🌱 Bloomin' Brands Price Hike + Ken Welch Elected St. Pete Mayor + Bucs Food Pantry Opens

Happy Thursday, Tampa! Here's everything happening in Tampa today.

In this issue, you'll learn about an initiative to fight food insecurity in Tampa Bay, St. Pete's election results, a new poke spot in downtown Tampa, the bus driver shortage, and more.

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First, today's weather:

Sun through high clouds. High: 80 Low: 67.

Here are the top stories today in Tampa:

1. Ken Welch was elected as St. Petersburg's first Black mayor in the city's 118-year history on Tuesday night. Welch declared victory in the race at the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum. He will replace Rick Kriseman who is term-limited. (St. Pete Patch)

2. Fighting Hunger: The first food pantry supported by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is open now at Broward Elementary School and plans to serve hundreds of families. It is a partnership between the Bucs and The Mosaic Company as well as Feeding Tampa Bay. Four more food pantries are planned. (WTSP)

3. Tampa’s Bloomin’ Brands is expecting to raise menu prices this fall by an average of 3 percent across its restaurants including Outback Steakhouse, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and Bonefish Grill. The company blames inflation and the rising cost of labor for the price hike. Revenue was just over $1 billion for this quarter at the restaurant group. (Tampa Bay Times)

4. Poke restaurant SweetFish is now open in downtown Tampa next to Duckweed Urban Grocery. Sweetfish is owned by Phoenix Hospitality Group which also owns Haiku and Eden Lounge and Nightclub. (That's So Tampa)

5. Pasco County leaders voted to change school start times as a last effort to deal with a critical bus driver shortage. The county is short 90 bus drivers, impacting thousands of students trying to get to school. Parents say the changes will lead to hardships for families who may not be able to adjust schedules so easily. (ABC Action News)

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Today in Tampa:

• Tampa City Council Hybrid Live and Virtual Regular Agenda Meeting at Old City Hall. (9:00 AM)
• Florida Bitcoin and Blockchain Summit at Amalie Arena. (9:00 AM)
• Dave Andreychuk & Thunderbug Join World of Beer to Launch the Bolts Burger! (11:00 AM)
• Art On The House at Tampa Museum of Art. (4:00 PM)
• Midtown Tampa Sunset Market. (6:00 PM)

Tampa Patch Notebook

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: "WR Scotty Miller and CB Sean Murphy-Bunting have begun a 21-day window in which they can practice and at some point potentially be activated to the 53-man roster. #GoBucs" (Facebook)
• Busch Gardens Tampa Bay: "It might only be Tuesday, but we're already thinking about this weekend's Christmas Town preview - Learn more at https://bit.ly/3k0iujG" (Facebook)
• Hillsborough County Public Schools: "Want free books??! Join us for our Early Childhood Literacy Fair, this Saturday at Lanier Elementary from 9-11:30 a.m., presented by School Board Vice Chair Dr. Stacy Hahn. There will be free books, entertainment, and other amazing giv..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Police Department: "POP UP JOB FAIR THURSDAY! Looking for work? Don't miss out on this opportunity today at 1218 K St. in Tampa. Various employers will be onsite to talk to potential candidates. The Tampa Police Department is partnering with Downtow..." (Facebook)
• TAMPA Downtown Magazine: "5 hot new restaurants to try swipe through and tap the photos for restaurant tags + click the link in bio to read more about our 2021 Best New Restaurants feature." (Instagram)

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Events:

• Miami MoCAAD's Creative Conversation Series Continues (November 4)
• Free Dental Care For Military Veterans Saturday, Nov. 6 (November 6)
• Design a unique pendant! (November 6)
• Tampa Riverwalk - International Food & Art Fest Nov 6-7, (November 6)
• The Motherland Experience Concert and Festival (November 6)
• Run Your Buns Off (November 7)
• HAUTE Water Fest (November 7)
• Celebrate A Week Of Self-Care With 15 Percent Off Flowers (November 9)
• Add your event

You're all caught up for today! I'll see you around. 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 carlosreportsnews@gmail.com.