A few weeks ago I wrote about the importance of using native plants in a Florida-Friendly yard. The flipside of that advice is, of course, avoiding non-native invasive species whenever possible. An invasive species is one that is considered to have “alter[ed] native plant communities by displacing native species, changing community structures or ecological functions, or [...]
Called by Neighborhood Scout as Amelia Ave. @ Tampa St., the study says that area of Tampa Heights has a violent crime rate of 116.99 per thousand: Neighborhood: Amelia Ave./Tampa St. Found Within ZIP Code(s): 33602 Predicted Annual Violent Crimes: 179 Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000): 116.99 Chances of Becoming a Victim Here (in one year): 1 in 9 That makes [...]
We spend a lot of our lives waiting for stuff. Usually, it’s a lot of aggravation for little reward. But sometimes, the wait is worth it. It is my intention to highlight something that qualifies as worth the wait in Tampa Bay each week… It seems like every town, regardless of size, has at least a [...]
In Hillsborough County politics, it has become quite normal to find elected leaders facing some challenges that go beyond the last (or next) election. Phyllis Busansky wasn’t one of those. While others are mired in all sorts of muddy messes, Phyllis has been a true champion for her constituency, always seeking the best remedies for the county, [...]
County Commissioner Ken Hagan is using the same tactic Buddy Johnson used to get his name out for the next election. He’s distributing campaign material made to look like public service announcements. See for yourself. Wayne Garcia writes, A curious piece of political literature has been hitting South Tampa homes over the past few days as [...]
It’s certainly not every city that can boast a wildflower named for it, but Tampa has one. The Tampa Mock Vervain is an endangered native wildflower, endemic to just a few coastal counties in central Florida. This low-growing perennial has small purple flowers beloved by butterflies, and does well in heat and drought conditions. How does [...]
We spend a lot of our lives waiting for stuff. Usually, it’s a lot of aggravation for little reward. Such as driving anywhere in Tampa Bay, where no matter how far you need to go, it takes a half hour to get there, a concept that would blow Albert Einstein’s mind. But sometimes, the wait [...]
With the closing of Valencia Garden, I got to thinking about some of Tampa’s other long-time independents that have gone over the past 15 years or so. It helped that Jeff Houck put up some photos of these places over the years. I was fortunate enough to visit the following places, which no longer [...]
Craig Pittman notes that Tampa Bay Water has had a couple of problems with their big-ticket items: Over the past decade, Tampa Bay Water has built three big, expensive facilities to slake the thirst of a growing region — only to see all three run into problems: It’s desalination plant was years late and millions over budget. [...]
