Tampa Is…?

St. Pete cops call Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO):  Get this illegal immigrant guy, he’s a suspect in a rape in St. Pete.

HCSO Deputies get the guy on a misdemeanor.  Meanwhile, St. Pete cops called Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) asked for permission to hold the illegal immigrant further.  They get no response.

So the HCSO lets the guy go free.

Two weeks later, guy (allegedly) rapes girls in Apollo Beach.

HCSO catches the guy again, this time for rape.

Citizens want to know why Sheriffs let him go the first time.

Head Sheriff David Gee claims St. Pete cops never told HCSO he was a rape suspect.

US Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite wants to know how this happened, blasts Gee.

Gee defends Sheriffs office, loudly complains “St. Pete cops never told us the guy’s a rape suspect.”  Also points finger at Legislature, ICE, some guy standing nearby, and the blogosphere.

People are outraged and pointing their own fingers everywhere:

• SPTimes columnist Sue Carlton:  It’s a crime that politics has entered equation
• Tribune columnist Steve Otto:  Is anyone out there listening?
• SPT Editorial:  Immigration mess is Congress’ fault
• Tribune Editorial:  Search For Culprit In Immigrants’ Crime Spree Starts On Capitol Hill

To be sure, ICE and your US Legislators deserve some of the blame for basic stupidity.  But the HCSO makes ‘em look like geniuses.  Especially after what happened today.

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office spokesman revealed the truth:  “Ohhhh THAT guy?  Yeah, St. Pete cops DID tell HCSO about him.”

Apathy:

Main Entry: ap·a·thy
Pronunciation: a-pə-thē\
Function: noun
Etymology: Greek apatheia, from apathēs without feeling, from a- + pathos emotion
Date: 1594

• 1: lack of feeling or emotion - impassiveness
• 2: lack of interest or concern - indifference

One out of six. Imagine any six people you know, and then consider that only one of those six voted in the primary election that ended yesterday:

Voter apathy in Florida plumbed new depths Tuesday. The 2008 primary election drew the lowest statewide voter turnout for a primary in at least 50 years, and perhaps the lowest ever. Incomplete returns late Tuesday showed 16.5 percent of voters cast a ballot.

Oh wait… That is the statewide turnout. You cared even less than that:

In Pinellas County, turnout was just over 12 percent, meaning just 75,000 out of 620,000 eligible voters showed up at the polls. That set a record for primaries. The previous record for the lowest primary vote in Pinellas was 13 percent.

In Pasco, just over 12 percent of the county’s 260,593 registered voters — or about 33,000 voters — cast ballots in Tuesday’s primary.

Hernando had the highest turnout in Tampa Bay, just under 15 percent.

And Hillsborough County?

Hillsborough’s turnout was even more abysmal — fewer than seven people out of 100 went to the polls.

Less than seven percent. That’s one in fifteen.

[Update 11:45am:  Hillsborough SOE reports 10.08% voter turnout, 1 in 10.]

Don’t ever again ask: “How can someone like him get elected?”

You have your answer: You really don’t give a rat’s ass.

Today is primary election day in Hillsborough County. Primaries determine who will run for each political party in November.  Please make sure your voice is heard.

The Tampa Tribune has a list of all the area races and candidates, and here are those primary candidates for Hillsborough County elections:

Property Appraiser

• Rob Townsend (R)
• Rob Turner (R)

County Commission, District 2

• Tom Aderhold (R)
• Ken Hagan (R)

County Commission, District 6

• Brian Blair (R)
• Don Kruse (R)

County Commission, District 6

• Kevin Beckner (D)
• Denise Layne (D)
• Joe Redner (D)

Hillsborough County School Board, District 1

• Dave Schmidt
• Susan Valdes

Hillsborough County School Board, District 7

• Stephen Gorham
• Carol W. Kurdell
• Jason D. Mims

All of the Tampa Tribune Endorsements, and in Hillsborough: Rob Turner, Ken Hagan, Brian Blair, Kevin Beckner, Susan Valdes, Stephen Gorham.

All of the St. Pete Times Endorsements, and in Hillsborough: Rob Turner, Tom Aderhold, Brian Blair, Kevin Beckner, Susan Valdes, Carol W. Kurdell.

Feel free to leave your choice in the comments, and tell us why.

Each year since 2003, the City of Tampa has chosen a photographer to chronicle the city for The Big Picture Photographer Laureate Program.

