Jay CridlinEconomic Development Reporter
I grew up in a small town in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, graduated from Wake Forest University, and am now the Tampa Bay Times’ economic development reporter, covering local industry, business development and unemployment. It’s a bit of a leap from my previous role as the Times’ entertainment critic, covering music, pop culture and the performing arts. But in a post-coronavirus world, the economy and job market are topics no one can ignore. I’m still happy to talk music. But what I really want to know is how your bank account is doing right now. Are you out of work? Investing in a local company? Trying to launch Tampa Bay’s next big business? Let’s get into it.
/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/tbt/95469e01-92f8-4f5c-8400-4e5fe57c701b.png "Jay Cridlin - Economic Development Reporter")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/XVMZ2YLSDBECLCF3KST22AU27E.png "Tampa's Primo Water Corp. announced Monday that it has acquired Georgia's Highland Mountain Water.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/KUOHBD4UCFFT3E6KCZ6WRIT6FU.jpg "Gas prices are displayed as drivers pump gas at a Walmart Fuel Station Monday in Palm Harbor. Costs are on a downward trend.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/PBQ5CT7O4VCDDDM5VLPBNFF2IM.jpg "Roost, a new extended-stay hotel located inside Asher, an apartment tower at 1050 Water St. in the Water Street Tampa development, features communal living areas on the seventh floor.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/ZH3O55L3PRBAVDA67NWYHKBH5M.JPG "Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg speaks to members of the media during an interview on Opening Day at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on April 8. He is facing a trio of lawsuits from the team's minority partners, but on Friday, the team called the ongoing litigation \"baseless\" and \"desperate.\"")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/XHBS3J36EREZBJ5KIFJ52DTDEU.jpg "Rakefet Bachur-Phillips, left, and Pam Miniati are the co-executive directors of the Florida-Israel Business Accelerator.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/CU5UZH656ZBLJAH5QEBAIG4RMY.JPG "Law firm GrayRobinson has signed a deal to move its Tampa office from Truist Place to two of the top floors at Bank of America Plaza, seen here, at 101 E Kennedy Blvd. in downtown Tampa.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/6OFEGDU6T5DF7CXIXMTCTI3XRI.JPG "Midtown West is the primary office tower at Midtown Tampa. The eight-story building will house a new 22,000-square-foot lease from PGIM, the global investment arm of Prudential Financial, starting in early 2023.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/UWX46MPBPNAX5CPNZ6SFB4P4X4.jpg "Tampa's Bloomin' Brands, the parent of Outback Steakhouse, minted a number of non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, around its Bloomin' Onion. The company minted the NFTs on June 23, and they were gone within 20 minutes.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/PAX5YFCTIZBLNN3MU6UEZ2EWJE.JPG "Smoke and steam rise out of the stacks at Tampa Electric Company's Big Bend Station in Apollo Beach in 2005. As part of a plan to modernize its facilites, TECO this month will start cleaning pipes at its facility as it prepares to open a new energy production unit that's not reliant on coal. The process will result in a 100-foot-tall plume of steam above its facility throughout July.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/GVN4GTBLKRBRTKUEJGWV7YJ2AY.jpg "Protesters listen to speeches and display signs during the a protest following the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade on Friday, June 24, at North Straub Park in St. Petersburg.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/D37GNOUCT5C2LGIGMMK7VXRCVQ.jpg "Sarasota Police arrested a driver who crashed through the front of Camp Bow Wow dog care center in Sarasota early Sunday, charging him with driving under the influence and property damage.")
:format(webP)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/W347SCZFFBH7BN3HDLTFWGF3BQ.JPG "Paul Tash, chairman of the Tampa Bay Times, chats with Times photojournalist Dirk Shadd on June 14 at the Times' office in St. Petersburg. After stepping down as CEO in January, Tash is retiring as chairman on July 1, 47 years after he started with the Times as an intern.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/YOSMWMCKA6O4YCBQGPEZ63MMKY.jpg "In this Jan. 9, 2019, photo, guests watch a show near a statue of Walt Disney and Micky Mouse in front of the Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista. The Walt Disney Co. said Friday that in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, employees who may need to travel to receive an abortion will receive a \"travel benefit\" designed to reimburse some or all of their expenses.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/P5AWECM3WBCYZHT63777GVCCDQ.JPG "Port Tampa Bay, shown here from an area near its cruise terminal and Sparkman Wharf on Oct. 19, 2020, may consider increasing its property tax rate in order to fund the purchase of more waterfront property, commissioner Patrick Allman said during a meeting Tuesday in Tampa.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/AUPFRHTQUVHFFCPHB6X7ORO4HM.JPG "Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux at Midtown Tampa held its grand opening on Monday. The chain is planning at least five more locations in Tampa Bay in the coming years.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/DQXH7NJEBFDGPILX5EQCGCUZQA.jpg "After hitting around $4.90 per gallon, gas prices in Florida are falling, with costs in Tampa Bay nearing what they were on June 6, when this Sunoco gas station at the corner of 16th Street N and Central Avenue in St. Petersburg sold fuel for $4.79 per gallon. The average price per gallon in Tampa Bay was at $4.80 on Monday morning.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/YNXNTLZNLV5LFXUYB5APNU7UWY.jpg "Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos celebrates with the bench after his goal against the New York Rangers during the third period in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup playoffs' Eastern Conference finals on June 11. Game 1 of the Lightning's Stanley Cup finals series against the Colorado Avalanche is setting resale ticket records on ticket marketplace Vivid Seats.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/IQI5W3RPIFCUDGHAUNRFJKZ4CE.JPG "Customers shop at Hitchcock's Green Market at 6765 22nd Ave N in July 2020 in St. Petersburg. Hitchcock's has announced it will close this month, just two years after replacing the former Lucky's Market at Tyrone Square Mall.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/VE2UAASVNJEZNPY7W7KDDILKJE.jpg "Fans are seen in the plaza outside of Amalie Arena just prior to Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Rangers Tuesday in Tampa.")
