The Tampa Bay Rowdies announced Thursday that defender Forrest Lasso will return for the 2025 season after signing a new contract. Lasso is a three-time USL Championship Defender of the Year and helped guide the team to a record-setting 891-minute shutout streak in 2021. He scored two goals in 10 matches during an injury-shortened 2024 season.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District has rescinded the Modified Phase 1 Shortage Order for St. Petersburg. City utility customers can now water their lawns twice, instead of once, weekly. Officials encourage residents to irrigate their yards between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. or 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.
The stretch of 1st Avenue South that has been closed since a section of crane from the Residences at 400 Central construction site flew into a neighboring building is now open again for traffic. The building, home to Johnson Pope and the Tampa Bay Times, amongst others, remains closed.
The St. Petersburg City Council will reconsider a bond issuance Thursday that would help fund a new $1.3 billion Tampa Bay Rays stadium. The last-minute agenda addition comes two weeks after the council delayed the initial vote to “no later than” Jan. 9. The non-ad valorem bond sale would occur in three rounds not to exceed $77 million, $214.5 million and $42 million, and finance the city’s contribution to stadium construction costs and infrastructure improvements in the Historic Gas Plant District’s redevelopment.
Tampa's Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) has announced plans to debut the second-largest digital dome planetarium in the United States in 2025. The revamped Dome Theatre will serve as the new home of the Saunders Planetarium and a digital dome theater, featuring cutting-edge projection technology. With a focus on STEM learning, the $10M dome, with seating for over 300, will host field trips, community events and daily programming.
Seminole-based Smart Communications, a software-as-a-service platform utilized by over 120 correctional facilities nationwide, reported more than $86 million in debt in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing last week. Jonathan Logan, who founded Smart Communications in 2009, claimed in court documents that a prolonged legal battle with his estranged mother and co-owner impeded repayment of the company’s liabilities. About $80 million of the outstanding debt stems from an exclusive intellectual property licensing agreement.
Tampa Bay Wave is now accepting applications for its CyberTech Accelerator 2025 cohort. Participants will receive hands-on mentorship from local cybersecurity industry leaders. The accelerator is free, non-dilutive and does not require relocation. For more information, visit the website here.
Madeira Beach Fundamental K-8 closed in late September after Hurricane Helene’s storm surge damaged the school’s electrical systems. The school reopened Monday for students in grades six through eight, who will attend classes on the second floor and in portable trailers. Younger students will remain at Walsingham Elementary School.
The Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas County will activate cold night shelters Tuesday as the National Weather Service expects “feels like” temperatures to reach 40 degrees or below across the area between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. All locations provide a warm and safe place to sleep, and many offer a meal. Cold weather shelters will open in St. Petersburg at Northwest Church - 6330 54th Ave. N.; Salvation Army - 1400 4th Street S.; WestCare Turning Point - 1801 5th Ave. N.; and Unitarian Universalist Church - 100 Mirror Lake Dr. N.
Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns announced Monday that the law firm would relocate to First Central Tower at 360 Central Ave. in downtown St. Petersburg. Its previous office at 490 1st Ave. S. was damaged by a crane that collapsed during Hurricane Milton. While owned by Feldman Equities, First Central bears Truist Bank’s signage.
Allegiant Airlines recently announced it would offer a new nonstop flight from St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport to Colorado Springs. The service begins Feb. 14, and one-way tickets start at $69. The new route is part of a nationwide expansion that will add 44 nonstop flights to Allegiant’s portfolio.
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor announced her student nominations Monday for admission into one of the nation’s prestigious military academies. All require a prospective high school student to secure a service-connected or congressional nomination, per federal law. Here are Pinellas County’s nominees: Jessica Grasso, St. Petersburg High School; Jocely Sheppard, Shorecrest Preparatory School; Xavier Terrell, Lakewood High School; Berlin Stanton, Canterbury School of Florida; Isabella Valerio, Admiral Farragut Academy; and Carter Ford, Shorecrest Preparatory School.
