BuzzWorthyitems of note
Ray Ferrara, founder, chair and
CEO of Provise Management
Group, was named by Florida
Trend magazine as one of the Top
500 business leaders in Florida. He
was selected based on longevity,
influence and leadership.
Tom Wilkins, formerly with
The Florida Orchestra and now the
conductor at the Hollywood Bowl
Orchestra and the Boston Symphony
Orchestra, has become the inaugural
principal guest conductor at the
Virginia Symphony Orchestra.
Bob Schmidt, mayor of Belleair
Shore, was presented with a plaque
from the Florida League of Cities in
recognition of his 25 years of service
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66 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
CONNIE WHITEHEAD
Kat Renick, IamMore founder; and employees of Diamonds International
of St. Petersburg – Adam Key, Teresa Benedetto and Thomas Poe – helped
Diamonds International at its family fun night at the X-Treme Fun Center in
Largo in partnership with the IamMore Foundation, which seeks to reinvent the
self-image of children who have been diagnosed with a chronic condition.
Elif Fitzgerald of
PureLife Medi-Spa in
Largo and her husband
Dr. Joseph Fitzgerald
attended a Patriots Night
program in Safety Harbor
in celebration of the nextday
seminar in Largo,
where he was a lecturer
among leading scientists
and medical experts from
across the country who
met to discuss health
issues in Florida.
J. Michael Francis, a professor of
history at the University of South
Florida, has been awarded the
Officer’s Cross by King Felipe VI of
Spain in recognition of his work,
which uncovered Spanish roots
in Florida’s early history. Francis
also was inducted into the Order of
Isabella the Catholic. Francis is the
director of the La Florida project,
which digitized much of Florida’s
early history.