The Ybor City Stogie

Sunday, February 19, 2023

Before recent interest in train safety, Marco Rubio wanted DOT to loosen rail inspection rules

Before U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio demanded Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s resignation for a train derailment, he joined calls for looser regulations.

The Miami Republican was among 22 Senators who signed onto a letter requesting the Federal Railroad Administration to waive testing and allow more automation. Indeed, the October 2021 letter appears to be the last communication Rubio appears to have sent to the Department of Transportation about rail safety before a major train derailment on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio.

More HERE

Saturday, February 18, 2023

New College of Florida Rally For Freedom

Click on image to enlarge

Tampa Pride Grand Marshal’s Gala

TIX

Kari Lake Turns On DeSantis After Praising His "BDE"

The State of Black Tampa Bay: An Exclusive Town Hall

To honor and celebrate Black History Month, News Channel 8 is hosting an exclusive town hall to discuss the current state of Black Tampa Bay.

News Channel 8’s Deanne King brought together community leaders, government officials and people in the community to discuss topics like learning Black history in schools, the mistrust between law enforcement and the Black community, the racial wealth gap and more.

The town hall airs Saturday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. on WFLA News Channel 8 and Sunday, Feb. 19 on WTTA Great 38 at 9 p.m.

Deb Ruby at Hooch and Hive

FEBRUARY 23, 2023 AT 8 PM

Hooch and Hive - Tampa

MAGA Republicans Don't Realize That They Caused This Tragedy

Tampa police officer who ran over man with squad car is denied qualified immunity in wrongful death case

As the family of Dusharn Weems seeks justice in court for their loved one who died after being run over by a Tampa Police Department officer, the cops have tried to use a controversial legal doctrine to have the case thrown out.

But a judge has ruled against TPD’s argument for qualified immunity, which is often used to protect officers accused of wrongdoing, leading police transparency advocates to call for an end to it.

More HERE

Map shows Brightline stations: Target date set for grand opening in Orlando

After about 10 years of anticipation, Brightline officials have set the second quarter of 2023 as their target date for the grand opening of their station at Orlando International Airport.

Director of Public Affairs, Katie Mitzner, says more than seven million hours of construction so far have the project at about 90% complete. “Our station will be completed in the next month. Our vehicle maintenance facility where we are today has been completed and will be opening soon, and so as we hit all of these milestones, we’re now getting ready to complete the corridor and then the next step is testing,” Mitzner said.

Trains will be tested along the beachline at speeds up to 125 miles an hour. There are no public crossings on that stretch of track.

More HERE

Protests against Ron DeSantis represent ‘intersectionality’

A state Senator from Florida is taking his argument against Ron DeSantis‘ war with the College Board to the national stage.

Shevrin Jones told MSNBC viewers Saturday morning that the battle against the Governor’s rejected African American Studies Advanced Placement course proposal illustrates true “intersectionality,” a logical response to what he and other Democrats see as DeSantis’ latest attempt to whitewash inconvenient history for political ends.

“For those who did not know the definition of intersectionality, it was defined for them on Wednesday at the march. People from all over the state of Florida joined in unity and solidarity,” Jones said. “To make it clear that if you come for one of us, you come for all of us, from students and parents, black, white, gay, straight, transgender, and all types of religions, they all were there on Wednesday.”

More HERE

The First Gen Z Congressman Has Landed in Washington

Tampa Community Political Forum

Florida Democrats can't let a corrupt corporate lobbyist take over the party

Nikki Fried, who wants to take over the Florida Democratic Party, likes to brand herself as “something new.” But what she really represents is the status quo.

Actually, she’s far worse than that. Nikki Fried is a corporate lobbyist turned pliant politician, who has a long and well-documented history of siding with Big Businesses over everyday Floridians, engaging in unethical and untrustworthy behavior, and allying with some of the most corrupt Republican politicians in Florida.

More HERE

Gov. DeSantis' book-burning plan

" To cancel black history (and a lot of other history too) goes back 150 years to the brutal suppression of black people following reconstruction and the skewed & incomplete history we've learned for more than a century. Here, Dr. Henry Louis Gates draws a through line from DeSantis to Mildred Lewis Rutherford of the Daughters of the Confederacy & there's no paywall (or Gov.) to stop you from learning this history yet. So read it now while you still can & make sure it's known and shared."

Commissioner Pat Kemp

Friday, February 17, 2023

Tampa Fire Rescue unveils new mural at its headquarters

Florida University Students Plan Mass Walkout to Protest DeSantis "Destroying Our Schools"

Students at several Florida universities are planning a statewide walkout after school officials handed over data about transgender students’ health care to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.....MORE

Tampa Berner Asher Edelson for Vermont

Hello folks! I will be posting a link

to Cat TV. Please give what you can, whether it’s 5 or 25 dollars, it will go a long way to getting my message out there! I hope to earn your vote, Bennington!

HELP HIM HERE

Father of Parkland shooting victim slams Florida GOP for permitless carry bill

Rep. Maxwell Frosr: Chip in to Latino Victory Fund

I want to tell you about Latino Victory — an organization dedicated to building political power in the Latino community. They work to make sure that the voices and values of Latinos are reflected at every level of government, and in the policies that drive our country forward.

Latino Victory was a key supporter of our campaign, and their work is more important than ever.

Growing up, my Abuela Yeya would tell me stories about coming from Cuba with my mother in tow during the freedom flights in the late 1960s to pursue the American Dream. She then worked 70+ hours a week in a factory for starvation wages in unsafe conditions to support her family– a story that many Latino immigrants know far too well and are still living today.

HELP THEM HERE