Gifting on Gandy Encourages Holiday Shoppers to Choose Local

November 23, 2020 (Tampa, FL) – This Holiday season, the Shop Gandy! business support campaign encourages residents and shoppers to gift more thoughtfully by shopping local at the hundreds of businesses along Gandy Boulevard for their holiday purchases.

Shopping on Gandy makes it easy to find great gifts from local businesses that need your support. Shoppers can stock up on holiday beverages from Fine Wine & Spirits or treat someone special with a gift certificate for Manis and Pedis from Daba Nails. The gift of a small, boutique gym membership at Westshore Fitness is a gift that keeps giving. Gift cards from Applebees, Mr. & Mrs. Crab, 81Bay Brewing Company, and Outback Carabbas Express are just a few items that make great stocking stuffers or gifts for family, friends, or employees. Dalton Dental is offering a $169 whitening special all month long and Tampa Laundry Company is always a win with home pick-up services. Tis the season to make an even greater impact on the South Tampa community by shopping locally and supporting Gandy Boulevard businesses.

“Now more than ever with the impacts of COVID-19, our local business community needs our support. Gandy Boulevard is one of South Tampa’s main hubs of commerce with hundreds of small and medium-sized businesses that are dedicated to providing goods and services to our community,” said Kelly Flannery, President & CEO of the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce. “As one of the founding partners of the Shop Gandy! business support campaign, we are committed to helping these businesses by encouraging local shoppers to #ShopGandy  and #ShopLocal  at businesses along the Gandy corridor for all of their holiday shopping needs.”

"This has been a hard year for our local businesses and as a small business owner, I understand the stress the pandemic has brought to industries all over the Bay. Shop Gandy is a reminder to support local and spend your holiday dollars at businesses that need your support during the Selmon Extension construction and also during a hard year for retailers," says Vince Cassidy, THEA Chairman of the Board.

This Holiday season shop local and find all your gifts from the restaurants and stores along Gandy Boulevard!

The FAV Speaker Series Features Industry Leaders and Robust Discussions on Cutting-Edge Transportation Technology in ACES (Automated, Connected, Electric, Shared)

November 17, 2020 (Virtual Event) - Beginning in 2013, the FAV Summit has attracted a global audience interested in Florida's technology-friendly policies and discussions on ACES mobility (ACES is an acronym for the four rising stars of mobility - Automated, Connected, Electric, and Shared). Since the in-person event is not possible this year, the Summit has pivoted to an online format with the FAV Speaker Series, a free 5-part series that will take place between December 2020 and April 2021.

The series kicks off on December 3rd at 11 am EST with Adam Jonas. Jonas, the Managing Director of Research at Morgan Stanley, will lead the dynamic discussion "Cars & Climate: How Big Tech, Fleets, and Cities Drive the EV Revolution." As technology continues to evolve, everything from road repairs and repaving to lane restructuring and transit projects will be affected by a city's plan to incorporate ACES into their network of transportation options and will create investment opportunities for deployment.

FAV Free Online Speaker Series: Part 1

Featured Speaker: Adam Jonas, Managing Director, Research, Morgan Stanley

Topic: "Cars & Climate: How Big Tech, Fleets, and Cities Drive the EV Revolution" 

Event Date/Time: December 3rd, 2020, 11 am EST

Register: favsummit.com/register

Registration is required for this FREE virtual event

"Innovation is not waiting. There is a global need to use technology and innovation to solve mobility problems and the FAV Speaker Series continues to reach high-tech companies, finance experts, and land-use planners to discuss what is happening now that will impact the future of driving," says Joe Waggoner, CEO Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA).

THEA, TEAMFL, the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX), the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, and Miami Dade Expressway (MDX) have worked to offer a safe format to share information on ACES that will affect city governments and county metropolitan planning organizations as they set local transportation policy in the near future. The FAV Summit and the FAV Speaker Series showcases Florida's commitment to lead the country and bring technology to the forefront.

“The evolution of transportation over the next decade will be unlike anything we have seen in our lifetime,” says State Senator Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg), a leader in automated vehicle policy solutions. “Leaders in both government and industry need access to the best ideas from those at the forefront of this transition. The FAV Speaker Series provides a unique forum to open the aperture on the future by providing an insider’s perspective to policymakers and firms, alike, to plan for the road ahead.”

The 5-Part Speaker Series will run from December 2020 - April 2021 with the 2021 FAV Summit planned for next November in-person in Orlando, FL. Please visit favsummit.com to learn more about the FAV Summit or to register for FAV Speaker Series, visit favsummit.com/register. Please click here for the FAV Speaker Series media kit.

###

ABOUT FAV SUMMIT:

The Florida Automated Vehicles (FAV) Summit has been assembling industry leaders from around the world to address Automated, Connected, Electric, and Shared technologies, operations, and policy issues since 2013. Our mission is to gain insight into how to create the ideal climate for the implementation and deployment of these technologies in Florida and beyond. For more information visit, FAVsummit.com.