The purpose of the project was to commission an artist to photograph and respond to life in the City of Tampa. The Photographer Laureate Program is inspired by historic photographic projects including the Farm Workers Administration, the National Endowment for the Arts, and regional Photographic Archives. The program’s long-range vision is to build a public collection comprised of images that are representative of the life and times in Tampa, by regional, national and international photographers.

Over the course of the multi-year project, an artist will be commissioned to “add a volume” for one year. The volume must be built upon a theme/topic selected by the artist/photographer and approved by the committee. Over the course of time, the city hopes to accumulate and display a full and varied representation of the multiple and diverse perspectives of artists on Tampa.

The artist chosen for 2007 was Marion Belanger (www.marionbelanger.com) from Connecticut, and the Big Picture Photographer Laureate, Volume V is now finished, and Marion’s work is open to the public.

Check out Real Estate/Spaces in Transition on view at the American Institute of Architects Gallery in downtown Tampa at 200 N. Tampa Street, Suite 100.  Find it on the west side of Tampa St. just south of Jackson.

You may want to check out the online work of previous Tampa Photographer Laureates, including 2003 Photographer Laureate Beth Reynolds, 2004’s Suzanne Camp Crosby, pinhole photographer Rebecca Sexton Larson in 2005, and 2006’s Steven S. Gregory.

The 2008 photographer, Jeremy Chandler, is busy taking photos now.  Look for his exhibit in about a year.

Channelside Bay Plaza (formerly known as the “Shoppes at Channelside,” which was formerly known as “Channelside at Garrison Seaport”) is seven years old. The St. Pete Times says Channelside businesses are struggling, mainly because locals don’t frequent the place.

Nope - locals don’t go. But that is not the only thing - Channelside Bay Plaza has all sorts of problems.

First of all, Channelside businesses don’t really get along.

Remember, Hooters paid for a trolley to get downtown workers over to Channelside during weekday lunchtime. But after four years, and with trolley visitors spending money at several Channelside stores, none of the other businesses wanted to help with the cost, and so the trolley no longer runs.

Guy Revelle has an ownership stake in Stump’s, Howl at the Moon, Splitsville, and Tinatapas - four places that serve alcohol. When other drinking-only establishments attempted to open, Revelle, who never misses an opportunity to be quoted, whined about Channelside becoming a mini Ybor City.

Next on the list is Channelside’s terrible marketing. I only hear about Channelside around major events, and they seem to want to capture only downtown visitors (not locals). In fact, we don’t hear much of anything since Channelside marketing director Susan Martin over two years ago (found in a July 2006 tbt* column spelling out Channelside’s marketing problems).

But even worse than just limited advertising, are the individual businesses failure to provide any consistency. Unless there is something big going on nearby, many of the businesses don’t bother keeping their places open. Back to the Times article:

Business people walk over from their hotels only to find the complex half-closed.

“We get a lot of tourists who are in their hotels looking for something to do. They come down here during the day and say, ‘This is it?’” - Tinatapas bartender Jason Lewis

Area residents have all been there at least once. But not many are going back. Besides the fact that parking is expensive AND a pain in the ass, Channelside Bay Plaza is so visitor-oriented that it comes off as some lame-ass tourist trap:

“There’s nothing down there to draw you. It’s over-rated.” - Channel District resident Denise Becknell

“I really don’t go over there.” “It’s so young. It’s all clubs.” “I don’t think it’s high quality.” “It’s kind of cheesy.” - 36 year old Victory Lofts resdident Jill Lifsey

“It’s pretty plastic.” - Channel District dance studio owner Luisa Meshekoff

Yeah - Channelside residential buildings are full of empty space.  But if the shopping center wants to thrive, they are still going to need local support.  Tampa Bay residents need a good reason to go though the hassles of parking, and Channelside simply doesn’t offer much to fight that perception.

Does this place have an identity?

The middle child between bulky, demanding, big brother Tampa and quaint, cute, little brother Plant City, this third incorporated city in Hillsborough is just sorta there.

On the northeast side of the Tampa Bay area, Temple Terrace is strategically situated between three major interstates— I-4, I-75, and I-275.

Sure, there are gorgeous million-dollar homes along the river, and nice tree-shaded neighborhoods surrounding the golf course through to 56th St.  But then again, there are hundreds (thousands?) of apartments and 60’s era housing built all around those.  It’s ugly.

And that main intersection of Busch Blvd/Bullard Pkwy and 56th St is just hideous.  You can’t really call it a downtown, just a main intersection.  And the City of Temple Terrace has been attempting to “revitalize” that spot for seven years now, although some would say it was never vital to begin with, that city leaders have attempted to have something on that corner for 85 years.

