Pinellas County officials and community leaders ceremoniously broke ground Friday on a long-anticipated park in an underserved community founded by an African American sharecropper in 1946. The 12-acre park in the Greater Ridgecrest area of unincorporated Largo will feature a multi-use path, picnic shelters, benches and restrooms. Dansville Community Park should open in the fall of 2025.
Strengthening campus synergy across Pinellas County is a focal point of St. Petersburg College's updated multiyear Facilities Master Plan. One project highlight is a new advanced manufacturing lab at the Midtown Campus in South St. Pete. The master plan also includes expanding SPC’s nursing program at its Clearwater and Midtown Campuses, which will foster new partnerships.
WalletHub recently compared over 180 cities across 23 metrics to determine the best business ecosystems for Hispanic entrepreneurs. St. Petersburg placed 9th for its high Hispanic entrepreneurship rate and business friendliness. The personal finance platform ranked Tampa 11th.
St. Petersburg residents can help neighbors in need and beautify communities this fall as CareFest returns to the city. Officials partnered with Somebody Cares Tampa Bay on the initiative, which runs through Oct. 31. Residents can adopt or initiate local projects, like painting, repairing fences, landscaping and community cleanups. For more information, visit the website here.
Mint House, a tech-focused hospitality brand offering apartment-style short-term rentals, is celebrating a new partnership with the Tampa Bay Rays with a free public barbeque event Friday evening. The team’s website now lists Mint House as a preferred place to stay near Tropicana Field, and the stadium features the brand's signage. The event runs from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. Friday at 77 11th Street N. in the Edge District and features catered food, beer, wine, non-alcoholic drinks and photo opportunities with team mascot Raymond.
The City of St. Petersburg announced Thursday afternoon that Samantha Bequer will serve as its new public information officer. She replaces Eric Riggins, who resigned in April. Bequer currently serves as the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation’s communications director and previously held a PIO role with the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Mayor Ken Welch’s City Hall on Tour event series will return Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. The initiative allows constituents to speak with city administrators, department directors, staff and law enforcement officials. The family-friendly event will feature light refreshments and runs from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.
The last remaining Howard Seltzers Steakhouse will shutter Sept. 29 after 29 years. The restaurant opened in 1995 in Tampa as Sam Seltzers Steakhouse before undergoing a name change in 2010. The announcement states that its owner is retiring, and the establishment at 3500 Tyrone Blvd. N. in St. Petersburg will become a “Dignity Memorial-branded celebration of life center.”
Clearwater-based BayCare Health System has acquired a 15.7-acre property in unincorporated Pasco County for $12 million. BayCare plans to build a HealthHub with an emergency department and primary and specialty healthcare services. BayCare will partner with Metro Development Group, the Epperson community’s master developer, to provide residents with access to a “personal concierge service accessible by phone or internet …”
A recent analysis from St. Pete Free Clinic showed the nonprofit fed 1,670 Pinellas County households over the summer. That breaks down to 3,775 adults and 2,795 children served at a time when children are not in school and may be at risk for food insecurity.
Vincent House, a nonprofit that serves adults with mental illnesses in Pinellas County, recently used a $20,000 ARPA Small Capital Purchases grant to upgrade its technology. The new tech, used to train adults for careers, brought the nonprofit's computers up to par with other workplaces and expanded access to learning resources and a range of platforms for skill development.
Achieva Credit Union recently acquired St. Petersburg-based Veritas Title and launched new residential and commercial real estate services. Those include title and abstract searches, closing documents preparation, title insurance and lien remediation. Dunedin-based Achieva was founded in 1937, while Veritas has served Florida since 2005.
