In The News

Florida Ranks #1 For Innovation, Says Fast Company

Fast Company Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Florida earned the No. 1 ranking for innovation by Fast Company because of its high level of new business development, fundable venture capital rankings and annual revenue per startup.

Florida was followed by Texas and Maryland. California ranked No. 7, North Carolina ranked 25 and Massachusetts came in at 42.

Read the complete story.

Investors Buy Tampa Bay Homes To Use As Rentals

Tampa Bay Times Tuesday, March 26, 2013

The mobility of Florida's workforce attracts all kinds of investors and the latest trend shows big-name investors from out of state spending billions of dollars on thousands of homes to turn them into rental properties.

The Tampa Bay Times takes a look at the extraordinary number of sales and what it means for access to housing in the Tampa Bay region.

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Starkey Ranch Sale Means Big Changes In Pasco, Florida

The Tampa Tribune Tuesday, February 12, 2013

More than 5,000 homes and the accoutrements of a community -- retail, medical, office spaces -- are planned where the Starkey Ranch once housed nothing but cattle, birds and few rattlesnakes.

The ranch's sale to Wheelock Street Capital of Boston and Greenwich, CT means the end of an era of cattle ranching in that part of Florida. The Starkey family intends to keep about 90 acres to grow blueberries.

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Moving To Tampa Bay: Top Choice To Live, Work, Play

Forbes Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Only Dallas, Miami and Austin top Tampa Bay as the top destination for people on the move.

A Forbes report tracks where Americans are moving for jobs and opportunities.

Read the complete story.

Public High Schools Train Budding Chefs, Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Times Tuesday, November 06, 2012

High school students in Tampa Bay who aim to become among the world's best chefs can get training and experience cooking and serving a captive audience.

Culinary classes at public high schools in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties are leading the way.

Read the complete story.

Serial Entrepreneur Epitomizes Tampa Workforce

MyFoxTampaBay Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Tampa and the greater Tampa Bay region are growing in reputation as a great place for entrepreneurs and innovative thinkers.

Micheal Villa is just one example of a serial entrepreneur who makes a good living creating companies and helping them flourish before moving on to the next big idea.

Watch the complete story.

Tampa Bay Shines In New Marketing Effort

Tampa Bay Business Journal Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Business and community leaders from Tampa and St. Petersburg, along with the Tampa Bay Partnership, launched a new website this week touting many of the Tampa Bay region's assets in the ramp up to the RNC coming to town.

Rhea Law of the Fowler White law firm led the effort. Colleen Chappell and her firm ChappellRoberts created a video filled with shiny facts about the region.

Watch the video. Visit the website. Read the story.

Florida Banks Rebounding, Making More Money

Tampa Bay Times Tuesday, June 19, 2012

The banking industry in Florida is finally rebounding after the financial plunge of recent years following the collapse of the real estate market.

Profits are up. Bank failures are down. Stability is becoming the catchword for describing a more dependable lending environment.

Read the complete story.

EDCs Emphasize Technology Skills, Jobs In Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Times Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Tampa Bay economic development groups have launched an initiative called the "technology skills gap project."

It aims to identify and fill in the gaps in training and recruiting talented people to fill jobs at companies in the region.

Read the complete story.

Florida Ranks Second Best State For Doing Business

Chief Executive Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Only Texas provides a better environment for doing business than Florida, as ranked by 500 CEOs polled by Chief Executive magazine.

The CEOs ranked the states based on a long list of criteria including government regulations, taxation, education and livable cities.

Read the complete story.

Mermaids Still Steal Show At Weeki Wachee, Florida

Wired Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park draw a crowd nearly every week, especially during Florida's winter tourism season.

Photographer Annie Collinge documented the strong athletic and graceful dance moves that have dominated the show since the 1960s, when the springs first opened to the public for regular performances.

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USF's MacManus Decodes Florida Politics

The New York Times Tuesday, February 07, 2012

With the 2012 presidential election nine months away the country will keep its eye on Florida's swing voters throughout the process.

University of South Florida professor Susan MacManus was recently tapped by the New York Times to share her list of must-read articles that help explain why Florida's voters remain a deciding factor in the general election.

Among her choices are pieces by the Tampa Bay Times, Sayfie Review and Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.

Read the complete story.

Mapping 2012: Prosperity, Challenges, Opportunities

Tampa Bay Times Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Tampa Bay Times business columnist Robert Trigaux predicts mostly good times ahead in Florida's economy.

Among his projections: Population growth, more jobs, casinos, rising insurance rates.

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USF Poly Develops More Efficient Solar Panel Design

The Lakeland Ledger Tuesday, December 13, 2011

A group of University of South Florida Polytechnic engineering students and assistant professors Roderic Brame and Ralph Fehr are in the process of developing a new solar panel that would increase energy efficiency by 2 percent.

An increase in efficiency would help homeowners recoup the cost of solar equipment through energy savings quicker.

St. Petersburg's Jabil Circuit and New Port Richey's VLOC Inc. are providing technical support, according to The Ledger.

Read the complete story.

Florida Launches Statewide Art Initiative In Tampa

The Tampa Tribune Tuesday, November 01, 2011

An initiative to promote cultural programs in Florida was recently launched at the Straz Center in downtown Tampa.

Secretary of State Kurt Browning says the initiative, dubbed Culture Builds Florida, "will aim to promote the ways art and culture create jobs, stimulate the economy and contribute to Florida's tourism," according to The Tampa Tribune.

Arts sustain 88,000 jobs statewide and bring in $3 billion a year, according to Browning.

Read the complete story.

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