Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Back at the turn of the century, building brand new open-air entertainment-heavy shopping centers were all the rage around the nation.  Some here in Tampa Bay jumped on the bandwagon with BayWalk, Centro Ybor, and Channelside Bay Plaza.

The Tampa Tribune’s Michael Sasso notes that all three have all been underperforming for years.   Owners and tenants at the three places say they are suffering because of safety and parking perceptions, and the the limited number of retailers doesn’t help either.

Of course, the same could be said about Olde Hyde Park Village and downtown St. Pete’s The Pier, too.  We have been over Channelside’s troubles as well as our perception of Centro Ybor, so we don’t care to rehash all of that.

However, we would like to know where you DO go shopping.  And why?

With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore, the credited author of A Visit from St. Nicholas.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all ‘cross the Bay
Not a creature was stirring, not even a Ray;

The beach pails were stacked in the Florida room,
‘Cause St. Nick is coming, or so we assume;

The children in shorty pajamas were sleeping,
While dreaming of toys on the lists they’d been keeping;

And Wifey in her nightshirt, and I in my drawers,
Were just plain ol’ tuckered from o’er crowded stores,

When out from the beach was a terrible sound,
I thought it was early for them tourists come ‘round.

To the gazebo, I ran like the dickens,
And tried not to wake Ybor’s roosters and chickens.

The moon - it was full on the warm, breezy night.
Gators and crocs would stay hid from this light.

I couldn’t believe what my eyes were detailing,
Eight pink flamingos and a guy parasailing?

A little old snowbird, with blinkers a blinkin’,
Could that be St. Nick?  Or just wishful thinkin’?

Fast as a light switch that scares off a roach,
He called them and shouted as they pulled his coach.

“Now, Jannus! Calusa! now, Gadsden and Selmon!
On, Henry! DeSoto! Vicente and Hixon!

To the top of the Skyway! to the top of the mall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away y’all!”

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What a heartbreaking tale.  Local media loves this kind of story, especially in December.  It gets the emotions going, and presumably sells papers and gets viewers.  Unfortunately, it seems that this is all they are interested in.

Sorry - I’m way too far ahead.  Let me start at the start.

The JMS Hotel won’t be confused with such fancy lodging as, say, Motel 6.  The JMS Hotel is simply a cheap place to stay, and anonymous reviews give me the impression that it might be… uh, somewhat unsafe:

… as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, someone tried to buy drugs off my husband and I.

… our very friendly neighbors offered to sell us some crack.

… a hooker was already working at 3pm. How industrious!

… can’t believe that we were not killed…

You would be safer sleeping in your car.

So, the owners of the place are not real big on security.  And fair enough - it keeps the costs down.  Low enough for people to move in and call the place home.

However, I would think that as long as the room rents are paid, any folks staying there should be able to expect some of the necessities such as electricity and water, both of which are past due.  So the electricity was shut off, and 53 people were forced out.

I am of the opinion that the hotel’s owners are solely responsible for getting all of us to the point where people had to be removed from the property for their own safety.

Even a worker there was unaware of the impending doom:

Taketa Johnson… had been living and working as a front desk clerk in the rundown hotel for six months…  “They just didn’t tell us nothing. We were at work and the lights just came off,” she said.

And what is all of this costing us?  Who knows?  At the very least, “city officials” had to physically close the hotel.  The social services arm is helping many families find new places to live, giving them between $450 and $650 each.  The worker is owed at least one paycheck.  And 53 people’s lives were upended.

And all of this because the property owners are failing as a business owner and failing as an employer.  I don’t think it’s a stretch to say they are failing as a fellow human being.

Will they be held responsible?  Will they be sued by the city to recoup these expenses?  Will they pay their worker?  Will they have to answer to this at all?

It’s hard to tell, but the action of local media says that this part is not important.  I mean, I suppose we could hope that our local WATCHDOGS could pressure those involved to make this right.  Unfortunately, I don’t think we can expect that.

Not when reporters from both daily papers and the tv station refer to them as “the hotel owners,” rather than telling us who owns the place.

Downtown Clearwater is still working on their effort to find an identity. Their five step process?

1. Take advantage of existing geography & history
2. Made more pedestrian-friendly
3. Recruiting retail
4. Residential construction
5. Calendar of Events

Some of the plans in the five step process could be used in other areas seeking to find themselves.

Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties to Close Elevated Portion of Friendship TrailBridge

Structural problems are forcing the closure of nearly all of the Friendship TrailBridge, a popular recreational link between Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties.

