And those activists are doing just that, sometimes with the assistance of Paul, who spoke Friday night at the Minnesota Republican Convention, delivering his stump speech marinated in Libertarian values.

Although delegates are awarded in primaries and caucuses, in many cases that is just the first step toward selecting those who will represent their state in Tampa. Paul supporters are packing some of these delegate committees in states like Washington, Arizona, Nevada and Iowa in order to have more Paul representation at the Tampa Times Forum in August. And Saturday night in St.Cloud, Minnesota he took 12 of 13 delegate slots that are now headed to Tampa.

Regardless of how successful Paul supporters are in amassing more delegates before the convention, they're already making plans for a major event to be held (they hope) at the Florida State Fairgrounds for the entire weekend (August 24-26) right before the RNC.

Last week Speaker of the House John Boehner freaked out those who were paying attention when he began talking about the debt ceiling.

On ABC's This Week on Sunday, Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi articulated those concerns by saying: Here they go again.

"Last year just the threat of not lifting the debt ceiling caused our credit rating to be lowered," Pelosi told ABC's George Stephanopoulos. "This is not a responsible, mature sensible place for us to go. We all know we have to reduce the deficit, we have to do it in a balanced way. The Speaker wants go over the edge."

But Pelosi did agree with Boehner that it's the right time to begin addressing some of the financial issues the country is facing that will climax at the end of this year: the end of the Bush tax cuts and payroll tax holiday, with deep automatic domestic and defense cuts scheduled to take place. And oh yeah, the debt ceiling will need to be raised again.

On Saturday the Tampa Tribune's William March reported that in 2009, after sitting Florida U.S. Senator Mel Martinez announced he was bailing on his seat, George LeMieux convinced Charlie Crist to reverse a decision to appoint Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp to the seat, using “a strategy that included direct pressure on Crist."

March listed embattled former GOP state chair Jim Greer as his primary source for the report, and predictably, Connie Mack has pounced on it, issuing a press release later on Saturday that LeMieux "may have used pressure to extort Charlie Crist into giving him a seat in the United States Senate” and compared LeMieux unfavorably to former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Need we remind you that LeMieux was Crist's chief of staff at that time, which has been a major impediment for his candidacy in a Florida Republican Party that absolutely disdains the former governor?

Meanwhile, a new Republican has entered the Senate race. Former Melbourne area Congressman Dave Weldon announced on Friday he's now running, as he unveiled a web ad that took aim at President Obama for raising the debt.

• Sydney White

In an email message sent out Thursday night, WMNF Board of Directors head Letty Valdes wrote that "We feel very fortunate to have found someone with Mr. White’s experience and commitment to Public Radio. Mr. White is a strategic thinker with excellent fundraising skills and he is committed to community outreach."

White is a longtime veteran in public broadcasting. He worked for over 16 years with NPR in various roles including Manager for Station Projects, where he designed and managed NPR’s Station Enhancement projects. He also provided in-house consulting [technical, managerial and organizational] assistance to NPR member stations and to new stations seeking to join the network. This included ensuring that member stations are in compliance with FCC and other federal and state operating guidelines.

Prior to joining NPR in 1993, White served as broadcast management, programming and planning consultant for the Caribbean Satellite Network, a cable television channel operating out of Miami.

The final vote was 4-2, with Council members Yolie Capin and Mary Mulhern dissenting (Charlie Miranda was absent from the final vote).

But there is still widespread distaste among the board that such a zone will ban ropes and chains longer than 6 feet long, locks, gas masks, water guns, and glass bottles - but not concealed weapons.

After they voted for the Event Zone, the Council then discussed authorize crafting separate letters to be sent to various federal agencies and lawmakers - including again Governor Rick Scott - asking that the Secret Service be allowed to expand the part of the convention area that they will control to include the Event Zone. As the convention has been declared a National Special Security Event, which allows the Secret Service to become the lead agency for the event. That discussion will resume next at next week's Council meeting.

In another week, one of the Tampa Bay area's most iconic and intense television reporters is calling it a career. Don Germaise, the first reporter hired at WFTS-Channel 28 in 1994, is leaving broadcast news on Fri., May 25.

Although some might remember him for his hurricane coverage (particularly in that spectacular year for inclement weather in Florida — 2004), I'll always remember the ABC Action News reporter for frankly, his high decibel delivery and idiosyncratic delivery.

In an 18-year career, Germaise obviously covered a variety of stories for the ABC affiliate, but nothing will replace his kamikaze stints in covering hurricanes, such as his reporting from Punta Gorda during Hurricane Charley in 2004.

• Yolie Capin

That plan is to buy and rehab a 24-unit affordable housing development located off of Fowler Avenue in the University area of North Tampa. Officials say that after that is completed, they'll begin the next project, relying on soliciting funds from the private sector for their ultimate goal of creating 500 units of housing over the next five years.

Those plans come as the city of Tampa has has contended with an increase in homelessness, leading in part for the Council to pass a partial ban on panhandling last year.

But that ban - controversial in some quarters - has been the sole extent to what the Council has done in any way to or for the homeless population. That reality has led several members to express their frustration about their inability to do more throughout 2012.