News: Daily Loaf, Creative Loafing Tampa

Ed Turanchik and HMS Global Maritime introduce proposal to bring high-speed ferry rail to Tampa Bay

Mitch Perry — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:01:00 -0400

Today, Tampa attorney and public transportation advocate Ed Turanchik along with officials from the Seattle based HMS Ferries laid out their vision of a public-private partnership to initiate Tampa Bay's first commuter, recreational and tourist passenger ferry service. The idea came from studies showing that thousands of commuters who live in South Hillsborough County and drive to MacDill Air Force Base on a daily basis would take a ferry service if it was an option.…

Conservative protesters say "Down with the IRS" and "Fire Obama"

Chrystal Tacker — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:46:00 -0400

The corrupt attacks and denials follow “a pattern like Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler, and even Watergate. The Obama administration is as corrupt as it can be and we won’t stand for this.” Douglas Coggeshall, engineer and history buff, believes that history is repeating itself once again and he plans to stand up against the cycle.…

Environmental Activist Bill McKibben speaks at Eckerd College's 2013 Graduation

Samuel Johnson — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:37:00 -0400

Sunday, May 19, marked the Golden Anniversary of the annual Eckerd College graduation commencement in Saint Petersburg. More than 500 graduates, their families and well-wishers, the faculty and the board of trustees all gathered under a circus-styled big top for the ceremony.…

Adamo Drive Mural ready to be unveiled

Nicole Abbett — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:26:00 -0400

Join Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Tampa community leaders this Tuesday, May 21, to celebrate the newly finished Adamo Drive Mural. The dedication is taking place at 2 p.m. which will include a preliminary session with the artist, Michael Parker, and a reception afterward.…

HART to use $1.2 million to add bus hours on nights and weekends

Mitch Perry — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:13:00 -0400

Talk about doing more with less.

The proposed fiscal year 2014 operating and capital budget for Hillsborough County's transit agency will come in nearly 27 percent lower than last year.…

Mitch Perry Report 5.20.13: The President's agenda wasn't in good shape before Benghazi/AP/IRS …

Mitch Perry — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:06:00 -0400

Can we end the pretense espoused by such conventional wisdom proprietors as MSNBC's Joe Scarborough that the various problems hitting the Obama White House "threaten" his second term agenda? With the exception of immigration, Republicans (particularly in the House) have not really shown any interest in working with the president whatsoever (though on budget issues they're sort of forced to) since his re-election.…

All scandal, all the time for the next month in Washington?

Mitch Perry — Sun, 19 May 2013 13:02:00 -0400

Scandals like the I.R.S. targeting the Tea Party in recent years are custom made for cable news and its network equivalents, the Sunday morning talk shows. Add in the revelation about the Justice Department's seizure of the records of nearly 100 people at The Associated Press, and oh yes, Benghazi, and let's just say that programming decisions weren't a challenge for Sunday show producers this week.…

Conservative group rallies in Florida to keep ban on "avowed" gay Boy Scouts

Mitch Perry — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:27:00 -0400

Boy Scout delegates will decide next week if the ban on gay Scouts remains or not. Supporters of the ban held rallies in 40 cities on Friday, including Tampa, urging delegates to "Keep sex and politics out of the Boy Scouts" and vote no on the resolution.…

Mitch Perry Report 5.17.13: TPD being questioned (again) in Al Fox DUI case

Mitch Perry — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:51:00 -0400

Two newspapers are reporting this morning that Al Fox, best known for his passionate advocacy for liberalizing relations with Cuba, was pulled over after driving past the speed limit on Dale Mabry Highway back in February, and then tested for a D.U.I. Reportedly Fox failed a field sobriety examination, though when when he was given a Breathalyzer, his blood-alcohol level tested at 0.000.

Nevertheless he was busted and held overnight in jail, before being released the next day.…

EMILY's List highlights Jessica Ehrlich in her 2014 race against Bill Young

Mitch Perry — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:13:00 -0400

Last night, the D.C.-based group EMILY's List named six Democrats running for Congress next year as "On The List," including Jessica Ehrlich in St. Petersburg and Gwen Graham in Tallahassee. Both will be running against Republican incumbents next year, and this mention can only help them gain recognition as they gear up their campaigns.…

Tampa nears enacting ordinance to reduce car-stereo noise

Mitch Perry — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:28:00 -0400

The City of Tampa is less than a month away from enacting an ordinance designed to crack down on motorists who refuse to turn down the volume on their car stereos, with repeat offenders looking at a possible jail sentence.

The Tampa City Council, upon its first reading, approved a proposed ordinance that will outlaw car noise that can be heard from 50 feet away or more.…

Tampa cyclists ride for safer streets

Chrystal Tacker — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:44:00 -0400

Cyclists gathered at Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa sporting Wednesday night wearing reflective gear, helmets, and lights. These bicyclists decided to join the ride throughout downtown in an effort to raise awareness for bicycle and pedestrian safety on the roadways.…

Controversial Christian conservative's inclusion on diversity board leads to explosive debate at Hillsborough County Commission

Mitch Perry — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:04:00 -0400

The question of whether to include Christian conservative activist Terry Kemple on a county diversity advisory group led to an extraordinary debate regarding Hillsborough County's history of discrimination against gays at a Board of County Commissioners meeting Wednesday afternoon.

