Between the inauguration of Barack Obama and the mounting hype for Super Bowl XLIII, all the news air has been sucked out of Tampa Bay. But here are a few developments you might have missed last week:
Saving Tierra Verde: Legislators will try to cockblock Mayor Rick Baker's attempt to annex two commercial parcels of land at the entryway to the island neighborhood of Tierra Verde. The Pinellas delegation voted unanimously to file a bill that would require St. Pete to take the entire island or nothing at all (earning it the nickname the "All or Nothing Bill"), effectively dooming the effort since it would require voter approval from the residents, who strongly oppose becoming part of Colonial St. Pete. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Dennis Jones and Rep. Jim Frishe, will be considered during the legislative session that starts March 3. Other anti-annexation neighborhoods in Pinellas are closely watching its progress.
Ford for Mayor: Her name has been mentioned twice in St. Petersburg Times pages, but all maverick former St. Petersburg City Councilwoman Kathleen Ford will publicly cop to is that she is being pressured to run for mayor by civic leaders and that she is considering a campaign. A source with knowledge of her plans, though, tells CL that she is all in. Game on, St. Pete. (Oh, and Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch should make a decision this week on whether he will leave his current job and run as well.)
Sarasota growth fight: The pendulum swings back. After elections that put smart-growth advocates into office, the biz community in tony Sarasota is fighting back. "Growth pays the bills," garden designer Diana Hamilton told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. She is co-chairwoman of the pro-business "city LIFE" group, which worries about economic recovery if another neighborhood-type activist is put on the city commission. "We have been in a virtual standstill in the arena of economic development and the creation of jobs," she said.
Quick hits: A refurbished ginormous Confederate flag was re-hoisted over the confluence of I-4 and I-75, just in time to impress all our Super Bowl LXIII visitors … Former Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson allegedly double-dipped on his final expense report, according to the St. Petersburg Times, putting in for driving mileage for one destination that he had flown to … The Mouse offered 313 top Disney execs in Orlando a buyout package as slowing theme park revenues will force cost-cutting … Former TV newsman and DCF spokesman Al Zimmerman pleaded guilty to a single count of kiddie porn possession in federal court in Tampa and faces a 15-30 year min-max sentence … Joey B from the MJ Morning Show and high-ranking exec Gabe Hobbs lost their Clear Channel jobs in Tampa, part of a nationwide layoff for the radio giant … Ted Kennedy had a seizure at the Obama inauguration, and Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman and Co. faked it during their performance. It was too cold to keep the instruments in tune so they used a taped track … Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee's office said it would do an internal affairs investigation into the face-pounding arrest of Fox 13 morning anchor Russell Rhodes.
—Wayne Garcia
This article appears in Jan 28 – Feb 3, 2009.