After 25 years of serving customers at 249 Central Ave., The Oyster Bar will close its doors on Aug. 20. The owners teased on Facebook that the new Oyster Bar downtown location will be announced soon. A pop-up bar designed by Frank Clemente will open at the current restaurant site on Sept. 1. According to a news release, the pop-up bar will have rotating themes throughout the remainder of this year.
Creating Loafing Tampa (CLT) has new owners for the second time in five years. San Antonio-based Chava Communications is purchasing the publication from Cleveland-based Euclid Media Group, which acquired CLT in 2018. According to Chava’s announcement, the undisclosed agreement will not affect daily operations.
The Preserve The ‘Burg advocacy group has commissioned an economic impact study from Washington D.C.-based preservation firm PlaceEconomics. The PlaceEconomics team recently met with local stakeholders and visited The Deuces, Central Avenue’s Edge District, Historic Uptown, Mirror Lake and other destinations. The study, which will be completed this fall, will include information about the density, affordable housing, property values of historic resources located in flood zones, social attitudes and perceptions related to historic preservation.
A medical emergency has forced freeFall Theatre to postpone this weekend's opening performances of At Home With Ethel Waters. The company will instead open the two-person musical Aug. 17. Box office staff will be calling ticket purchasers to move their tickets to another available performance.
Rapid7, a Boston-based company with a significant local presence, announced plans to lay off 18% of its workforce. Company officials announced a “restructuring,” which would affect over 400 employees, in a regulatory filing Wednesday. Rapid7 operates a Tampa office, and its Cybersecurity Foundation donated $1.5 million to the University of South Florida in February to establish a local Cyber Threat Intelligence Lab. Company officials have not disclosed what office locations would close.
Tamp-based private equity firm HealthEdge has completed the final close of its fourth fund, HealthEdge Investment Fund IV L.P. which garnered over $160 million of commitments. The company received investment by the general partner and existing limited partner base, according to reports.
Badger Technologies, a product division of St. Petersburg-based Jabil Inc. (NYSE: JBL), is introducing its in-store robots at the Texas-based McCoy’s Building Supply retailer chain. The multipurpose autonomous robots detect out-of-stock items and incorrectly priced products. The robots completed inventory shelf scans in just two hours each day - a task that previously took employees up to 50 hours per week to complete.
Document processing service Swyft Filings recently ranked St. Petersburg eighth in the nation for fostering new business growth. According to the analysis, the city had the 10th most business applications per capita, with about 27 per 1,000 residents. Swyft Filings also evaluated the 300 most populated cities according to business survival rates, economic health and workforce productivity, business costs and small business loans issued.
The Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement recently charged the former pastor of a St. Petersburg church with operating a retail theft ring that stole over $1.4 million in Home Depot merchandise. Authorities allege that Robert Dell, who also operated a halfway house for people recovering from drug addiction, used his position to manipulate vulnerable people into committing the crimes. Dell allegedly sold the merchandise on eBay.
The application process for the Leadership St. Pete Class of 2024 has opened. The program helps develop diverse leaders in the community with training, a special class project and educational seminars. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26. LSP candidates must do business or live in the St. Petersburg area and be at least 22 years old.
The Clearwater estate at 1100 N. Osceola Ave., which was once owned by the late actress Kirstie Alley, has sold in a $5.2 million deal. The 7,815-square-foot waterfront estate, built in 1993, has nine bedrooms, with five bedrooms in the main house, and features two courtyards and a pool with a spa. It was originally listed for $5.9 million. Ray Cassano of Station Square Realty LLC was the listing agent.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials have appointed Dr. Cassandra Josephson, director of the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, to a national board. She will serve a three-year term on the HHS Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability. Dr. Josephson is one of 14 public appointees to the committee.
