🌱 Florish Restaurant Grand Opening + St. Pete Police Employ Robot Dog

Happy Tuesday, Tampa! Let's get you all caught up to start today off on an informed note.

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny and warmer. High: 73 Low: 58.

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Here are the top five stories in Tampa today:

1. Florish, a new plant-based restaurant concept, is celebrating its grand opening at 2307 South Dale Mabry Highway on Tuesday, March 1st, 2022. It is in the former location of Mirro's Pizza and located across from Plant High School. (Creative Loafing Tampa)

2. Film production is wrapping on "The Beast Comes at Midnight," a movie with a fictional story set in modern times. It also tells the true story of Gibsonton’s history as a residential hub for the sideshow workers who travelled and performed locally each year at the Florida State Fair. (Tampa Bay Times)

3. 61-year-old Julie Schenecker of New Tampa has filed her own appeal for a new trial, citing more than 20 reasons why she did not receive a fair trial. Schenecker was convicted of killing her two teenage children in 2011. (Tampa Patch)

4. St. Petersburg Police Department has introduced a robot dog to the force. When the concept was first introduced by Boston Dynamics in 2016, the internet called it a "nightmare" and "terrifying." Proponents say it can help save lives, while opponents have denounced it as a waste of taxpayer funds. St. Pete Police has stressed the robot dogs were a donated gift. (WTSP)

5. Tampa Bay Watch is celebrating 29 years of protecting, restoring and beautifying the community by the bay. The organization has set a goal of raising $50,000 toward conservation projects and gifts will be matched up to $5,000 by Debbie and George Baxter as part of the 29th year commemoration. (Tampa Bay Newswire)

Today in Tampa:

• CPR Training Busch Gardens at Holiday Inn Express. (9:00 AM)
• Hiring Day at Tampa International Airport. (9:00 AM)
• Downtown Tampa Food Tour. (5:30 PM)
• Remix: Pour Your Heart Out at The Firehouse Cultural Center (6:30 PM)
• Makerspace Orientation at Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Seniors came together on the dance floor for the Barksdale Senior Center Valentine's Day dance last week. (Facebook)
• City of Tampa is hosting a virtual meeting for the newly-adopted noise ordinance today at 6 p.m. and on March 15th. (Facebook)
• The Frontier-Spirit merger has added even more urgency to Tampa International Airport's hiring day today. (Subscription: Tampa Bay Business Journal)
• There are a number of available positions in Tampa including account coordinator at Revive Kitchen and Bath, customer support representative at Mad Mobile, Inc., and call center representative / dispatcher at EverStaff. (Tampa Patch)
• South Tampa Chamber of Commerce is welcoming Champa Bay Sports to the chamber. (Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Downtown St. Pete Food Tour (February 15)
• 4 Part Retirement Planning Webinar Series 2/17 - 3/12 (February 17)
• Monopoly Tournament (February 19)
• FEB 18th-20th Greek Fest in Fort Myers (February 20)
• Social Security Webinar 2/21 & 2/23 (February 21)
• Estate Planning Webinar 2/21 & 2/23 (February 21)
• Social Security Seminar 2/22 & 2/23 (February 22)
• Alternative Products Expo - Fort Lauderdale (March 11)
• Alternative Products Expo - Fort Lauderdale (March 12)
• Alternative Products Expo - Fort Lauderdale (March 13)
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You're all caught up for today! See you tomorrow morning for another update.

— 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.