Clearwater High School, Carwise Middle School and the Pinellas Academy of Math and Science Charter each reported one student testing positive for Covid-19 Tuesday. At Clearwater High School, no quarantine orders were issued by the Department of Health as the student had not been on campus. At Carwise, seven classrooms received quarantine orders, while Pinellas Academy of Math and Science issued quarantine orders for four classrooms. As of Wednesday, eight students and three staff members have tested positive for Covid-19 at Pinellas County Schools.
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity will submit the state's application to participate in the Lost Wages Assistance Program. This program provides additional temporary benefits for individuals who are eligible for reemployment assistance for weeks of unemployment ending on or after Aug. 1, 2020. Pending federal approval, the program will allow Florida to offer an additional $300 per week to eligible reemployment assistance claimants. To be eligible for this benefit, claimants must be currently receiving at least $100 in an approved reemployment assistance program weekly benefit amount and must certify that they are unemployed or partially unemployed due to the disruptions caused by Covid-19. If approved, payments will be retroactive to August 1, 2020. No additional application is required.
(ISC)² has named Clar Rosso as CEO, effective Oct. 1. Rosso succeeds outgoing CEO David Shearer at (ISC)², based in Clearwater and the world’s largest nonprofit membership association of certified cybersecurity professionals. Shearer will remain with (ISC)² in an advisory role through the end of the year to help with the transition and ensure the organization’s 2020 goals are accomplished, a news release said. Shearer will lead strategy and budget planning for 2021 after she joins. Rosso joins (ISC)² from the AICPA & CIMA, where she is executive vice president of engagement and learning innovation. Learn more about Rosso here.
St. Petersburg College has received a $1 million grant for the Tampa Bay Bridge to the Baccalaureate Alliance program to help increase diversity and support the advancement of Black, Hispanic and underrepresented communities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees. The grant, awarded by the National Science Foundation, will allow SPC to fund activities focused on student recruitment and retention through advising, mentorship and peer connections. The funding will also be used for undergraduate research experiences, career exploration and professional development, activities which will be supported by a network of regional partners, including four-year institutions, research centers and STEM enterprises to help minority students graduate with STEM degrees and successfully step into the workforce.
Blue Star Families, a nonprofit organization that supports military families, has opened a chapter in Tampa. The chapter will work to support more than 100,000 locally-based military members and their families and Florida’s 1.5 million veterans by creating and utilizing virtual resources to connect them with their civilian neighbors, a news release said. The Tampa chapter is an extension of CSX Pride in Service, a commitment by Jacksonville-based transportation company CSX to honor and serve veterans, military, and first responders. Courtney Bilyeu is chapter director. To learn more about how to support or join Blue Star Families, click here.
St. Pete has been named the eighth most dog-friendly city in the U.S., according to a study by financial technology company SmartAsset. To conduct the study, SmartAsset analyzed data from the 100 largest cities across the country on metrics including how many dog parks, dog-friendly businesses and veterinary offices exist in each area. St. Pete, which finished two spots behind Tampa, earned high marks for its high concentration of pet stores and vet clinics, and it has the 15th-highest ratio of dog parks to residents, at 2.3 per 100,000 residents. The top city on the list was Tucson, Ariz.
Bridgette Heller has joined the board of directors of Newman's Own Inc., the food and beverage company that was created by the late actor Paul Newman. Heller is the co-founder and CEO of the Shirley Proctor Puller Foundation, a nonprofit focused on closing the achievement gap for underserved students in South St. Petersburg. She previously served as president of Nutricia, the specialized nutrition division of Danone and has led major businesses and business units at Merck Consumer Care, Johnson & Johnson, Chung's Gourmet Foods and Kraft Foods. Newman's Own Foundation continues Newman's commitment to use 100 percent of the royalties and profits that it receives from the sale of its food products for charitable purposes.
A Leon County judge has granted a motion for a temporary injunction against Commissioner Richard Corcoran’s executive order forcing all brick-and-mortar schools in Florida to reopen for in-person learning, ruling in favor of a legal challenge brought forward by the Florida Education Association in light of safety concerns related to Covid-19. In his ruling, Judge Charles Dodson wrote the order is "unconstitutional to the extent it arbitrarily disregards safety, denies local school boards decision making with respect to reopening brick-and-mortar schools and conditions funding on an approved reopening plan with a start date in August." The state is expected to appeal the ruling.
The St. Pete Catalyst is dedicated to helping residents get involved in the community through our Impact Connector. Want to donate supplies for kids returning to school? The Kind Mouse will drop a collection bin off at your house September 8 and pick it up on September 22. Interested in giving back? The Arts Conservatory for Teens is seeking volunteers in a variety of capacities. Are you an attorney or a law student? Gulfcoast Legal Services is looking for pro-bono volunteers to provide legal aid for vulnerable individuals across the Greater Tampa Bay area. If your organization is looking for volunteers, click here to submit your opportunity and we'll share it on our platform.
St. Petersburg College and the University of Central Florida have partnered to offer a program that will allow students who are interested in staying in Pinellas County the opportunity to earn an Associate in Arts degree from SPC and then transfer to complete a bachelor's degree from UCF Online. The program is not a guaranteed admissions articulation; students will still need to meet the transfer admission requirements for UCF. For more information on the program, click here.
Madison Dearborn Partners, a private equity firm in Chicago, has completed its previously disclosed acquisition of Benefytt Technologies, a Tampa-based health insurance technology company and distributor of Medicare-related health insurance plans. Funds associated with Madison Dearborn paid $31 a share for nearly 13.6 million shares of Benefytt's common stock in a tender offer that expired Thursday night. Benefytt will maintain its brand name and build upon its tech-first mission to help consumers connect with Medicare and other health and life insurance products, a news release said. Gavin Southwell will continue as CEO and the company will remain headquartered in Tampa.
The Legal Services Corporation awarded Bay Area Legal Services a $286,426 Pro Bono Innovation Fund grant. LSC’s Pro Bono Innovation Fund is intended to encourage and expand pro bono efforts and partnerships to serve more low-income clients, according to a news release from LSC, an independent nonprofit established by Congress to support civil legal aid for low-income Americans. Bay Area Legal Services will use the grant to support its Tampa Bay Disaster Relief Pro Bono Initiative. The project will increase access to pro bono disaster relief legal aid for 200 low-income disaster survivors residing in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco Counties. It will work to engage 65 pro bono volunteers in disaster relief legal assistance by employing disaster-related legal training and improved technologies. The project’s goal is to deliver high-quality client legal services in the event of a disaster. Bay Area Legal Services is a nonprofit law firm providing free legal help to eligible low-income residents in the Tampa Bay area.
