Pinellas County recorded another 12 deaths from Covid-19 on Tuesday. The county now has a cumulative total of 570 deaths since the pandemic began in March. Many of the newly identified deaths were of people who died in July, but were not confirmed as Covid-19 cases until Tuesday. Pinellas County added 102 Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, and now has a total of 18,876 confirmed cases. The rate of people testing positive over the past seven days averages 4.6 percent.
A bus driver has tested positive for Covid-19, according to the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, bringing the total number of PSTA employees who have tested positive for the virus to 22. The driver last reported to work to work Wednesday, Aug. 5. The 14 days prior to that time, the operator only drove Route 52 from July 29-30 and August 3-5. PSTA does not believe any passengers came in contact with the driver, who remained socially distant from all passengers. PSTA requires riders to wear protective face coverings while riding, and to use transit for essential travel only
The Westin Tampa Bay has eliminated 75 positions. The hotel, at 7627 W. Courtney Campbell Causeway in Tampa, originally furloughed the 75 workers in March, at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which adversely impacted business operations. "At this time, the company cannot anticipate when it will be able to recall employees, so the layoffs/furloughs will be considered permanent," the hotel said in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Restaurant and banquet servers, as well as cooks, were the largest categories of jobs eliminated.
GloFx, a Tallahassee-based online retailer and wholesaler, has sold to Joseph Turndrup, an entpreneur with a background in ecommerce. Aberdeen Advisors, a St. Petersburg-based mergers and acquisitions firm, assisted GloFx founder Dan Watkins with the sale. The Aberdeen team, led by John Yacalis and Emery Ellinger, identified a buyer who was committed to growth and excellence, Watkins said in a news release. GloFx, founded by Watkins in 2012, sells LED products, children’s toys, fashion accessories, 3D eyewear and more and was shipping its merchandise to more than 100 countries at the time of the sale. "Dan built a remarkable business in an abbreviated timeframe,” said Ellinger, who is CEO of Aberdeen Advisors. “We are extremely proud we were able to successfully guide GloFx to a transaction, in the middle of a global pandemic." Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Aberdeen Advisors specializes in sell-side transactions representing successful companies across all industries, with revenues in the $5 million to greater than $100 million range.
Registration is now open for Running with the Rays, a virtual 5K race, presented by United Concordia Dental. All proceeds benefit the Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization and the official charity of the Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Rowdies. The foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of those in need in the community, focusing primarily on education, youth development, wellness and social responsibility. The Running with the Rays virtual 5K allows fans to run, jog or walk the 3.1 miles at their own pace and at the location of their choice anytime between Sept. 1 and Sept. 30, 2020. Participants have the option to upload their race time to the Running with the Rays 5K Results Platform and share photos on social media using #Rays5K. There's a standard registration, for $30, and includes a commemorative finishers’ medal, race bib and downloadable finishers’ certificate. For $50, premium registration includes all the items in the standard registration plus a voucher for two lower reserved tickets to a 2021 Rays regular season home game, subject to availability. For more information or to register, visit raysbaseball.com/5K.
Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik was among the investors in a new $25.5 million Series B financing for Bridge Connector. The round was led by Axioma Ventures, a venture capital firm co-founded by Howard Jenkins, former CEO of Publix Super Markets. Bridge Connectors, with headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and Nashville, Tennessee, is a technology company that helps healthcare providers, vendors and payers share data more easily. Both Vinik and Axioma have previously invested in Bridge Connector, which has now raised more than $45 million in total funding. Read more in the St. Pete Catalyst's Venture section here.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Eckerd College has announced its online, non-credit classes and activities scheduled for the fall term. Designed for people age 50-plus and open to all adult learners, OLLI's course offerings range from politics to art to chair yoga. An all-access class pass is $130 for members and $175 for non-members and must be purchased by Tuesday, Sept. 15. Registration opens Monday, Aug. 24 at 9 a.m. For more information, visit the OLLI website by clicking here.
Pinellas County has now recorded a total of 558 deaths from Covid-19. The death toll climbed by 10 on Monday, when the Florida Department of Health said several people who passed away in July were Covid-19 victims. The mounting death toll came even as the number of new cases generally is declining. There were 44 new cases reported Monday, for a cumulative total of 18,774 in Pinellas County. The percent of people who tested positive dropped to 3.1 percent for test results released on Sunday, and the seven-day rolling positivity average is 4.7 percent.
Immertec, a Tampa medical technology firm, has wrapped up a $12 million funding round that began a year ago. The company, with proprietary, real-time virtual reality software for medical device training and sales, disclosed the investment in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday under its formal name, Immersive Tech Inc. Immertec raised $6 million last year, Erik Maltais, co-founder and CEO, told the St. Pete Catalyst in October. The follow-on $6 million investment, an extension of that Series A round, was reported initially by Crunchbase. The new funding allows Immertec to expand into more locations and add staff, including a chief operating officer and other director-level team members across the operations team. The team has grown to 23, and Maltais expects to be at nearly 50 by the end of the year, Crunchbase said.
A group of Tampa Bay singers, songwriters and musicians have created a non-partisan music video encouraging young people to vote in the upcoming presidential election. "Voice Your Vote," which includes singing, dancing and a brief rap section, is also viewable in an American Sign Language version. Watch the video here.
Jennifer Ackart is retiring as chief accounting officer at Raymond James Financial, effective Sept. 30. Ackart has served with Raymond James (NYSE: RJF) for more than 25 years, the company said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Raymond James, a financial services company headquartered in St. Petersburg, has not yet announced a successor to Ackart.
St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport will conduct an emergency preparedness drill next week, simulating the response to a commercial passenger aircraft experiencing an engine failure and crashing into the runway. Several agencies will be involved in the Federal Aviation Authority-mandated exercise include airport rescue and firefighting, airport operations, the FBI, Allegiant Airlines, 911, FAA air traffic control, emergency services (municipal fire/EMS), law enforcement, Transportation Security Administration, medical director’s office, Office of Emergency Management, and the Red Cross. The drill will take place between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, Due to Covid-19, the drill will limit participants on-site, the airport said.
