Midtown Whole Foods Open + Tampa Startup Wins Pitch Competition

Morning, neighbors! Carlos Hernandez here with the latest Tampa Daily. Here's everything you need to know today in town.

First, today's weather: Possible light rain in the morning. High: 89 Low: 77.

Here are the top stories in Tampa today:

1. Florida coronavirus cases jumped 42% as the highly infectious delta variant spreads in the state. A public health professor at USF said unvaccinated people are causing the spread of delta and other variants. (Patch)

2. Tampa Theatre's Summer Classics movie series is back. Screenings run through September 1. Tickets are $10 at the historic Franklin Street Box Office and $12 if pre-ordered online. (Osprey Observer)

3. WWE Star Titus O’Neil and partners from the Ballard Family Foundation are hosting their annual Back-To-School Bash at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa in August. More than 100 corporate and community partners are joining them. Students from Hillsborough County School District will receive free entry and sports physicals, dental care, eye exams and glasses, haircuts, food, and backpacks filled with school supplies. (WFLA)

4. Whole Foods opened a larger location at Tampa's Midtown, relocating from Carrollwood. The company behind Midtown says it is in the process of opening 26 different food, beverage, and retail locations. (Fox 13 Tampa Bay)

5. Black Stock Footage, a Tampa-based startup, won a Florida pitch competition. It is an online platform for video creators that would be 100% focused on Black representation. The creator noticed a lack of stock footage depicting Black people in real life circumstances. The prize for winning is $25,000 toward building a beta platform. (83 Degrees Media)

Today's Tampa Daily is brought to you by our friends at FTD, the most trusted name in flowers. FTD's network includes over 8,800 local florists in communities around the country. Send flowers to someone you care about today and get a 15% discount on your order. Click here to make someone feel awesome.

Today in Tampa

• Paws for Literacy at Humane Society of Tampa Bay. (2:45 PM)
• Art Implosion at Karib Restaurant. (6:30 PM)
• Xtreme Hip Hop Step at G.R.I.T. Nutrition and Fitness. $10 to enter. Masks required. (6:45 PM)
• Bingo Night at Two Shepherds Taproom. (7:00 PM)
• Glory (1989) at Tampa Theatre. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. (7:30 PM)
• Powerstories Open Mic. (7:30 PM)
• Claude Vonstroke at The Kennedy. (9:00 PM)

Tampa Patch Notebook

• The fight between Florida and the CDC about cruise industry restrictions is headed to an appeals court.
• Over 4,500 households lost power after Elsa passed through the area.
• The death toll in the Surfside condo collapse in Miami has passed 46.
• Looking for a Cuban Sandwich in Tampa? Here is a handy list of some great spots. My favorite? The Floridian.
• Tampa Bay Times: "The first lady, an educator, will meet with competitors of the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "A group of friends met at last summer's Black Lives Matter protests. Now they're helping Tampa seniors prepare for Elsa." (Facebook)

From our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• USF Art Museum To Host Breaking Barriers Photography Workshops (July 9)
• Second Sunday Art Walk And Vendor Fair (July 11)
• Storytime Explorers for ages 3-6 (July 12)
• Tampa Heights Night Market (July 14)

You're officially in the loop for today. See you all tomorrow for another update! If you're enjoying these newsletters, consider bringing some friends and neighbors along for the ride. 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? Email me at tampadaily@patch.com.