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Tag: tampa

  • Performer talks about bringing the Carnival fun to Busch Gardens

    Performer talks about bringing the Carnival fun to Busch Gardens

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    TAMPA, Fla. — Mardi Gras marks the end of Carnival season, but not at Busch Gardens.

    What You Need To Know

    • Mardi Gras at Busch Gardens continues weekends through March 5

    • Several parades will be held each day, with beignets and other New Orleans-style offerings

    • Performers like Devin Collins bring the joie de vivre

    From the expert glitter application on his face to the green Chucks on his feet, Devin Collins is the walking embodiment of Mardi Gras ensconced in purple, green and gold — the holiday colors.

    “Basically, anything you that you throw at any of our performers, we learn it, we master it, we throw it in the show,” said Collins.

    Devin Collins started here with stilt walking in 2008, so the intricate Mardi Gras stage make-up is no big deal.

    It’s prepping and performing with his friends that puts Collins at ease, especially in the moments before they go live in the park.

    “There’s so much love and passion here within our Busch Gardens family, so we really like to just show that to our guests,” Collins said.

    Couple the performers with New Orleans jazz, and the crowds get wise quick. It’s parade time.

    “The vibe? they’re ready to party!” Collins said about the crowds, over the cacophony of music and clapping.

    The best part comes last — throwing the beads.

    “We have fun, the kids love this,” said Collins. “We get to bring a smile to everybody’s faces.”

    Happy Mardi Gras, Devin Collins.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Honey & Arts Festival to debut in Lealman as community grows

    Honey & Arts Festival to debut in Lealman as community grows

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    LEALMAN, Fla. — Hopes of community redevelopment is bringing new festivals to St. Petersburg.

    The Pinellas County Housing Authority is working with engagement committees and a long list of sponsors to bring the first Lealman Honey and Arts Festival to the Tampa Bay area.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Lealman Honey and Arts Festival is set for Saturday, Feb. 18

    • Dozens of local sponsors are supporting the event

    • A visiting artisan shares his story

    “I’m very excited,” said Kym Solitaire, a St. Petersburg resident. “As a retired schoolteacher of Pinellas County, this area represents schools I’ve taught at. It’s a historically underserved area. This is a deserving acknowledgment of the community, the hard-working parents and great students that live here.”

    Raymond H. Neri Community Park will be hosting the inaugural festival on Saturday, Feb. 18. There will be several events such as local honey and beekeepers selling their wares, craft vendors, food trucks and chainsaw art. Local radio personality Monika from 102.5 The Bone will be broadcasting live. Local bands The Black Honkeys, La Lucha and Pink Streets will also be in attendance delivering live performances. 

    “Coming together to celebrate the rich history of Lealman has been a dream of mine,” said Pinellas County Commissioner Charlie Justice. “The Honey and Arts Festival represents the dedication of many in the community working together to transform Lealman into a vibrant destination, a place where people can live, work and play.” 

    People from all over the nation are coming to support the festival, like chainsaw art cultivator, Alex Bieniecki. He traveled from New Hampshire to perform at the festival on Saturday.

    “I’ve been a tattoo artist for 22 years,” said Bieniecki. “Right out of high school, I was doing that so artistically. That was my training in the art world, all the different things they liked to do rounded me out as an artist.”

    Bieniecki said he’s been a woodsman for over a decade.

    “Normally, I work with white pine,” he said. “It’s light compared to other species of wood. This stuff has more sap in it, more than any I’ve worked with before.”

    Bieniecki was carving an image of a woman with Florida sand pine Wednesday.

    “I drove up to West Palm Beach for this wood. I cut the tree down from their yard for this,” said Bieniecki. “Some of these pieces take more than 40 hours to complete. I started this on Monday of last week and I worked on it every day until Thursday. 10-hour days, 10 hours of sanding,” said Bieniecki.

    What was once a hobby for Bieniecki, turned into a stream of income.

    “People love wood carvings. My whole world opened up to people I would have never tattooed. I have a lot of fun doing them because it’s like drawing and painting and carving. It’s two-dimensional but also three-dimensional and you get to paint it, so I really enjoy,” he said.

    For more on Lealman’s Honey and Arts Festival, view its Facebook page.

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    Ashonti Ford

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  • Collard greens in gumbo wins festival competition

    Collard greens in gumbo wins festival competition

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — “So this is where is begins—in the garden,” said Chef Ja’Vin LeCount.

    What You Need To Know

    • The 6th Annual Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival is Saturday, Feb. 18 at 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

    • It will be at the Carther G. Woodson African American Museum and surrounding streets

    • It’s located at 2240 9th Ave. S., St. Petersburg

    You see, gumbo in the style Chef Ja’Vin LeCount speaks of requires collards.

