A series of athletic events welcomed an influx of tourism to Manatee County businesses.Most recently, the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships brought 2,200 athletes, coaches, families and friends from 97 countries to Bradenton for the 10-day event.Manatee County tourism brought in $12.2 million in 2009-10, according to The Bradenton Herald.Read the complete story.
A new Internet provider is bringing competition to other 4G services in the Tampa Bay region.Clear offers 4G coverage through the use of a portable device the size of a small book, according to the St. Petersburg Times.Clear's network covers the majority of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties along with New Port Richey.Read the complete story.
A recent study, the Global Metro Monitor, revealed Tampa's economic performance is leading Florida toward economic recovery.The study, by the Brookings Institution and the London School of Economics, ranked 150 global metropolitan areas and placed Tampa at #74, ahead of Miami at #78 and Orlando at #85.View the study's findings here.Read the complete story.
In case you haven't noticed, more people are walking around in downtown Tampa. Some are even playing.People are actually gathering in Curtis Hixon Park on the Hillsborough River on any given day to attend an organized event, or to just, well, hang. And much of it may be due to a woman who yearned for more urban energy, saw a space and the opportunity it held, and pursued an unconventional idea.Nancy Kipnis is the founder of REALM, a grass-roots group / initiative / idea, depending on how you look at it, who moved to downtown Tampa from New York to start her PR firm. She says she loved her new town, except that no one was walking downtown. There was no urban feel or presence."I moved here from New York seven years ago and was pretty starved for a city," she says. "I do marketing and PR, and started paying a lot of attention to things that were going on downtown. I wanted to devote my business to making Tampa more of an urban center."Kipnis recognized that Tampa knew how to organize and promote the big annual events, but that it was lacking day-to-day activity downtown. So Kipnis decided to do something about it. She started sharing her concerns with her growing contacts list throughout downtown Tampa. And then Curtis Hixon Park became the focal point of the emerging Riverwalk arts scene. So Kipnis and her group of like-minded citizens began organizing events that made use of the green open space along Ashley Street between The Tampa Museum of Art and the Glazer Children's Museum on the Riverwalk. "Our core group are all doers and we decided we're going to spearhead what we're interested in," says Kipner. "Local architect Keith Bremminger, a member of the Tampa Downtown Partnership, loves dogs and spearheads Yappy Hour. Hunter Jones has a great music connection and spearheads Rock the Park." REALM also provides a fun cart that provides frisbees and footballs to park-goers in search of something to do.REALM, which stands for "The Public Realm," is gaining strength through organization. It is currently seeking funding through Pepsi Co.'s Refresh Project, which is awarding funding to people, businesses and nonprofits with grand ideas for changing their communities. And REALM is one of them.Kipnis hopes that her bid for $5,000 will get enough votes to give REALM the funds needed to organize and grow the organization to allow it to continue to evolve and bring more innovative events to the space at Curtis Hixon Park. And get people walking. And playing.Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: Nancy Kipnis, REALM
A stalwart member of the Clearwater/Largo community has undergone a major transformation in recent months.Directions for Mental Health moved its first-floor children's services to its new satellite location in Largo, which allowed the Clearwater headquarters to build a formal lobby and extend its patient care space. The lobby renovations include a semi-circular reception desk, tile flooring, and a planned fountain dedicated to promises it has committed to fulfilling its consumer base."When I got here about two years ago, I thought the building was old and out-dated, and it didn't feel warm and welcoming," says David Lomaka, president & CEO of Directions. "It didn't feel like a place I would want to go to if I was a consumer. And so my preference was to make it a place I would want to go to. I always say, when I send somebody here, I want them to feel good about getting help."Since 1982, Directions at 1437 Belcher Road in Clearwater has provided Pinellas County residents with affordable, accessible care for those at risk or facing mental health challenges. However, demand for services over the past 25 years left little room for a proper lobby and little time for spatial planning. "We have seen a sharp increase in both children and adults seeking mental healthcare over the past few years, so the additional space comes as a welcome relief for our staff and clients," says Lomaka. In August 2010, Directions opened a satellite office at 8823 115th Ave. N. in Largo to house services for children under age 18 and their families, as well as adults seeking counseling, psychiatry and case management services. In addition to client care, the 11,000-square-feet children's office will also host early childhood parenting classes, consumer advisory meetings and educational seminars."We have been very pleased with the feedback from our clients at our Largo office," says Lomaka. "Some clients have gone so far as to send us a 'thank you' for creating a warm atmosphere for them or for their children." Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: David Lomaka, Directions for Mental Health
