Tampa Is…?

Do we really need a park that talks to the kids?

From the City of Tampa - New Kid-Designed Playground Opens at Al Lopez Park - November 10

Kids in the city’s After School Activity Program will cheer as they celebrate the opening of the new playground they helped design. Mayor Pam Iorio will attend the opening celebration at 3:30 p.m. Monday, November 10 at Al Lopez Park, located at 4810 N. Himes Avenue.

This community designed project includes an extensive “EVOS” Play Structure - a “gyroscopic” play system that engages children of all ages; an accessible Playshaper play structure for younger and/or limited ability children; two family friendly shade structures with picnic tables; challenging Mobius, Spacenet, and “Rock” climbing structures; and an element unique to Florida - Talking Tot Turf.

The Al Lopez Talking Tot Turf will be the first of its kind not only in the State of Florida, but in the Eastern United States. A Hopscotch and Piano Keyboard are embedded playground surface and when a child steps on these designs, it will seem as though sounds are being emitted from the area where the child is playing. The Piano Keyboard sounds will coincide with the keys on an actual keyboard. The hopscotch counts as the child plays.

The playground cost $325,800 and was funded through the Park Improvement fund and the Community Investment Tax.

Ok, this thing opened on Monday.  Let’s take some guesses as to when the “talking turf” will no longer be working properly.  I pick Monday, February 2, 2009, the day after that thing.

ON Halloween, the Tampa Tribune editorial board gave props to the St. Pete Nine, and exuded optimism regarding the near future of the team:

… From worst to second in all of Major League Baseball. It was a stunning achievement that filled the region with joy during a time of political uncertainty and economic pain.

The Rays’ heart-stopping season came up short, but this young team will be back.

Just two days later, the board was still euphoric about the Rays, but not so impressed with your turnout at the games.  But they didn’t stop there.

Basically, the Sunday editorial implies that since the Rays were so good at playing baseball, perhaps they deserve a new stadium:

… when this committed owner says a new ballpark is critical to the team’s long-term success, you’ve got to listen up.

… For what he’s done to elevate baseball in Tampa Bay, Sternberg’s request for a new ballpark deserves a new level of open-minded consideration.

What a bunch of crap.

And the St. Pete Times made the same connection in a single editorial.

The team LOST for ten years straight - does that mean we should have been encouraging them to move away?

First of all, I don’t believe we can expect immediate box office success solely upon a winning season.  Winning a few games by itself does not mean they will automatically sell out every game.  There are plenty of factors that determine attendance.

But even further, some suggest that the Rays attendance figures are about as good as can be expected in a market of our size.

The success of the baseball team certainly brought the Tampa Bay community together in rooting against evildoers from New York, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia.  But how this translates into the need for a new ballpark, I just don’t know.

The Tampa Housing Authority can now move to evict Karen Peoples. For those of you who have not been following this story, I recommend you read the original Tribune article.  But here’s the short version:

The Tampa Housing Authority (THA) is responsible for about 8,500 residents living in sixteen public housing properties around the City of Tampa, and their annual budget is nearly $80 million.

The THA Board of Commissioners sets policy for THA, and board members are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by City Council.

Karen Peoples moved into the C. Blythe Andrews public housing project in 1984, and has served as the resident appointee to the THA Board of Commissioners since 1998.

In May 2006, Mayor Iorio appointed Peoples to another four year term on the board, her third.  Peoples also signed a new lease on her four-bedroom apartment at C. Blythe Andrews.  At the time, she had four other people living with her, including two daughters and two grandchildren.

Her daughters and grandkids moved out in May 2007, and she no longer qualified for a 4-bedroom apartment.  By HUD rules, she had 10 days to notify THA of the new living arrangements, so they could find a smaller place.  But she did not tell them that.

THA found out she was living alone in August 2007, but did not do anything about it until January 2008.  Three times they offered her a one-bedroom at three other complexes, yet she refused.  It seems she desperately wanted to keep her 4 bedroom apartment.  Because from here, it just gets downright screwy.

(more…)

With apologies to the greatest novels of all time for the liberties I’ve taken below.

Treasure Island city commissioners have decided that they will no longer be funding the Treasure Island library:

Cutting the Treasure Island library funding means residents of that city no longer will have free access to the Gulf Beaches system, which is located in nearby Madeira Beach and also serves Redington Beach, North Redington Beach and Redington Shores.

However, Treasure Island residents would be allowed to spend $100 per household to get a library card that is good in all the libraries that are members of the Pinellas Public Library cooperative, which includes the Gulf Beaches library.

Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret. 

The great Gatsby, in his infinite jest, has decided to do some housekeeping. 

