Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Here you go, TJ:

Last week we discussed Tampa Bay’s top ten problems, according to Wayne Garcia:

1. Suburban sprawl
2. Urban density (lacking)
3. Transportation
4. Environment (weak protections)
5. Living green
6. Diversity (racial, ethnic, class)
7. Professional sports (over-subsidized and over-idolized)
8. Media consolidation (lack of independent voices)
9. GLBT Rights
10. Save our young (with economic opportunity)

We asked if you thought the list was comprehensive, but Chaaalie suggested we add education, economics, taxes, and cost of living. Besides these being vague, I assume Garcia left them off his list since those are essentially statewide issues.

But we can certainly do our part here in Tampa Bay to bring about change, so I have added them, and combined a couple of the issues above in a new poll to find out where you think we ought to get started. Pick your top three issues that should be worked on FIRST:

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What makes a park a park?

As you know, Mayor Pam Iorio wants the area currently known as Curtis Hixon Park to be Tampa’s signature park. Iorio remains insistent in putting $15 Million into redesigning the already functioning green space.

And what do we get for $15 MILLION?

The city hired New York landscape architect Thomas Balsley to design the project.

“It’s been very carefully conceived to be a very active park,” Balsley said.

The park would be built in two phases. The first phase, which carries a $15 million price tag, would include features such as a visitors’ center, cafe kiosk, play area, dog run, fountain on Ashley and a shade trellis at a future pavilion building.

The second phase would include the glass towers, a mist fountain, the pavilion building, a garden and a restaurant. The second phase could cost an additional $5 million to $10 million.

Good grief.. why hire a guy from New York? How about giving a local guy the chance to make a signature piece? It’s easy to google tampa landscape architect. Allow a local firm to put this project on their resume, and perhaps the City of New York will one day hire a Tampa based firm.

And the 50 foot Glass Towers spelling out T.A.M.P.A? That alone will cost well over a half million. Seriously, where do you think you are?

Thankfully, some in City Council are not too impressed. Dingfelder even had a go-round with Pammy at a meeting. But Iorio was steadfast. She knows she has supporters, too.

In a Sunday Editorial ripping the City Council, the St. Pete Times says “There is no greater need downtown than a signature, functional park.” No greater need? Seriously? Not a grocery store? Not dependable mass transit? Not a single, specific vision?

And speaking of the Tampa Downtown Partnership, they chime in on their HiLife Tampa website:

Curtis Hixon Park: The City of Tampa has contracted with Thomas Balsley & Associates of New York City to redesign and develop Curtis Hixon Park into a true urban green space. Once completed the park will offer unique features that will draw people into it and connect to the Tampa Riverwalk.

Oh, come on… Do we really need another “destination” place downtown? How many things have to be built at public expense that are going to “draw people?” Remember, Downtown Tampa already draws thousands, we just want them to stay a little longer.

Downtown Tampa doesn’t need a “better” park. If you want to invigorate downtown, then the first step is to make better use of the existing amenities.

Curtis Hixon is already a nice open green space with views of the riverfront. Downtown residents already use Curtis Hixon as it is. The reason more people don’t use the park is because nothing happens there. Here’s an idea. Take some of this money, and FIX THE LIGHTS IN THE PARK. The park is downright scary after dark. Those thousands who visit the TBPAC at sundown are not going to go into the darkness of Curtis Hixon.

But that’s simply not good enough for Pammy.

You see, the Riverwalk is Pam’s Legacy. A $15 million redesigned Curtis Hixon will simply add to the extravagance of Pam’s Legacy.

I asked “What makes a park a park?” It is people, not fountains. People, not glass towers. People, not New York architecture. If you spend money on those things, people will continue to stay away in droves.

It’s time to put a stop to this nonsense. Even if downtown Tampa needs a “signature park,” it doesn’t need to be this spot, and it certainly doesn’t need to be done during this time of significant budget cutbacks.