For years, tourists and residents have enjoyed riding the Jolley Trolley from the beaches of Pass-A-Grille in St. Petersburg to the northern tip of Clearwater Beach and points in between. They can now extend that ride even farther north to the sponge docks of Tarpon Springs.The new route, which extends Jolley Trolley public transit service from Clearwater Beach through the downtown neighborhoods of Clearwater, Dunedin, Palm Harbor and the docks at Tarpon Springs, began on Nov. 17 and will run every weekend on Fridays and Saturdays until midnight and until 10 p.m. on Sundays."We have all these communities along the Alternate 19 corridor with these great downtown areas like Dunedin and Palm Harbor on up to Tarpon Springs," says R.B. Johnson, chairman of Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority's board of directors. "The idea was to link these areas together to make it easier for tourists and residents to go to these areas of concentration without worrying about getting in and out of their cars."The route extension is financed through contributions made by the Clearwater Downtown Development Board, the municipalities of Tarpon Springs and Dunedin, Pinellas County and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority. Jolley Trolley fare is $2 one way."It's helping promote these areas," says Johnson. "It works off of itself and builds up community. It fills that transit gap on weekends, going to restaurants and bar hopping from point A to point B, and points in between. We feel like we need to have better transit in north county. This is one small step toward that end."Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: R.B. Johnson, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority
St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Petersburg is building a tower.The 100,000-square-feet tower will house St. Anthony's new ER and is designed to protect patient privacy with 32 new patient exam rooms and separate entrances for patients and ambulances. Construction is expected to be completed by Spring 2012. According to hospital spokesperson Beth Hardy, hospital staff actively participated in the design process. "Information and plans were posted on our internal Intranet site for all team members to provide suggestions," says Hardy. "And then special work groups that included physicians and nursing staff reviewed plans and assessed mock rooms and layouts."Hardy says the design will not only protect patient privacy, but will also expedite admissions and diagnostics through an enhanced triage area and on-site lab and imaging facilities. "The reason behind the renovation is to better meet the health care needs of the community through an expanded and larger emergency center that has private exam rooms and more room for equipment required in ERs today," she says.The new emergency center will be on the east side of the historical main building in the hospital complex, which is bordered by Fifth Avenue North, 14th Street, Ninth Avenue North and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street. The current ER, which has only two private exam rooms and one critical care room, will serve another purpose yet to be determined when ER services moves into the new tower. Hardy says the new facility will continue to uphold the environmental standards that have earned the hospital the EPA's ENERGY STAR for Superior Energy Efficiency for the last two years. St. Anthony's was the first hospital in Florida to achieve this recognition in 2009, and one of only 86 hospitals in the nation to be so honored.Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: Beth Hardy, St. Anthony's Hospital
"What Should Be Next For Florida?'' Young professional Amanda Beck envisions Florida's future on the political landscape. 83 Degrees invites young professionals to submit opinion columns of 600-800 words describing what they would like to see in Florida's future. What do you think?
Mountain unicycling enthusiasts love to take to the trails carved out of the banks of the Alafia River southeast of Tampa. Follow along in this video-photo slideshow as Jason Dominic, John Moriarty and Ed Francavilla conquer the hills.
The Ride 2 Recovery Florida Challenge benefiting wounded war veterans ended its 350-mile journey from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa to Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville over a six-day period. More than 200 participants cycled to raise money for mental and physical rehabilitation programs such as Spinning Recovery Labs and outdoor cycling. Riders traveled north from Tampa, making stops in Spring Hill, The Villages, Ocala, Gainesville and St. Augustine before arriving in Jacksonville on Nov. 20. View the complete photo gallery.
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