Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Sierra Club: Other transportation solutions should come first

Tampa Bay Sierra Club offers an intelligent, informed assessment of Hillsborough County’s proposal to increase the sales tax to pay mainly for road improvements with relatively little for mass transit. here

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Florida GOP Ron DeSantis Is Already Running Scared

Check out his post on Facebook 

Florida INC. - Liesa Priddy

The state pays nearly $1 million a year to biologists to study the Florida panther. Yet when the state's top wildlife official decided to rewrite Florida's panther policy to overhaul how the state manages the endangered cats, he didn't consult them until the document was done. Instead, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission executive director Nick Wiley brainstormed almost exclusively with Immokalee ranch owner Liesa Priddy who was appointed to the wildlife commission in 2012 by Gov. Rick Scott. here

What Stogie Had For Lunch

Baked Fish
With Black Beans and Yellow Rice
At Havana House Cafe in Lecanto
Visit them here
Stop in and say hello to Megan and Frank

Raven's Bowtique

Custom made bows
here 

Stop Oil Drilling In The Big Cypress National Preserve

A newly proposed project from a Texas oil company, threatens to irreversibly alter the character of the protected area and turn essential habitat into just another oil field crisscrossed with roads and dotted with drill pads. The company has asked for permission to begin seismic surveying -- which itself will require the removal of trees and destruction of habitat on 70,000 acres. Limited drilling is already permitted in the preserve, but this project is unprecedented in its scale and must be stopped. If oil and gas is found, all risks will mushroom. here

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Florida Banana Republicans

37% or 10 of 27 Congressional House seats are held by Dems. 47% of FL 2014 votes were for Dems

The Florida Supreme Court just ruled against the gerrymandering that makes this corruption possible. Those legislators who voted for maps that are deemed unconstitutional should be treated and punished as traitors. The legislators elected by gerrymandering constitute a Banana Republic; they and the laws they pass are illegitimate.

July Solidarity Sunday

July 12th 6pm
It's time for Tampa's monthly worker meetup at Lee's
Lee's Grocery - Tampa

The Sierra Club, Tea Party Love Fest

Kevin Thurman of Connect Tampa Bay, a transit advocacy group, said he hopes the Sierra Club executive committee members who voted on the statement consulted their membership before advocating for a gas tax for road maintenance.
"I find it very concerning and upsetting that the Sierra Club would require a tax for more money for roads before getting more money for transit," Thurman said he was also surprised to see the Sierra Club moving away from partnerships with transit groups and aligning itself with the tea party.

Florida GOP Corruption In 4 Cool Visuals

How the Florida GOP’s gerrymander went too far. here

Florida GOP voters don't forget we got your back!

“John should lay off the scotch … at least until noon.”

Local Hero Diane McKee

A Hillsborough County teacher has been named Florida's Teacher of the Year.
Diane McKee, is an English teacher at Williams Middle Magnet School. She has been a teacher for 14 years, 11 of those in Florida. McKee received the award at a banquet Thursday night in Orlando. here

Friday, July 10, 2015

Deborah Newell Tornello: So much awesome!

"Bernie running for prez, and now Alan Grayson is running for senate. So much awesome!"

Florida's Culture Of Corruption: Wheelbarrows of cash utility companies dump in Tallahassee

Pam Bondi and 
Florida's Chamber of Commerce

Have both joined with mega utility companies to fight a constitutional amendment on solar power that embraces a competitive marketplace.

 The simple truth is Florida's leaders are a bunch of lemmings running in unison in whichever direction the power companies tell them. Utility companies have donated $12 million to the campaigns of state lawmakers since 2010. Seven members of the chamber's board of directors are employed by the electric industry. Power companies are forever trying to gouge consumers — to the tune of billions — for nuclear plant construction and fracking operations.

The bottom line is this wouldn't be a problem if the Public (Corporate) Service Commission did its job and actually regulated electric monopolies. Or if state legislators showed more interest in reining in their sugar daddies. here

FBI Is Now Investigating The Broward County Sheriff's Office

A beloved computer engineer who had never been in trouble a day in his life, Jermaine McBean was shot and killed in the apartment complex where he lived in Broward County, more than two years ago. To this day, the sheriff's office has kept the case in limbo and still not taken the case to a grand jury. It was just announced that the FBI is launching its own probe into McBean's killing. here

Kenny Stabler RIP

The Snake is dead at 69!
Been a Raiders fan since I was 10. He was always my favorite. 

Ken Stabler belongs in Hall of Fame here

So Sad, I will miss him.

Florida GOP Culture Of Corruption

 The Florida Supreme Court took a wrecking ball to Florida’s political landscape Thursday, throwing out the state’s carefully-crafted congressional districts drawn by the GOP-led Legislature and ordered a new map within 100 days. here

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article26860765.html#storylink=cpy

Alan Grayson For U.S. Senate (Video)

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Cruises to Cuba coming to Florida

What Stogie Had For Lunch

Half Slab of Ribs and Pulled Pork Sandwich
At Rons Roadside Grille in Garden Grove

I pass this place all the time on my way to Brooksville. It is always packed. My friend and I stopped in for lunch. He had the Pulled Pork and I had the Ribs. I can see why it is a local favorite. The Ribs were perfectly cooked, best Baby Back Ribs I have ever had  and the service was great. Thank you Katherine, we will be back. Visit them on Facebook and like their page. here 

Jeb Bush: People Need to Work Longer Hours

A 2014 Gallup poll found that already many Americans employed full-time report working, on average, 47 hours a week, while nearly 4 in 10 say they work at least 50 hours a week.
US workers work more hours than workers in any other large, industrialized country, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. here

Urbanism On Tap In Tampa

July 14th @ 5pm
Independent Bar and Cafe, Tampa