    LeCount is in the garden at Daystar Life Center in St. Petersburg, gathering his leafy greens.

    LeCount’s addition of collard greens in his Cajun dish helped to crown him a top chef for the 2023 Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival.

    “This is something I love to do,” he said as he began chopping his collards into ribbons.

    “For a thicker ribbon you would want to go for maybe like a thicker texture,” LeCount explained. “For a thinner ribbon, you may want to cook your greens a bit faster.”

    The festival isn’t just for young chefs like LeCount.

    It’s for the greater St. Pete community, too.

    “Our mission is to promote healthier living in our communities through foods we love to grow and eat,” said festival co-found Boyzel Hosey, “through agricultural sciences, the culinary experience, fitness, nutrition and family fun.”

    For LeCount, this honor reinforces something he’s enjoyed his whole life — creating smiles through his culinary creativity.

    “I’ve got a lot of good reactions from these collard greens,” said LeCount. “And really a lot of people told me I need to share this with the world, so I want to share this with as many people as I can at the event.”

    Lecount, who turned 17 this month, has been cooking as long as he can remember, and has spent the last seven months as a chef.

    The Prince Private Academy student would like to thank his family, Junior Chefs of America and the American Culinary Federation.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Lovefest offers to shower you in good vibes, sweet gifts

    Lovefest offers to shower you in good vibes, sweet gifts

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. —  A little pre-Valentine’s Day fun awaits you this weekend at Lovefest in St. Petersburg.

    What You Need To Know

    • Lovefest at Page Boy in St. Pete will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    • Vendors like Cassie Mrotek, who created the Astra self-care line, will be in attendance

    • Mrotek says small businesses like hers use festivals like the one in St. Pete to meet their customers

    It’s happening Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the grounds of Page Boy Vintage Market, Apothecary & Hair Studio.

    Along with food and drink, organizers say visitors can expect to see vendors and the shop bathed in objects of love.

    “We love to bring other vendors into the kind of the brick-and-mortar space,” said owner Jason Hall. “Especially this market, because it’s all about that collective energy, and we can’t do it alone, nor do we want to.”

    One of the Lovefest Vendors planning to attend is Cassie Mrotek, who created the Astra self-care line.

    Standing in front of her steam distillation kit in her workspace inside the St. Pete Salon Studio B, she explained the process of creating some of her products.

    “So really what I’m doing is extracting all the moisture from this plant and getting all of its spirit into a bottle, to use that then as a facial spray,” she said.

    The curving glass tubes of the kit could represent the winding business journey Mrotek has taken since she started her self-care line in the crush of the pandemic in 2020.

    Now she’s navigating St. Pete’s downtown development.

    “Every time I felt like I was finding a space for myself and getting settled in, then all of a sudden the rent goes up, or ‘Hey, we want to move somebody else in,’” Mrotek said. “They wanted to take the building down, they want to sell the building, develop something else.”

    And while she doesn’t have her own brick-and-mortar shop, Mrotek said events like Lovefest help her meet new customers.

    And she’s got retail space in Salon B, where she shares a workspace — a place that she said is always inviting other creators to collaborate.

    “So anyone I can sort of bring with me on this journey of amazing small business-ship or whatever it is called, let’s do it,” Mrotek said with a laugh.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Tampa Bay first Black Curator of History joins the exhibit

    Tampa Bay first Black Curator of History joins the exhibit

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    TAMPA BAY, Fla — Fred Hearns isn’t just the first Curator of Black History in Tampa. He’s the first Curator there to end up in an upcoming exhibition.

    What You Need To Know

    • February 15: Talk on historically Black neighborhoods in Tampa

    • February 24: Reception and sneak peek at summer exhibition

    • February 25: Talk on Roger’s Park Golf Course

    Hearns is working on the summer exhibition– “Travails and Triumphs,” about people of African descent in the Tampa Bay area.

    One of the donated pieces in the exhibition is a 1960s yearbook for Middleton High School—where Hearns went to school himself. He pointed out his picture in the marching band—he played clarinet—and his individual school picture as a sophomore.

    “We focus on the black high schools,” said Hearns, “Segregation from kindergarten all the way through high school. That’s the Tampa I grew up with in the 1960s.”

    A curator at the History Center now for nearly two years, it was nearly two months before Hearns realized his own history in his office hallway.

    “These are the blueprints for the colored high school in Hillsborough County, 1935,” said Hearns, reading off the titles on the framed piece of history. Again–it’s Middleton High School A high school which burned down three times by 1968.

