In The News

All Children's Hospital In St. Petersburg Teams Up With Johns Hopkins

St. Petersburg Times Tuesday, July 27, 2010

All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg recently announced a deal to become part of Baltimore nonprofit health organization John Hopkins' Health System.

The deal is an attempt to expand research and doctor-training opportunities in the Tampa Bay region, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

Johns Hopkins is a $5 billion system with four hospitals and 25 outpatient sites. The agreement will give Johns Hopkins ultimate financial responsibility for All Children's.

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USF Partners With Maine-Based Research Institution For Personalized Medicine

Tampa Bay Business Journal Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Personalized medicine will be the focus of a newly announced partnership between the University of South Florida and Maine-based nonprofit biomedical research institution Jackson Laboratory.

Personalized medicine involves disease prevention and targeting patient treatment based on genetic makeup.

The partnership will also produce a new research and education village in Collier County, FL., that could generate up to 7,500 jobs and $500 million in economic activity, according to recent study conducted by the Washington Economic Group.

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Sarasota Approves $1 M In Arts Grants

Sarasota Herald Tribune Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Sarasota County commissioners approved grants totaling $1 million for 25 art organizations in the county. The money was raised from a hotel and motel half-percent sales tax.

The $1 million sum is $50,000 more than the state of Florida allotted for art groups in the entire state for its 2010 budget, which totaled $70 billion.

Among the grant recipients presented by The Tourist Development Council Arts Grants Panel are the Florida Studio Theatre, John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Sarasota Film Festival and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

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Virtual eSchool Debuts In Hernando County

Hernando Today Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Hernando County will debut a new online course option this year that allows students to complete classes without setting foot in a classroom. The program will offer students all of the required courses needed to earn a high school diploma.

Hernando eSchool offers regular and advanced/honors part-time and full-time courses for students in grades 6-12. Courses are free for students residing in Hernando County.

Students enrolled in home, private and charter schooling are also eligible to register for online courses.

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Tampa Officials Ponder Impact Of Development Near Rail Stations

The Tampa Tribune Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Tampa officials are speaking out about the possibility of growth surrounding high-speed rail stations in the area.

One Tampa station in particular -- located next to a bus transfer on Morgan Street -- will become an 8.34-acre transportation center with the possibility of a light rail connection, according to The Tampa Tribune.

Some potential developments include housing, office, hotel and retail projects. Tampa's Perry Harvey park on North Orange Avenue will be revamped and a plan to bring pedestrians to the Tampa Riverwalk is underway.

High-speed rail is expected to begin running in 2015 with light rail in 2018 following approval from a 1-cent sales tax referendum appearing on ballots this fall.

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Florida's Workforce Ranked #1 In Country For 2010

South Florida Business Journal Tuesday, July 27, 2010

America's Top States for Business Rankings, an annual CNBC study, ranks each state's ability to attract businesses based on 10 categories. The 2010 study ranks Florida's workforce at #1 -- moving up from 3 in 2009.

Overall, the state ranked #28 for its rankings of the cost of doing business, workforce, quality of life, economy, transportation and infrastructure, technology and innovation, education, business friendliness, access to capital, cost of living.

For a list of each state's rankings and individual scores visit CNBC's website.

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Housing Market Shows Improvement In Manatee County

Sarasota Herald Tribune Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The housing market is showing signs of recovery in Manatee and Sarasota counties. The number of building permits issued so far in 2010 for Manatee County has more than doubled compared to this time last year. Sarasota County and North Port also experienced increased buying activity.

Some possible reasons for the improvement include an influx of first-time home buyers and older adults with active lifestyles, says Lakewood Ranch-based builder Pat Neal in an interview with the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

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New Port Richey Girl Donates Backpacks To Gulf Coast Kids

St. Petersburg Times Tuesday, July 20, 2010

In July, New Port Richey resident Sarah Mayer started collecting backpacks to donate to families with children affected by the Gulf Coast oil spill.

