In The News

Kayak Sharing? Why Not For Tampa Commuters?

The Tampa Tribune Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Ken Cowart, best known for championing the reopening of the old Gandy Bridge and the winner of Awesome Tampa Bay's grant for "Bomb the Medians,'' a flower seeding project, has another creative idea for making the Tampa Bay region more attractive.

How about sharing kayaks? Just as many cities, including St. Petersburg and Tampa, are considering bicycling sharing programs to provide free or reduced price transportation for the fit and fun, Cowart suggests leaving a few kayaks along Tampa Bay waters for commuters to use as needed.

Read the complete story.

Tampa Seeks New Museum, Restaurant On Hillsborough River

Tampa Bay Times Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Mayor Bob Buckhorn says he is "aggressively'' going after another museum and restaurant to complete the row of museums along the Hillsborough riverfront in downtown Tampa.

The site being considered is on the north side of Rivergate Tower and presumably would face the Tampa Museum of Art and the Glazer Children's Museum.

Read the complete story.

Big Options Await New Port Of Tampa Director

The Tampa Tribune Tuesday, September 18, 2012

A search for a new director at the Port of Tampa offers a special opportunity to choose an innovative leader who can build the import-export business through Tampa and the rest of the Central Florida region.

The Port of Tampa represents key water access and connections for goods shipped to and from Florida and the rest of the U.S. via rail, truck and even air.

Read the complete story.

Renovated Sun Dome Sells Out For Elton John

Tampa Bay Times Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Nearly 10,000 fans packed into the newly renovated Sun Dome at USF in north Tampa couldn't get enough of Elton John during the music and sports venue's grand opening event.

USF and the state of Florida spent nearly $36 million gutting the place from top to bottom for a new sound, look and feel. Patrons came away feeling like the 32-year-old Sun Dome had been reborn.

Read the complete story.

Pump Station Looks Like Bungalow In South Tampa

The Tampa Tribune Tuesday, September 18, 2012

A new stormwater pump station just off of Bayshore Boulevard in South Tampa is designed to blend right into the neighborhood while rapidly ridding city streets of the typical rush of rainwater.

The station, designed by Architect Pete Tagliarini, looks much like many other south Tampa bungalows so passersby may not realize what is going on inside.

Read the complete story.

Private Florida Art Collection Seeks Public Home

Tampa Bay Times Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Robbie and Sam Vickers of Jacksonville have spent a lifetime collecting Florida art by famous artists like Remington, Homer, the Wyeths, Farnsworth, Inness, Moran, Catlin, etc. More than 1,500 framed works and sculptures now grace their home or remain safely in storage.

What comes next for the enormous collection? The Vickers would like to find a new home -- possibly one of the state's better known museums -- to put the works on public and permanent display.

Read the complete story.

Straz Center Turns 25, Big Show Lineup In Tampa

The Tampa Tribune Tuesday, September 11, 2012

The Straz Center offers a star-studded lineup of performances in the next year to celebrate 25 years since its opening on Sept. 12,1987.

Expect extra Broadway hits, concerts, operas, plays, dance, comedy and much more.

Read the complete story.

Trader Joe's Moves To Sarasota -- Is Tampa Next?

Tampa Bay Times Tuesday, September 11, 2012

A new Trader Joe's in Sarasota is creating quite the buzz about whether the popular grocery store chain will next opt to open in Tampa or St. Petersburg.

The specialty retail outlet also operates stories in Gainesville and Tallahassee -- think lots of twenty-somethings -- and Naples -- think per capita income.

Read the complete story.

GrowFL Recognizes 3 Tampa Companies For Adding Jobs

PR Newswire Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Three Tampa companies -- Telovations, Bayshore Solutions and ReliaQuest -- are listed among GrowFL's list of top Florida Companies to watch.

The annual list recognizes companies that are growing and adding jobs. Nominations are now being accepted for 2013.

Read the complete news release.

Bern's Begins Building Hotel Next Door, Tampa

Equities.com Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Equities.com, an online magazine featuring stories about global finances, picked up a Tampa Trib story about progress on a new hotel across from Bern's Steak House in South Tampa.

The global share may be more signficant for investments in Tampa than the building of the epicurean hotel by David Laxer and Mainsail Lodging & Development.

Read the complete story.

Tampa Benefits From RNC 2012 Visit

Boston Herald Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The economic impact of the RNC visit to Tampa will be felt for a long time, say those counting hotel rooms and prepared meals.

Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce President Bob Rohrlack says the convention's visit in 2012 couldn't have come at a better time relative to the economy.

Read the complete story.

All Eyes On Tampa, Soaking Up The Love With RNC

Tampa Bay Times Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The Republican National Convention's visit to Tampa caps a multidecade long effort in Tampa Bay to attract the presidential beauty pageant.

The Tampa Bay Times opines on the city's opportunities to shine.

Read the complete editorial.

Tampa Readies For Republican Invasion

The Washington Post Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Tampa's downtown workers will scatter to neighborhoods near and far as thousands of visitors arrive for the Republican National Convention before, during and after the last week of August.

Charlotte N.C. is preparing for a similar switcheroo as the Democrats arrive the first week in September.

Read the complete story.

Tampa-St. Pete Grows Talent, Attracts Smart People

New Geography Tuesday, August 21, 2012

If it's true that smart people flock to places that attract other smart people, the Tampa Bay region may be the next hot place for the college-educated to call home.

In Tampa-St. Petersburg, the share of the population that's college-educated grew from 21.7 percent to 26.2 percent, a gain of 21 percent. This is roughly twice the increase in the Washington, San Francisco and Seattle metropolitan areas.

Read the complete story.

Salon Takes Aim At Tampa's Progress, Or Lack Therein

Salon Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Fair or unfair, that is the question, as the national and international media start reporting from Tampa in the ramp up to the Republican National Convention August 27-30.

Salon, an online publication that describes itself as "the leading progressive news site,'' takes critical aim at interpreting some recent state and local political decisions in what thoughtful residents may consider a superficial look.

Read the complete story.