Tampa Heights Corner of Florida and Palm.
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Is Susan Smith And Deborah Mary Newell Leaving The Democratic Party?
"I came close to leaving the Democratic Party in 2010 over its ineptitude. If what I heard this afternoon is true--that someone in the Miami Dade Democratic Party is trying to push Senator Dwight Bullard out of his Senate run--then that could be it for me. Senator Bullard is a champion for women, minorities, low-income communities and the public schools. He is a progressive hero. If the party tries to push him out to make room for (yet another) former Republican, I will be done." Susan Smith
Florida INC. Keeping Wages Down
Florida INC. CEO Rick Scott is encouraging economic refugees to move here, to a state with low wages and scarce jobs. More people seeking scarce jobs would help keep labor costs down in Florida, by making sure that existing workers have more competition, and employers don't. It's yet another great way to keep wages down. here
Ringling's Circus Elephants Retire to Florida
The last 11 touring elephants from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus kicked off their retirement in Florida on Friday with a buffet brunch of carrots, apples, celery, loaves of bread and lots of hay.
Florida Progressive Hero Senator Dwight Bullard Wants Legal Recreational Weed
Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, filed a detailed proposal on Monday that would allow people age 21 and older to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for personal use and to cultivate up to six marijuana plants. here
Great job Senator!
Oligarch Rick Scott Laying Ruin To Florida
Scott’s net worth, according to the Tampa Bay Times, went from $84 million in 2012 to $132 million in 2013 to $147 million by the summer of 2015. In 2009, the year before Scott was elected governor, he feared health insurance reform would endanger corporate profits and formed the anti-Obamacare pressure group Conservatives for Patients Rights. Despite being reelected by a narrow margin in 2014, Scott remains unpopular in Florida; in most polls, his approval ratings have generally been in the low 40s. Scott, a persistent opponent of health care reform, has a long history of profiting from the U.S.’ troubled health care system. here
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
John Bachtell - Communist Party USA In The Heights
5.12 - 6 pm
Lee's Grocery
A discussion with John Bachtell, national chair of the CPUSA, on this year's campaigns and struggles in the long term...pro-worker, anti-racist, for women's control of their bodies, peace, immigration reform.... Tampa Bay People Before Profits. RSVP
Ben Pollara: You Vote?
Help United For Care here
You vote? John Morgan warned you in 2014 that if you didn't we would lose. Get it right this time.
Register to vote florida
Florida INC. Schools
Who's responsible for this mess? The simple answer is the management group. But that's a cop-out. When you give a for-profit company access to taxpayer funds with minimal oversight, should you really be shocked when money is missing? here
Monday, May 9, 2016
Craft Beer Liberals In Tampa Heights
With the best pizza in town
May Solidarity Sunday
@ Lee's Grocery on Central Ave in The Heights
Texas Polluters To Invade The Everglades
A Texas company won approval Friday to explore for oil at Big Cypress National Preserve. The work would take place across 70,000 acres straddling Alligator Alley about 10 miles west of the Broward County line, a region of cypress and pine forest, swamps and wet prairies that's home to Florida panthers, black bears and much more wildlife. here
Boycott Puerto Rican Summit In Orlando
For the last 7 years, the non-Boricua Dynamic Community Development Corporation of Miami has gotten away with benefiting from an an annual event in Orlando they call the Puerto Rican Summit. They charge corporations interested in targeting the large Boricua market between $5,000 and $10,000 to display their products and services at this annual Orlando two-day event. We cannot allow people to financially exploit the fact that we are a large and loyal consumer market. more
Florida: Shady Solar State
What do you call a super sunny state with regressive and oppressive solar policy, actively working to prevent the healthy development of this clean and affordable source of power? Ironic? Shameful? For those who love a good pun, perhaps “SHADY” is the best term.
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Center for Biological Diversity recently released a report outlining 10 sunny states that are working so hard to keep distributed (rooftop) solar from expanding, and the analysis explains how this unfortunate work is happening. here
Transgender Floridian Catherine Merchant
Catherine Merchant, a transgender woman from the Panhandle, was denied a name change by a state judge. Three years later, with the help of the ACLU of Florida, she won in her fight to have her legal name reflect who she is. This is her story in her own words: here
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Saturday, May 7, 2016
The Stogie Asked To Remove WMNF Logo
From this post
Email from WMNF:
To Whom It May Concern:
It has been called to my attention that you are using the WMNF logo on one of your posts without permission.
Please remove the logo as soon as possible.
Thank you.
Craig Kopp
General Manager
88.5 WMNF Community Conscious Radio
813-865-8256
Twitter: @wmnfcraigkopp
we will never do a post on you guys again!
HART Driver #4005
Thanks for the ride, Ivan!
The Magical #8
Downtown, Ybor City, Palm River, Clair Mel City,
Progress Village and Brandon
Florida GOP Manny Diaz Jr.
State Rep. Manny Diaz Jr., a Hialeah Republican has been a huge supporter of advancing the charter school system well above the traditional public school system and he is likely to amass more power over education policy and funding next legislative session. here
Feds Coming To Help Tampa
Federal authorities will conduct a preliminary civil rights investigation of TBX. Based on a complaint filed by local hero Matthew Suarez. here
Friday, May 6, 2016
Rick Scott's Florida Low-Wage Mecca
And he's convinced his strategy of making Florida a low-wage mecca is a winning one. As evidence of his confidence, he used our tax dollars to pay for radio ads in the Golden State. One thing that allows our governor to be so exuberant in this endeavor is his ability to completely discount facts from his logic.
