Hillsborough College awarded $1.29 million for AI center
TAMPA – Hillsborough College has received a $1.29 million federal grant to set up an artificial intelligence innovation center that will focus on expanding AI education and workforce preparation.
“As artificial intelligence continues to transform industries, this grant ensures the college remains a leader in innovation,” said Christopher Paynter, dean of Associate in Science Programs at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry Campus. “Through the AI Innovation Center, we will provide students and educators meaningful opportunities to learn and apply new skills in ways that connect directly to the workplace. This initiative is not just about technology; it’s about preparing people for what’s next and creating real pathways to success for our community.”
For more information on the FIPSE, visit the FIPSE website at www.ed.gov.
Extension to offer free classes, workshops
The Hillsborough County Extension Service is offering a variety of classes in February that range from gardening to being smarter about money.
From hands-on vegetable gardening and sustainable landscaping to food safety certification and free financial education, Extension experts are offering programs designed to make everyday life easier, more affordable, and more sustainable. Many events are family-friendly, beginner-friendly, and open to residents across the county, with options available both in-person and online.
Space is limited for some classes, and advance registration is required for most events. For more information about the program offerings, visit the Extension Services Calendar of Events.
USF nursing college awarded $2 million to address nursing shortage
TAMPA – The University of South Florida College of Nursing has received a $2 million gift from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust to establish the Second Degree Nursing Success Scholarship, which aims to accelerate efforts to address Florida’s nursing shortage.
The new scholarship program will provide vital financial support to students enrolled in the college’s Accelerated Second Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, an intensive, fast-track pathway designed for college graduates seeking to transition into nursing.
USF’s ABSN program allows students to earn their second degree in just 16 months. However, because they are pursuing a second bachelor’s degree, ABSN students are ineligible for federal or state aid such as Pell Grants or Florida’s Bright Futures. The Kenan Trust gift helps ensure that dedicated, high-performing students can pursue nursing without undergoing financial hardship.
The program will award 400 scholarships of $5,000 each over the next three years.
Awards will begin this spring, with preference given to students with demonstrated financial need.
USF College of Nursing will use the $2 million gift to reduce student debt, expand access to the nursing profession and strengthen Florida’s health care workforce.
Residents asked to limit landscape watering to one day a week
Regional water control officials are asking residents to observe new guidelines regarding landscape watering days because of the regional drought.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District governing board voted Jan. 27 to declare a “severe” water shortage due to dry conditions across the region. The declaration limits watering landscape to one day a week.
The restrictions apply to all of Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter counties; portions of Charlotte, Highlands and Lake counties; the city of Dunnellon and The Villages in Marion County; and the portion of Gasparilla Island in Lee County The restrictions are in effect from Feb. 8 through July 1.
Use of reclaimed water is allowed any day of the week but only before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
Residents should follow the following schedule. If your address (house number) ends in:
• 0 or 1, water only on Monday
• 2 or 3, water only on Tuesday
• 4 or 5, water only on Wednesday
• 6 or 7, water only on Thursday
• 8 or 9, and locations without a discernible address, water only on Friday
Clerk offers special group wedding for Valentine’s Day
TAMPA – Hillsborough Clerk Victor D. Crist will officiate a group wedding for about 40 couples on Valentine’s Day during a group ceremony in Joe Chillura Courthouse Square.
Couples must be preregistered and have obtained marriage licenses through the Hillsborough Clerk of Court Office before the event.
Couples will receive a special commemorative Marriage Certificate. The official certificate of marriage will be mailed within one week from the date of the ceremony. The Clerk has waived the normal $30 ceremony fee. Standard license fees will still apply.
The ceremony will be conducted in English, with an ASL interpreter, and in Spanish.
Girl Scout project brings art to underserved families
LITHIA – Girl Scout Troop 33530, part of the Fossil Valley Service Unit of Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, has completed a community service project focused on increasing access to arts and crafts for children in underserved communities across Hillsborough County.
The troop created 180 Children’s Art Bags, which are being distributed through the Hillsborough County Children’s Board Family Resource Centers at six locations throughout the county. The bags include age-appropriate craft kits: younger children receive a paper windmill craft with colored pencils, while older children receive a wooden boat kit with paint supplies. Each project allows children to create, keep, and take pride in their own artwork.
The project was designed to support child development by promoting creativity, fine motor skills, focus, language development, and confidence. It also provides families an opportunity to spend quality time together creating art with materials they may not otherwise have access to. The troop is led by Jennifer C. Loader-Wohl and Melody Gershkoff.
