In pitch to lure Cousteau Divers to St. Petersburg, a 'merci' to some help from Tampa

Wake up and good morning. Sometimes it's the little things, the offer to help across the waters of Tampa Bay, that can stand out and make a difference. This brief tale comes courtesy of Peter Betzer (left, courtesy USF), who spoke passionately just before Christmas at a luncheon by the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership, an economic booster group that Betzer heads as CEO.

Betzer, a former USF St. Petersburg dean of the College of Marine Science, talked about the concerted efforts by his group and others to encourage Pierre-Yves Cousteau (right, courtesy of The Cousteau Society), the youngest son of legendary ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, to make St. Petersburg the U.S. headquarters for his international organization, Cousteau Divers. Betzer's pretty pumped about the good chances this will happen, but you never know until the deal is signed...

Here's a St. Petersburg Times story about the ...