 With COVID-19 cases reaching levels not seen since the summer, Pinellas County leaders are urging businesses and residents to follow the local protocols requiring face coverings at indoor public places and social distancing to stop the spread of the virus. Over the past month, new cases per day have tripled and the percentage of people testing positive has doubled, reaching 8.4 percent on November 29 compared to 4.2 percent on October 30. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is placing new signage at local businesses to remind staff and patrons of the protocol and will follow up at those businesses reported to be consistently violating the ordinance. Pinellas County has also extended its State of Local Emergency for COVID-19. The extension keeps in effect a County ordinance requiring face coverings within public places, and restaurants and bars to serve only patrons who are seated. Pinellas County Administrator Barry A. Burton and Sheriff Bob Gualtieri will host a Facebook Live Event on Friday, Dec. 4, at 11 a.m. to answer questions about the new countywide compliance effort. Read more about this initiative, watch the video of Thursday’s news conference and visit Pinellas County’s Covid-19 Response and Recommendations website for updates. |
| PinellasWorks: Assistance for Job Seekers and EmployersPinellasWorks provides an opportunity for CareerSource Pinellas to connect employers and job seekers who have been impacted by COVID-19. The program offers 100% reimbursement of costs associated with training new employees and an opportunity for job seekers to learn new skills and get back to work. For-profit or non-profit businesses that would like to participate in providing on-the-job training opportunities must have experienced economic impact due to COVID-19, and have been in operation for at least one year. On-the-job training placement opportunities for businesses and residents will last a minimum of 10 days and must be completed by December 15, 2020. Apply today at www.careersourcepinellas.com/pinellasworks. |
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Coming soon: Pinellas County Employment Sites Program Information is available now about the Pinellas County Employment Sites Program at www.PCED.org/esp. This new Penny for Pinellas initiative will provide funds in excess of $80 million to assist in the construction and/or redevelopment of industrial (manufacturing & flex) and office buildings in order to facilitate a strong and robust local economy that provides growth opportunities for existing businesses and attracts new target industry employers to Pinellas County. Applications will be accepted from developers that present proposals that demonstrate the capacity to successfully develop, market and manage the proposed project in accordance with all local, county, state and federal laws and guidelines. The application period will open soon; learn more at www.PCED.org/esp. |
| Virtual Florida International Trade Expo – Registration is OpenMarch 16 – 18, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.Enterprise Florida has arranged its first ever Virtual Florida International Trade Expo. Florida companies will be able to showcase their products and services to international buyers, distributors, and decision makers. Virtual trade show grants will be available to eligible companies to cover the exhibitor registration cost. Click here to learn more. |
Intro to Exporting: A Virtual DiscussionDec. 9, 10:00 a.m. Join Global Tampa Bay for a virtual interactive discussion about best practices and overcoming obstacles when finding distributors abroad. Jerry Lee, Global Sales Manager with AeroMedical, will answer questions and talk about expectations for companies wanting to expand into the global market. Participants will be able to send questions ahead of time, as well as interact with the speaker at the end of the free webinar. Learn more and register by emailing mlawson@tampabayedc.com. |
| Pinellas County SBE Program Wins Florida SBDC NetworkGame Changer AwardPinellas County’s Small Business Enterprise Program and team won the Florida SBDC Network Game Changer of the Year award at the Florida SBDC Network’s Virtual Awards Celebration, held October 29. The accolade celebrates the program’s expansion of Pinellas County’s sheltered market for small businesses from $70,000 to $17.8 million in awards over two years. Learn more about Pinellas County’s Small Business Enterprise program at PCED.org/sbe. |  |
 Downtown St. Pete Mobility Study Listening Sessions, Dec. 10Forward Pinellas, the City of St. Petersburg and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) are holding two online listening sessions for the Downtown St. Petersburg Mobility Study on Dec. 10, 2020 from 8a – 9a and 12p– 1p. At this listening session, the public will have the opportunity to provide their thoughts on how we can create a downtown that is safe and accessible for everyone. Register for theDec. 10, 2020 listening session from 8a–9a: bit.ly/dtspsession1 or the 12p–1p session at: bit.ly/dtspsession2. Registration required and space is limited. Both listening sessions will contain the same information. If you are not able to participate online but would like to give feedback, you can contact Forward Pinellas at info@forwardpinellas.org or call 727.464.8250. |
| New Tools in the Data Center |
| Industry ExplorerThis new addition to our Interactive Data Center allows users to explore industry demographic trends in Pinellas and the Tampa Bay Metro region. Simply select an industry sector to view data on job numbers, sales, salaries, and more. UpdatesThis month, you can also find updates to some of our data tools. The interactive Occupation Explorer tool received new information for you to examine, and the 3rd Quarter 2020 Economic Indicators for Pinellas County have been posted in our Data Center. You will also find an updated page detailing Pinellas Employment by Occupation and Median Wage. |