    Their newer campus– built in 2002 –sits three blocks from the original site on North 22nd Street in Tampa. The former high school is now home to another. Hearns leads us from downtown Tampa to the campus for a look.

    “This is a wonderful dream come true because the Alumni Association fought for 10 long years to get Middleton High School rebuilt,” Hearns explained, walking under the shade of oak trees in the school’s courtyard.

    For his part in the fight for the school—Hearns’ name is on it. “The ‘Fred Hearns Pavilion’ that’s right outside the cafeteria,” said Hearns, walking by it. “The alumni, the community paid me this honor. I’m still humbled by it.”

    And now his work bringing the Tampa Bay community together continues–fitting for the retired head of the Community Affairs for the City of Tampa. Different career, same goal.

    “It’s history. American history made by black people, and everybody needs to know more of it,” said Hearns.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Tina Turner musical celebrates trials and triumphs of icon

    Tina Turner musical celebrates trials and triumphs of icon

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    TAMPA, Fla. — Don’t leave at the bows. Or you’ll miss the “Megamix.”

    What You Need To Know

    • Tina, the Tina Turner Musical is at the Straz through Feb. 5 

    • It’s based on the life of music icon Tina Turner, and her trials and triumphs

    • Dance Captain Sheri Washington Rhone makes sure choreogrpahy is tight

    • She’s also an understudy for two roles and is a “swing” or fill-in for multiple roles

    This is advice for the Tina – the Tina Turner musical at the Straz Center through Feb. 5 from Dance Captain Shari Washington Rhone.

    It’s a big number — the ensemble busts it out right after their end-of-show bows.

    Washington Rhone’s job on the traveling Broadway show is to keep the choreography tight.

    So even though two different actors share the role, the vibe is the same.

    “Our Director Phyllida Lloyd was very specific about encouraging everyone to brings themselves to the part, and finding Tina’s essence as opposed to trying to mimic her,” Washington Rhone said.

    The musical follows Tina Turner as she finds fame, independence from an abusive spouse and super stardom.

    “She’s had an influence on so many various artists- you have young people that want to see the show- senior citizens — everybody,” said Washington Rhone.

    “Then there are those people who’ve never had a theatre experience, but they love her music.”

    And when the Tina fans show up, Washington Rhone makes sure these new audience members fall in love with musical theatre too.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Beers for Barres: Local Breweries to support party for ballet

    Beers for Barres: Local Breweries to support party for ballet

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    TAMPA, Fla. — If you’d like to learn to fly in ballet, then you start from the ground — getting on your rehearsal soft shoes.

    Brandon Ballet’s Courtney Moody is getting ready for rehearsal on the studio floor before heading to the barre.

    “We do lots of different stretches, lots of things to get warm, get moving,” she said.

    If the stretches look easy for Moody, it’s because she’s been a ballerina for about two decades and helps teach it now, too. 

    “I’m so grateful to have that opportunity to continue doing this as a career,” said Moody.

    In addition to excerpts from Swan Lake, they have something brand new to offer.

    “This is a new ballet called the Iron Flower,” said Brent Townend, the Ballet’s Assistant Artistic Director. “We are premiering a 15-minute excerpt.”

    As an artist, Moody says she is moved by the story of the dance.

    “It’s very important to me to have that is somewhat near my hometown where I can continue to dance and share this art form with others,” said Moody. 

    Breweries taking part in Beers for Barres:
    -Three Bulls Tavern & Brewery
    -Bullfrog Creek Brewing Company
    -Magnanimous Brewing Company
    -3 Daughters Brewing Company
    -Woven Water Brewing Company

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Once a school bus, Krewe of Zingaro float now a dream and beer carrier

    Once a school bus, Krewe of Zingaro float now a dream and beer carrier

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    TAMPA, Fla. — Preparations got underway for a Krewe about to join in on the biggest pirate party in Tampa Bay.

    What You Need To Know

    • There are more than pirates in Gasparilla: there are Rough Riders, Fire Fighters and Gypsies

    • The Krewe of Zingaro celebrated their 25th anniversary

    • The Krewe is 50 to 60 gypsies strong, doing charitable work throughout the year
    • Most of the Krewe walk alongside their float — an old school bus painted purple and fitted with bathrooms and keg coolers

    The Gasparilla Parade of Pirates kicks off on Saturday, Jan. 28.

    “We are putting some beads on the float,” said James Raulerson, a gypsy with the Krewe of Zingaro.

    The Tampa Bay native knows these plastic trinkets will be vied for like real, precious jewels.

    “Everybody wants beads,” said Raulerson, smiling. He and his Krewe are ready.

    They ride on a mostly purple float. They call her ‘Barney.’

    “It’s our gypsy wagon, an old school bus,” Raulerson said.

