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Business Wire
a day ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Sandal Key Hosts Exclusive Tour for Hernando County Ambassador Program
BROOKSVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Metro Development Group hosted an exclusive tour of Sandal Key, Hernando County's first Lagoon community, for the County's Ambassador Program today. The event provided local leaders, government officials, and community stakeholders with a behind-the-scenes look at the exciting development and its future impact on Hernando County. The tour provided ambassadors from the County with a glimpse into the future of Sandal Key, showcasing its thoughtfully designed layout that seamlessly blends Florida's natural beauty with modern amenities. We're proud to show firsthand how Metro is contributing to the region's growth and creating a development that will not only enhance the lives of Sandal Key residents but also positively impact the entire Hernando County area. The ambassadors explored the designated locations where the 3-acre lagoon will be built, which will serve as the community's centerpiece, offering a resort-style experience for residents and visitors alike once complete. They also toured the area where scenic trails will wind around Whitehurst Pond, a preserved 75-acre seasonal wetland, offering future residents the opportunity to connect with nature through exploration. In addition, guests experienced some of the community's current amenities, such as solar-powered streetlights and UltraFi internet, all part of Metro's signature connected lifestyle. 'We're thrilled to host the Ambassador Program for this exclusive tour of Sandal Key,' said Lisa Gibbings, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Metro Development Group. 'This event underscores the importance of collaboration between local leaders, developers, and the community. We're proud to show firsthand how Metro is contributing to the region's growth and creating a development that will not only enhance the lives of Sandal Key residents but also positively impact the entire Hernando County area.' Metro Development Group's expansion into Hernando County represents the company's commitment to thoughtful growth and sustainable living. The project will feature over 3,000 homes from premier builders, including D.R. Horton, KB Home, and Lennar, providing residents with a high-quality, modern living experience that integrates seamlessly with the natural environment. The Sandal Key development will also feature a multi-acre lagoon designed to be a year-round oasis, perfect for water activities and relaxation. Lagoon construction is set to begin in early 2026, with a projected completion timeline of 18-24 months. To learn more about Sandal Key visit Founded in 2003, Tampa-based Metro Development Group has been redefining Florida living and master-planned communities for more than 20 years. As Florida's largest privately held residential developer, Metro focuses on managing all aspects of land development by working with investors, landowners and award-winning builders. Metro has set a gold-standard of inland coastal living through innovative technologies, iconic entryways and world-class amenities, including its signature MetroLagoon. In 2023, two of Metro's Pasco County communities - Mirada and Epperson - were ranked among the 50-top-selling master-planned communities in the country by real estate consulting firms RCLCO and John Burns Real Estate Consulting. For more information, visit
Business Upturn
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Upturn
Saint Leo University Receives Significant Gift from Tampa Tech Icon, Arnie Bellini
Saint Leo, Fla., June 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Saint Leo University has received a transformative $1.5 million donation from Tampa-based tech visionary and philanthropist Arnie Bellini, founder of ConnectWise and CEO of Bellini Capital. The gift builds on an initial $500,000 contribution made in 2024, with a recent additional $1 million investment. This impactful support will significantly expand the university's reach in cybersecurity education, fueling initiatives designed to close workforce gaps and prepare students for high-demand careers. The donation will establish The Bellini Family Endowed Scholarship, the university's first dedicated cybersecurity scholarship, supporting students pursuing degrees in cybersecurity or demonstrating a strong passion for the field. It will also advance several strategic initiatives, including Saint Leo's first partnership with industry experts to create a new model for comprehensive, innovative cybersecurity training, with programming planned to begin in 2025. 'The cybersecurity threat is real, constant, and growing, and CyberBay is already a magnet for talent and innovation to address the need,' said Arnie Bellini. 'Right here in the Tampa Bay region, the demand for skilled cyber professionals is immediate and urgent—and the jobs are high-paying and high-impact. Saint Leo has proven itself as a powerhouse in cyber education, and this investment will amplify their impact and accelerate the pipeline of talent.' According to industry research, the global cybersecurity workforce gap surpassed 4 million jobs in 2023, including more than 500,000 vacancies in the United States. Florida ranks among the top five states in demand for cybersecurity professionals. The new training program will provide an expedited, flexible way for working adults to gain foundational cybersecurity skills. This revolutionary approach to cybersecurity education creates standardized training modules for industry wide adoption. Offered entirely online and self-paced, the program is designed to serve as a talent pipeline for employers across Tampa Bay and beyond, helping individuals transition into critical tech roles faster. 