Bier Fest Returns + SF Company Expands To Tampa + Willa's Pop-up

Happy Wednesday, Tampa! Here's everything you need to know going on locally today.

In this issue, you'll learn about a San Francisco company expanding to Tampa, a new program at The Straz Center, Bier Fest returning to Busch Gardens, and more. Now, let's get started.

First, today's weather: Rain and humid throughout the day. High: 87 Low: 78.

Here are the top stories in Tampa today:

1. San Francisco-based fintech startup Fast, an online checkout company, is expanding to Tampa. The company is currently taking space inside the Industrious coworking space in Tampa until it can finalize a lease agreement for downtown office space. (St. Pete Catalyst)

2. The Straz Center has created an Inclusion Diversity Equity Access (I.D.E.A) plan, committed to ensuring that people are treated with equity and that Straz Center has a diverse institution and all programming and services include diversity. (Tampa Patch)

3. Bier Fest returns to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay on Friday, August 13th. Visitors will have dozens of beers to choose from, featuring over 50 varieties of IPAs, wheat ales, stouts and more. (WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando)

4. Miami’s Benh Mi restaurant is having a Tampa pop-up at Willa’s Provisions in North Hyde Park next weekend. Sandwiches will feature" Willa’s roasted chicken or Benh Mi’s char siu mushrooms" as well as other items. (Creative Loafing Tampa)

5. Prodigy Cultural Arts is a program in Tampa is offering free creative classes to kids and teens including guitar, music production, culinary, and breakdancing. (Fox 13 Tampa Bay)

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Today in Tampa

• Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners Meeting (Hybrid). (9:00 AM)
• Toddler Throwdown at Community Roots Collective. (1:00 PM)
• Summer Programs At Hillsborough County Libraries. (2:00 PM)
• Channel District Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) Community Advisory Committee Meeting. (5:30 PM)
• Dancing, Drinking And Eating The Latin Way at Hotel Haya. (6:00 PM)
• Wellness At The Wharf. (6:30 PM)
• Armature Works Run Club. (6:30 PM)
• Family Craft Night at New Tampa YMCA. (6:30 PM)
• Movie on the Lawn at Epperson Lagoon. (6:30 PM)

Tampa Patch Notebook

• Florida Hospital Association: "Florida COVID-19 Update for August 3, 2021: Total Confirmed Hospitalizations: 11,515." (Twitter)
• Tampa Bay Rowdies: "Been a while since our last one so we're going big for this year's Pride Night on September 3 vs @oaklandrootssc! Join us!" (Twitter)
• Jason Alderman: "An all star lineup welcoming @fast to Tampa today, where we announced that we are opening our first East Coast hub." (Twitter)
• US Rep Kathy Castor: "$49M in rental & utilities assistance has been already distributed in @HillsboroughFL & $ remains available to help renters & property owners in need. Today I spoke w @USTreasury Sec Yellen to encourage greater flexibility to disburse Covid19 funds &help those facing eviction." (Twitter)
• Tampa Bay Times: "School will soon resume as Florida leads the nation in kids hospitalized for COVID-19. “I’m terrified of what’s going..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "The threat of losing state funding is proving a powerful deterrent for Florida schools considering mask mandates." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Canceled flights include to and from Chicago, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Cleveland and San Juan, Puerto Rico." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Police said the attack occurred in February and that a hit in a DNA database led to his arrest." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "When 17-year-old phenom Erriyon Knighton races in the Olympics tonight, he'll cement himself as the latest star from ..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "The state wants to move the case out of South Florida. Norwegian Cruise Lines says the state is "forum shopping."" (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Krystsina Tsimanouskaya feared for her safety once she saw the campaign against her in state media, according to the ..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "A bill filed Monday would authorize the Broward County School Board to pay the money to the estates of students and s..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Closed factories, a lack of delivery drivers and more people working from home are putting the squeeze on getting new..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Are you stuck in Tampa, or unable to get back to Tampa, due to Spirit's cancellations? Let us know." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "The co-hosts of the former WMNF Jewish affairs talk show “Third Opinion” say the decision is an example of anti-Semit..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Ground-penetrating radar discovered that at least 130 people are buried in Whispering Souls, but there are only 20 vi..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "The woman lost control of her car for unknown reasons near I-75, north of San Antonio, troopers said." (Facebook)
• TAMPA Downtown Magazine: "Best of the City voting runs through Aug 9. Vote every day to help your favorites win! Link in bio. Winners announced..." (Instagram)
• Tampa Bay Times: "The woman's two children were present during the time of the murder. They were unharmed, but "frightened," according ..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "The crash occurred around Friday on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard at Wisteria Loop. The victim died Monday in a hospital." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "“The one person whose life was so brutally taken is the same person who would be advocating for forgiveness for this ..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "The airline said in a statement that they’re working to find solutions for affected customers." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Some places around the country are seeing newly confirmed infections and hospital caseloads reach their highest level..." (Facebook)

From our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Huge Opportunity - Steel Grating and Cast Iron Water Pipes (August 4)
• Taxes in Retirement Seminar at Hillsborough Community College (August 5)

Gigs & services:

• Add or View Service Providers in Health, Wellness & Beauty! (Details)

Job listings:

• Pest Control Positions Available-Brandon (Details)

Alrighty, you're all good for today! I'll be in your inbox tomorrow with a new update. If you're into these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to follow along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Carlos Hernandez

About me: Hello my name is Carlos Hernandez and I am a food writer with over 10 years of experience in the industry. I write the food blog Carlos Eats (http://www.carloseats.com) and also contribute to several newspapers and magazines with food-related blogs and articles.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Tampa Daily? I'm all ears. You can contact me at SouthTampa@Patch.com.