But it doesn’t do much good.

After we learned that Tampa Bay ranks second in pedestrian danger, and we noticed that the top four most dangerous places are in Florida, USA Today breaks out a state-by-state graphic with an unsurprising headline:

Florida remains the deadliest state in the U.S. for pedestrians — and bicyclists aren’t much safer.

In 2008, the most recent year for which federal statistics are available, 11.1% of pedestrians and 17.4% of bicyclists killed in the U.S. died in the Sunshine State, which has 6% of the nation’s population.

The top four of the 10 most dangerous metropolitan areas for walking are in Florida, according to a study last fall by two Washington, D.C.-based non-profit groups. The state has been in the top three in bicycle and pedestrian fatalities every year since 2001, federal data show.

We certainly are consistent in this area.

Los Angeles, Orlando and Miami round out the top five.

Three of the top five areas are in Florida. National Insurance Crime Bureau spokesman Frank Scafid says Florida is a popular state for fraud because of its no-fault policy.

So, why does this matter to you?

Florida Insurance Council executive vice president Sam Miller says agencies will adjust their premiums accordingly, which will “cause insurance rates in the Tampa area to be the highest in the country“.

Bay News Nine tells us how they are scamming some of us:

Police call the scam “swoop and squat,” and it happens when criminals intentionally cause car crashes, then file claims with insurance companies and pocket the money.

Police said the perpetrators will drive two cars, one right after the other. The first car will pull out in front of the second car, which causes that driver to hit the brakes. Often, the innocent driver behind them has no choice but to slam into the second car.

To avoid this yourself, use your head. Make sure to keep plenty of distance between your car and the ones in front of you. And pay attention!

And if you see a questionable wreck, stick around to give your story to the cops.

The Tampa Bay area is not a very safe for pedestrians. According to a recent report, the bay area ranks second in pedestrian danger. Check out the Transportation For America » Dangerous By Design report:

The most dangerous metropolitan areas in the U.S. for walking in 2007-2008 were: Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, Memphis, Raleigh, Louisville, Houston, Birmingham and Atlanta. Orlando tops the list because of its high pedestrian fatality rate of 2.9 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 residents, despite a very low proportion of residents walking to work, only 1.3 percent. In other words, the few people who do walk in Orlando face a relatively high risk of being killed by traffic.

Hooray! Those of us who walk around here are more likely to survive than walkers in Orlando!

But did you notice that the top four most dangerous areas are in Florida? And nine of ten are in the South.

Then again, some say walking is overrated. Perhaps we should all just drive everywhere.

For fall 2009, we finished third in the measurement once again. Here’s the breakdown:

• For income & productivity, Tampa Bay ranks 2nd – up from 4th last spring.
• For education, Tampa Bay remains at number 3.
• For transportation, Tampa Bay ranks 3rd, an improvement from 4th in the spring.
• For employment and workforce, Tampa Bay ranks 4th.
• For innovation, Tampa Bay ranks 5th.
• For housing, Tampa Bay ranks dead last – a decline from 3rd place in the spring.

Here’s a closer look at where we are falling short (ranked either 5th or 6th):

• Number of jobs created
• Unemployment rate
• Average Wage
• Rental Affordability
• Venture Capital
• Number of Patents
• Science awards
• Transit Ridership (% of population)

You can compare the Tampa Bay Partnership’s entire Fall 2009 Regional Economic Scorecard to the report from Spring of ‘09 to find out more.

A recent study (ok, so they just did a bit of math), by Coupons.com says Atlanta and Tampa residents get the most savings from online coupons.

The average Coupons.com user in Atlanta saved over $531 using coupons from the site in 2009. Tampa, Florida follows closely in the number two position.

The coupon website also says that one-third of the top 20 couponing cities are in the South: Nashville (#6), Charlotte, North Carolina (#7), Raleigh, North Carolina (#11), Oklahoma City (#13), Miami (#14) and Dallas (#18).

I wouldn’t read too much into this – coupons.com used only their database, and a quick google for coupons tells us that we can get coupons from more than 89 million websites.

Nearly a year ago, someone in Clearwater lost a monkey, and it was never found.

This week, a monkey was spotted climbing trees around Rowlett Park in East Tampa, and after one day of trying to catch it, and another trying just to find it again, officials have given up.

If you see any monkeys in your trees, don’t try to make it your pet OR your friend.  Don’t even try to feed it.  Like any critter, a monkey might be frightened and attack or bite you.  Even worse, some monkeys have serious illnesses – you really don’t want any part of that.

Instead, just call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Monkey Alert hotline at 1-888-404-3922.  Oh, and let us know if you have seen any monkeys ’round here.

That’s right. The top four places most dangerous to those of us walking around outside are all in Florida – a state that markets itself on the beauty and weather of the outdoors.

Welcome to Paradise.

Instead of closing them part time, Hillsborough County began charging for entrance to some regional and wilderness parks.  You will now find an entry fee for visiting Alderman’s Ford, E.G. Simmons, Edward Medard, Eureka Springs, Lake Park in Lutz, Lake Rogers in Odessa, Lettuce Lake east on Fletcher Av., Lithia Springs in Lithia, and Upper Tampa Bay Park up near WestChase, as well as the wilderness parks – Dead River, Flatwoods, John B. Sargeant Sr., Morris Bridge, Trout Creek and Veterans Memorial.

It now costs $2 per car, which includes admission for up to eight people.  Add on $1 for each person over eight.  It is still free if you walk or bike to the park.

You are also charged $5 for each trailered boat that uses a ramp to launch, but canoes and kayaks are free.

You can purchase an annual pass for $50, or $100 for a family (plus $100 for a boat).  Just fill out and mail in the order form.

Go visit some of these parks.  Lots of us believe they are all worth the price of admission.