Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Damn, he’s a hell of a football player. Good enough to help win a championship. He’s so good that another team is willing to pay him more to play for them. And he’s going. Where’s the loyalty? I coached him to a championship, and now he wants to join another team. Who does he think he is? I am the one who deserves the credit for winning it all. I’ll get him somehow. Wait. I have an idea. This will be great. Plus, it will save a little money for the organization. (Dials the phone). “Hey, bud. Those rings we ordered with the five big diamonds? Yeah, those. For one-a them rangs, how much would it save me to replace the big diamonds with that cuban zirocknistuff. Yeah, whatever. Fake diamonds. Wow. Hmmmm. OK, gimme ten of those, and leave the rest as they were ordered. Thanks.”

Slow posting day today. It seems the day just flew by.

A month ago, The Tampa Tribune published the fifth part of The Tampa Project. This time, the focus is on our waterways. There’s a quick history of Tampa Bay and its ports, and how the Hillsborough, Alafia and Manatee Rivers surround and connect us.

The stories show what was done with Bayshore Blvd and Mayor Pam’s plans for the Riverwalk. Comparisons are made with the parks on the waterfront in downtown St. Pete, as well as what Baltimore, Jacksonville, Providence, and San Antonio have done.

If you are curious about Tampa – where we’ve been and where we are headed – I highly recommend the series.

Previous entries on The Tampa Project:
Part I That’s what I like about you
Part II You’ll go down in history
Part II Long and winding road
Part III the Leader of the pack
Part IV economic development
Part IV Weird (bio)science

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the first team in the entire history of the NFL to post two consecutive losing seasons after winning the Super Bowl. Congratulations, guys. Way to make us proud!

Where’s the freakin’ hockey?

Dave Erwin called attention to horrible conditions within the Hillsborough county school system. Oh, and over a half million dollars in misappropriated funds too. What did he get for his troubles? An office with no windows, no reasonable use of an assistant, and was generally treated as a pariah. He quit his job due to the stress it caused him. Last week a federal jury awarded him damages after suing under Florida’s Whistleblower Act. He may get more.

Reporting on your bosses is a tough thing to do. The Florida Whistleblower Act helps a little. But it still takes guts to accuse your superiors of immoral or illegal actions. Erwin took a huge chance by just describing the illicit activities. But in the end, does it really have any affect? Steve Otto has his doubts. Either way, the citizens have a right to know this stuff. It’s our money!

I’m convinced this kind of stuff goes on everywhere that involves government payments; Medicare fraud, construction agreements, any no-bid contract. If you know of any corruption in Tampa Bay, or of any fraudulent activities, let somebody know. If you wish to remain anonymous, I’d be happy to get the word out for you. Just send an email with any info you have.

I got home the other day to see a slick ad hanging from my doorknob. “DOES A FRUSTRATED INTERNET USER LIVE HERE?” it asks. Why, yes, I thought. A frustrated internet user DOES live here. So I yanked the ad off the door and flipped it over, hoping to see an announcement for Fiber To The Premises. Alas, the flyer only claimed that “Verizon Online DSL is now here to help.” Having disavowed giving any money to the local cable company long ago, DSL is a step in the right direction. I quickly dialed the number on the ad, gave my info, and sat there with wide eyes, ready to spit out credit card numbers, references, whatever they wanted. The helpful operator there reported that DSL is not yet available for my line.

Now why the hell would Verizon spend that money to advertise specifically to a household where the advertised service is not available? What a ridiculous waste of money.

Suitcase City wants to be called the North Tampa Family Fun District. Heh.

For years, the Florida DOT has wanted to make Gandy Blvd safer for drivers and pedestrians. But time and again, elevated expressways and other suggestions have been shot down by residents. An attempt to change Gandy step by step is underway, starting with center medians. But the locals are convinced it’s a setup for an elevated road. We all know you cannot stop development, especially here in Tampa. New projects will be going up over there, including Grady Pridgen’s development. So infrastructure changes are necessary. But what exactly is needed/wanted? And other than just hoping it all just goes away, do the naysayers have any proposals? Gandy residents need to get their head out of the sand and help come up with actual solutions.

The new Carver Exceptional Center school will be built directly across the street from Lipstixx Nude Cabaret, Adult World and the XTC Supercenter. Anyone care to bet that there will be a huge public outcry from the parents of these students. Which leads to bad publicity for these businesses. And with the thought that someone’s watching, business will decline.

Ya know, if I am not allowed to open a p*rn shop next to a church, or a tavern by the day care, how can the opposite be permitted?