The blind assassin, the watchmen and all the king’s men have decided to play it as it lays while things fall apart.  They will claim their eyes were watching God, but they should know better.  To kill a mockingbird in the prime of Miss Jean Brodie is akin to playing Ragtime while struggling under the net.

It seems the power and the glory got to city commissioners, and one flew over the cuckoo’s nest in determining that library funding should be sent to slaughterhouse-five for the big sleep.

Go tell it on the mountain:  Libraries will soon be gone with the wind, books will turn into a handful of dust, and you will be reduced to a lord of the flies, right here along the Tropic of Cancer.

Portnoy’s complaint includes the recognitions that it is all about money.  The man who loved children will no longer be able to check out the golden notebook without deliverance of a $100 check. 

You may as well go to the lighthouse, become the moviegoer, visit an animal farm or head out on the road along a passage to India.

Oh, and city commissioners will attempt to avoid atonement by taking a trip down Revolutionary Road under the sheltering sky to avoid the sound and the fury of the white noise generated by the crying of lot 49.

It’s really an American tragedy.

Pasco Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Tallie Gainer III for check fraud.  He didn’t do it.  The real criminal used Gainer’s name, but left his own thumbprint on the bad check.

Eight months passed before the Pasco Sheriff’s Office decided to compare the thumbprint to Gainer’s.

EIGHT freakin’ MONTHS.

In the meantime, Gainer and his wife missed work to attend court. He lost his deposit on a real estate deal. His savings dried up. And he lost his chance to bid on a laundromat.

So he’s rightly suing the Sheriff.  And your tax money will pay.

Sure wish there was something we could do about that.

When I was in high school, my friends and I walked about a mile from my home to the bus stop.  That was from 1982 to ‘85.  It was dark, and seemed like a long walk to us, but three to five of us walked together, and got used to it.  At the end of that twenty minute walk, we were picked up last, and from there it was a 5 minute bus ride to school.

But apparently, some Robinson High School kids on Davis Islands have to walk more than 2 miles, cross busy streets, and the Davis Islands bridge to get to the bus stop at Wilson Middle School.  Even googlemaps says “Use caution – This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths.”  From Wilson Middle, the bus ride to Robinson is almost seven miles. 

Of course, Plant High (watch volume) is the Davis Islands neighborhood school, but these parents have chosen to send their kids to Robinson High School’s International Baccalaureate program.

I’ve mentioned before that school choice is a great idea, but the board should not be responsible for getting those kids to schools outside their neighborhood.

Alas, the Hillsborough County School Board disagrees, and caters to parents who want it all, and want you to pay for it.  So, we have these bus problems.  Here is what we’ve noticed thus far:

• August 2005:  Transportation for school choice is too generous.
• September 2005:  There is a shortage of school bus drivers, because they have to deal with wild children raised by wolves.
• July 2006:  There is a severe shortage of school bus drivers, because administrators also treat them like crap.
• January 2007:  School bus troubles continue even after hiring a consultant to point out inefficiencies.
• October 2007:  Nine months later, they have spent over $340,000 on consultants. And after spending all that money, we still have kids showing up late to school.
• August 2008:  School district redesigned all bus routes, and let the parents know at the last possible second, sending the entire school transportation into a spiraling quagmire.
• August 2008:  10 year old killed - bus stop close to busy road.
• August 2008:  School Bus admin Jack Davis retires for “health” reasons.  Of course, the guy was also the chief information and technology officer, supervising communications, assessment and accountability, information services, staff development, supplier diversity, and customer service and support.  Doing all that PLUS transportation would make me sick and tired, too.
• September 2008:  Parents are still waiting for return calls and bus stop changes, but the number of callers was down to 600 on Monday, said Deputy Superintendent Ken Otero.
• September 2008:  School board contemplates fee-based busing.

For three years (at least), school transportation has been a mess, and your School District of Hillsborough County has not yet solved the problems.

Sure wish there was something we could do about it.

Did you happen to notice your property tax notice? 

As a Trib editorial says As Tax Notices Arrive This Month, Homeowners Find Ugly Shock.

It ain’t much lower than what it was 2 years ago.  When campaigning, Governor Charlie Crist promised to deal with the rising cost of insurance as well as property tax increases.  Neither of those have really been altered all that much.

We agree with the Tribune:

Taxpayers are struggling to keep their homes, place food on the table and put gasoline in their vehicles.

The governor promised to lower taxes. He should keep his promise.

Meanwhile, city government still hasn’t addressed their spending problem either, and continues to give out money like it’s water air.

But not for the great state of Florida!

Gotta love those Tribune editorial stances.

When they complain about federal spending that is distributed across the nation, it’s pork.

When those bills bring the bacon to Florida, it’s “right.”

When that spending ends up in Tampa, it’s necessary earmarks.