Sticks of Fire reader Taylor sent this to us recently:

A group of Tampa residents headed by Mimi Conneely are pushing for a crosswalk at the north end of Bayshore. Currently there is no safe accommodation of foot, bike or wheelchair traffic to or from Davis Islands, leaving S.O.L. anybody without a car who needs to get to or from Tampa General Hospital, or any Davis Islands public or private amenity. Not to mention kids who live on Davis Islands and go to Gorrie, Wilson or Plant. Website is very preliminary for now, there is a petition going…

Actually, there is a footbridge to cross Bayshore, as part of the automobile bridge to DI. But then we heard from Mimi, who says that bridge is only accessible by stairs.

To Parents and Tax payers,

My name is Mimi Conneely, I have seen people in wheelchairs negotiating Bayshore to go from Davis Island to Publix and some who just want to wheel up and down Bayshore. There is no safe access from Publix to Bayshore or vise versa, until Howard. There is, however, an overpass for the ambulatory on the Davis Island bridge leaving the island.

We need support when we present to the Mayor. Please sign petition at, http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bayshoreforall/

For more information, including pictures of light locations, go to www.bayshoreforall.com.

For pedestrians, just jump up those steps, scoot across the Bayshore, and head north. The walk from Tampa General to Publix is almost half a mile. But there is no way for wheelchair-bound folks to get up on that bridge; they must use crosswalks.

Going south of the DI bridges, the next crosswalk is the new one they installed at Howard Av., about two miles away, making a round trip better than 3.7 miles. So the obvious route is north. But in addition to the lack of crosswalk on Bayshore, there is no way to cross Platt without going all the way to Franklin. On the north side of Platt, there is no way to cross Ashley without going to Brorein. Yeah - it’s confusing, that’s why I made a map. You can clearly see the most direct wheelchair route is more than a mile, making a round trip 2.3 miles.

And don’t think this is just about shopping at Publix. From the residential side, wheelchair users must currently go at least 5 blocks out of the way just to get a good look at the bay.

From a press release from the American Heart Association:

February is American Heart Month
Individuals, businesses and even buildings are “going red” across Tampa Bay to raise awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, killing more than the next five causes of death combined. February is American Heart Month and Feb. 1 is National Wear Red Day, a component of Go Red For Women, the American Heart Association’s national campaign to make women aware of their risk of heart disease and take action to reduce their risk. To stimulate heart disease awareness and help women live heart healthy lifestyles, Go Red For Women is organizing exciting 2008 activities. It’s easier than ever for women to Go Red – in their own style.

Local Events:
Turn Heads - Go Red
The beauty of going red in your own fashion is that women can do it in their personal style. At Turn Heads, Go Red, 60 women will receive Go Red beauty treatments on Friday, Feb. 1, from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Aveda Institute in St. Petersburg. The beauty treatments will include red manicures, red pedicures and red hair coloring or highlights. No matter the beauty treatment, all the participants will leave with a touch of red and knowledge about what they can do to reduce their risk of heart disease. Women will also be asked to share their story on video as the American Heart Association is hosting a casting call to find the next face of the Go Red For Women campaign.

Buildings Go Red
Several buildings are being lit red throughout February in support of Go Red including two St. Petersburg skyline icons: the Bank of America Tower and The Pier. The Bank of America Tower goes red on Feb. 1 and will remain illuminated in red for the entire month of February. Each night from Feb. 1-8, The Pier will be turning shades of red in honor of Go Red For Women. In downtown Tampa, passion for the movement can be seen in red lights at the fountain at Tampa City Center and red lights illuminating Park Tower. Local hangouts can also be seen going red, including the Downtown Art’s Association Gallery Walk on Feb. 9 in St. Petersburg, as well as Dunedin Public Library and Hyde Park Village throughout the month of February.

Businesses Go Red
Several businesses – including Macy’s, Carlton Fields, Gerdau Ameristeel, Pinellas County Health Department, International Academy of Design & Technology, Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point and Watson Clinic – are asking employees to wear red, sharing heart health information or hosting internal fundraisers. On Saturday, Feb. 23, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be going red at 7:30 p.m. with red “game time” promotions. The Weeki Wachee Little Mermaid is donning a red tail for shows throughout February in support of Go Red. The red tail will appear in shows from Thursday through Sunday at 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Churches will also inspire their congregations to take action to prevent heart disease by hosting Go Red Sundays throughout the month of February. These events will include heart health messages from the pulpit, risk assessments and entire congregations wearing red.

