Skip The Election. Survey 100 Tampa Residents Instead

The election of 2008, as in 2004, may well be determined by the average opinions of a handful of residents in Hillsborough County, Florida. Among the “swing states” those up for grabs, is Florida with its 27 electoral votes. Those votes were awarded to the Republicans last time by an overtly partisan Secretary of State, Katherine Harris, and an activist, equally partisan, United Supreme Court........here

Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo Explores Solar Power

Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo is planning to install a solar system that can generate enough clean energy to power the zoo's Skyfari sky ride and will be connected to the electric grid through the zoo's main power system..........here

Mario Diaz-Balart: Down for the Count!

Mario Diaz-Balart goes off the ledge while showing he loves George W. Bush's failed economic policies of the last 8 years.

3 Hrs On The Vote Line... In Florida!

So go out, vote, then go volunteer the rest of your time! We have to hand such a terrible thrashing to the Republicans that they have to abandon their bankrupt ideologies, face their scurrilous lies, and never, ever consider putting that Palin woman on the political stage again!.........here

The Obamas In Florida

Barack and Michelle hit the stump together in Florida Tuesday. A new NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll has Team Obama up by ten points from the opposition. Who doesn't feel the love?........here

Florida Focus Group: Independents Break For Obama

The respected St. Petersburg Times has been keeping tabs on a group of Tampa swing voters and it finds them now breaking heavily for Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama — and GOP Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain’s choice of Gov. Sarah Palin as Vice Presidential candidate has a lot to do with it........here

A Guide To Florida's Proposed Constitutional Amendments

As you head to the polls in Florida you'll face the usual list of races for local, state, and national office, and you probably already know about most of them. But in Florida, as you may know, we have a very weird constitutional amendment process, which I frankly think is a joke..........here

Bill Richardson Calls For Cambio In West Tampa

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, formerly a 2008 Democratic presidential candidate, called on Tampa Hispanics to vote early for Barack Obama at a rally today. Supporters waved signs calling for "cambio," Spanish for "change," as Richardson called on supporters to vote for Obama........here

Kevin Beckner For Tampa Bay

Gas Pipeline Drilling Damages Tampa Bay Seagrass

A company drilling a natural gas pipeline route under Tampa Bay this summer spilled a chemical that has killed about two acres of seagrass.........here

Obama Hangs With The Next World Series Champions In Tampa

Getting the effective endorsement of the same guys who earned Tampa its first-ever trip to the World Series can’t help but give an oomph to Obama’s popularity in central Florida, where the Rays have won a large following during a miraculous season........here

Guide To The 2008 General Election In Tampa Bay

Know Your Candidates is a special report by the St. Petersburg Times. From candidate information to the logistics of voting, you'll find it here..........here

The Gospel At Lawton Chiles High

Just thought you might like to hear that some fellow worshipers are spreading the gospel over at Lawton Chiles High in Tallahassee, Florida...........here

Barack Obama Rally At George M. Steinbrenner Field

Monday, October 20th, Doors Open: 10:30 a.m. Program Begins: 12:40 p.m.

3802 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Tampa

info

Tampa Tribune Picks McCain

John McCain won the endorsement of the Tampa Tribune Saturday, a key newspaper in the battleground state of Florida..........here
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Joe The Plumber Gonzalez Of Tampa

Is president at the
Henry Gonzalez Plumbing Co.
in Tampa. Believes in the trickle down theory. He's a McCain guy...........here

U.S. Rep. Wasserman Schultz Calls Sarah Palin

"the most unqualified candidate for vice president I've ever seen''

GOP Worried About Tampa

Hillsborough County Florida is home to Tampa. The city of Tampa is actually a decent place for Democrats. We have a Democratic mayor and several Democrats in the city council. If you go outside city limits, you run into a very Republican area. The Florida GOP fears that if Obama wins this county, he wins the state........here

Poll: Will Obama win Hillsborough County?.........here

Obama Hits Tampa Bay TV

In an interview with a Tampa station Friday, the Democratic nominee talks flooding insurance, Reagan and baseball............here

Also suggests he may not root for the Rays if they make it to the World Series.

WMNF's Economic Recovery Plan

WMNF was fundraising during one of the most traumatic weeks in US history---a time when financial markets were in turmoil and freefall---and when you, no doubt, were worried about your own finances. As a result, we ended our marathon about $90,000 short of where we need to be to maintain our programming, run the station and stay on the air for the next few months. While the government was busy bailing out the big banks, your grassroots community station was---and still is---going through one of the worst fiscal times in our history...........here

Al Austin Circulates Joke About Killing Obama

A longtime, high-level Republican fundraiser from Tampa, today sent to his list of political contacts an e-mail containing a joke that refers to the assassination of Barack Obama.
When asked about the e-mail, Austin said it was a mistake and apologized and that he wouldn’t knowingly have circulated it.........here

Mobile Abortion Billboard Goes Thru Tampa

If you were driving in downtown Tampa at midday today, you might have seen a billboard truck with a graphic depictions of abortions. The ‘mobile abortion billboards’ are an initiative from Southern California based pro life group the Center for Bio Ethical Reform........here

Hillsborough County Land For Sale

Contact Buddy Johnson
After using a $20-a-year lease from a cow exhibitor to apply for a lucrative "greenbelt" tax exemption on his Plant City property, Elections Supervisor Buddy Johnson said he was committed to keeping his land agricultural. The commitment didn't last long...........here

Getting Lost In The Everglades

The wife and I took off this morning with the intent of getting lost, which is no easy task for us. We headed west across the Everglades on I-75, and a few miles past the Indian rest stop we yanked a U-Turn...........here

Fellowship Baptist Church: First Time In Ybor City

This past Saturday night I had the pleasure of being invited to hit the streets of Ybor City in Tampa Florida with the Henry family and Fellowship Baptist Church. I have been to Ybor in my unconverted days and remember it being packed with drunken people and half dressed women. So needless to say I was a bit nervous as the church bus dropped us off on a side street.........here

Fidel the Blogger

As Wall Street was melting down last week, Fidel Castro was busy blogging. The 82-year-old former leader of the Cuban Revolution hammered out a brief post gloating about the bailout blow-up. “Bush is going hoarse giving ridiculous speeches,” Castro wrote on his blog...........here

Obama Volunteer Orientation Session

Join your fellow supporters Thursday at 6:00 p.m. and Friday at 4:00 p.m.

