Sprouts Farmers Market will open in Seminole on Wednesday, July 15 at 7 a.m. Sprouts, which specializes in affordable, fresh, natural and organic products, said it has followed national and local health guidelines related to COVID-19 in preparing to open the new store at 7263 Seminole Blvd. All employees will be required to wear masks, there are plexiglass barriers at registers, and workers are spending more time cleaning, a news release said. Every shopper on opening day at the Seminole store will get a reusable shopping bag with purchase. Sprouts also said it will donate unsold and edible groceries to Feeding Tampa Bay through the grocer's Food Rescue program.
A sixth bus driver has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority. The driver last reported to work Wednesday, June 24, and in the two weeks prior to that time, drove only Route 19 on June 15, 17, 18, 23 and 24. PSTA does not believe any passengers came in contact with the driver, whom remained socially distant from all passengers. However, anyone who feels like they experience symptoms should seek medical advice. PSTA requires riders to wear protective face coverings while riding, and to use transit for essential travel only.
COVID-19 has impacted many lives in many different ways. With so many symptoms and situations, it's important to understand the myriad ways the disease manifests in our lives. We've launched a new series called COVID Diaries to tell your stories. If you've have, or have had, COVID-19 and want to share your experience, please drop us a line: Spark@stpetecatalyst.com
The United States Coast Guard plans to establish a Coast Guard Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program at Pinellas Park High School. It will be one of only three such programs in the nation, said Michael Grego, Pinellas County Schools superintendent. Rep. Charlie Crist announced the new program Wednesday. Crist, D-St. Petersburg, introduced legislation in 2019 calling for the creation of a USCG JROTC in Pinellas, which led to a provision in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act authorizing the creation of Coast Guard JROTC available to schools across the country. Previously, U.S. Coast Guard JROTC programs could only be established through acts of Congress. Pinellas County is home to one of the largest hubs of United States Coast Guard commands in the United States, Crist said.
HCA Healthcare West Florida hospitals in seven Florida counties will delay certain inpatient surgeries and procedures, effective Saturday, July 11, to free up capacity for COVID patients. On July 6, HCA put some inpatient surgeries and procedures on hold in its four Pinellas County hospitals — St. Petersburg General Hospital, Northside Hospital, Palms of Pasadena Hospital and Largo Medical Center. Now, the delay is expanding to HCA hospitals in Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties, a news release said. The hospitals are working with surgeons to identify appropriate patients for postponement of procedures that typically require a post-surgical inpatient stay. Patients whose procedures will be delayed will be contacted by their surgeon. The postponement does not affect hospital-based outpatient surgeries or procedures, nor those performed at HCA Healthcare ambulatory surgery centers.
Pinellas Corridor LLC, a newly formed company in Tampa, has bought the SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western Clearwater Central, a 178-room hotel in Clearwater. Pinellas Corridor paid $10.5 million for the property, according to a deed recorded July 1 in Pinellas County. The property is located on nearly five acres at 21030 U.S. Highway 19 N., according to a report in ConnectFlorida, a commercial real estate publication. The hotel originally was built as a Hampton Inn, the report said. Ahmed Kabani of Marcus & Millichap’s Miami office represented the seller, who is described as a private investor. Pinellas County property records list the seller as Clearwater 2018 LLC, a company based in Corona Del Mar, California that bought the property in 2018 for $7.7 million.
The Novarica Insurance Technology Research Council gave its "Impact Award" to Neptune Flood, a flood insurance company in St. Petersburg. The council cited Neptune's use of artificial intelligence to manage risk. Neptune uses AI to determine if it will insure a property, to set a price for a policy and to allocate the policy to a reinsurance market, Trevor Burgess, Neptune's president and CEO, said in a news release. Neptune was one of eight companies honored by the council. The Impact Award is the largest purely peer-juried award in insurance technology, the news release said.
A new drive-through COVID-19 test site opens Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Duke Energy Center for the Arts Mahaffey Theater parking garage. Appointments and prescriptions are not required, though organizers have requested no more than four people per car. The site will be open Tuesday-Saturday from 11 a.m.- 7 p.m. Tests are provided at no cost via the partnership of Florida Emergency Management, the Florida Department of Health, Pinellas County, the City of St. Petersburg and the Mahaffey. For more information, contact the Pinellas County Citizen Information Line at (727) 464-4333.
Speaking at his weekly Facebook Live Tuesday, Mayor Rick Kriseman said that the City of St. Petersburg might take additional action on its own in the next week or two if the data shows the mask mandate isn't helping fight the spread of COVID-19. The city is continuing to provide complimentary masks. To find a location, click here. Kriseman also said the city is working with state and community partners to open a testing site at the Mahaffey Theater, with more details to come.
The City of St. Petersburg has approved the installation of an inclusive Pride mural in the Grand Central District at the intersection of 25th St. and Central Ave, which is considered to be the birthplace of St. Pete Pride. The mural will be made up of 11 colored stripes and its installation will be overseen by local LGBTQ artist Andrea Pawlisz. St. Pete Pride is seeking to raise $7,000 to cover the full cost of the installation and maintenance, and has already brought in more than $4,700 in donations. To donate, click here.
The USF Foundation has received a $5 million gift from alumna and longtime donor Lynn Pippenger. The gift will create an endowed deanship in the Muma College of Business. The earnings from the endowment will support the academic activities of the college’s dean, including faculty support and salaries, graduate fellowships and assistantships, faculty research awards, professional development support, conferences, publications, visiting lectures, speaker series and other programs that promote the college's core mission. In 2015, Pippenger donated $10 million to name the Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy. One year later, she gave $5 million to name Lynn Pippenger Hall, which houses the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance on the USF St. Petersburg campus.
There won't be any fans in the stands when the Tampa Bay Rays host the Toronto Blue Jays for opening day on Friday, July 24, the first game of an abbreviated 60-day season for Major League Baseball. It's the 11th consecutive season the Rays will play at home on opening day, but due to ongoing safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, games held at Tropicana Field will not be open to fans at this time, a news release said. Major League Baseball designed the 2020 schedule to include 40 games within the division and 20 interleague games against the corresponding geographical division. As a result, all 60 Rays games will be played in the Eastern time zone. Click here for the full schedule. The Rays 2020 season is presented by Baycare.
