St. Petersburg College has partnered with Visit St. Pete-Clearwater to transform an introductory course into a "dynamic, hands-on learning experience that prepares students for thriving careers in Florida's booming tourism and hospitality industry. The revamped course eschews costly, traditional textbooks in favor of interactive, locally driven educational materials. Participants will also explore local venues and engage with professionals, and enrollment is now open to degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking students.
Pinellas County has launched a new "one-stop shop" for volunteering - GivePulse. The online platform allows residents to sign up for volunteer opportunities, enter service hours and communicate with site coordinators. For more information, visit the website here.
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office closed St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport for several hours Friday due to a flight attendant discovering an "explicit" bomb threat written on a restroom door at about 4:30 p.m. Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said it targeted all Allegiant planes at the airport; officers found no immediate threat by a 9 p.m. media briefing. The office has not provided an update on any arrests.
The St. Pete Youth Farm will host the 5th annual St. Pete Earth Day event at 1664 12th St. S. from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday. The free event is held in partnership with the City of St. Petersburg and its Parks and Recreation Department. St. Pete Earth Day will feature live music, a makers market and free food, painting, games and workshops.
Fans can meet and receive autographs from several Tampa Bay Rowdies legends starting at 6:30 p.m. Saturday before the club's 50th anniversary match against Miami FC. Tampa Bay 44 and ESPN+ will televise the match, part of the USL Jagermeister Cup tournament. The Rowdies, Tampa Bay's oldest professional sports franchise, won their debut in 1975 and secured their lone 2025 victory against Miami.
Raymond James Financial's investment banking revenues fell 35% last quarter amid a tariff-induced, industry-wide pause on activity. Paul Shoukry, CEO of the St. Petersburg-based firm, said Thursday that there is no clarity on when investment deals may recover. While financial leaders await market certainty, Raymond James is still exploring acquisition opportunities.
Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside will celebrate the long-awaited Shell Dash Townhomes opening with a neighborhood block party April 30. The development, a public-private partnership with the City of St. Petersburg, was first discussed in 2021. Shell Dash will provide 10 affordable homeownership opportunities near Tropicana Field for low-income residents.
The family of a woman who died at a Largo nursing home has accused the facility's parent company of using a "shifting shell game to avoid a $10.5 million wrongful death judgment awarded in October 2024. The latest lawsuit states that Tampa-based Delta Healthcare moved control of Season Largo Assisted Living and Memory Care's operations to another entity to protect its assets from the judgment. The woman's estate is now pursuing relief for the allegedly fraudulent transfer, successor liability and breach of fiduciary duty.
The U.S. Small Business Administration will close its local Business Recovery Center at 2 p.m. Friday. The center, at 13805 58th St. N. in Clearwater, has assisted businesses, homeowners and renters with disaster loan applications. Storm victims can continue receiving assistance at the Business Resource & Assessment Center in Tampa or by calling (800) 659-2955. The filing deadline for property damage is April 27.
WUSF News and the St. Pete Catalyst have entered into a content sharing partnership in an effort to better connect the community. The agreement will reduce redunancy so that the organizations can collectively cover more important stories with less repitition. The collaboration comes following a similar and successful partnership between the Catalyst and the Tampa Bay Times.
Multiple community partners will host an informational event for anyone interested in purchasing a subsidized townhome in the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area (CRA). The event will help people apply for a townhome in the income-restricted and under-construction Deuces Rising development. St. Petersburg College's Midtown Campus at 1300 22nd St. S. will host the event from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
The City of St. Petersburg will host in-person and virtual "Real Talk About Teens & Social Media Safety" informational sessions throughout May. The St. Petersburg Police Department will lead the sessions, which begin May 1, in partnership with the parks and recreation department and St. Pete Community Support Hubs. The goal is to help parents, caregivers and guardians better navigate the complexities of social media safety. For more information, visit the website here.
