GuideWell has chosen four West Florida organizations to receive seed money to implement their innovative ideas to address barriers to health access and health literacy. Starting Right, Now, Tampa Family Health Centers, Tampa Bay Healthcare Collaborative and Preeclampsia Foundation were selected from a group of 10 regional innovators across West Florida to receive $5,000 in funding. They will advance to GuideWell’s Reshaping Health Access challenge finals where they’ll have the opportunity to compete for a $40,000 state grand prize. Funds will be used to address health and racial inequities that exist in their respective local communities. GuideWell is a not-for-profit mutual holding company and the parent to a family of forward-thinking companies focused on transforming health care.
Rita Lowman, president of Pilot Bank, was named to the board of directors of the American Bankers Association. It is is the first time in over a decade that Florida has had a Florida banker serve in a leadership role with the ABA, which represents banks of all sizes around the United States. Lowman will serve as the 2021 vice chair of the ABA Government Relations Council and chair that council in 2022. Lowman is a 40-year veteran of the banking industry. She chaired the Florida Bankers Association in 2017-2018. In addition to serving as president of Pilot Bank, a community bank in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, she is chair of the Outback Bowl, the Southeastern Cabinet of the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association Go Red Campaign.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio named Beckwith Electric Co, of Largo as the U.S. Senate Small Business of the Week. Beckwith creates products for power systems worldwide, designing and manufacturing all the products at their Largo facility. The company's cutting-edge technology makes them an important part of the country's critical infrastructure industrial base, Rubio said. The family-owned company was founded in 1967 by inventor Robert Beckwith. "Like many Floridian small businesses, Beckwith Electric was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. They applied for and they received a Paycheck Protection Program Loan. As a result, they were able to keep all of their employees paid," Rubio said. Rubio, a Florida Republican, chairs the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, which has a tradition of honoring America's small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Paul DiFrancesco is no longer the chief operating officer at United Insurance Holdings Corp. His employment with the St. Petersburg-based property and casualty insurance company terminated effective Sept. 18, United Insurance (Nasdaq: UIHC) said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Effective Sept. 21, Chris Dittman was appointed chief underwriting officer and assumed underwriting responsibilities for DiFrancesco, the filing said. Dittman will continue to serve as the company’s chief risk officer. DiFrancesco is the second c-level executive to leave this month. Deepak Menon, chief revenue officer, resigned effective Sept. 30. United Insurance, which does business as UPC Insurance, is among the largest companies headquartered in St. Petersburg. The company's leadership changed earlier this year, when insurance industry veteran Daniel Peed took over as chairman and CEO.
Temporary furloughs have turned into permanent layoffs for 948 workers at Busch Gardens Tampa. Busch Gardens Tampa President Stewart Clark cited the "significant and sustained impact" of the Covid-19 pandemic for the job action, in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice sent to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Parent company SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment closed all its parks on March 16 and temporarily furloughed the vast majority of its workforce on April 1. Florida parks reopened with a reduced operating schedule and guest capacity in June, but attendance has been impacted by self-imposed limitations, consumer concerns regarding Covid and other factors, Clark said. "It is difficult to predict when business will return to pre-Covid-19 levels," Clark said. The affected employees were notified Sept. 4, the same day Clark sent the WARN to the state, but it was not made public until Thursday afternoon.
Nancy Tower, president and CEO of Tampa Electric, plans to retire in mid 2021. Tower has been head of Tampa Electric since 2017, a year after the utility company was acquired by Emera (TSX: EMA), a Canadian-based energy firm. She will continue to lead Tampa Electric until her retirement. The company will begin a search for her replacement this fall, a news release said. “Tampa Electric is a growing and dynamic utility that we believe will attract the highest caliber candidates both internally and externally. The successful candidate will work with the strong leadership team to continue to advance Tampa Electric’s strategy, as the utility works to deliver cleaner, affordable and reliable energy to its customers," Scott Balfour, president and CEO of Emera, said in the release.
The League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area will hold its next Thursday Nights With The League virtual forum tonight (Thursday, Sept. 24) at 7 p.m. and will feature a statement from Dan Helm, who is running against incumbent Julie Marcus for Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections. Marcus is not participating. There will also be a live question-and-answer session where viewers can submit queries on the topic of voting.. This forum will be moderated by K.W. "Ken" Wrede. To watch live, visit the League of Women Voters Facebook page or YouTube channel.
U.S. Representative Charlie Crist has announced a $349,895 grant to Goodwill Industries to improve and expand local services available to victims of human trafficking. The grant, administered by the Department of Justice, will specifically fund staffing and training to create programs that will support services to human trafficking survivors and help them heal and move forward. Goodwill provides a wide variety of community-based programs for marginalized or disadvantaged individuals and is funded under the Services for Victims of Human Trafficking solicitation.
Moody's Investors Services has downgraded its rating on debt held by Tampa General Hospital. The credit agency downgraded the rating from A3 to Baa1 with a stable outlook. Both are investment-grade ratings although the Baa1 rating has "moderate risk," according to Moody's. Moody's also assigned a Baa1 rating to Tampa General's proposed new debt, three bond issues totaling $569 million. The new debt will be used fund large capital projects that will drive increases in inpatient, outpatient and surgical volumes, boosting revenue and strengthening profitability, Moody's said in a Sept. 16 report. But the construction work won't be completed until 2025 and there are uncertainties related to Covid-19, the report said. In a separate report, Fitch Ratings said most of the new projects are accretive to Tampa General's operating performance and that "ample and stable cash flow will allow TGH to steadily rebuild its balance sheet to offset the additional debt." Fitch also cited Tampa General's strong and growing market position and an enhanced collaboration with the University of South Florida School of Medicine. Fitch assigned an A rating to the new debt, affirmed the A rating on existing debt and upgraded Tampa General's outlook to positive from stable.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, Amalie Arena and Vinik Sports Group have launched the 'Be the Thunder. Be the Vote." platform, a program focused on civic engagement and education while providing important, non-partisan resources for voters. The program, available here, has information and key dates leading up to the Nov. 3 election. This page will be continually updated with important links and other materials. Vinik Sports Group will close its corporate offices on Nov. 3 so employees may vote and/or work at polling locations. Amalie Arena will be an early-voting location as well as a mail-in ballot drop-off location from Oct. 19 through Nov. 1. The facility will be open every day from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Tampa General Hospital and Royal Philips have agreed to a seven-year strategic partnership that will upgrade technology throughout the hospital. Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, will provide the hospital with millions of dollars’ worth of new solutions such as new software packages, healthcare informatics, unique workflow solutions and high-level consulting, a news release said. Tampa General will replace all bedside patient and vital sign monitors throughout the 1,006-bed hospital and upgrade key imaging equipment in the catheterization laboratories and interventional radiology rooms. Philips also plans to deliver a standardized platform, providing doctors and clinicians with a better overall view of the patient to help make the best decisions when it comes to diagnosis and providing world-class care, the news release said. Financial terms were not disclosed. Tampa General is the largest hospital in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area.
Pinellas County Schools is holding a virtual information session for people with bachelor's degrees or higher who are interested in becoming teachers through the district's Transition to Teaching program, which helps with the certification process. The session will be held September 30 from 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. Register by September 25 by clicking here.