    Restrooms are a must for a float crawling down the 4.5 mile parade route and so is room to throw beads, though most of his crew walks.

    And of course, there’s a cabinet to store adult beverages.

    “And here,” Raulerson said, pointing to a cooler sitting just below three taps, “We have a keg, which is nice.”

    With the float loaded, Raulerson checks for safety and design.

    Raulerson noted any ripping fringe or missing lights. The float will get all its superficial design repairs once it’s off the highway and into the staging area. The Krewe will be closer to the end of the parade in spot #111.

    The floats, dignitaries, community leaders, dancers, bands and community organizations will be stretched down Bayshore Boulevard starting at Bay-to-Bay Boulevard, lined up stretching toward Gandy Boulevard.

    Raulerson devotes time and energy to the group’s charities throughout the year, and Gasparilla is a chance to not only celebrate, but also bring a lot of cheering joy for a tiny, inexpensive souvenir.

    “You’re giving beads to people, but they’re so happy. It’s great you’re bringing happiness to people. You never know,” Raulerson said about the people they’re throwing beads to. “That person might be having a horrible week at work or something, and they come out to Gasparilla and get to have fun. It might just change your whole attitude. So that’s the fun part.”

    The Krewe is about 50 to 60 gypsies strong. 

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Gasparilla is based on disproven pirate lore: nobody cares

    Gasparilla is based on disproven pirate lore: nobody cares

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    TAMPA, Fla. — It’s the height of Gasparilla season with huge crowds screaming for beads and throws as pirates ignite cannons for massive explosion excitement.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Historical documents disprove Jose Gaspar story, capture

    •  Gulf currents and shallow depths in Tampa Bay add further doubt to massive marauders doing battle in Tampa Bay 

    •  There is documentation of Gulf Coast pirates in Gasparilla’s alleged era- but no record of him

    • Tampans have embraced Gasparilla for more than a century, whether or not the pirate Jose Gaspar ever came to town

    It’s a huge juxtaposition from the quiet of the Touchton Map Library at the Tampa Bay History Center conference room, where Director Dr. Rodney Kite-Powell quietly carries the knowledge that it’s pretty much all a story.

    The study of the records relating to Gasparilla, along with maps from 1700s Florida and beyond, point to a reality without Jose Gaspar.

    “The possibility of pirates being here is just very unlikely because there was nothing to steal,” said Kite-Powell.

    While there are records of piracy on the gulf coast of Florida, activity happened in south Florida and the east coast, not here.

    And not with Jose Gaspar.

    “I’m from here. I grew up with this. I’ve heard about the Jose Gaspar legend since I can remember,” said Kite-Powell.

    But the center’s Treasure Seeker gallery further separates fact from fiction.

    “You can learn about all the different things the real pirates in Florida were looking for and what they did,” said Kite-Powell.

    Of course, pirates were always looking for treasure on their captured ships, and the gallery has fine gold chains and gold ingots, but they took everything on board.

    “Everything is worth something at sea,” said Kite-Powell. “Whether it’s something to eat. Or it’s a map that will tell you where something better is.”

    Textiles and tobacco were valuable, and pewter plates and drink storage vessels had practical use.
    Back in the library, Kite-Powell says he’s made peace with the myth and the reality of Jose Gaspar.

    “Gasparilla’s been around for 119 years now. So it has become a celebration. So whether he existed, which he probably didn’t, has become less relevant to me over the years,” said Kite-Powell, smiling.

    If you are looking for more history on Gasparilla, you can check out the exhibition “Gasparilla: A Tampa Tradition” at the Henry B. Plant Museum at the University of Tampa.

    They hold more of Tampa’s Gasparilla secrets, from ball gowns to feathered hats to Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla artifacts. Their exhibition is open until March 5.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Avast! Pirates set to ‘invade’ Tampa in Gasparilla festival

    Avast! Pirates set to ‘invade’ Tampa in Gasparilla festival

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    TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Cannons boomed and pirates galore swarmed downtown Tampa on Tuesday in a prelude to this weekend’s Gasparilla Pirate Fest, expected to draw up to 500,000 revelers to the shores of the bay.

    The day’s event was a demand by the costumed pirates, led by Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, that Mayor Jane Castor turn over a key to the city so that the pirate “invasion” may be averted. Of course, just as mayors have done for more than a century, Castor refused.

    “Will you grant our request, or will you cause wrath when instead you protest?” Krewe Captain Truett Gardner demanded amid loud pirate cheers outside City Hall.

    “Absolutely not!” Castor replied.

    “The wonderful fair city of Tampa is going to fight to the death!” the mayor vowed. “We’re keeping this key.”

