Tampa Is…?

More bars in more places?  Not in my neighborhood.

Condos on Tierra Verde?  No thank you.

Brian Blair:  My neighbors are extremists.

Rays looking for a new neighborhood?

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.

No one really knows how long chickens have been roaming Ybor City.  I’d guess they have been there since the late 1800s, but I know I have seen them strutting around Ybor for the last 25 years or so, which makes the “Chickens of Ybor City” an older franchise than many of the businesses currently found on 7th Avenue.

But now, someone wants to get rid of the chickens.  In fact, someone or something has killed at least one hen and her chicks.  So now the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has shown up in Ybor to catch some of them chickens with a plan to move them to Pasco and Polk Counties, in the hopes that no more chickens get harmed (or so they say).

Tommy doesn’t want any part of that.  Tommy has lived in Ybor for over 20 years.  He helped found the Historic Ybor Neighborhood Association, and is one of the founders of Guavaween.  For the past ten years(well, most years), he also hosted the annual James E. Rooster Funeral Procession and Party.  And Tommy likes feeding the chickens.  Oh, and everyone calls him ‘Rooster Tommy.’

Lots of folks like the chickens.  Artists and tourists love to photograph the chickens of Ybor City.  When writing about the culture of Ybor, workers mention the chickens.  Hundreds have gathered at Tommy’s rooster funeral parties to celebrate the Chickens of Ybor City.  (Yes, Arroz con Pollo is on the menu.)

So, of course, now we have all the makings of a chicken protest party.  The party will be this Sunday, November 16 at around halftime of the Bucs game.  Or maybe just following the Bucs game.  At any rate, please make a note of it, because the Times article has the wrong day.  The chicken protest will be held on Sunday, November 16, exactly at 2:30, give or take 90 minutes either way.

Editor’s note:  Don’t sweat the time thing - time barely matters in Ybor City.  Otherwise we’d know when the damn chickens got there in the first place.  Also, if you have read this far, you may as well read the last bit.  Anyone got a better name for a “chicken protest party?”

Tommy’s helpful hints #472:

If you are going to have a birthday party at a local park, make sure none of your children pull the pin on any of the grenades you find.

“Better judgment prevailed, and I called 911,” [David] Sapp, 70, said.

Good move, Mr. Sapp.

Tampa police’s bomb team arrived and took the grenades to another site to be detonated.

I’m sure the birthday party was a blast anyway.

… like a ten year old turd.

Here it is, two days after election day, and we still don’t have a full count of votes in Hillsborough County.

• “Hillsborough County stood out for Election Day miscues.“
• “To have more than 80,000 votes uncounted by the end of Wednesday and pushed into Thursday is a total meltdown of the system and incompetency on a level that we’ve haven’t seen around these parts in a while, at least at the Supervisors of Elections offices.”
• “Buddy Johnson’s performance was so flawed and suspect the federal government should come in, recount the vote and perform a thorough investigation.”
• “Johnson’s management of this election was a debacle and his behavior bizarre.”

Freakin’ pathetic.

AND after both dailies and Weekly Planet endorsed Phyllis Busansky, Johnson continues to lead in the race for Hillsborough’s SOE.

• “You have to wonder if the 198,249 citizens who voted for Johnson to manage their most sacred right - the right to vote - might want a do-over after witnessing his office’s breakdown”
• “There are 203,845 Hillsborough residents (so far, at least) who voted to keep Johnson as the county’s supervisor of elections.”
• As of 8:00 Thursday morning, the total for Buddy is 207,327 (page 3).

As I mentioned before, I’m not sure voters know what the hell they are doing.  And that’s REALLY freakin’ pathetic.

Check here to see if they have more than 377 of 384 precincts reported.  Go to page three to see the race for SOE.

Update 12noon:  Tampabay.com’s BayBuzz blog is on site at the vote-countin’ offices, and keeping us up to date on progress in Hillsborough County:  Counting began again this morning, Buddy nowhere to be found, SOE legal team assures there has been no tampering, local Senators ask Guv for help.

In his speech last night, President elect Barack Obama referenced a voter in Atlanta:

“This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight’s about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta.  She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.”

Not only is she 106 years old, but it’s Ernest Hooper’s grandmother!

That’s all I’m saying.

Update Thursday morning:  More from Hoop.

I’m sure you have heard about the crazy Jim Smith land deal over in Pinellas County.  (If not, check that link, or scroll on down past the jump for a truncated blow-by-blow).

Anyway, the latest is that a state commission on ethics determined that neither he nor former County Attorney Susan Churuti did anything illegal.  Which is not the same as saying all is well.  Among the complaints:

• The values of Smith’s land, as set by his office, and reported by him on his financial-disclosure forms.
• The county staff’s (County Attorney Susan Churuti, and County Administrator Steve Spratt) rushing of the deal, ignoring normal procedures and using shaky methods to come up with the purchase price.
• The county attorney’s pushing the issue and advocacy of Smith’s personal interests, while failing to make clear her role in the situation.
• The County Commission letting the thing sail through.

Allright… So, we have at least four culprits.  Let’s see how they have paid the price for not acting in the best interest of taxpayers.

Jim Smith

In addition to the $140,000ish overpaid to Jim Smith for the land deal, he continues to take a salary of $148,335.  He’s a participant in the DROP program, which gives him another $80,000 in pension annually, which he will collect for who knows how long.  He took home $423,157 in deferred compensation in 2006.  He also earns tens of thousands of dollars as a sculptor and a landlord that he allegedly fails to claim on some disclosure forms.

The St. Pete Times urged Jim Smith to resign, but he did not feel the urge to quit.  He later chose not to run for re-election.  I suppose it will give him more time for his artistry.

Susan Churuti

Susan Churuti was suspended for a month, during which she was paid her normal salary of $193,015 a year.  Then Pinellas canned her.

Steve Spratt

Assistant county attorney admin Steve Spratt first apologized, and eventually decided to move along.  He got about $223,000 in severance pay.

Ronnie Duncan and the rest of the Pinellas BOCC.

Ronnie Duncan decided not to run for re-election, because he wants to “spend more time with his family.”  In fact, only one of the four Pinellas County Commissioners seats up for election have decided to run.

Seriously?  ONE person was fired?  (And my guess is that she won’t have trouble finding a job - even in this down economy.)

So when there is hanky-panky (but nothing illegal!) in government, we get promises to clean it up, but none of those involved are really punished too much.

Except the taxpayer, of course.

Click below to read see a quick & dirty synopsis of the Jim Smith Land Deal, or read the St. Pete Times Special Report for the in-depth version.

(more…)

Wayne Garcia and the kids over at Creative Loafing were tipped off to some possible hanky-panky in Brian Blair’s campaign, including contributions seemingly from developer Steven Dibbs that may exceed state limits.

I’m sure there must be some mistake.

Update October 2, 10.45am:  Blair says there is no hanky-panky, and produced an invoice and check stub to the St. Pete Times.  Wayne reports that as well, and updated the big story on CL.com, but it seems it may be too late to pull the print edition.