Officials with the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg announced Tuesday that Bayfront Health St. Petersburg would match its grant funding, bringing the total from $1.5 million to $3 million this year. The news coincides with the Foundation naming former deputy mayor Kanika Tomalin, who also served as the hospital’s vice president of strategic planning & public affairs, as its new CEO. The city sold the former Bayfront Medical Center to fund the Foundation’s launch in 2013.
Pure Science Golf, a custom club fitter and golf company in the Clearwater area, has been acquired by local golf entrepreneurs. Jackson Stroup, founder of the new direct-to-consumer golf club brand ALTR Golf, partnering with local club fitting expert and PGA Professional Shaun Van Patten, took over the business last November, according to an April announcement. "Since taking over, we have relocated and remodeled the facility. We have also optimized overall operations while implementing today’s most advanced golf technology to further deliver truly differentiated club fitting and instructional experiences," Stroup said in a statement. Pure Science Golf uses tech for custom golf club fitting and has simulators that feature industry-leading ball-flight tracking and provides an analysis of someone's swing.
Officials with the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council announced Monday that Mitchel Allen will serve as their new Senior Vice President of Economic Development. The organization is the lead economic development agency for Hillsborough County and the Cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City. Allen previously served as the executive vice president of business development for the Greater Richmond Partnership in Virginia.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, who recently announced he would create a Chief Equity Officer position for the city, said the CEO will be a member of the Mayor's Cabinet and will report directly to Chief of Staff Jordan "Doyle" Walsh, according to a Monday news release. The position was created to support the administration's focus on inclusive progress, and in response to the Structural Racism Study conducted by the city in 2021. The officer will have oversight to ensure equity and inclusion are fully integrated into City government policies, procedures and practices.
Despite facing a 6-0 deficit heading into the fifth inning, the Tampa Bay Rays came from behind to beat the New York Yankees 8-7 Sunday afternoon. Isaac Paredes’ clinched the game with a 10th-inning RBI single in front of 32,142 people - Tropicana Field’s largest regular-season home crowd in seven years. The Rays still lead the majors with a 28-7 record and took the season’s first series against the Yankees two games to one.
Pinellas County Schools opened the district's first sensory therapeutic, wheelchair-accessible playground this week at the Paul B. Stephens ESE Center in Clearwater this week. Therapists, specialists and physical education teachers spent two years developing the project to suit children with special needs. The playground features specialized activities for kids with balance, mobility, walking and communication challenges.
Dr. Julia Pfaff, a Bayfront Health St. Petersburg physician, is Florida’s leading Inspire sleep therapy system provider. She also ranks second in the nation for the procedure, an alternative to using a CPAP machine to mitigate sleep apnea. The remote-controlled, surgically implanted device opens airways each time a patient breathes.
Bob Menke, founder of St. Petersburg-based Bankers Financial Corporation, died Thursday afternoon, according to an announcement from BFS. Menke, 89 years old, died peacefully in his home. Menke founded BFS in 1976. Since then, it has become one of the largest privately held financial services companies in the region.
Social service agencies in St. Petersburg can now apply for up to $100,000 in Social Action Funding grants. City officials have allocated $700,000 for social agencies providing homeless and homelessness prevention services. For more information on the program - which gives priority to organizations helping children, elderly, veterans and domestic violence victims - visit the website here.
May 10 through 16, concert promotion titan Live Nation will offer “all-in” $25 tickets to “select” summer concerts around the country. “All-in” meaning without fees, but before “city, state and or venue” taxes. The list of shows – including those in the Tampa Bay area – will be made available at the Live Nation “Concert Week” website May 10.
The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce is hosting its Reroute Tourism luncheon Friday, May 12. The topic is “bridging the beaches,” and the featured speaker is Tampa Bay Rays President Brian Auld. As part of the programming, tourism professionals will take the SunRunner from the TradeWinds resort to downtown St. Petersburg. For more information on the event, visit the website here.
Community Action Stops Abuse (CASA) Pinellas recently won the prestigious Purple Ribbon Award for Outstanding New Service Launch. Domesticshelters.org created the designation as part of the nation’s first program honoring heroes of the domestic violence movement. CASA earned the recognition for opening Florida's first Family Justice Center in October 2022, a comprehensive, all-inclusive resource facility for victims of domestic violence.
