You might see sunshine beaming through your blinds this morning, but DO NOT BE FOOLED.
The unusually frigid weather gripping the Bay area and the rest of the southeast (quit laughing Boston, stay safe and we'll talk when you dig out in the spring) hasn't just been worrisome for the agriculture industry and the impetus for so, so much working from home. It also caused multiple flights around the southeast to be delayed or canceled, and is dropping the gulf's water temperature so far that sea turtles are being stunned and needing rescue. (Oh, and Tallahassee got its first real snow in nearly three decades.) Listen, Florida residents aren't wimps. We just believe in the sanctity of a deal, and the deal we made was this: If we're gonna put up with 12-foot carnivorous reptiles on the land, 12-foot carnivorous fish in the water, polluted saltwater, algae-choked freshwater, pill mills, psychotic moron tweakers, invasive species, culture lag, driving tourists and unfettered greed masquerading as moral superiority, WE'RE NOT GONNA PUT UP WITH COLD.
A Tampa contractor has filed a civil suit after allegedly being attacked by a resident's pet bobcat during a visit to a high-rise condo back in May. To be fair, if you choose to live in an urban high-rise condo and keep a pet bobcat, you probably know on some level that you're signing up for some serious legal action before eventually succumbing to one of the most avoidable accidental deaths ever.
Famous installation artist Janet Echelman pitched one of her airborne pieces for the new Spa Beach approach to the new St. Pete pier, which, just in case you forgot, is still a $76 million thing that's currently happening. The cost for the installation would be about $3 million, with slightly more than half being paid for by private contributions and the rest covered through downtown property taxes. Which is all fine and good; I just don't want this ending up like one of those parties where the host spends an arm and a leg on canapes and a carving station for guests who would've rather had a few pizzas.
And finally, Taco Bell will be doing a Taco Bell version of French fries. This is not a drill.
This article appears in Jan 4-11, 2018.