HBF Tampa Partners JV LLC, a dining concessionaire operator at Tampa International Airport, said the 107 workers it laid off earlier this year will remain off the job for a while longer. Traffic and overall business at the airport slowed to a fraction of typical passenger traffic in the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic, and the company put many of its associates on temporary layoff status between March 20 and May 12, it said in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification sent to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. "Due to the fluidity of the situation surrounding Covid-19 and the reopening of the economy, we are not able to predict exactly when those associates will be able to return to work," the WARN said.
Breweries have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, and local T-shirt company 1771 Designs wants to help. For $25, people can buy shirts supporting The St. Pete Brewing Company and they'll receive a $15 gift card to use at the brewery. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to supporting the brewery and its employees. 1771 Designs plans to roll out similar promotions for other breweries in the future. For more information, click here.
It will be easier to get from Tampa International Airport to Los Angeles and San Francisco beginning this fall. Alaska Airways will offer daily nonstop flights between Tampa and Los Angeles and twice-weekly service to San Francisco beginning Nov. 20. Initially, the flights from Tampa to San Francisco will be on Saturdays and Sundays, with flights from San Francisco to Tampa on Fridays and Saturdays. The Alaska service to both San Francisco and Los Angeles will use a Boeing 737 aircraft. The new flights will augment current service to Los Angeles aboard Delta Air Lines and service to San Francisco aboard United Airlines, which are both currently scheduled to resume in September.
The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance has published a survey, inquiring about "innovative opportunities for engagement, education, and equitable arts economic development that may be implemented now, and help sustain your creative business long-term." With the Arts Education survey, the organization wants participants to choose between several workshops, to be offered for free or at a nominal fee. The survey is here.
Osceola Capital, a private equity firm in Tampa, said one of its portfolio companies has made an acquisition and rebranded. I&I Sales Group rebranded as Avision Sales Group, after buying Apex Reps. Based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Avision Sales Group provides outsourced sales and marketing services to manufacturers. The acquisition of Apex expands the company's footprint in the Midwest and strengthens its offerings, Patrick Watkins, vice president at Osceola Capital, said in a news release. The rebrand highlights the company's integrated platform, said Ben Moe, Osceola Capital's managing partner.
Florida Funders is working with Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland in a partnership designed to provide the next generation of students with meaningful connections in the technology startup industry. Through the partnership, Florida Poly students will get help with career placements within Florida Funders' startup community. The partnership also creates an avenue for Florida Funders' members to collaborate with Florida Poly through its Capstone Design Program, which gives students the opportunity to work with real-world, open-ended, interdisciplinary challenges proposed by industrial and research project sponsors. In addition, Florida Poly offer certificates in entrepreneurship so students can learn directly from Florida Funders’ team via guest lectures. Florida Funders, based in Tampa, is a hybrid venture capital fund and crowdfunding platform that invests in tech startups,
University of South Florida faculty members have launched a research initiative to better understand and address racism on a local, national and international scale. A $500,000 fund, jointly established by the Office of the Provost and USF Research & Innovation, will support the first round of projects, which will be awarded by the end of August, a news release from USF said. The effort is guided by a new task force of USF faculty and staff from all three USF campuses.
First Citrus Bancorporation reported net earnings of $1.3 million or 61 cents a share, for the second quarter of 2020, compared to net earnings of $949,000, or 46 cents a share, for the same quarter in 2019. In addition to the 36 percent jump in earnings, the bank had a 46 percent increase in deposits year-over-year, and ended the second quarter on June 30 with $473 million in deposits. The deposit increase primarily was due to deposits made in connection with the Paycheck Protection Program, the bank said in a news release. First Citrus Bancorporation (OTC: FCIT), with $549.5 million in total assets, is headquartered in Tampa and the parent company of First Citrus Bank.
A ninth bus driver has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority. The driver last reported to work to work Saturday, July 4. The 14 days prior to that time, the operator drove the following routes: Route 20 – June 29, Route 100x – June 30 and July 1, Route 11 – June 30, CAT – June 30 and July 1, Route 18 – July 1, Route 34 – July 1 and Route 14 – July 4. 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.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced Friday that the Florida Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors unanimously approved the release of $75 million to local governments to assist Floridians in need of rental and mortgage assistance due to Covid-19. Through the CARES act, DeSantis made available $250 million, of which $120 million will be sent to local governments to provide rental and mortgage assistance programs. The $75 million is the first release of the funding to local governments. Pinellas County's allocation will be just over $3.1 million.
Florida payrolls recovered in June, with employers adding almost 300,000 net new jobs last month, a report from Wells Fargo Securities said. The unemployment rate in Florida fell from 13.7 percent in May to 10.4 percent in June, but the state is still well short of recouping the nearly 1.2 million jobs lost in March and April, as the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the report said. The leisure and hospitality industry added 170,300 new jobs in June, following an 82,400 job gain in May. Wells Fargo cautioned that the report reflects conditions in mid-June, when most of the state was in the second phase of re-opening. Since then, the public health situation has deteriorated, and the state has seen a spike in new Covid-19 cases, as well as an upturn in hospitalizations and deaths, prompting state and local officials to close bars and pause the re-opening process. That could be one factor behind a big jump in first-time jobless claims in Florida in the week ended July 11, the report said.
Synapse, a Tampa nonprofit focused on building the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Florida, has launched its latest challenge. Innovators are being challenged to develop a mobile app with a fun and entertaining way to introduce elementary school children, ages 5 to 11, to the concepts of money management. Submissions may consist of a working demo plus supporting documents or a detailed PowerPoint. A five-minute video pitch is due by Sept. 1. The winning team will receive a grand prize of $3,000. Click here for more details.