IN fact, the City of Temple Terrace history page refers more to the PLANS of the city rather than what actually happened:

The original town plan for Temple Terrace, created in 1922, was a model of town planning in its day.

The stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression caused the City to fall upon hard times. The plan that developers originally had for Temple Terrace was never fully realized.

And it ends with a hint of those current PLANS to finish the original PLAN (my emphasis below):

The convenient location and natural beauty of the area makes Temple Terrace an attractive destination to residents and businesses alike. And with plans underway to complete the plan for a downtown area that founding fathers were unable to complete, our City promises to be “A City for Living” for many generations to come.

Yet today, that corner still looks hideous, no improvement is expected soon, and those latest PLANS are being delayed again.

But is that surprising when even the “Citizens for Development in Temple Terrace” have abandoned their plans (website: “Last Updated September 26, 2007″)?

What gives over there?

Investigative journalism is crucial.  In addition to exposing unethical immoral and illegal behavior, sometimes those journalists find simple (but expensive) stupidity and laziness.

Back in 2004, Greg Neal of Keystone Ventures envisioned a Tampa Sports Centre near Raymond James Stadium.  A couple of months later, HCC envisioned a retail complex including a hotel, conference center, restaurant, medical complex, public pool and sports facility in their “Front Yard” facing Dale Mabry.

In early 2005, Neal approached HCC, and suggested he could build the world-class sports-medicine destination with a luxury hotel and a culinary institute.  Four hundred jobs would be created, and students could learn from sports nutrition experts and hotel management programs.  In return, HCC would guarantee low rental rates on 40+ acres to Keystone for fifty years.

HCC was rightly intrigued, and asked for a proposal with details.

After collecting proposals from them and other parties in 2006, evaluators for HCC placed Keystone fourth behind Cheeseburger in Paradise, Steak N Shake, and a hotel from a George Steinbrenner company.  Although they found problems with the Keystone proposal, those top three did not include using the facilities for education, and HCC leaders kept Keystone on the short list. 

HCC then paid $768,000 to a real estate firm to oversee the project, and that firm gave HCC more specific reasons for denying Keystone’s proposal, such as a lack of experience and unfavorable lease terms.

In an email sent in May 2007, HCC VP Ron Wolf suggested they look out for “smoke and mirrors” from Keystone at a scheduled meeting.  They met with Greg Neal again, and were again blown away by his excitement and vision.  Seems they forgot about the smoke and mirrors, and were still talking about the grandiose opportunities in March of this year.

Luckily, the St. Pete Times took an interest in the story.  Doing the job that HCC leaders, HCC evaluators, and an $768,000 hired gun should have done, SPTimes reporter Thomas Lake has found that Greg Neal is full of sh*t. 

A St. Petersburg Times investigation of Neal’s claims and credentials found nearly 20 statements that were exaggerated, misleading, disputed, or downright false. And public administrators repeated some of those claims in official documents without independently confirming them.

What an outrage!  You would think that these basic background checks would be PART OF THE PROCESS by those entrusted to evaluate the proposal, yet none of it was discovered until the paper got involved.

Of course, in an attempt to save face, HCC plans to give Greg Neal an opportunity to address these new concerns in a meeting next month.

Thanks to Thomas Lake and the St. Pete Times for uncovering this nonsense.  It’s a damn shame we must have journalists doing the job of lazy, uninspired “leadership.”

As of the latest forecasts, Tampa Bay is still within Tropical Storm Fay’s cone of uncertainty.

To be on the safe side, local governments have closed the schools and government offices for tomorrow, and other government-related services will not run, such as trash pickup, and early voting.

• In Pinellas, A mandatory evacuation will go into effect on Tuesday at 6 a.m. for Level A evacuation areas and all mobile home residents.  Shelters are slated to open at 6 a.m.
• A recommendation was made that Hillsborough also evacuate mobile homes and Level A, but County Administrator wants to wait until after the 5pm advisory to make her decision.
• Polk County government is closing Tuesday also, and they encourage you to watch TV for further announcements.
• Pasco asks their residents to be ready to evacuate, but will make another announcement at 6pm.
• For Manatee County, voluntary evacuations for residents living in level A areas, and mandatory evacuations for all Manufactured Home residents began at noon today.

So even if Fay takes a hard left, fizzles out and disappears, things are going to be a bit screwy around here with some mandatory evacuations, kids & staff missing school, and government workers clogging up the Wal-Marts free to take care of their families.

Of course, the Business World continues unabated, and you will likely be notified on what to expect about five minutes before you leave.