-year veteran of the cybersecurity industry, has won numerous awards and accolades from CEO Magazine, Tampa Bay Business Journal, eWomenNetwork, Women Impacting Public Policy and Florida Trend. Baker is also a member of the University of Tampa board of trustees.
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Michael Magli was killed in the line of duty on Wednesday when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Robert Holzaepfel. A seven-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, Magli and other members of the Patrol Operations Bureau were pursuing Holzaepfel, 33, in an unincorporated part of Tarpon Springs. Magli exited his patrol car to deploy stop sticks when Holzaepfel, who was traveling southbound on East Lake Road between Forelock Road and Keystone Road, lost control of his truck, entered the median and collided with Magli. Holzaepfel, whose address is listed as “transient,” was taken into custody and has been charged with first degree felony murder, DUI manslaughter, driving with a suspended license, leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage and aggravated fleeing and eluding. He also faces probation violation charges in Manatee County.
