This Thursday, July 15th, the Hillsborough County Commission will vote on a proposal to clean up our water. The vote is on a county-wide fertlizer and landscaping rule that would prevent the algae blooms that make our waterways sick. National fertilizer companies are pulling out all the stops to convince our commissioners to let them keep their right to pollute. here Commissioner Rose Ferlita: (813) 272-5470 Commissioner Kevin White: (813) 272-5720 Commissioner Kevin Beckner: (813) 272-5730 Commissioner Mark Sharpe: (813) 272-5735
Hillsborough County is installing hundreds of solar panels on the county courthouse in downtown Tampa. These solar panels will save the County more than $60,000 annually in energy costs......here
“The Cigar Maker” is about one industry, two countries and several families at a crossroads of two centuries. The book realistically describes the living conditions of poor native Cubans under Spanish occupation, of rich Spaniards, of cigar makers in Ybor City. info
BP and other Big Oil companies have been getting government hand-outs that fleece billions from taxpayers every year. ExxonMobil, the most profitable corporation in American history, avoided paying ANY income taxes to the Federal Government last year and then pocketed an additional $46 million from the IRS.
I used to think it was an urban myth about poor people eating dog food because they can't aford to buy regular food. Now, I have seen it with my own eyes......here
A St. Pete Beach resident's perspective on Amendment 4 / Florida Hometown Democracy here They Might Be Heroes In St. Pete Beach, But I Live In Hillsborough County. Vote "Yes" On Amendment 4
A free informational forum on the Impact of the Oil Crisis in the Gulf on Tampa Bay is scheduled on Wednesday, July 14, 6 to 8:30 p.m., in the Digitorium on the St. Petersburg College Seminole campus. info
The Republican Party of Duval County sent out e-mails to promote the July 2 Tea Party at the Jacksonville Landing. The Duval GOP posted this picture of President Barack Obama dressed as a Nazi on their Facebook page.........here
In the latest shenanigans the former party chairman Jim Greer, under indictment for allegedly defrauding the party, is now suing the party for $120,000 severance he claims he was owed.......here Via....The Spencerian
Want Excitement? It’s all at Caliente! A Luxury Clothing Optional Lifestyle Resort in Tampa FL Experience the sensual, romantic, safe and secure, private setting Caliente offers......here
Buffalo Soldiers The Woods & Wanton Chapter, Inc. is the only registered chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers in the State of Florida. It was named after congressional medal of honor recipients, Sgt. Brent Woods and MSgt. George Wanton. The Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th and 10th Regiment, a black unit was created after the Civil War. info
Seven political activists claiming their civil rights were violated after they were arrested and cited for protesting against Sheriff Joe Arpaio's immigration policies recently were awarded nearly $475,000 by Maricopa County.......here
"The Sheriff's Office is creating these liabilities against the county. If it's 'fraud,' it's a fraud committed by virtue of bad acts."......County Manager David Smith
George Washington Junior High School was among the first junior high schools constructed in the state, and set precedent at the time for the organizational structure of schools throughout the United States. Erected in 1915.......more
Growing bicycling in Tampa Bay means working together with others who value and appreciate cycling as a great way of life, a way to stay healthy and a way to build stronger and more vibrant communities. This morning, SWFBUD visited Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe at Buddy Brew coffeehouse on Kennedy Avenue in Tampa this morning.......here
Marleine Bastien is one of only 4 candidates in the whole country with a national PDA endorsement. The Florida Democratic primary is on August 24th. info
In April 1898, the United States declared war against Spain. Thousands of U.S. soldiers arrived in Tampa to prepare for an invasion of Cuba. Ten regiments, including two black units, camped on the fringes of the elegant Tampa Heights neighborhood. The Twenty-fourth Infantry was located just north of this marker, while the Twenty-fifth camped to the southeast......here
I just received — via a response on my blog — from Michael Pinson that he is considering taking legal action against me for the three posts I have written about him this week......here "Well, I can see that by your posting 3 attack articles in 24 hours, that there is clearly something wrong with you. Your article above is a outright lie as you know it. Govern yourself accordingly as you are pushing towards a legal action".....Michael Pinson
July 14, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Galleria at University Research Park, 3720 Spectrum Blvd., Tampa The event is free and open to the public. Our Fearless Mayor Pam Iorio and Jim Davis will be the keynote speakers.
The Bartow cigar factory will be history, not historic preservation. The County Commission took no further action Wednesday from their vote in May to demolish the 1925-vintage building east of downtown Bartow, despite renewed pleas by preservationists.... It was the first mechanized cigar factory, built to bust the trade unions in Tampa’s Ybor City......here
Carriers is a 2009 horror film about four people fleeing a viral pandemic. It was written and directed by Àlex Pastor and David Pastor and stars Lou Taylor Pucci, Chris Pine, Piper Perabo and Emily VanCamp.
The "Dead Zone" created by a combination of methane gas and Corexit toxic rain will force the evacuation and long-term abandonment of cities and towns within the 200-mile radius of the oil volcano. Plans are being put in place for the mandatory evacuation of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Mandeville, Hammond, Houma, Belle Chase, Chalmette, Slidell, Biloxi, Gulfport, Pensacola, Hattiesburg, Mobile, Bay Minette, Fort Walton Beach, Panama City, Crestview, and Pascagoula.......here
Highly Susceptible Populations If you see an increased number of children, elderly, and sick people suffering from foodborne illness in the coming years, blame Florida House Bill 5311. The bill, which was recently signed into law by Florida's Governor Charlie Crist, went into effect on July 1st. According to Food Safety News, the new regulation eliminates food safety inspections at hospitals, day cares, and nursing homes......here
Local activist Omali Yeshitela called the recent arrests of his sons on drug charges attacks on him and the movement he started. Yeshitela, the 68-year-old founder of the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement and a former St. Petersburg mayoral candidate, called a news conference Tuesday to say that he, his family and the movement are being targeted by authorities.......here
The Gulf of Mexico is packed with abandoned oil wells from a host of companies including BP, according to an investigation by Associated Press, which describes the area as “an environmental minefield that has been ignored for decades”..........here
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is having economic effects even in areas where, so far, there has been no oil. In the Florida Keys off the southeastern United States, the vital tourism industry has been hit hard as visitors cancel trips because, local officials say, there is a "perception" that oil has come ashore.
The massive spill has wrecked the high tourism season in the Panhandle and fouled some its precious white-sand beaches. Primarily confined to the Gulf Coast, the spill has so far spared the rest of the state. A spill farther south would have a much greater chance of getting caught in the loop current that carries water and debris through the Florida Keys and around the peninsula to southeast Florida.......here