The 11-year-old girl gathered 45 new and barely-used child-size backpacks with the help of friends, family, neighbors and members of her local church. The backpacks will be shipped to Louisiana courtesy of Certified Slings, a cargo and rigging manufacturer based in Tampa.

Mayer's Girl Scout troop may plan on resuming the backpack drive when school starts in the fall.

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Kodak Partners With Tampa-Based Company For Paperless Record Transfers

Tampa Bay Business Journal Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Tampa-based MedCo Data is partnering with Kodak to create a standard system for transferring paper medical records to electronic files.

MedCo Data currently uses chart scanning technology to transfer medical information into an accessible Data Vault.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act expects health care providers to transfer their paper medical records to electronic files by 2014.

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Gates Foundation Tracks Progress In Hillsborough County Schools

The Washington Post Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced $335 million in grants to school districts across the country last November. Hillsborough County was awarded the largest of four grants: $100 million.

For the next seven years, the grant will help fund staff development, testing, salary and various start-up costs to promote teacher excellence, according to a recent update in The Washington Post.

Teachers will undergo yearly evaluations based on how well students progress and observation from principals and peers. A reconstructed pay scale -- optional for veteran teachers but required for new teachers -- will consist of four tiers and reward high performing teachers regardless of educational training or years of experience.

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Tarpon Springs Brewery Invites Community To Assist In Process

The Independent Florida Alligator Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Saint Somewhere, a small brewer of Belgian-style beer based in Tarpon Springs, is the creation of owner and brew-master Bob Sylvester. Although typically run as a one-man operation, Sylvester enlists the help of volunteers and local beer fans to package his products on bottling day.

Richard Stehil of The Independent Florida Alligator recently spent a day at Saint Somewhere Brewery with a team of 14 beer fans to bottle a batch of Sylvester's Pays du Soleil, which he describes as a "lightly spiced saison."

Saint Somewhere, started in 2007, is currently distributed to 20 states including California, Illinois and New York.

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Clearwater Electronic Recycling To Supply 33 Million Phones For Nigeria

CRWE NewsWire Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Clearwater-based Go Green Electronic Recycling announced a $400 million deal with AFCO Communications Nigeria to supply 33 million recycled cell phones to Nigerian citizens.

The 16-year-project will begin with an estimated 200,000 phones supplied by the end of 2010.

Go Green Electronic Recycling collects used cell phones and laptop computers that would otherwise be discarded and refurbishes them for use. Approximately 40 percent of Go Green's recycled electronics are processed through a refining program that returns them to their natural state. The materials are then used to create other products.

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Florida Poised To Join Emerging Super Regions

St. Petersburg Times Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Florida is on the verge of becoming one of the country's next "super regions," and the creation of the high-speed rail project could be the catalyst.

St. Petersburg Times staff writer Robert Trigaux recently sat down with University of Pennsylvania professor and researcher Jonathan Barnett to discuss the future of Tampa as a "super region."

Other emerging super regions across the country include Birmingham to Atlanta to Charlotte to Richmond and San Francisco to San Diego. Professor Barnett believes Florida's super region will resemble an "H"--Tallahassee, Tampa, Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando and Jacksonville-- with Interstate-4 connecting each coast.

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Competitive Grant Could Extend High-Speed Rail To TIA

Tampa Tribune Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Tampa City Council Member Mary Mulhern is pursuing a competitive federal grant aimed at developing high-speed corridors. The grant will likely be applied toward the expansion of the high-speed-rail project to include a stop at Tampa International Airport.

The deadline for applications is Aug. 6.

If future funding is available, the rail could be expanded to Miami by 2018, according to The Tampa Tribune.

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Bartow Group Makes Strides To Save Historic Cigar Factory

Polk County Democrat Tuesday, July 13, 2010

The Thompson Cigar Factory, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, has faced demolition for several years. The building, constructed in 1925, was the first mechanized cigar factory in Florida.

Polk County commissioners voted 3-2 to demolish the building, citing a lack of room in the budget for the $2 million to $4 million refurbishment it would cost to repair the building.

Supporters attempting to salvage the site were granted an additional four months from the Historic Architectural Review Board to raise the funds needed for repair.

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