'Arnie Bellini's generosity accelerates our mission to educate ethical tech leaders and bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application,' said Steve Carroll, chief information officer at Saint Leo University. 'This gift will impact Tampa Bay's workforce for generations to come.' Saint Leo University has earned national recognition for its cybersecurity program and is designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the NSA and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In 2023, the university established the College of Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Data Science to meet the rising demand for high-quality education in the tech sector. More than 500 students are currently pursuing cybersecurity degrees at Saint Leo. ### ABOUT SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY Saint Leo University is a Catholic Benedictine university dedicated to helping learners of all backgrounds and ages gain the competence and courage to be more. Offering more than 55-degree programs to more than 13,000 students each year, the nonprofit university is known for providing a values-based education in the liberal arts tradition and a community of belonging for those who seek a greater purpose in life. Saint Leo is regionally accredited and offers a campus in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, regional education centers, and several online programs. The university is home to more than 106,000 alumni. Learn more at or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Miami Herald
23-06-2025
- Miami Herald
El Al starts flying travelers out of Israel as Miami service remains suspended
El Al began limited flights from Israel to the United States on Monday to help thousands of people get home after being stranded as missiles to and from Iran closed airspace. Dubbed 'rescue flights,' Israel's national carrier started leaving Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport on June 23 with one flight each to New York-JFK and Los Angeles International Airport. Service to and from Miami International Airport remains suspended. Over the next day, on June 24, El Al will operate two more flights to New York-JFK, one to Newark and one to Los Angeles, said Elie Rosenfeld, an airline spokesperson. These flights will continue in the coming days until normal Israeli airspace is restored, he said. The airline will also add cities in Europe and Asia. People living or based in South Florida but now in Israel can board the flights, but passengers must first register on El Al's website before getting picked. That's because the airline is limited by Israeli government approval to transporting 50 people per flight. At least 25,000 flight requests have been made on El Al's website since the night of June 21, when registration opened, Rosenfeld said. Chosen passengers will get email updates from El Al. But they won't be able to return to Israel for at least 30 days from the date of departure, according to the airline. El Al has also operated several flights from Europe and the U.S. to Tel Aviv since June 19, to bring back people who live in Israel. Other rescue flights The El Al flights to the U.S. and elsewhere come as other private groups, at least one in Florida, have helped rescue travelers. Tampa-based and veteran-backed Grey Bull Rescue has worked with the state of Florida to rescue 645 people although they may not all be from South Florida, said Ashley Pontius, a spokesperson for the organization. The most recent flights arrived the morning of June 20. The next one is scheduled for the morning of June 24 from Cyprus, she said. The requests are being made by families, veterans and college students. 'This operation remains ongoing, with rescue requests continuing to come in hourly,' Pontius said. Last week, the U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory for Israel to Level 4, its highest level, and is warning U.S. citizens to not travel to the country 'due to armed conflict, terrorism, and civil unrest.' The West Bank and Gaza are also under the 'Do Not Travel' Level 4 advisory. El Al flight details from Israel On June 23, El Al gave no indication of when flights to and from South Florida would resume, given the volatility of world events. For now, service is suspended until at least June 27. If your flight from Israel was canceled between June 13 an June 30, 2025 and you were reassigned to one of the limited flights, you won't have to pay an additional fee, assuming your flight is within the same region including Europe, the U.S. or the Far East, the airline said. For all other passengers including tourists, humanitarian and medical cases, El Al has set one-way fares: Larnaca, $99; Athens, $149; Rome, Paris and London, $299; New York and Los Angeles, $795; Bangkok, $695. Other carriers in the region have been less affected. Emirates has continued flights between Dubai and Miami. And Turkish Airways continues to operate between MIA and Istanbul. Qatar Airways has canceled some flights. Miami Herald staff writer Michelle Marchante contributed to this report.
