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.
Frontier Communications Parent Inc. (Nasdaq: FYBR), one of the largest fiber internet providers in the U.S., will relocate its headquarters from Norwalk, Connecticut, to Dallas after considering Tampa as a relocation site, according to a Wednesday announcement. In a prepared statement, Frontier CEO Nick Jeffrey said, "Moving our headquarters to Dallas makes good business sense given the city is already home to hundreds of our corporate employees and sits in the middle of one of our most important fiber markets. With a fast-growing economy and large, diverse pool of talent, Dallas is quickly becoming one of the nation’s top business cities." The announcement comes after the company previously submitted a memo to Dallas leaders reading, "Frontier will either retain these jobs in Dallas, as well as make Dallas its new headquarters, or relocate jobs and the headquarters function to Tampa."
The St. Petersburg City Council will host two public hearings discussing the fiscal year 2024 budget. Officials will adopt the tentative budget and millage rate Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. They will then consider the final budget millage rate and the Capital Improvements Plan Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. The meetings will occur in City Hall at 175 5th St. N., and broadcast live on stpete.org/TV.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Williams, 36, died Tuesday morning due to injuries suffered in a construction accident, his agent Hadley Engelhard told the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Reports circulated that Williams died last week while he was on life support at St. Joseph’s Hospital. His child’s mother, Tierney Lyle, then told multiple outlets that Williams was taken off life support Sept. 7 and remained responsive. Williams died due to an infected head laceration after a steel beam reportedly landed on his head.
Tampa Bay Wave and the Tampa Bay Latin Chamber of Commerce have opened the application process for its LatinTech Accelerator. The accelerator is debuting after the duo secured a $500,000 federal grant, which was championed by U.S. Representative Kathy Castor. The 90-day LatinTech Accelerator is geared toward startups at the seed to Series A funding stage. The startups must have Latino or Latina founders who hold at least a 50% stake in ownership, control and daily operations.
St. Petersburg’s Office of Supplier Diversity announced it will host the city's inaugural Supplier Diversity Day from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Coliseum. The open house-style event will highlight the importance of supplier diversity and connect local businesses with procurement opportunities. The event will feature keynote speakers, educational sessions, networking and vendor exhibits. To register, visit the website here.
Pinellas County officials will increase municipal, commercial and yard waste disposal fees by 6.8% starting Oct. 1. County Commissioners will also consider several additional disposal rate increases at their Sept. 19 meeting. The additional revenue will help fund the Waste-to-Energy facility’s operational and maintenance expenses.
At least the third home in St. Petersburg’s Shore Acres neighborhood has caught fire in Hurricane Idalia’s aftermath. St. Pete Fire Rescue officials reported the home early Monday morning blaze caused “significant damage” but no injuries as the residents temporarily relocated. The house experienced flooding, and investigators are still working to find the cause of the fire.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch is making his third stop on the 2023 City Hall on Tour series at the Lake Vista Recreation Center on Sept. 19 from 5:30 - 8 p.m. The series, which kicked off this year, entails Welch and members of his administration team hosting open house-style stops at different recreation facilities. The event was created for city leaders and decision makers to hear from the residents and directly address questions and concerns.