    And so it was decided: The “invasion” and parade will occur Saturday as planned.

    Gasparilla Pirate Fest has been held in Tampa almost every year since 1904. It is named for the mythical pirate Jose Gaspar, who legend has it plundered ships and captured hostages in the Gulf of Mexico from the 1780s until around 1821.

    There’s not much evidence Gaspar actually existed. The account of his supposedly colorful life first surfaced in the early 1900s in an advertising brochure for the Gasparilla Inn, then located south of Tampa in Boca Grande at the end of a rail line and in need of an exciting promotion.

    The “Last of the Buccaneers,” as Gaspar was called, lives on today in the name of Tampa Bay’s NFL team.

    Castor said Gasparilla organizers expect as many as a half-million people to attend the parade and related events, including a music festival in the evening. About 150 pirate-themed floats, many firing cannons, will be in the parade, which begins after the “invasion” with a 165-foot-mast (50-meter) ship carrying dozens of pirates.

    Beads and other trinkets are tossed Mardi Gras-style to the throng, many of whom will be consuming alcohol and generally engaged in much revelry.

    “Gasparilla is just a celebration of Tampa,” Gardner, the Krewe captain, said. “It’s unique. It’s fun.”

    The event has not been without controversy.

    In 1991, when Tampa played host to Super Bowl XXV, the NFL pressured the Krewe to admit Black members. Instead, Krewe members refused and canceled the parade. Later that year the Krewe reversed its stance, and the parade went forward the next year.

    There have been many more Krewes admitted to the event since then and a second parade staged later by the Krewe of Sant’Yago in the historic Hispanic district of Ybor City.

    “Nobody wants to see the pirates take over the city,” Castor told the pirates, whom she dubbed “scalawags.” “We will see you Saturday morning.”

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  • Dancers keep home close during Lunar New Year

    Dancers keep home close during Lunar New Year

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    TAMPA, Fla. — Ziyao Rita Li is has been a professional dancer for five years.

    What You Need To Know

    • Lunar New Year is January 22, 2023 

    • Holilday celebrated throughout Asian cultures

    • Chinese American Association of Tampa Bay dance troupe Sunday, January 22nd at Waterworks Park, 1710 N. Highland Ave., Tampa from 11 am. – 4 p.m.

    But she’s been performing since she could remember in her native China.

    She’s warming up for a piece with moves from adapted from Indian dance.

    “So it’s very unique and the most popular dance in China,” said Li.

    Li has been here in the Tampa Bay area for about five months, and she joined this dance troupe from the Chinese American Association of Tampa Bay soon after her arrival.

    Here on a cultural exchange, she has met about 30 sisters to help her make her way in the states, led by association president Lisha Dong.

    “I really appreciate that these women trust and support me,” said Li.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • 4-H student learns about fat, feed and hair sheen raising steer

    4-H student learns about fat, feed and hair sheen raising steer

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    PALMETTO, Fla. — Maverick the steer likes a clean coat and the cool off that comes with a wash down.

    What You Need To Know

    • Manatee County Fair Jan. 12-22

    • Steer Sale Jan. 14, 1 p.m.

    • 4-H students spend months raising animals for fair competitions; it’s their Super Bowl

    • Manatee County 4-H’er Mason Huttinger shampoos and blow-dries his steet Maverick every day

    Every day after school, 16-year-old Mason Huttinger is in his grandparents’ Palmetto field taking care of him.

    “I work with him, I spend my time with him. Like talking to him. Saying his name,” said Huttinger, a Manatee County Home Grown Heritage 4-H Club member.

    Huttinger got Maverick last summer, with the goal of growing the best-tasting beef and the shiniest hide in Manatee County by the week of the county fair.

    Every day since June of 2022, he’s washed and cared for this animal. Maverick has nearly doubled in size for the big show and beef auction.

    “I think it’s good it’s going to someone who will eat it and not waste it,” said Huttinger. “And it’s good for me – helping someone else.”

    That’s right. Maverick is a walking steak and a throw rug.

    After his shampoo and rinse, it’s blow-out time. It can take 45-minutes to dry Maverick.

    Huttinger says it’s part of the care he needs.

    “He doesn’t get sick and he feels much better,” said Huttinger.

    Plus Maverick gets a special hair conditioner — more product than Huttinger uses on his own hair.

    And more brushing.

    “I brush him up to keep the hair growing up,” explained Huttinger.

    Darkness falls as Huttinger finishes caring for Maverick, and Huttinger guides Maverick to his pen.

    “I’m ready to put him in his stance and feed him, and he goes to bed,” said Huttinger.

    The stance is the pose for fair judging.

