- December 17, 2025
-
-
Loading
Loading
ACH joining Johns Hopkins
All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg committed to join Johns Hopkins Medicine later this year pending a due-diligence period. The move is intended to improve the hospital's standing as a pediatric specialty care facility.
ACH will become an affiliate of the Johns Hopkins Health System, which is based in Baltimore and includes four other hospitals in that area. No changes are planned at the 259-bed hospital, including its current identity, and all donations to the hospital will remain local, an ACH spokeswoman said.
No cash is involved in the transaction, and the move is expected to increase ACH's value as a community asset.
Mayor allows Rays leeway
Like a pitcher allowing a runner a big lead at first base, St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster is giving the Tampa Bay Rays more space in its quest for a new baseball stadium. Foster said the city's contract with the Rays could be changed to allow possible sites beyond the city limits, in particular the Gateway area.
Previously, Foster and city council members indicated that they did not want the Rays to seek a stadium site outside St. Petersburg. This week, he mentioned Derby Lane dog track and Airco Golf Course as additional possibilities.
The Rays are under contract with the city to continue playing at Tropicana Field through the 2027 season. Team owner Stuart Sternberg said in June that he would like to make a move sooner, raising the possibility of taking the team to Tampa.
Sweetbay seeks sustainability
Tampa-based Sweetbay Supermarkets is seeking a stronger sustainability commitment from its seafood suppliers. The chain's owner, Delhaize Group of Belgium, said it is asking 280 suppliers to show proof they use sustainable practices or submit a plan to start in the next eight months.
Sweetbay and its sister stores, Hannaford and Food Lion, decided to increase their involvement in offering sustainable seafood to their customers after competing grocery chains got bad grades by Greenpeace. The verification would cover 4,500 products, from canned tuna to fresh and frozen fish and shellfish.
City seeks cuts
North Port City Manager Steve Crowell proposed $500,000 in cuts to the city's 2011 budget, but local officials still anticipate a shortfall of about $5 million next year.
The bulk of the shortfall will be covered by city reserves, officials say. Crowell's proposed cuts, meanwhile, involve laying off at least three city employees, including a senior planner, a real estate manager and an animal control officer. That would save the city almost $275,000 next year.
City commissioners are studying Crowell's proposals. The commission is also considering whether to seek concessions from the city's 300 union employees, mostly in the police and fire departments. Nonunion city workers, for example, are scheduled to take 12 unpaid days off next year in a cost-cutting move.
Schools receive funds
Five middle schools and three high schools in Sarasota and Charlotte Counties will receive $2.5 million in grants designed to spur improved results in science, technology, engineering and math classes, known as STEM.
The grants, provided by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice, will be dispersed over five years. Most of the funds will go toward training teachers on new approaches to the four subjects among 9,500 students in schools in south Sarasota County and north Charlotte County.
“Research indicates that 15 of the 20 fastest-growing jobs through 2014 will require substantial math and science preparation and that Florida, as well as the United States, is failing to develop an adequate supply of STEM'capable workers,” foundation president and CEO Teri Hansen says in a press release.
Jobless rate rises
The unemployment rate in Manatee County rose in June after three consecutive months of decline.
The figure was under 11%, but is now back up to 11.9%. The three-month decline was the longest streak since 2005, according to state labor statistics.
The rise in Manatee County unemployment figures in June mirrored a statewide trend: The unemployment rate also increased in 65 of 67 Florida counties last month.
HMA hires Levine
Naples-based hospital operator Health Management Associates has hired public-sector veteran Alan Levine to head up its government-relations division.
As the government takes an increasing role in health care, companies such as HMA are boosting their executive ranks with people who can navigate regulations. HMA operates 58 hospitals, mainly in non-urban areas of the Southeast.
Levine recently was secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and senior health-policy adviser to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. Levine returns to Florida, where he previously served as secretary of the Florida Agency for Care Administration and deputy chief of staff and senior health-policy advisor to Gov. Jeb Bush.
Interop wins subsidy
Lee County awarded Fort Myers-based mobile messaging firm Interop Technologies $75,000 to support the firm's expansion plans.
Under the Lee County Job Opportunity program, Interop plans to use the money to create 15 new jobs over the next year, according to the Fort Myers Regional Partnership.
Privately held Interop has grown to more than 100 employees providing wireless messaging services to rural cellular phone companies.
Charlotte targets investors
The Department of Homeland Security has designated Charlotte County as an area that can more easily qualify for U.S. permanent residency in exchange for foreign investment.
Under Charlotte's new designation as an “EB-5 Regional Center,” foreign investors can qualify more easily for permanent residency in exchange for investing at least $500,000 in targeted areas such as the Enterprise Charlotte Airport Park or $1 million elsewhere in Charlotte County.
The investment must be made in sought-after industries such as transportation, warehouses, technology, office buildings, hotels, films, health-care facilities, financial services or agricultural activities.
