The Don CeSar delivers hospitality, community service and beach access during pandemic

Exterior of The Don CeSar hotel in St. Pete Beach, Florida, known as the “Pink Palace,” surrounded by palm trees under a clear blue sky.

In more than 92 years holding court beachside the team at the Don CeSar, one of St. Pete Beach’s most recognizable and storied properties, has navigated multiple obstacles. Despite the stock market crash of 1929, appropriation by the United States government during World War II to serve as an Army hospital, and subsequent Veteran’s Affairs … Read more

How Volunteers of America’s Florida chapter helps the most vulnerable

It’s been a tough few months. Most of us are ready to get back to something close to normal. We don’t know when that will be, or what it will look like, but Volunteers of America is directly bringing resources and donations to the region’s most vulnerable. The faith-based, nonprofit organization has been serving low-income … Read more

One Liners Polk: Bank of Central Florida, Publix and more

►A new scholarship, named for Florida Polytechnic University trustee Frank T. Martin, was established to provide more opportunities to African American students and help them achieve their STEM career ambitions. ► Watson Clinic, based in Lakeland, added physician Yeneneh Desta to the infectious diseases department at Watson Clinic Main and Melissa Kham, a registered nurse … Read more

One Liners Sarasota and Manatee: Ringling Museum of Art, FCCI Insurance Group and more

►Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe announced its 2020-21 board of trustees, with a new board chair, Doris Johnson, and two new trustees, Mona Rankin and Dona Scott. ►Sarasota-based property and casualty insurer, FCCI Insurance Group, is expanding its geographic reach and will begin writing commercial insurance in the state of Pennsylvania as of Sept. 1. ►Centauri … Read more

One Liners Pinellas: Dynasty Financial Partners, Barkett Realty and more

►Benefactors and retired businesswomen, Kate Tiedemann and Ellen Cotton donated $1 million to the University of South Florida Foundation to create the Tiedemann-Cotton Endowed Professorship in Finance position at USF’s St. Petersburg campus. ►Rich Hume, CEO of Tech Data Corp., joined the board of directors of The AllState Corp. (NYSE: ALL). ►Bassano Cheesecake opened at … Read more