Kemple's strident advocacy has alienated him from both the gay and Muslim communities over the years.…

Nan Rich to Florida mainstream media: Don't count me out

Mitch Perry — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:00:00 -0400

When Nan Rich's name is mentioned in stories about the Democratic race for governor in Florida, it's generally an after-thought, long after paragraphs that are given to the prospects of Charlie Crist, Bill Nelson, and sometimes even Pam Iorio.

But when the debates take place next year, Rich plans to be there, and she'll be as well prepared as anyone when it comes to talking policy and what prescriptions she believes are needed to improve the state for all of its citizens.…

Mitch Perry Report 5.15.13 -Decision time (again) for St. Pete City Council

Mitch Perry — Wed, 15 May 2013 08:02:00 -0400

On May 2, the local media pumped up big-time the St. Petersburg City Council's decision on whether or not to fund an additional $1.5 million on the next design phase of the Lens. The vote took place with the threat of a referendum cancelling the project very much in the air.…

Florida GOP is game for some Pelosi bashing

Mitch Perry — Tue, 14 May 2013 09:20:06 -0400

It used to be Ted Kennedy. Then it was Hillary Clinton.…

Tampa town hall meeting gives a face to budget cuts

Terrence Smith — Tue, 14 May 2013 09:08:00 -0400

Beulah Baptist Institutional Church was the setting Monday evening of the third of five town hall meetings intended to give a voice to those whose lives are affected by budget cuts of human services. The event was sponsored by For the Family and Pastors on Patrol, two non-profit organizations aimed at improving the lives of the working class.…

Mitch Perry Report: WTF is happening at the White House?

Mitch Perry — Tue, 14 May 2013 08:00:00 -0400

During the past presidential election, lots of reporters (including myself) wrote that there were many similarities between the 2004 and 2012 campaigns. The main parallel was a polarizing incumbent who was ripe for being defeated, running against a stiff Massachusetts politician who most folks didn't feel comfortable with.…

"Hating Breitbart" a celebration of a controversial conservative's life

Mitch Perry — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:54:00 -0400

Love him or loathe him, no one can deny that during his short time on the national scene, Andrew Breitbart was a force of nature. The conservative blogger/commentator/reporter/raconteur died of heart failure in March of 2012 at the age of 43 (though, naturally, some of his most intense enthusiasts say he was assassinated by liberals).…

Rubio demands IRS chief be fired in wake of scandal — but office is vacant

Mitch Perry — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:23:00 -0400

The momentum is building on the political right for the Obama Administration to do something, anything, regarding the IRS scandal that broke over the weekend.

Details emerging from disclosures to congressional investigators by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration have revealed that the government agency scrutinized groups with "tea party" or "patriot" in their names, as well as ones worried about government spending, debt or taxes.…

Lawmakers say the military is incapable of dealing with sexual assaults in their ranks

Mitch Perry — Sun, 12 May 2013 12:44:01 -0400

Last week the U.S. military released a report estimating that 26,000 people in the armed forces were sexually assaulted last year — 35 percent more than in 2010.

That led President Obama to comment that he had no tolerance for sexual crimes in the military, and vowed to prosecute commanders who ignored the problem.…

In Tampa speech, Charlie Crist teases Democrats

Mitch Perry — Sun, 12 May 2013 07:39:00 -0400

A minute and twenty two seconds into his keynote address at the Hillsborough County Kennedy/King Dinner at the Tampa Convention Center, Charlie Crist paraphrased David Byrne and the Talking Heads, circa 1979.

"So you may wonder.…

McCain bill would eliminate NFL blackouts for Bucs games at Raymond James Stadium

Mitch Perry — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:06:17 -0400

Remember Mike Fasano's legislative attempt last year to fine NFL teams in Florida for every game blacked out on local television? Maybe you don't, because the bill proposed by the Pasco County lawmaker went nowhere in the Legislature.…

Third annual Tampa Ride of Silence takes place May 15

Mitch Perry — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:43:00 -0400

Unless you're new to the Tampa Bay area, you don't know need to be informed about how hazardous the roads in the region are to bicyclists and pedestrians.

The group Transportation published a report last year about the most dangerous metro areas for pedestrian deaths.…

Mitch Perry Report 5.10.2013: Not so fast, Mr. Minder

Mitch Perry — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:00:00 -0400

Although it's being reported that the Tampa City Council postponed voting on the ambitious 36-story apartment tower complex near the Straz Center last night, in fact it was the point man for the city of Tampa, economic development head Bob McDonough, who accurately read the temperature in the room at City Hall and deduced that the city needed more time to answer questions from the Council — and the public — about the development.

As we reported earlier this week, opposition that has grown in recent months since the proposal by developers Greg Minder and Phillip Smith to built to the immediate west of the John F. Germany Public Library and to the south of the Straz Center.…