Former NFL player Shaquem Griffin and his twin brother, Shaquill, will host a youth football camp at their alma mater, Lakewood High School, this summer. Shaquill plays cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings, and Shaquem spent two years with the Seattle Seahawks. The July 13 event is open to boys and girls between the ages of 6 to 17 for a $10 fee. For more information, visit the website here.
St. Petersburg’s Danielle Collins will join the U.S. tennis team this summer at the Olympic Games in Paris. Collins, 30, has announced that this will be her final season on the women’s tennis tour and has already won two titles this year in Miami and Charleston. The Olympic tennis games begin July 27 at Roland Garros, home of the French Open.
A self-funded private company dedicated to compiling unbiased and accurate energy data found that the average residential electric bill increased by 11.13% year-over-year. In addition, local energy rates are 18.3% higher than the state average. Find Energy also found that the city’s national cost ranking dropped by 2,331 spots since March 2023, and St. Pete now places 24,770th out of 31,812 cities.
St. Petersburg’s Mint House, a tech-focused hospitality brand offering apartment-style short-term rentals, will host a free Pride celebration with complimentary drinks and a live DJ at its resort-style pool. The public event is from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. Sunday at 77 11th St. N. in the city’s Edge District. The St. Pete location, Florida’s third, opened in January 2023 and caters to young professionals.
Rich Hume, CEO of TD Synnex, will retire from the information technology conglomerate he helped build Sept. 1. Hume played a crucial role in the $8 billion merger of Clearwater-based Tech and Fremont, California-based Synnex in 2021. The global company, which operates dual headquarters in those cities, generated $57.6 billion in revenue in 2023. Patrick Zammit, chief operating officer, will succeed Hume.
The City of St. Petersburg is now accepting applications for an upcoming vacancy on the Development Review Commission. Members assess proposed modifications to land development regulations to ensure compliance with the city’s comprehensive plan and zoning ordinances. Applicants must reside in St. Pete, and officials prefer candidates with architecture, planning, engineering, construction, land use law or real estate experience. For more information, visit the website here.
Port Tampa Bay’s governing board, including Mayor Jane Castor, unanimously approved a $500,000 engineering and design contract Tuesday with HDR Engineering to advance plans for a fourth cruise terminal. Six cruise lines sail from Tampa, providing roughly 20% of the port’s revenue. However, facility officials told the board they must turn business away due to a lack of space.
WalletHub recently named St. Petersburg the state’s “best-run” city and ranked it 36th nationally in its annual evaluation of local leadership effectiveness. The personal finance platform compared 148 of the nation’s largest municipalities across 36 performance indicators to determine a “Quality of City Services” score, which it then compared to per-capita budgets to compile the rankings. Tampa placed fourth among Florida cities and 82nd nationally.
Nine City of St. Petersburg pools will participate in the World’s Largest Swim Lesson event Thursday at 10 a.m. The global water safety event is now in its 15th year and provides free swimming lessons. Anyone can participate without registering, and organizers will offer giveaways, information on additional lessons and water safety tips. For more information, visit the website here.
Cue Golfology, a new golf simulation facility and lounge, will open in August at 2400 5th Ave. S. in St. Petersburg. The venue will feature six simulation bays encompassing roughly 350 square feet. Golfology’s Trackman simulators offer nearly 300 virtual courses, and customers can have food and drinks delivered from adjacent Bayboro Brewing.
Pinellas Education Foundation has received a donation of $166,500 from the Kiwanis Club of St. Petersburg to support its mentoring program, Take Stock in Children. The contribution will sponsor 37 Pinellas County students, providing them with a mentor, a college success coach and the opportunity to earn a two-year Florida Prepaid Scholarship.
The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the Bluff Business Association to bolster support for all businesses along Pinellas County’s coastline. The association fosters business growth in Belleair, Belleair Bluffs, Largo, Seminole, Clearwater and the Gulf Beaches. Chamber officials believe the partnership will expand its “reach and influence, ensuring a stronger collective voice for businesses of all sizes.”
