Construction has commenced on a new project within the future 50-acre Gas Worx District in Ybor City. This past week, crews have broken ground on Canvas GWX, a community of 70 industrial-chic townhomes that will be the first major construction project. Sight Development is spearheading the project. At full completion, Gas Worx will feature nearly 5,000 residential units, over 500,000 square feet of office space and 140,000 square feet of retail space.
Saildrone, which operates a St. Petersburg outpost at the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub, recently set a Guinness world record for the highest wind speed measured by an uncrewed surface vessel (USV). An Explorer model recorded winds of 126.4 mph as it passed through Category 4 Hurricane Sam’s eyewall in 2021. Guinness officials verified the record Sept. 14, shortly after Saildrone collected data from inside Hurricane Idalia.
The University of South Florida St. Petersburg’s Innovation Scholars program has kicked off its fifth year of helping new students explore their interests and career paths. About 70 students met their mentors - from organizations like Baycare Health, Tampa Bay Watch and Great Explorations Children’s Museum - for the first time Sept. 14. Nearly 300 first-year USFSP students have shadowed professional mentors representing over 100 businesses and organizations in the program’s five-year history.
Pinellas County officials announced that local insurance experts will host a hurricane claim webinar Monday, Sept. 18. Panelists will provide risk assessment, available policy, loss responsibilities, damage documentation and claim management information. The webinar begins at 6 p.m., and to register, visit the website here.
Stephen Schrutt, the entrepreneur behind a handful of innovative culinary restaurants in downtown St. Pete, is opening another new concept - Concrete Jungle. Schrutt's Hunger Thirst Group company teased the concept on social media, showing a "coming soon" banner at 475 Central Ave. Schrutt said Concrete Jungle will likely open by the end of October. The news comes after he announced another new concept - Summer Camp, a restaurant and bar featuring a “campground” with tents, fire tables/pits and an outdoor stage for live music that will open later this year at 2060 1st Ave. S.
The Movies in the Park series, presented by Preserve the 'Burg, returns to North Straub Park in October. Admission to the family-friendly event is free. The series begins Thursday, Oct. 19 with director Steven Spielberg's E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. Fil Pate will play music starting at 5:30 p.m., with the movie to begin at dusk. The Addams Family is the Thursday, Oct. 26 feature, with pre-show music by Doug South. Lawn chairs and blankets are encouraged; beverages will be available for purchase.
Starting Saturday, Sept. 16, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will open a Disaster Recovery Center at the Enoch Davis Center to assist St. Petersburg residents affected by Hurricane Idalia. Residents will receive informational resources, application assistance and translation and accessibility services. The Enoch Davis Center, at 1111 8th Ave. S., is open Monday through Sunday from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m.
St. Petersburg resident Geneva Gibbs, a retired nurse, became the SunRunner’s one millionth passenger Sept. 13. Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority’s (PSTA) leadership celebrated the milestone - reached in less than 11 months - with Gibbs, 84, at the 1st Ave. and 5th St. N. stop. CEO Brad Miller and Board Chair Gina Driscoll presented her with a plaque and card that provides free rides on any route for a year.
The University of South Florida football team could set a new attendance record Saturday at Raymond James Stadium as the University of Alabama’s rabid fan base comes to town. USF set its single-game attendance record in 2012 when 69,383 people watched fourth-ranked Florida State University beat the Bulls 30-17. School officials announced Wednesday that limited tickets in the stadium’s upper decks remain for Saturday’s nationally televised matchup between USF and the 10th-ranked Crimson Tide.
St. Petersburg’s Lakewood High School is now offering a three-year course dubbed “AI (artificial intelligence) Foundations” as part of its Center for Advanced Technology Program. Over 80 students have enrolled in the University of Florida-designed course that will evolve alongside technology. Pinellas County Schools officials believe the career pathway will prepare South St. Pete students “for jobs yet to be created.”
Empath Partners in Care, an Empath Health member, is participating in the 20th annual SMART Ride Nov. 17 and is looking for cyclists, crew members and donors to support the race. The 165-mile charity ride from Miami to Key West is the nation's second-largest and the only one to give 100% of proceeds to AIDS service organizations. The Clearwater-based nonprofit is hosting a fundraising event Sept. 16 to support the race team. For more information, visit the website here.
Tampa-based tech company Rapid7 Inc. and the University of South Florida are partnering to launch a new research initiative using Rapid 7's data to investigate a better way to train cyber operators for maximum security readiness. The partnership is backed by over $1.5 million in funding from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The research will be done at the Rapid7 Cyber Threat Intelligence Lab at USF. Cyber analysts will engage with scenarios and challenges found in real-world security operations centers, according to an announcement this month.