On Tuesday, an inspection found the elevated portion of the TrailBridge has significant structural deficiencies. As a result, officials from both counties decided to immediately close much of the bridge.

Less than half a mile on each end of the bridge will remain open. The rest of the TrailBridge, including all of the humpback center span, will be closed off.

This is the old span of Gandy bridge, which was saved from demolition in 1999, and has since been used as a recreational park / hiking trail.  they have always had to deal with a shoestring budget. I don’t think it was ever used as a viewing area for boat races, which could have raised some funds to save this thing (as would a running race, etc.).

Soon, the 18-year-old woman who was raped and beaten in April at the Bloomingdale Regional Public Library is expected to leave the rehabilitation center where she has been receiving treatment.
The house where her family lives and where she will reside needs extensive renovations to accommodate her medical needs when she returns home.

Thankfully, people have been stepping up to offer assistance.

If you would like to offer assistance, there are a number of ways to do so:

• Pink and red latex bracelets with the inscription, “Everyone’s Daughter, Everyone’s Friend,” are available at the Ruskin Chamber of Commerce for a $5 donation. The bracelets will be available at the chamber, 315 S. Tamiami Trail, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at the office of Child Protection Education of America, 3439 Brook Crossing Drive, Brandon, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
• Bloomingdale High School’s PTSA is hosting a 5-kilometer run/walk fundraiser November 1st at Bloomingdale High School. Registration is at 9 a.m. and the event starts at 10 a.m.
• Also on November 1st, the International Independent Showmen’s Association, 6915 Riverview Drive, Riverview, is presenting a fundraising entertainment extravaganza beginning at 12 p.m. Tickets are $25 and will be sold at the door. The outdoor concert is being organized by St. Petersburg resident Jim Brady, and will feature doo-wop, country and Latin entertainers. Bring your own chairs and blanket. Food and drinks will be available for sale.
• Aaron Fredricks, proprietor of East Coast Pizza in Ruskin is planning two events in cooperation with the Ruskin Chamber of Commerce. The first is a barbecue on November 22nd and the second is a golf outing on December 5th. These events are still in the planning stages, so if you’d like more information, or would like to offer your services, please contact Mr. Fredricks at (813) 234-1700 or fred12582@aol.com.

And if you’d like even more info, here are some additional resources:

• Tampa Tribune report, June 2008
• A column by Steve Otto of the Tampa Tribune
• A report on fundraising efforts at Sticks of Fire.com.
• A fund to assist the victim’s family is being administered by SunTrust Bank
• Contact info for Sarina Fazan of WFTS TV in Tampa, who has been actively involved with reporting on the case itself as well as various fundraisers and other assistance efforts.

(Cross posted at Ridiculous trickle of consciousness)

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.

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An open letter to Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Deborah Clark:

Dear Ms. Clark,

OPEN MORE EARLY VOTING SITES, you knucklehead.

Sincerely,

Tommy

There are 13 places to vote in Hillsborough County, with long lines at many of them tallying record numbers of votes.  Pinellas only has three sites for early voting.

Update 29 Oct 5pm:  Deborah Clark’s track record since 2000 has not very good at all, yet the St. Pete Times endorses Clark.  So far, the Tampa Tribune has kept its nose out of Pinellas.

Great read:  If we decide the election, who are we?

In spite of the “election” reference, it is not just about politics.  It’s a great insight as to the paradox that is “the people of Tampa Bay.”

It helps that it is written by Ben Montgomery, one of the most talented writers in all the land.  I encourage you to read the whole bit, but check out these tidbits:

In the Tampa Bay area, we live at the vortex of bloodshed and sunshine and amusement and unpredictability, much like it must have been in the early days, before Plymouth Rock and Jamestown, when the first North American exploration by white men was launched right here. Panfilo de Narvaez, 1528.

We are diverse racially, economically, politically and ideologically, but the area is not so much a melting pot as it is a collection of tribes situated around a giant pool of saltwater.

We feed our homeless and drive them from public property, thumbs hooked on Tasers.

Our cities are brimming with Rhodes scholars and transvestlte prostltutes, wiccans and nudlsts, carnies and Southern Baptists, retirees in golf carts and military personnel from MacDill Air Force Base, where the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are run. Two of the Sept. 11 terrorists blended right in.

We have, according to a 2006 UCLA study, the fifth-highest percentage of gay, lesbian and bisexual residents of the top 50 metropolises in the country, behind San Francisco, Seattle, Boston and Portland, Ore. We also have a county commission that voted to ban county sponsorship of Gay Pride events.

There is much more to highlight our collective schizophrenia - go read the whole thing, and add your own examples here in the comments.