Dr. Alfred O. Bonati, founder of the Bonati Spine Institute, filed a $500 million federal lawsuit Wednesday against the State of Florida and the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). The suit alleges that AHCA wrongfully suspended Bonati’s Hudson-based ambulatory surgery center’s medical licenses in March 2023. Bonati also claims that state officials deliberately harassed and defamed him, his employees and his healthcare partners. The Spine Institute resumed operations in July 2023 following a settlement with AHCA.
WalletHub recently compared over 180 of the nation’s most populated cities across 41 “key indicators of good health” to compile its annual “Healthiest and Unhealthiest” rankings. St. Petersburg placed No. 63 due to its food and fitness scores. However, that is well below Tampa (No. 27), Miami (No. 40) and Ft. Lauderdale (No. 49).
Tampa-based Sypher has partnered with the Florida Association of Insurance Agents and plans to complete a $35 million funding round to enter the embattled residential property insurance market. The startup launched in 2021 as a tech-focused reinsurance brokerage and has underwritten over $750 million in premiums. Sypher’s leadership believes technological advancements can help insurance companies navigate the ongoing crisis.
The City of St. Petersburg’s Utility Assistance Program enables residents to make one-time or automatic monthly charitable donations to the initiative through their bills. Officials will then distribute the funds through a network of local social service agencies to help struggling families. For more information, visit the website here.
Tampa-based Suncoast Credit Union will donate $90 to local nonprofits for every Tampa Bay Rays base to celebrate the institution’s 90th anniversary. Two organizations will compete for votes via a monthly Facebook poll to determine donation amounts. In addition, the second-annual “Every Hit is a Win with Suncoast” initiative will donate $590 to the Randy Arozarena International Foundation every time he notches a base hit during Friday home games. That amount doubles to $1,180 for every Arozarena home run.
According to administrators at Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall, the national tour of Shrek The Musical has postponed its scheduled April 23 and 24 dates. The show will now be presented Sept. 26. Refunds, if desired, will be available through April 19.
Metro Inclusive Health is opening a “Copay it Forward” pharmacy next to its health center at 2235 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg. The initiative uses a percentage of insured patients’ copayments to subsidize free services for their uninsured counterparts. Metro Inclusive launched the innovative program in 2018 to increase healthcare access. For more information, visit the website here.
St. Petersburg-based Duke Energy Florida filed for new base rates Tuesday that, if approved by the state's Public Services Commission, will increase the average annual bill by 4%. That represents a $16.48 increase in 2025 for the average residential customer. However, Duke officials still expect an overall bill decrease in January 2025 compared to January 2024 due to fuel under-recovery and storm restoration costs expiring by the end of the year.
SmartAsset recently released its annual study of the “most affordable places in the U.S.” to buy a home, and St. Petersburg ranked first in Florida. The personal finance platform analyzed closing costs, real estate taxes, homeowners’ insurance and mortgage rates to compile its list. SmartAsset measured the total cost of owning a home over five years and then measured it as a proportion of median household income to determine affordability. For more information, visit the website here.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies earned their first victory emphatically at Al Lang Stadium Saturday night, beating the Rhode Island FC 4-1. The team began the 2024 season with two consecutive draws. The Rowdies now have a three-week road trip starting April 6 against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds FC.
The University of South Florida announced Monday that a $1 million will provide scholarships to students attending the St. Petersburg campus, with preference given to employed single parents. Johnnie Giffin provided the funding to establish the USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy scholarship to honor her late mother, Fay Barnyard. The inaugural recipient is Amy King, a mother of two children pursuing an education degree.
St Pete native Danielle Collins beat 4th seeded Elena Rybakina 7-5 6-3 to bring home the Miami Open women's singles championship Saturday. The title was Collins' first at the WTA 1,000 level. Collins announced earlier this year that this would be her final year of professional tennis. She'll retire $1,100,000 to the better with this win.