Palm Harbor students win awards at Junior Theater Festival
ATLANTA – Students representing The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Academy were among several regional youth theater groups that received awards and recognition at the 2026 Junior Theater Festival Atlanta Jan. 16-18.
The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Academy received the Excellence in Dance Award.
Academy students Ava Cane and Joshua Cane were named Junior Theater Festival All-Stars, a select group of outstanding performers. Cane and Emma Snedes-Kilmek made it to the call-back to a yet-to-be announced special project promoting musical theater in schools.
At the festival, each group performed 15 minutes of a Broadway Junior® musical for adjudicators.
Some 141 groups from 31 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Australia, England, France, Malta, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales. participated in the festival.
Housing authority gets major self-sufficiency award
TAMPA — The Tampa Housing Authority has been awarded $980,720 in Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The FSS program is an initiative designed to help families receiving housing assistance increase their earned income and reduce their dependency on public subsidies. Through personalized coaching and the establishment of escrow savings accounts—which grow as a participant’s earnings increase—the program provides a tangible pathway toward homeownership and long-term financial stability.
The grant enables eight FSS counselors to deliver services to families. They connect housing voucher-holding families with public and private resources to boost income, reduce welfare dependency, and promote self-sufficiency. In 2025, the program supported 400 families — the largest pool in Florida — with an average $15,000 escrow per family.
“We are profoundly grateful for HUD’s continued partnership and recognition of our efforts,” said Jerome D. Ryans, THA president and CEO. “This funding is crucial; it provides the fuel for our families to break cycles of poverty and move toward true economic independence. It allows us to scale our mission, ensuring that every participating resident has the resources to turn their professional and personal aspirations into reality.”
Hillsborough principals earn leadership awards
TALLAHASSEE – Florida TaxWatch has announced the 2025-26 Principal Leadership Awards (winners, recognizing 15 of Florida’s most successful principals from high-risk K-12 public schools in Brevard, Collier, Duval, Escambia, Hillsborough, Lake, Leon, Levy, Miami-Dade, Orange, and Palm Beach counties. Among the winners are two principals from Hillsborough County, Lipi Datta-Reid of Dr. Carter G. Woodson K-8 School, and Dina Langston of Armwood High School.
“Florida TaxWatch established this one-of-a-kind evidence-based Principal Leadership Awards program, which uses comprehensive data to determine the most effective principals in our state, to reward these outstanding principals for the transformational impact they are having both in their schools and in their communities,” said Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Jeff Kottkamp.
The PLA program, established in 2013, recognizes educational leaders who are creating meaningful changes in their students’ lives, while also promoting their uniquely effective practices among their peers.
As part of their award, each principal has the opportunity to grant an Academic A+ Challenge Match Scholarship to a deserving student.
Hillsborough schools win national magnet award
Some 21 magnet schools in Hillsborough County have been recognized as National Merit Award winners by the organization Magnet Schools of America.
Lennard High School Collegiate Academy received the highest designation of 2026 Top Magnet School of Excellence.
National merit awards are presented to magnet schools for demonstrating a commitment to high academic standards, curriculum innovation, and strong parent and community involvement. To be considered for a merit award, member schools must submit an application that is scored by a panel of educators.
Other HCPS magnet schools honored as Schools of Excellence are:
• Armwood High School Collegiate Academy
• Progress Village Middle Magnet School of the Arts
• York Innovation Academy, International Baccalaureate
• Boys Preparatory Academy at Franklin Middle Magnet School, A Cambridge School
• Magnet Schools of Distinction Award winners:
• Orange Grove Middle Magnet School of the Arts
• Spoto High School Collegiate Academy
• Roland Park K-8 Magnet School, International Baccalaureate
• Dunbar Elementary Magnet School, Math and Medical Academy
• Stewart Middle Magnet School, STEM School
• Middleton Pre-Collegiate STEM Academy High School
• Ferrell Middle Magnet Girls Preparatory Academy, A Cambridge School
• Macfarlane Park Elementary International Baccalaureate Program
• Tampa Bay Technical High School
• Sligh Middle Magnet School, Medical and Sports Sciences
• Rampello K-8 Downtown Partnership Magnet School
• Lincoln Elementary Magnet School, International Baccalaureate
• Marshall Middle Magnet IB World Community School
• Williams Middle Magnet School, International Baccalaureate
• Dowdell Middle Magnet School, Environmental and Animal Science
• Walker Middle Magnet IB World School.