The University of South Florida announced Tuesday that Manhattan Construction Co., H. J. Russell & Co. and DuCon LLC will oversee the construction of a 35,000-seat on-campus football stadium. The university previously selected Barton Marlow to build the long-awaited facility but terminated the contract in December 2023. Populous, the prominent firm designing a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark, also oversees that aspect of USF’s $340 million project.
Applications for the City of St. Petersburg’s Arts and Culture grant program are now open and accepted until June 13 at 5 p.m. Funding levels range from $7,500 to $22,500 according to an organization’s size and budget. Applicants must provide arts and culture programming, performances or exhibitions primarily for St. Pete residents and visitors for at least a year to be eligible. For more information, visit the website here.
Entrepreneur Magazine has ranked Palm Harbor-based Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services among its list of Top 100 Franchises for less than $100,000. The company ranked No. 37 this year, an 11-spot jump from 2023. The magazine compiles its annual rankings according to startup costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength and financial stability.
Former St. Petersburg City Council and Pinellas County School Board member Bill Dudley died Monday morning at 80 years old. He suffered a stroke and did not recover, according to a social media post from his wife, Michelle Timmel Dudley. Bill coached several sports during his 37-year tenure at Northeast High School, served on the council from 2008 to 2016 and the school board from 2019 until he left office in November 2022.
Zen Glass Studio, located at 600 27th St. S., was featured on an April 1 episode of HGTV’s Rock the Block. The home renovation show streams on Discovery + and Max and has showcased Treasure Island projects this season. Zen Glass, known for offering live demonstrations, is set to appear in future episodes.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies recorded their first shutout of the 2024 season Saturday night after playing the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC to a scoreless draw at HighMark Stadium. The Rowdies have not recorded a loss in their first four matches. However, the team has just one win and sits in sixth place in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference.
According to the Florida Lottery, a Circle K at 5025 Tampa Rd. in Oldsmar sold one of seven tickets nationwide that won $1 million in Sunday morning’s Powerball drawing. After a lengthy delay, officials announced at 2:29 a.m. that one ticketholder in Oregon won the $1.33 billion jackpot.
The Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties 2024 Glow Gala raised $1,012,095, according to CEO Mike Sutton. The fundraiser took place Friday at the Vinoy Renaissance Hotel, where the affordable homeownership organization presented its Silver Nail Legacy Award to David and Nancy Ridenhour, and the Golden Hammer Award to MaintenX.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will make a 7th consecutive playoff run beginning April 20. The team clinched the spot without playing a game thanks to losses by the Flyers, Capitals and Red Wings. The Lightning made the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, 2021 and 2022, but suffered an unexpected first round loss last year.
Tickets are now available for the previously sold-out TEDxSt. Petersburg College event April 10 at SPC’s Palladium Theater in downtown St. Pete. SPC originally capped the event at 100 participants but has since released additional tickets, which can be purchased online here.
Pinellas County officials are hosting a public Local Mitigation Strategy workshop April 15 to identify and address natural and man-made disasters, like flooding and chemical spills. The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Lealman Exchange, and attendees can share observations and concerns on how hazards impact their communities to help update the county’s five-year Hazards Mitigation Plan. For more information, visit the website here.
Tampa-based ReliaQuest challenged 10th-grade students enrolled in Junior Achievement’s 3DE program at six regional high schools to develop an effective brand strategy for the cybersecurity firm’s training program at the University of South Florida. Company executives named Gibbs High School’s “Innovators” team as the 2024 Best of the Bay champions at Thursday’s event for their “impressive in-depth research.” Gibbs’ victory came a day after St. Petersburg High School students won the 3DE Innovators Showcase at the Raymond James Financial campus.