About Go Red For Women
Go Red For Women is a nationwide movement that celebrates the energy, passion and power women have to band together and wipe out heart disease. One in three women has cardiovascular disease, and every minute one woman dies as a result of this health threat. Today, we want millions of women across America to take heart disease personally. Using the simple platform “Love Your Heart,” Go Red For Women engages these women – and the men who love them – to embrace the cause. For more information about Go Red For Women, please call 1-888-MY-HEART (1-888-694-3278) or visit www.GoRedForWomen.org. The movement is nationally sponsored by Macy’s and Merck.

Go RED today and all of February!

Nancy from the NAMV Group called me Tuesday. As a member of the Tampa Bay Advertising Federation, she wanted to make sure I had received an email she sent weeks ago to announce a “press event” coming up next week that will introduce Cyber Safe to Hillsborough County.

Here is the email we received about Online Predators/Cyber Safe Launch at MOSI:

Keep Hillsborough County Children Safe from Online Predators

Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) Chairman Ken Hagan, along with the Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library Cooperative and the Tampa Bay Advertising Federation’s Public Service Campaign committee, will host the premier event and screening for Cyber Safe, NetSmartz Training Program, at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) on Feb. 5, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

NetSmartz is an age-appropriate software program that teaches children of all ages about the dangers that may lurk online. Research indicates that more than 50,000 children in Hillsborough County alone are exposed to unsolicited sexual material on the Internet. For this reason, Commissioner Hagan championed a partnership between Hillsborough County and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to launch an Internet Safety Education Initiative. With close to 200,000 school-aged children throughout Hillsborough County, the goal is to have every student complete the NetSmartz training program in upcoming months. “By the end of this school year we hope to have 25,000 students complete the program, which will be a major step toward our goal to keep each and every Hillsborough County student safe from Internet predators,” said BOCC Chairman Hagan.

The Tampa Bay Advertising Federation will play a critical role in attempting to achieve this goal. Every year, the Tampa Bay Advertising Federation gives back to the community by providing a public service campaign to help promote the cause of a nonprofit organization. Hillsborough County’s cyber safety training program was selected to receive this year’s Public Service Award. “The Hillsborough County’s Internet Safety Education Initiative was among the hundreds of applications received and our entire group felt that this program focused on one of the most important issues of today,” said Diane Broady, director of public service for the Tampa Bay Advertising Federation.

With assistance from local Hillsborough County students, the NetSmartz training program has now simply been branded as Cyber Safe. A key padlock logo illustrates locking out the harmful images and content that can be found online. As an added incentive to safety, each student who receives NetSmartz training will receive free ear buds and discounts for local attractions and restaurants. Additionally, adult education workshops have been held to discuss resources to help parents and adults protect children from online dangers.

February 2008 has been designated as Cyber Safe Month in Hillsborough County, and the campaign will kick-off the month with a premier night at MOSI on Feb. 5 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Press is invited to a special preview from 6:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. The evening’s main event will be the debut of a new, high impact, public service campaign on MOSI’s IMAX screen. Attendees will also have a chance to view a rare, real-time demonstration by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Internet Crimes Unit.

It looks like they have a fancy new website, CyberSafe from Hillsborough County, and also plan to put up a couple of scary billboards. And you can find out more about NetSmartz online.

I’m not big on press events, so I likely won’t be going (if you want to go, and write it up for Sticks of Fire, contact me). But this program is a great idea, and all of the people involved are to be commended for putting something together that can really help kids learn about the various dangers that can be found across the world wide web.

In addition to the Tampa Bay Advertising Federation, Hillsborough County, and the Library folks, sponsors include Verizon, TECO, ClearChannel Outdoor, Tires Plus, and NewsChannel8.

