Alexander Rosario and Douceaymee Lopez-Alvarez Of Tampa

Hillsborough deputies: 23-month-old boy left in car for 8 hours, parents arrested .

Local Views - Kathleen Peters

Letters To The Tampa Bay Times
What is more interesting than the hypocrisy is how easily one representative wants to mislead the public on the Medicaid expansion's viability. Rep. Kathleen Peters at Tiger Bay on Tuesday said that she voted against the health care expansion because it was going to be run by the Florida Healthy Kids program, and she spoke to a pediatrician who said that they do not like the program and do not have the ability to take more of "those" patients. Peters is worried that doctors will be too busy and overly burdened in treating all of these sick kids. The health care expansion, under Sen. Joe Negron's plan, was to be run by Florida Healthy Kids, as well as other Florida agencies, but that does not mean that it covers only kids. Lets look at Peters' statement. Either she thinks that 1 million poor Florida children should not get health care because the one pediatrician she called doesn't want to treat them, or she grossly misunderstands the entire health care expansion and how it is meant to benefit a much broader swath of Floridians in a more cost-effective manner. In either case, her judgment is severely flawed.Josh Shulman, St. Pete
She spoke to one (1) doctor. I wonder what party he belongs to
More locals: Bonnie Sklaren, Gulfport, Robert White, Valrico

Tell Rubio To Support Common-Sense Immigration Reform

Maria came to the United States several years ago after fleeing physical abuse by her father in Honduras. While attempting to cross into Canada, she was stopped at gunpoint and beaten by border patrol agents who placed her in a civil immigration detention center for more than a month. In the facility, she was placed in solitary confinement for two days and at no point did she receive a bond hearing. Maria is now several months pregnant and is facing deportation in June, despite ICE memos stating that pregnant individuals should receive prosecutorial discretion.

Sign the petition, and let Senator Rubio know that you demand common sense reform.

here

Tampa's 50-Foot Rule

No not lap dances, car stereos

Tampa City Council gave its preliminary approval to an ordinance Thursday that would make it illegal for drivers to blast their car stereos. The proposal would allow police to ticket drivers if their music can be heard from at least 50 feet away and would include possible jail time for a third offense.
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Jail time for playing your stereo too loud? I like this idea better.
Council member Lisa Montelione cast the only vote against the ordinance. She said she supported it, but objected to incarcerating repeat offenders. "Jail time is going to put a lot of young people behind bars who are going to get records and who are not going to be able to get jobs," she said.Better, Montelione said, would be to impound the cars of the offenders.But she was alone on that. "The only way this ordinance is going to work is if the penalties attached to it are steep enough to keep people from repeatedly violating it," council member Harry Cohen said.

A Fired-Up Kevin Beckner

Sue Carlton: Duking it out in the name of diversity

 If you are forming a panel to empower minorities, should a racist get a seat at the table? Does tolerance mean tolerating bigots — who are, by definition, intolerant? And does Terry Kemple — conservative Christian activist and Hillsborough School Board candidate who speaks out against gay rights — belong on a board that's supposed to be about diversity?

Kevin Beckner, the openly gay commissioner who proposed the panel, put it this way:
 "Why would you want to serve on a board you don't believe should be in existence?"

Which led to one fired-up discussion between Beckner and
Victor Crist, who with three other Republicans voted for Kemple.
Commissioner Les Miller voted to table it indefinitely!
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Families Homeless In Florida Foreclosures

Rubio Votes Against Everglades Funding

The Senate voted 84-13 to approve a wide-ranging water bill today that includes millions in funding for the Everglades and other Florida-related projects. The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) could have had a positive effect on Florida’s natural resources, industries and residents.   Every Floridian is impacted by the work conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers in our state.  Unfortunately, politics were chosen over sound public policy, and the state’s best interests were left out of the final bill. Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson voted yes,  Marco Rubio voted no.

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Rubio doesn't care about the Everglades or south Florida, he has his $800,000 book advance and is moving to DC.

Blackballing Terry Kemple

Several Hillsborough County commissioners ( Al Higginbotham, Ken Hagan) are steamed about the process a national diversity organization used in disqualifying local conservative activist Terry Kemple from a diversity advisory council. The council recommended Kemple be disqualified because of an e-mail he sent to his supporters in September disparaging the new diversity council as a vehicle to promote homosexuality. Kemple also used the e-mail to attack Commissioner Kevin Beckner, who is gay and who proposed creating a local diversity council in the first place. The council cut its ties with the county on Monday.Commissioners are scheduled to approve members for the new council. The discussion is scheduled for Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.

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Kemple does not belong on any diversity advisory council, he is a bigot and doesn't even know what  diversity means.

High-Speed Ferries On Tampa Bay

Ed Turanchik
Local treasure and Visionary
Is pitching a proposal to some civic leaders and elected officials on behalf of a client hoping to operate a commuter ferry service in Tampa Bay.
"Proceeding with this project expeditiously would be a great and a pleasant unexpected step forward for our whole region, and unquestionably convey the message that Tampa Bay is back and is building for a more sustainable future."
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While we are at it lets buy a train and bring people in from Brandon in the morning and take them back in the afternoon. The tracks are already there.

RNC Florida Hispanic Director: GOP Is Racist

From: Pablo Pantoja: I have changed my political affiliation to the Democratic Party.

It doesn’t take much to see the culture of intolerance surrounding the Republican Party today. I have wondered before about the seemingly harsh undertones about immigrants and others. Look no further; a well-known organization recently confirms the
intolerance of that which seems different or strange to them.
more, At Pushing Rope