    Maverick’s reward: a barley-based supper with a big side helping of hay. He eats 23 pounds of it a day.

    Huttinger hopes his investment will win Maverick “Overall Supreme Beef Breeding Champion.”

    But Maverick’s already given him a bigger prize — his ideals as a future farmer.

    “He’s going to a family that will love him and feed their kids.”

    Happy steer equals a good meal.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Florida police officer drags woman into jail, is fired

    Florida police officer drags woman into jail, is fired

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    The police department in Tampa, Florida, has fired an officer who was videotaped dragging a handcuffed woman from a patrol car to a jail entrance

    TAMPA, Fla. — A police officer in Tampa, Florida, who was videotaped dragging a handcuffed woman into jail has been fired, authorities said.

    An internal investigation determined that former officer Gregory Damon violated department policies during the Nov. 17 incident, the Tampa Police Department announced Tuesday in a news release.

    The woman was being arrested for trespassing, according to the release. A body camera video shows her refusing to leave Damon’s vehicle while parked at the Orient Road Jail and telling the officer, “I want you to drag me.”

    Damon then removes the woman from the vehicle and pulls her by the arm across a concrete floor, stopping once to tell her to get up but the woman refuses. Damon drags the woman to a doorway then buzzes for additional officers to assist him before the body camera video released by the Tampa Police Department cuts off.

    The agency said it revised policy in 2013 to forbid officers from dragging uncooperative suspects on the ground. Officers should instead seek assistance from jail booking staff or other law enforcement, police said.

    Damon had been with the Tampa Police Department since 2016.

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  • ‘The trip of a lifetime.’ 95 residents of Tampa, Kansas, visit Tampa, Florida | CNN

    ‘The trip of a lifetime.’ 95 residents of Tampa, Kansas, visit Tampa, Florida | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Ninety-five residents of Tampa, Kansas, had the opportunity to experience life in the other Tampa.

    The residents constitute almost all of the population of Tampa, Kansas, according to a news release from the Tampa International Airport.

    The trip was a collaboration between Visit Tampa Bay, the Florida city’s tourism marketing agency, and Southwest Airlines, says the release. All the residents of Tampa, Kansas, were invited to visit Tampa, Florida – and almost all of them took up the offer.

    The Kansas contingent arrived in Tampa on Monday afternoon via two different flights from Kansas City. The group included 30 children, most of whom had never flown before, says the release.

    “We want to welcome our Kansas cousins for what is sure to be the trip of a lifetime,” Tampa International Airport executive vice president for marketing and communications Chris Minner said in the release. “TPA is proud to be able to give this group its first impression of not just our Tampa, but the entire Tampa Bay region.”

    The Midwest group headed back to Kansas on Thursday, says the release. They spent three nights at the Floridian Palace hotel and also enjoyed trips to Tampa attractions like Busch Gardens, ZooTampa, and the Florida Aquarium.

    Tampa, Kansas, is located in the state’s Marion County. The city is home to around 105 people and has a total area of around 0.18 square miles, according to the 2020 census.

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  • Tampa police chief resigns over golf cart traffic stop

    Tampa police chief resigns over golf cart traffic stop

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    The police chief in Tampa, Florida, has resigned after using her position to escape a ticket during a traffic stop involving her golf cart driven by her husband

    TAMPA, Fla. — The police chief in Tampa, Florida, resigned Monday after using her position to escape a ticket during a traffic stop involving a golf cart driven by her husband.

    Mary O’Connor submitted her resignation after an internal affairs review found she violated police department policy during the Nov. 12 stop by a Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy.

    During that stop — which was recorded on video by the deputy’s body camera — O’Connor identified herself as the Tampa chief, flashed her badge and said “I’m hoping you will let us go tonight.”

    The deputy issued only a verbal warning instead of a citation. The golf cart did not have a license tag, a requirement for when such vehicles are driven on public streets. O’Connor’s husband, Keith, said they had just come from a restaurant and didn’t usually drive the cart on streets.

    The internal review found O’Connor violated regulations on standards of conduct and “abuse of position or identification.”

    “The Tampa Police Department has a code of conduct that includes high standards for ethical and professional behavior that apply to every member of our police force,” Mayor Jane Castor said in a statement requesting the resignation. “As the Chief of Police, you are not only to abide by and enforce those standards but to also lead by example. That clearly did not happen in this case.”

    Castor appointed Lee Bercaw, who was assistant chief, as acting chief while a nationwide search begins. O’Connor served in the post for nearly a year.

    Last week, O’Connor issued a statement apologizing for her conduct.

    “In hindsight, I realize how my handling of this matter could be viewed as inappropriate, but that was certainly not my intent,” she said.

