August 2021View as Webpage |
Pinellas County Conditionally Awards $2.8 Million to Three Employment Sites Program (ESP) Projects |
Pinellas County has committed funds in excess of $80 million over 10 years to assist with the construction and redevelopment of industrial (manufacturing & flex) and office buildings. The goals of the Employment Sites Program (ESP) are to help existing local businesses expand and create more jobs, and to attract growing target industry employers to Pinellas County. On July 13th, the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) granted conditional approval for three of the four applications submitted during the first round of funding for the Employment Sites Program (ESP). These three projects were conditionally approved. Booker Creek V, LLC – $908,500 to assist with construction of a new 130,000 SF industrial manufacturing facility located in Oldsmar CMNY Transitions, LLC – $1,723,000 to assist with construction of a new 86,350 SF industrial manufacturing facility located in Pinellas Park Multi-Use SCIF – $183,655 to fund the acquisition of a Sensitive Compartmented Information Faculty (SCIF) in mid-County Four applications were received for the second round of applications that closed on July 6, 2021. One submission was developer led, and the other three are local businesses expanding existing facilities. It is anticipated that these four applications, plus one from the first round of funding, will be presented to the BCC before the end of this year. The third opportunity for ESP funding is expected to open for applications in August 2021. Visit PCED.org/esp to learn more. |
Thank You for Doing Business in Pinellas, AFC Urgent Care |
Pinellas County recognized and thanked Paul Peiffer, President of AFC Urgent Care, for doing business in Pinellas County. Commissioner Dave Eggers, 2021 Chair of the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, presented the award to Paul on July 13th at the Commission meeting. Paul Peiffer opened his first AFC Urgent Care clinic in Clearwater in 2012 and has expanded to three clinics in Tampa Bay with 45 staff members. AFC Urgent Care treats non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses; no appointments are required. AFC also assists injured employees and provides COVID testing and vaccinations. Paul worked with the Pinellas County Small Business Development Center to help expand his company. Check out our online workshops or meet with a business consultant at no cost to get your business growing. |
New on our website: Florida Trend’s Biggest Companies in Pinellas |
We’ve curated the list to find Pinellas County companies so you don’t have to! Note that Jabil – headquartered in St. Petersburg – is now the largest publicly traded company in the state. Tech Data – headquartered in Largo – is now the 2nd largest private company in the state. Click here to see all of the Pinellas companies that made the list. |
Virtual Trade Mission: United Kingdom, September 14 – 15 |
Global Tampa Bay will be hosting a virtual trade mission for Tampa Bay companies in the IT, Financial Services, and Life Sciences sectors interested in expanding their client base to the United Kingdom. This trade mission will be organized in coordination with London & Partners, the trade and investment promotion agency for London, UK. Approved companies will be connected with potential clients and partners in London and around the UK. The two-day event will provide networking, matchmaking, and speakers. Registration is free. Click here to learn more, or contact bbarkway@pinellascounty.org. |
City of St. Petersburg Announces the Small Business Resilience + Retention Funding Package In response to the drastic change in the business environment stemming from the pandemic, the City of St. Petersburg has developed a new non-profit and small business incentive package in support of the sustained success of St. Pete’s health, local economy, and cultural landscape called the St. Pete Small Business Resilience + Retention Incentive Package. Funding for the Resilience + Retention package comes from the remaining funding from the City’s Fighting Chance Funds and a portion of CARES Act Funding as received by Pinellas County, totaling $2,536,000 in dedicated package funding. Four programs make up the package with grants available starting at $2,500 up to $20,000. Click here to explore all of the options. |
Florida’s economy grows to 15th largest in the world |
The Florida Chamber of Commerce reports that according to current data, Florida, if it were an independent country, would be the 15th largest economy in the world. Florida overtook Indonesia and Mexico’s economies during the past year. While it may be temporary as other world economies continue to rebound from the global pandemic, Florida has moved up two slots from 17th to 15th largest global economy – if Florida were a country. This jump can be attributed to the fact that Florida’s economy has recovered more quickly than both the U.S. economy and many countries’ economies. | Among other diverse economic growth, Florida’s economy has added manufacturing jobs (+6.0%) while the U.S. lost them (-1.7%), landing at #2 in total manufacturing job creation over the past 5 years, and #5 in growth rate. |
Protect your team with the COVID-19 vaccine Tax credits are now available for employers offering vaccine-related paid leave as more Americans are urged to seek out Covid-19 shots amid a slight decline in vaccinations. The tax credit for small- and medium-sized businesses will fully offset the cost of giving employees paid time off to get inoculated, as well as to recover from any potential side effects of vaccination. Learn more at: irs.gov/newsroom/employer-tax-credits-for-employee-paid-leave-due-to-covid-19 |
Red Tide: Resources for Pinellas County Businesses The State of Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity recently shared a list of resources and organizations that can assist businesses impacted by the current red tide blooms. For information on current red tide status and Pinellas County’s monitoring of and response to the situation, please visit https://www.pinellascounty.org/environmental/red-tide.htm. |