Last week we noted some of the more relentlessly covered stories (or, in some cases, non-stories) of 2014. Here are a few of the stories that bear watching in the new year.
Don’t shoot/I can’t breathe
Tensions between law enforcement and African-American communities in the wake of the Mike Brown and Eric Garner deaths aren’t likely to disappear this year. Here in Tampa Bay, a massive activist community will undoubtedly remind us every few weeks that racial profiling and unnecessary police violence still plague African-American communities within the region and state. St. Pete Police Chief Anthony Holloway’s approach to policing the city’s south side will probably remain under a microscope, as will the process of finding a replacement for Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor, who’s due to retire in May.
The drama will probably never reach the extremes here that it has in places like Ferguson, MO. But the climate is such that both young African-American males and law enforcement officers carry a strong sense of vulnerability on a daily basis.
Amendment 1 aftermath
In November an overwhelming majority — 75 percent — of Florida’s midterm voters supported allotting more money to protection of the state’s natural resources. Amendment 1 makes the state set aside a portion of funds collected through a real estate transaction tax, some $10 billion over 20 years, to buy up land the state is then supposed to protect.
You’d think such strong support would send a message to the lawmakers, who now have to implement it. The thing is, many of those lawmakers said on the campaign trail that they weren’t fans of the measure, with the exception of most
Democrats and a couple of moderate Republicans. Needless to say, environmentalists are concerned.
The Bradenton Herald editorial board warned that lawmakers may try to shortchange the program by placing environmental projects “already ensconced in the state’s budget” under the purview of Amendment 1 to make room in the budget for lawmakers’ “pet projects.”
Governor Rick Scott will obviously be of no help. After all, the Herald’s ed board writes, it was under Scott’s watch that the Florida Forever fund went from collecting some $300 million each year for land acquisition to just $20 million in 2013.
Building boom
Anyone who merely scans the news knows 2014 was a banner year for developers, who announced about a jillion construction projects. That means 2015 will be a year in which neighborhoods throughout Tampa Bay will sprout shiny new buildings, be they houses, hotels, condos, retail centers or office towers. Such projects could really change their surrounding areas, and not always for the better. (Read: traffic.)
Of course, it’s Lightning owner Jeff Vinik’s dazzling, billion-dollar mixed use proposal for the Channel District that stole the most headlines. Certainly it’s one to keep tabs on, though in the beginning it could land in the weeds as pieces of the project get mired in the bureaucratic rigmarole of zoning changes, permitting and the like.
But Vinik’s 26 acres aren’t the only game in town. Keep an eye out for the skyscrapers going up in and around downtown St. Pete. And expect some controversy over development plans that could encroach upon historic houses in South Tampa.
There’s also a stretch of condos going up on Treasure Island’s Sunset Beach in the empty lot next to Ka’Tiki. Could nightly live, local music be in jeopardy? There’s bound to be an uproar there.
Ongoing ride-share battles
As inexpensive car services like Uber and Lyft try to gain ground in Tampa and St. Pete, they continue to face tough opposition. Sure, the companies have operated here since last spring, but they’re being challenged on many fronts.
Taxi drivers on both sides of the bay are trying to stifle their efforts, decrying a lack of regulation for ride-share drivers and vehicles. The companies do have champions, though, including lawmakers like State Sen. Jeff Brandes (R-St. Pete), who championed a bill in 2014 that would have given the ride-share model more legitimacy. He may do so again during the coming legislative session.
Tampa elections — and a St. Pete standoff?
Okay, so Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn will in all likelihood run unopposed in his bid for a second term.
Even so, while this year’s Tampa municipal elections largely lack the drama of 2011, what happens in March could change the dynamic between the mayor and City Council.
Leaving their posts due to term limits are Councilwoman Mary Mulhern, whose district is citywide, and Council Chair Charlie Miranda, who may still run for an at-large seat. Each of the five incumbents already has at least one challenger.
Whatever the makeup of Council after the election, its members will collectively have to deal with a host of thorny issues. These include a possible Hillsborough site for the Tampa Bay Rays’ home stadium, the redevelopment of the riverfront and, of course, Vinik’s Channelside plans.
Across the bay, the stadium stalemate between St. Petersburg City Council and the Rays showed that Mayor Rick Kriseman can’t always rely on support from councilmembers, even though many are strong allies of his. While disagreement on one or two issues doesn’t exactly indicate a power struggle, it will be interesting to see whether the Rays decision impacts the mayor/council relationship.