He manages to take one of Florida's worst attributes — the median income has dropped 12 percent in this state since 2007, the sixth-largest drop in the nation and turn that into a sales pitch.
Local Musician: William Lopez
Pastor at Iglesia Pentecostal Jesus Rey de Reyes
8301 N. 40th st in Tampa
Support Fairness in Employment and Programming at WMNF
We the undersigned, also demand the reinstatement of Alvaro Montealegre, long time fighter for these issues, to his volunteer position of Coordinator of Training and Scheduling of control board operators.
Sign petition
Florida GOP Frank Artiles
Florida Strong documentation:
1. Property appraiser by trade – It is asserted that the materials disseminated wrongfully assert that Mr. Artiles is a “property appraiser by trade.” However, from the documentation relied upon in describing Mr. Artiles’ occupation, it appears that he has described himself that way:
Artiles Works As A Public Adjuster & Appraiser By Trade. “Newly-elected State Representative Frank Artiles, a public adjuster, appraiser and umpire by trade, held a teleconference on November 22, 2010, with the goal of introducing himself to Florida insurance industry representatives and other interested parties and discussing their concerns, such as fraud and other issues impacting the property and casualty market.” [Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky & Abate law firm, newsletter, 2010]
2. Artiles voted to raise property taxes – It is asserted that Mr. Artiles’ support of HB 7099 “has nothing to do with property taxes.” However, from the documentation relied upon in describing the impact of that legislation, that is also a true statement:
Artiles Voted For Tax Package HB 7099. On February 11, 2016, the Florida House of Representatives approved their tax package version, 96-17. Representative Frank Artiles voted Yes on this measure. [HB 7099, 2/11/16]
HEADLINE: “Sen. Tom Lee faults Gov. Rick Scott’s budget, built ‘on the backs of local taxpayers'” In February 2016, the Tampa Bay Timesreported, “You can add the influential voice of Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon, to the list of Republicans howling about Gov. Rick Scott’s budget — and its heavy reliance on higher property tax bills. As Lee’s committee prepares to wade through, amend and pass its first budget proposal Wednesday, Lee had choice words for Scott’s plan to increase spending for public schools by taking advantage of higher property values for homes and businesses. ‘We’re building the increase on the backs of local taxpayers and then we’re running around the state and doing a victory lap,’ Lee told the Times/Herald. ‘I’m opposed to the way we are funding public education largely on the backs of local taxpayers.'” [Tampa Bay Times, 2/3/16]
3. Artiles voted to protect insurance companies and rates have risen – It is asserted that Representative Artiles’ support of SB 1770 does not support the statements made. However, once again, the materials relied upon by Florida Strong suggest otherwise:
Artiles Vowed To Protect Insurance Companies Right After Being Elected. On a teleconference with the insurance industry in 2010, Artiles said, “I want to protectinsurance companies to make sure they do make a profit, because at the end of the day, I am a Republican.” [Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky & Abate law firm, newsletter, 2010]
SB 1770 Created A Clearinghouse Intended To Help Protect Consumers. In June 2013, News Service of Florida reported, “Here are highlights of some of the bills taking effect July 1: … SB 1770: The Citizens Property Insurance Corp. overhaul, less imposing than initially proposed, still prevents coverage for new homes in high-risk, environmentally sensitive coastal areas, creates an internal inspector general position, and a clearinghouse intended to shift at least 200,000 policies into the private market.” [News Service of Florida, 6/29/13]
Tampa Bay Times: “To Say The [State-Run] Clearinghouse Has Underperformed Expectations Is An Understatement.” In January 2015, the Tampa Bay Times reported, “To say the clearinghouse has underperformed expectations is an understatement. Eleven months after its launch in January 2014, only 12,000 out of 148,000 policies run through the clearinghouse — 8 percent — were found ineligible for Citizens because a private insurer had offered coverage within 15 percent of Citizens’ rates.” [Tampa Bay Times, 1/9/15]
Said Clearinghouse Has Only Helped Private Insurers Line Their Pockets. In January 2015, the Tampa Bay Times reported, “Critics say the results show the clearinghouse is a waste of money. Private insurers are already writing more business and a separate ‘takeout’ program has been booming, with private insurers taking hundreds of thousands of policies out of Citizens.” [Tampa Bay Times, 1/9/15]
Private Insurers Now Have More Flexibility To Raise Rates On Consumers.In January 2015, the Tampa Bay Times reported, “They have more flexibility to raise rates of takeout policies. The clearinghouse option lets customers go back to Citizens during the first three years if their new company hikes premiums more than 10 percent.” [Tampa Bay Times, 1/9/15]
HEADLINE: “Homeowners insurance: Floridians pay more than double U.S. average.”In January 2015, the Tampa Bay Times reported, “In fact, Florida homeowners are now paying more than double the national average. Average insurance premiums statewide for the most common type of homeowners policy rose nearly 8 percent in 2012 to $2,084, according to data released this week from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. That makes Florida the first state to cross the $2,000 mark in average premiums and widens the gap between the next two states on the list, both of them coastal: Louisiana (average premiums of $1,742) and Texas ($1,661). The national average: $1,034. For the record, Florida’s premiums are 102 percent higher.” [Tampa Bay Times, 1/21/15]
In sum, Florida Strong stands by the statements contained in its materials as such assertions are, in fact, true.
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Speak Up Florida
The mission of Speak Up Florida is to advocate and empower communities to contribute in constructing comprehensive and holistic solutions to the challenges faced by the collateral damages affected directly by the War on Drugs.
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