TAMPA, Fla. — At every home game, The Tampa Bay Lightning honor a local person or nonprofit working to make an impact in our community.
Tampa International Airport CEO Joe Lopano was honored as the Lightning Community Hero during the game on March 25.
Lopano has been at the helm of TPA since 2011 and has led the airport through tremendous growth.
He’s retiring next month after over 40 years in the aviation industry.
The Lightning Foundation gave Lopano a $50,000 grant, which he’s donating to the Tampa Bay Aviation Association. The money will go to the nonprofit Girls Achieving Leadership in Aviation Program, which provides scholarships for girls to pursue careers in aviation.
Pasco County woman trying to rebuild mobile home after hurricanes
"I cried, of course, because I've worked very hard getting it nice, which has been difficult for me since I lost my husband and being alone,” Kelly Welty said.
Welty's mobile home lost its roof during Hurricane Milton. She said it was the only one in the Buena Vista community to get totaled by a tornado.