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  • Tampa Residents Increasingly Leverage Flexible Work to Pay Holiday Expenses

    Tampa Residents Increasingly Leverage Flexible Work to Pay Holiday Expenses

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    The flexible work app, Instawork, matches a network of on-demand hourly workers with Florida businesses.

    Press Release
    –

    Dec 1, 2022 08:00 EST


    SAN FRANCISCO, December 1, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Instawork, the leading platform for connecting businesses with skilled workers, announced today the platform’s availability to hourly workers in the Tampa area looking to earn higher wages as holiday and end-of-year travel are expected to be the highest in years.

    In Tampa, the average hourly pay rate on the Instawork platform is $16.52 per hour, a vast improvement over the state’s minimum wage of $11 per hour. That steep increase gives Sunshine State residents a way to pay for expensive additions to their household budgets during the holidays. 

    It also comes as New York Fed researchers recently reported that credit card balances in the third quarter were up $38 billion – the biggest annual increase in more than two decades. Florida residents can remedy this and start paying down their holiday bills by downloading the Instawork app, creating a profile, and finding work opportunities with businesses across the Tampa area.

    While Florida recently increased the state minimum wage by a dollar as part of its six-year plan to bring the minimum wage to $15 by 2026, flexible workers who join Instawork can achieve an increased level of income without delay. Immediate access to higher pay rates are also crucial with current inflation and a recession looming. 

    More than 60,000 people in Tampa have already downloaded the Instawork app and are working to staff business locations across the area. Common roles for Instawork in Tampa include general labor, counter staff/cashier, warehouse associate, line cook, and event servers. Local workers can easily create a profile, find a shift that matches their skills and interests, and start working in as little as 24 hours.

    “I love Instawork and will likely never go back to a full-time job again,” said James Morter, an Instawork Pro and Tampa resident. “It gives me the flexibility I need to take care of my kids and pick and choose when I work. It’s by far the best work platform I’ve tried.”

    Tampa businesses that rely on Instawork range from nationally-recognized hotels and restaurant groups to some of the area’s favorite local hot spots and sports venues. They have easy access to quality, reliable workers, following Instawork’s announcement that over 1 million people have joined the app in recent months leading up to the holiday season to fill shifts in the first post-Covid holiday season. 

    “Instawork has been a blessing for us. We would not be able to operate without it. Instawork has completely changed the staffing landscape for the better,” said Steve Andress, President of Florida Statewide Logistics. 

    Instawork is currently staffing businesses in more than 30 markets across the U.S. and Canada. Those interested in learning more about Instawork should visit www.instawork.com or download the app.

    About Instawork
    Founded in 2016, Instawork is the leading flexible work app for local, hourly professionals. Its digital marketplace connects thousands of businesses and more than three million workers, filling a critical role in local economies. Instawork has been featured on CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Associated Press, and more. In 2022, Instawork was ranked in the top 10% of the country’s fastest-growing companies by Inc. 5000 and was included in the Forbes Next Billion Dollar Startup list. Instawork was also named the 2022 ACE Award recipient for “Best Innovation,” one of the “Best Business Apps” by Business Insider. Instawork helps businesses in the food & beverage, hospitality, and warehouse/logistics industries fill temporary and permanent job opportunities in more than 30 markets across the U.S. and Canada. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

    Source: Instawork

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  • NFL road trip: Beyond Germany, league eyes Spain, France

    NFL road trip: Beyond Germany, league eyes Spain, France

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    MUNICH (AP) — The NFL wants to keep its European tour going now that Germany has joined Britain in hosting games.

    Spain and France are atop the league’s wish list as it continues to look internationally for revenue growth.

    The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-16 on Sunday at Allianz Arena — a first for Germany as part of a four-year deal that the league hopes will extend long-term. London has hosted regular-season games since 2007.

    Beyond Germany, which could also get additional games soon, the league’s analysis of fan growth and commercial potential puts Spain and France “very much on our radar,” Brett Gosper, NFL Head of UK and Europe, told The Associated Press in an interview.

    “We need to do our homework to make sure that there is the possibility of a place to land any games in those markets, gauge interest of the host stadia, gauge interest of the host city, even the government, as to their enthusiasm to help us bring a game,” Gosper said.

    Spain has a slight edge because the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins now have “home marketing” rights in the country. The NFL has divvied up international rights to interested teams covering 10 countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Ghana, Mexico and the U.K. No teams have rights in France.

    “When you know that there are teams operating in (the international rights program) you want to look at the prospect and the viability of potentially having games in those markets at some point,” Gosper said.

    There are five international games this season: three in London, one in Munich, and one in Mexico City on Nov. 21 when the Arizona Cardinals play the San Francisco 49ers.

