🌱 Habana Ave. Closures + FL Aquarium African Penguin Exhibit

Get on up, Tampa! Let’s get you started this Wednesday with everything you need to know going on around Tampa today.

First, today’s weather:

Partly sunny and humid. High: 81 Low: 72.

One of the easiest ways to connect with local customers and stay top-of-mind in town is to sponsor the Tampa Daily. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top five stories in Tampa today:

1. Three sections of North Habana Avenue will be closed during the day through March 25 for a TECO utility pole replacement. The detour for all Habana Avenue closures in the area is from Habana Avenue to Hillsborough Avenue to Armenia Avenue to Waters Avenue to Habana Avenue. Hillsborough County residents can get updates by signing up for HCFL Alert. (Tampa Patch)

2. Tampa-based Project DYNAMO says its team finished “a dangerous mission” to rescue three premature babies from Ukraine, which remains under attack from Russian invaders. The combat veteran-led non-profit escorted the ambulance safely Monday from Kyiv to a hospital in Rzeszow, Poland. (WTSP)

3. Local labor leaders with the West Central Florida Labor Council, AFL-CIO on Monday held a press conference outside of the Hillsborough County Center in Tampa to speak out against a legislative bill they worry could be fast-tracked through the Florida Senate. The bill would create logistical barriers for most of Florida’s public sector unions including a requirement to recertify for unions at less than 50% annually. (WMNF)

4. The Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa is set to open its brand new outdoor African penguin habitat on Saturday, March 12. As a conservation-based aquarium, The Florida Aquarium dedicates a portion of all earned revenue from visitation to its conservation initiatives, such as the African penguin program. The aquarium is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (MOR-TV)

5. Atlas Health, which has been working with Tampa General Hospital (TGH) for the last 9 months, has received an undisclosed amount of funding from TGH’s innovation center and venture capital fund Innoventures. It is one of the growing number of firms supported by TGH’s $15 million venture capital fund dedicated to supporting innovative companies. (83 Degrees Media)

From our sponsor:

Today’s Tampa Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at GoodRx — the best way to save money on your prescriptions. GoodRx helps you locate the lowest prices for medications at local pharmacies, so you’re not overpaying. Works for pet medications too! To see how much you can save, go to GoodRx.com.

Today in Tampa:

• Wacoal Fit For The Cure Event at Dillard’s Citrus Park Town Center. (9:00 AM)
• Boston College Eagles at South Florida Bulls Baseball. USF Baseball Stadium. (2:00 PM)
• Tampa Bay Bucs Mobile Food Pantry at Middleton High School. (4:30 PM)
• DIY Make Your Own Bath Bomb at Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative. (6:00 PM)
• Mentorship Program at FMoPA. (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Honor women in aviation at Tampa International Airport’s GALA (Girls Achieving Leadership in Aviation) event being held on March 19. All proceeds go toward establishing a scholarship fund for local young women and girls pursuing aviation in the community. (Facebook)
• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are launching a Coach of the Week program dedicated to girls flag football, in partnership with Nike, furthering its commitment to supporting gender equality on and off the field. (Facebook)
• Check out this Jurassic event taking over the Tampa Convention Center this weekend on March 12 and 13 called Dino & Dragon Scroll. It is an interactive walk-thru experience, with a special Sensory Friendly Hour. (Facebook)
• City of Tampa’s Mobility Department surprised Chief of Staff John Bennett, a new PhD in criminal justice and homeland security, with his own street sign at a staff meeting on Monday. (Facebook)
• Tampa’s Senior Day in the Park is Friday, March 11 at MacFarlane Park. Help spread the word to seniors in our community who want to get out and get active. 💪 This event is free and open to the public. (Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Making Sense of Your Medicare Choices (March 10)
• Alternative Products Expo – Fort Lauderdale (March 11)
• Alternative Products Expo – Fort Lauderdale (March 12)
• Jazz on the Lawn @ Riverwalk STEM Academy (March 12)
• Gulfport Stand-Up Comedy Show (March 12)
• Alternative Products Expo – Fort Lauderdale (March 13)
• Social Security Seminar 3/14 & 3/16 (March 14)
• Creating Income in a Low Interest Rate Environment (March 29)
• Add your event

Loving the Tampa Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

Alrighty, you’re all good 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.