St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch will soon embark on a “City Hall on Tour” event series that provides opportunities for residents to ask questions and address concerns with local leadership. Administrators, the police chief and department directors will join the mayor at four various recreation facilities throughout the city. The first stop is Monday, March 20, at Walter Fuller Recreation Center from 5:30-8 p.m.
Florida Aquarium officials are hosting “an intimate evening” with Dr. Jane Goodall, a prominent conservationist and UN Messenger of Peace. The event is Tuesday, March 28, and Goodall will provide a presentation before a question-and-answer segment. Tickets begin at $1,000 per person, and proceeds will benefit the Jane Goodall Institute.
St. Petersburg Fire Rescue has partnered with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, the Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition and Treasure Island Fire Rescue to give away children’s life jackets. The event takes place Saturday at the City of St. Petersburg Municipal Beach at 11260 Gulf Blvd. in Treasure Island from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. and coincides with the start of Spring Break.
Nestle, the world's largest food company, will relocate its local headquarters from Tampa's Park Tower to Midtown Tampa inside an eight-story, 152,000-square-foot Class A building, according to an announcement from development partners Highwoods Properties and Bromley Companies. The company will move into the Midtown West office building this summer.
Tampa-based OnTask, which is an arm of the document lifecycle software organization Accusoft, has announced a new partnership with legal case management software provider SmartAdvocate. OnTask’s legal workflow automation software helps streamline firms’ documentation processes by capturing legally binding electronic signatures, improving client intake procedures, and securely collecting and storing documents, according to a Thursday news release.
Tampa-based Florida Funders, a venture capital firm, has invested in QuantHub, an Alabama-based startup that's developed an artificial intelligence-powered learning platform designed to provide data fluency in corporate and educational settings. Florida Funders invested in QuantHub’s $1.3 million seed round through its Fund 2 LLC. The new funds will go toward product development and hiring additional staff.
Officials with Uber Eats recently announced a unique partnership with Tampa International Airport (TPA) that will allow travelers and staff to place mobile orders. Through “TPA to Go,” customers can order food and drinks ahead and skip the line at over 20 airport concessions locations. Tampa International is the first U.S. airport to partner with the delivery service, and the program’s launch coincides with Spring Break.
The Indian Rocks Beach Homeowners Association, in consultation with city and Pinellas County Health Department officials, has canceled BeachFest due to persistent red tide conditions. The association scheduled the annual fundraising event for April 15. However, a joint press release states that “red tide is currently present on the beach and is forecasted to remain in the area in the weeks to come.”
Spring Break season began this week, and Tampa International Airport (TPA) officials are preparing for a record number of travelers. Adam Bouchard, vice president of operations, told WTVT-TV that he expects to see 90,000 to 100,000 people enter and exit the airport daily through April. That is nearly double the typical 50,000 to 60,000 average.
The Made in Tampa Bay Expo, taking place March 8, will be a public event where local manufacturers will be able to showcase their products to the public while recruiting talent. The free event runs from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Hillsborough Community College's Tampa campus on West Tampa Bay Boulevard. Advanced manufacturing is among the region's top targeted workforce sectors.
According to a Facebook post from U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, crews responded in the early morning hours of March 4 to reports of "a person in the water in the vicinity of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge." The unidentified person was discovered in Tampa Bay, near Egmont Key, at approximately 4:30 a.m. by Coast Guard and St. Petersburg Fire Rescue personnel. According to the social media post, the victim had been "dragged by a barge" and was in the water for nearly eight hours when discovered, "alert and conscious."
Hamburger Mary's, a restaurant chain known for its drag shows and entertainment, is closing its Clearwater restaurant at 28910 U.S. 19, according to the business's post on Facebook. The Clearwater restaurant was the last Hamburger Mary's location operating in the Tampa Bay metro. The chain previously had restaurants in Ybor, St. Pete and Brandon.
