Tag Archives: business journalism

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Tampa Bay Times: Not every beach community in Pinellas County wants to be like Clearwater Beach

By Justine Griffin for the Tampa Bay Times. Aug. 5, 2016.

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Longtime residents of Madeira Beach remember when they affectionately referred to their sleepy gulfside community as a “fishing town with a drinking problem.”

But then came the condominium towers. And now some say two proposed projects valued at a combined $200 million threaten to change the landscape of Madeira’s quaint, beachy atmosphere.

“That old quaintness has somewhat gone away already and probably will never come back” said Joe Jorgensen, who has lived on Madeira Beach since 1984. He and other residents started a petition to fight against the development, which generated more than 1,000 signatures in two weeks. “I’m not against all development. I just want to see something that is conducive to our lifestyle. We don’t want to turn into Clearwater Beach.”

Tourism has boomed in Pinellas County since 2011, shattering records set before the recession and driving up hotel room rates from St. Pete Beach to Clearwater Beach. Mom and pop motels that have operated along Pinellas County’s “middle beaches” in Treasure Island and Madeira Beach since the 1950s could face new competition as local municipalities tweak ordinances to attract new development.

Read more in the Tampa Bay Times here.

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Tampa Bay Times: What’s next for Tampa International Airport and CEO Joe Lopano?

By Justine Griffin for the Tampa Bay Times.

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Joe Lopano has checked off nearly every item on his to-do list.

Since taking over as chief executive of the Tampa International Airport in 2011, he and his team have landed more than a dozen new flights, including a handful of high-profile international routes to Frankfurt, Panama City and most recently to Havana, Cuba. Lopano has also spearheaded the single largest renovation — a $1 billion overhaul — at the airport since the terminal was built in 1971.

The question now is what’s next, for the Tampa airport and for Lopano?

Read more in the Tampa Bay Times here.

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Tampa Bay Times: Virtual reality headsets and video games could be the hottest gifts this holiday season

By Justine Griffin for the Tampa Bay Times. July 6, 2016.

For the first time, Alex Yparraguirre felt like he was actually in a video game.

He could look up, down and behind him and still be sitting in the passenger seat of a getaway car in the London Heist Getaway game for Playstation 4’s new virtual reality system. Using motion sensing controllers, he could reach out to grab a gun or take hold of the car’s steering wheel. He could punch with his hand to break the glass windows.

One five-minute demo of the new Playstation virtual reality system, which will be released Oct. 13, wasn’t enough to satisfy his curiosity. So Yparraguirre, 28, got in line to try it again at the GameStop store on Causeway Boulevard in Brandon.

After all, he drove all the way from Fort Myers just for this.

Read more in the Tampa Bay Times here.

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Tampa Bay Times: The wizards behind the Tampa Bay Lightning’s pre-game show made the 2016 season memorable

John Franzone grips a stopwatch in his left hand. Its nylon Timex lanyard is wrapped tightly around his palm.

He’s counting the seconds in between videos playing on the 28-foot-tall Jumbotron over the ice at Amalie Arena, making sure the show stays on time. Tampa Bay Lightning players are already on the ice warming up for Game 6 of the NHL Eastern Conference final, and the seats are filling up with fans. Franzone and his team of 12 are in place all over the arena.

They’re gearing up for their big show — the eight minutes or so before the puck drops at the start of the first period.

Franzone, the vice president of presentation at Amalie Arena, is in charge of creating inspiring material to pump up the sold-out crowds. He grits his teeth as he points to the disc jockey seated next to him, signaling Thunderstruck by AC/DC to begin. A lightning bolt is projected onto the ice and follows a young hockey player who hoists a lit-up hockey stick to the beat of “Thun-der.”

“We didn’t have any of this when we won the cup in 2004,” Franzone said. “We didn’t have any of this five years ago.”

A small smile cracks Franzone’s lips when it’s all over — after the Tesla coils fire off bolts from above and the lasers from atop the impressive organ go dark against the arena’s ceiling. Nearly every fan is out of his or her seat cheering.

Read more in the Tampa Bay Times here.