Nine year old Jordan Hays was killed at the Plant City Christmas Parade. He was walking alongside his church’s float and tossing candy to the crowds when the horrible tragedy happened. He got caught under the wheels of the float as he reached for more candy to throw.

Parade rules say children younger than 10 should ride on the floats rather than walk alongside “if at all possible.”

Plant City investigated the death, and have a good handle on what happened:

• Jordan “Booka” Hays was too young to walk the parade route.
• The float’s design partly was responsible for his death.
• The boy’s death was preventable but was not caused by parade spectators crowding the float.
• Rescuers responded to the accident in a reasonable amount of time. Paramedics reached Hays in less than six minutes.
• No reckless behavior led to the death.
• Other safety recommendations posed for consideration include a shorter parade route, capping the number of parade participants and moving the Christmas Parade from night to day. It also recommends city officials ban the distribution of beads and candy in parades.

If I am encouraging or even allowing my ten year old child to walk in a parade, I am personally going to be right there making sure nothing happens. If the float setup looks funky or dangerous, she’s not walking near the thing. She certainly won’t be heading toward a wheel to grab more trinkets. Yeah, hindsight is 20/20, and we can chalk this up to a horrible, terrible accident.

It sounds to me as if parade organizers and city leaders did their parts in preventing this death. Simply put, those adults on and around the float did not properly supervise the child. Unfortunately, Plant City doesn’t have the guts to say that (maybe because it’s a church float?). In fact, the city is nearly begging to be take some of the blame.

In a unanimous vote Monday night, Plant City commissioners decided to ban distribution of candy and beads at parades.

That’s just crazy. What kind of lame parade will that be? What kid is gonna want to go watch a parade to watch old people drive by, with no chance of getting even a butterscotch? Why not just kill the entire affair instead?

Banning candy is not going to stop another kid from walking in the wrong spot. I wouldn’t think I have to spell this out, but… Stopping kids from walking in the wrong spots will stop another kid from walking in the wrong spot.

Jerry and Connie Hays have created a foundation in memory of their son called Jordan’s Wish, which will collect toys for less fortunate children. Plant City businessman Johnny Knotts, one of the first to reach Jordan after the accident during the Christmas parade, has volunteered to collect donations, including cash, checks, toys or stuffed animals, at his hardware store. Donations and toys can be dropped off at Knotts Trading & Supply at 314 S. Collins St. in Plant City.

The Hays family has also established a trust fund for monetary donations at Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union. Checks can be made payable to Jerry D. Hays Jr. or Connie L. Hays and dropped off at any credit unit branch, or mailed to Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union, Attention: Member Service Support, P.O. Box 11904, Tampa FL 33610.

This is Bob Hite’s last week as anchor for WFLA NewsChannel 8, and we certainly wish him well in retirement. But he sure didn’t go out quietly.

Instead of hiding, denying, and looking for technicalities, Bob Hite got out in front of his DUI arrest:

“… I feel like the ultimate hypocrite,” Hite said. “I’m supposed to be part of the solution not part of the problem. And last night I was part of the problem.”

Not much to add to that - he’s right.

More from station director BobDon North:

Station news director Don North has not yet spoken to Hite but said he expects the anchor will return to work this evening and will report on his own arrest.

“The way I feel is that people who work in a public position like this know what’s going to happen,” North said. “We can’t report on them and not report on ourselves.”

And then he did report on himself - Eric Deggans has the video.

Most people hide away for a few weeks. If you found yourself in that position, would you have the guts to stand up and accept responsibility? Or would you find a way to blame someone else?

Who on earth decided to lay bricks down for the crosswalks in downtown Tampa? It must have been a man. A man that does not have a wife that works. On the crosswalks I use daily, you only have about 25 seconds to cross six lane Ashley St. Do you know how hard it is to get across in heels now? I have already broken one heal because it got stuck in the grout! I have lost my footing several times and I watched a lady fall right in the middle of the crosswalk because her shoe was stuck.

When I sprain my ankle, who will pay for it? Me with loss time at work and co-pays for the insurance. I will admit they look nice, but safety should have been considered first.