A recent RentCafe study found that homeownership among Tampa Bay millennials - those born between 1981 and 1996 - increased 57.4% over the past five years. The demographic’s population of renters decreased by 31%. Despite rising prices and interest rates, nearly 53% of the nation’s millennials owned a home in 2022.
The Tampa Bay Lightning began their chase of the Stanley Cup with a resounding 7-3 win Tuesday night over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Brayden Point found the net twice for the Lighting and Andrei Vasilevsky made 28 saves in his 100th start. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Thursday night in Toronto.
Tampa-based BlueGrace Logistics, one of the largest third-party shipping providers, announced Tuesday it plans to open an office in Mexico this year. The office will provide support for an existing portfolio of shippers moving freight in and out of Mexico, according to a news release. "Our customers are becoming less reliant on overseas suppliers and this next phase in BlueGrace's growth will help clear the path of least resistance getting their products to market," BlueGrace CEO and founder Bobby Harris said in the release.
Tuesday morning, Southwest Airlines, one of the primary airlines at the Tampa International Airport, announced it was grounding all flights as it was experiencing a technical issue with one of their internal systems. At the airline’s request, the Federal Aviation Administration paused Southwest’s departures as they resolved the issue. The pause has been lifted and their service has resumed, according to the FAA.
According to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Tampa Bay metro area had the third lowest unemployment rate in the nation, at 2.5%. Orlando and Indianapolis tied for first with 2.6%, while that national average was 3.6% in February. The BLS reported that Tampa Bay’s unemployment rate fell .7% year-over-year.
Tampa Bay-based tech firm ConnectWise, which last sold in 2019 to Chicago and San Francisco-based private equity firm Thoma Bravo, may sell once again. According to CRN, Bravo is mulling bids from private investors and is in talks with Bain Capital.
St. Petersburg-based Duke Florida officials announced they provided another $50,000 to help create the energy industry’s future workforce. The grant supports St. Petersburg College’s 14-week Electrical Lineworker Program. Monday’s announcement precedes National Lineworker Appreciation Day, and Duke has contributed over $350,000 to train local students since 2021.
On May 7, Equality Florida and American Stage will dedicate a plaque at the Sunset Beach home where playwriting legend Terrence McNally spent the first three years of his life. McNally, who died of complications from Covid-19 in 2020, was a five-time Tony Award winner who lived in Sarasota with his husband, Tom Kirdahy. American Stage is currently producing McNally's Ragtime in Demens Landing Park. Additional information on the dedication event can be found here.
The Tampa Bay Rays got back on track Sunday after opening up a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays with consecutive losses that ended a historic 13-game winning streak to start the season. Pitcher Shane McClanahan turned in a dominant performance, and Christian Bethancourt homered in the 8-1 victory. The Rays finish their road trip with a series against the Cincinnati Reds that starts Monday night.
Vegan grocer Black Radish announced on social media that it will be closing its local storefront at 246 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N. "We’ve loved having the opportunity to share our dream with you and are abundantly grateful to every person who has supported us in any way along this journey,” Black Radish's Friday Instagram post read. "Our staff is and always will be our chief concern. Due to this, we intend to operate thru Monday, April 24th." While the St. Pete location is closing, the owners said the Ybor City store will remain open.
Slacker, a research-driven online publication, recently named the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee the state’s most exclusive college. While consolidation recently merged USF’s three previously separately accredited campuses, Sarasota-Manatee was ranked the 69th “Hardest College to Get Into in America.” The campus acceptance rate is just 24%, and student SAT scores range from 1160 to 1290.
This week, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and other local officials celebrated the opening of the new Walmart Health Center on 34th Street S. inside the existing Walmart Supercenter. The health center offers primary care as well as dental care. The center also serves those who are uninsured.