RSVP now to get involved in your community.
Obama-Biden Campaign for Change Headquarters
14519 North 18th Street
Tampa

Stephen Gorham For Hillsborough County School Board

"I believe we have a great School District with unlimited potential. As a veteran, husband, and father I will fight to keep our children safe, deliver fiscal responsibility, open lines of communication, and ensure the success of all students.".........here

Who Is Phyllis Busansky?

Janet Zink’s latest is about the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections (SOE) race. It sounds like she walked through downtown Tampa and asked random citizens about the incumbent and his challenger. The gist is that people don’t really know that Phyllis Busansky is running for SOE........here

First Book and United Way of Tampa Bay Book Drive

With your help, First Book and United Way of Tampa Bay are providing new books to children from low-income families in the Bay area. Each brand new book costs only $2.00. If you donate $10, $20 or $100, you can be certain that the books will be first-quality, popular titles that are sure to interest many children........here

Ybor City's Batman Arrested

Far from Gotham's crime-infested alleys, 21-year-old Walsh Ian Nichols frequently patrols the nightclubs of Ybor City dressed as the Dark Knight. But Tampa police arrested Nichols Friday for violating a state law that forbids wearing a mask on a public right of way.........here

Tampa Downtown Market

The mission is to serve as a community-gathering place where local farmers, producers, and artisans can offer fresh agricultural and related products to generate a sense of local pride and further the economic development of Downtown Tampa............here

Pit Bulls Pounding the Pavement in Ybor City

On Saturday, October 18th, at 5 PM, a group will be meeting in Ybor City, in their Pit Bulls Pounding the Pavement event to promote awareness and responsible dog ownership.......here

The Interfaith Rally to Oppose Amendment 2

Standing on the Side of Love
Lowry Park - Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 4 p.m.
In addition to the many speakers scheduled for the rally,
there will be music by Faith Rivera and Harold Payne........rsvp

THE CRISIS ("LA CRISIS") ON TAMPA BAY

Located in Downtown Tampa, Ybor City neighborhood is a densely populated residential and commercial area. Sitting at the far end of a three-block-long business district filled with colorful Latino storefronts is a modest mobile phone franchise. Owner Rosario Lorenzo stands at the counter of the small store, surrounded by cellphones and PDAs, but no customers.........here

Esquire Shuns The Diaz-Balart Brothers

Esquire got into the political endorsement game in its recent issue, and some incumbents in Congress who are seeking re-election perhaps wished the magazine hadn''t. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Mario Diaz-Balart and Alcee Hastings were among the eight members of the Florida Congressional Delegation who failed to win the magazine's endorsement.
The Diaz-Balart brothers drew the editors' ire for failing to move beyond their apparent political reason for being: Fidel Castro........here

What kind of impact the men's magazine endorsement will have is anybody's guess.
The Diaz Balart brothers are in tight races and could be swept out of office in a landslide Democratic vote.

Casa Obama Debate Watch Party

Hosted by Hispanics for Obama

8:30 pm
3303 W. Columbus Drive (Across from La Teresita)
Tampa

Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida

Home to 3 of World's Top 50 Steel Roller Coasters

Hang on to your hats! If you visit Busch Gardens in Tampa, you have the chance to ride three of the Top 50 steel roller coasters in the entire world, as judged by the Golden Ticket Awards.For 2008, the three Busch Gardens Tampa rides included in the Golden Ticket's Top 50 are Montu (10th place), Shei'Kra (19th), and Kumba (27th)..........here

How The Real-Estate Market Could Turn Florida For Obama

Driving central Florida's foreclosure road is to see economic anxiety made concrete: miles and miles of concrete. Along the Interstate 4 corridor, aquatically named housing developments (Bays, Beaches, Points, Isles, Vistas) pile up, one twisting cul-de-sac after another bristling with "For Sale" signs........here

Florida Bellwether Counties Bode Well For Obama

This race could be over early on Election Night if current trends continue, and you really only have to look at one region to know where the contest stands: Tampa Bay.........here

Buddy Johnson Using Voter Education Funds To Bankroll His Election

Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections, Buddy Johnson, is running a series of public service announcements to educate voters for the upcoming election. Johnson's opponent, Phyllis Busansky, says she believes the announcements are unethical at the very least and it could be illegal........here

Redemption For Zachary Sharples

The Tampa Bay Rays' playoff run turned into a hair-raising experience for a 12-year-old fan who got in trouble for adopting the team's signature playoff hairstyle -- and then wound up on the field with his major-league heroes........here

Tampa Tribune's Voting Challenge

Today's Page One has a large graphic that is part game, part cynical reminder that every vote counts and if you do not follow the rules exactly, your vote may very well not count...........here

Empty Chair Charlie's First Priority?

Gov. Charlie Crist says he's not quietly jumping off the John McCain bandwagon now that he appears to be losing ground in the all-important swing state of Florida........here