Miami Herald
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
‘Living on pins and needles.' Second rescue flight from Israel lands in Florida
A second rescue flight carrying Floridians and other Americans stranded in Israel amid the ongoing conflict with Iran landed in Tampa early Friday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said. 'There are going to be more folks that are going to be rescued,' said DeSantis, calling the evacuation missions the 'most logistically challenging rescues' the state has done during his time as governor. This is 'an ongoing effort.' The state is working with several groups, including Tampa-based and veteran-led Grey Bull Rescue, to coordinate evacuation and rescue efforts as commercial flights to and from Israel are halted. Florida Sen. Jay Collins from Tampa, a retired Green Beret, is in Israel assisting the rescue group with the evacuation efforts. So far, Florida has flown over 300 people and 'we have put on a passenger ferry over 1,000 more,' said Kevin Guthrie, executive director of Florida's Division of Emergency Management, which oversees the state's response to hurricanes and other disasters. The people rescued have included families, veterans and college students. Guthrie said state officials and the rescue groups would not discuss logistic details of the rescue operations, citing safety issues for the people being evacuated and the rescuers. What a Broward man says about the rescue Broward County resident Josh Hammer, a Newsweek senior editor-at-large and host of 'The Josh Hammer Show' podcast, was one of many who arrived early Friday to Tampa. Hammer, who lives in Hallandale Beach, went to Israel about a week and half ago with his family and 6-month old baby girl to attend a family wedding. Then the airstrikes began. We were 'living on pins and needles for the sirens to go off,' with just '90 seconds to two minutes' to run into a bomb shelter, he said. 'The whole week has just been a total blur,' Hammer said at a Friday news conference. 'I feel like I'm not even here right now, physically.' Hammer shared more of his family's harrowing experience on the social media site X, which included crossing the border into Jordan and flying to Cyprus, an island nation in the Mediterranean Sea, before finally boarding a flight to Florida. 'Suffice it to say this was not the trip we had in mind. The past week has been absolutely crazy — especially with a six-month-old baby girl,' he said his post. 'None of this has been easy, to put it mildly. We will have some crazy stories for our daughter one day. Her first official passport stamp, humorously, is Jordan, since Israel doesn't stamp passports anymore.' Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory for Israel to Level 4, its highest level, and is warning U.S. citizens to not travel to the country 'due to armed conflict, terrorism, and civil unrest.' The West Bank and Gaza are also under the 'Do Not Travel' Level 4 advisory. This is the second time the DeSantis administration has helped get stranded Floridians out of Israel during conflict in the Middle East. In 2023, during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the state helped fly out nearly 700 Americans from Israel. Florida is directing Americans who need help to get out of Israel to fill out a form at
Miami Herald
19-06-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
With no flights in or out of Israel, here's how stranded Floridians are getting home
The State of Florida and a group of nonprofits are rushing to bring back Americans stranded in Israel while commercial flights to and from the country are halted amid the conflict between Israel and Iran. The confrontation began Friday after Israel launched a surprise wave of airstrikes targeting Iran nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists, the Associated Press reported. Bryan Stern, founder of Grey Bull Rescue, one of the groups coordinating rescue efforts with the state of Florida, said during an online news conference Thursday that there are several college students from Florida and other states who are waiting to be evacuated, including from Florida State University in Tallahassee. A group of 22 University of Miami students who were participating in an internship program in Tel Aviv are some of the people awaiting to be evacuated, according to The Miami Hurricane, the University of Miami's student newspaper. Arielle Green, 22, a UM student who was in the final week of her internship in Israel, told Miami Herald news partner CBS Miami that she recently woke up in the middle of the night to a missile alert blaring on her phone. She rushed to a nearby bomb shelter, where she and other students remained for nearly an hour. 'We're like waiting there and a bunch of Israelis on the street, near a bar, joined us,' she told the news station. 'We were sitting on the floor on mattresses and waiting until we got some sort of signal to leave.' The Miami Herald has contacted the University of Miami for more information. The students are in a safe location and are expected to be flown home by early next week, according to CBS Miami. State of Florida coordinating rescue efforts in Israel Florida's Division of Emergency Management, which is in charge of overseeing the state's response to hurricanes and other disasters, posted on Facebook Sunday that it's 'coordinating efforts to assist Americans seeking evacuation from the hostile situation in Israel.' 'If you or someone you know needs help returning home, visit: reads the post. The link directs people to fill out an evacuation assistance form from Tampa-based Grey Bull Rescue, a veteran-led team that helps rescue people from dangerous situations. Grey Bull Rescue has received over 4,000 evacuation requests and expects to hit 6,000 requests by Saturday, according to Stern, who founded the group several years ago. Stern said all of the rescue flights Grey Bull has coordinated so far with DeSantis have been 'successful' and that it has several other flights in the works. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has so far chartered at least four jets to fly nearly 1,500 Jewish Americans, who fled Israel to Cyprus via cruise ship, into Tampa, with Birthright Israel paying for all its participants' transportation costs, according to the Tampa Bay Times. South Florida resident Danielle Gozlan and her family had to travel across the Jordanian border to catch a flight that landed at Miami International Airport Thursday morning, according to WSVN. 'We couldn't find another way back we signed up for different ways—evacuation, rescue ways—and it just didn't work out for us so we had to go through Jordan. We had to get back home,' Gozlan told WSVN. 'It was really hard, especially for the kids, hearing the sirens go off every so often. It was really hard.' This isn't the first time the state of Florida has helped coordinate rescue efforts when there's been escalating conflict in the Middle East. In October 2023, at the start of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reported that nearly 700 Americans were flown to Florida on four flights from Israel that were coordinated with Project DYNAMO, a veteran-led Tampa-based nonprofit that conducts rescue missions in conflict zones. On Tuesday, Project DYNAMO announced that it had 'completed its first successful evacuations of Americans out of Israel' during this latest conflict in the Middle East, including 30 veterans who were on a retreat in Jerusalem with South Florida non-profit Heroes to Heroes. This article will be updated.