    International expansion was one reason why the NFL added a 17th game to the schedule. The league has committed to playing four international games each season, and teams are required to play a “home” game abroad once every eight seasons.

    Outside of that commitment, a team with rights in a country can opt to play home games there, as the Jacksonville Jaguars do in London. The Jags have played nine times in the British capital and currently have a three-year deal to play an annual “home” game at the 90,000-seat Wembley Stadium.

    “A team might choose to do that. That’s a real possibility but again not imminent,” Gosper said.

    “Certainly, in next six months to 12 months we’ll be really testing the viability of our options from a stadium point of view — not just in Europe but elsewhere — and then at the same time in parallel seeing what the appetite is for clubs to potentially exploit those markets with a game,” he said.

    In Spain, Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is undergoing major renovations that will include a soccer pitch that retracts to make way for an artificial turf field that can be used for American football with a capacity over 80,000. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which has a long-term deal with the NFL to host London games, has a similar system. Atlético Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium seats 68,000.

    Camp Nou is Europe’s largest soccer stadium with a capacity of 99,000, but Barcelona plans to begin a long-delayed renovation project that will last into 2026. The city’s Montjuic Olympic Stadium seats about 56,000 and was a former home to the Barcelona Dragons of the NFL Europe league.

    Gosper said there are “a lot of synergies” with Spain considering the NFL’s large Spanish-speaking fanbase. Nine teams have marketing rights in Mexico.

    The Stade de France just north of Paris has a capacity of just over 80,000 for soccer games.

    “France is a little bit outside of that and it’s its own market and culture,” Gosper said, “but at the same time it’s an incredibly strong sports media market where returns could be higher and faster than Spain.

    “They’re two very healthy media markets, healthy sports markets, some strong indicators from our streaming platform as well as from our consumer sales,” he continued. “When you mine the data a little bit, they certainly are two markets with high potential.”

    Elsewhere in Europe, the Nordic markets would be next and “Sweden in particular,” Gosper said. The country’s largest stadium, Friends Arena, tops out at 50,000 fans.

    In August 1988, the Bears played the Minnesota Vikings in a preseason game at Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg.

    ___

    AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

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  • Police: 2 men suspected in Florida shooting caught in Texas

    Police: 2 men suspected in Florida shooting caught in Texas

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    TAMPA, Fla. — Two suspects in a shooting outside a Florida bar that left one person dead and six wounded earlier this month were arrested Monday in Texas, officials said.

    The U.S. Marshal’s Office Fugitive Task Force arrested the two men, Josue Clavel, 22, and Damaso Bravo, 32, in Brownsville, Texas, according to a Tampa police news release.

    The men had been hiding at a hotel with their girlfriends, officials said, adding the group had $20,000 in cash.

    “I cannot stress enough how members of the Tampa Police Department have worked tirelessly around the clock to find those responsible and bring justice to these victims,” Chief Mary O’Connor said.

    In the early morning hours of Oct. 9, Clavel and Bravo got into a fight with several people at the LIT Cigar and Martini Lounge in downtown Tampa, police said. The fight moved outside, and Clavel and Bravo fired multiple shots, striking seven people and killing one, a 30-year-old man visiting from California for a wedding, officials said.

    Tampa police detectives also identified Clavel and Bravo as members of the Latin Kings gang. Florida officials said they are working with authorities in Texas to have the men extradited back to Tampa.

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  • Boy tackled by security after running on field at Bucs game

    Boy tackled by security after running on field at Bucs game

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    TAMPA, Fla. — A boy ran onto the field and was tackled hard by a security guard in the second quarter of Tampa Bay’s game against Atlanta on Sunday.

    A woman who identified herself as the child’s mother told The Associated Press the boy is 10 years old. A police officer later told the AP the boy is older than 10, but he couldn’t release his information because he’s a juvenile. The officer said the mother has several children and was confused about which one jumped onto the field.

    Tampa Police Department spokesman Eddy Durkin said the boy was issued a civil citation and given a notice to appear in court.

    The incident occurred while the Buccaneers were lining up for an extra point after Leonard Fournette’s 1-yard touchdown run gave them a 6-0 lead.

    Last Monday night, a protester waving a device emitting pink smoke ran onto the field during the San Francisco 49ers’ home game against Los Angeles and was flattened by Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner.

    The protester filed a police report after being subdued by Wagner.

    ———

    More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP—NFL

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  • Police: 1 dead, 6 injured in downtown Tampa bar shooting

    Police: 1 dead, 6 injured in downtown Tampa bar shooting

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    TAMPA, Fla. — An early Sunday shooting outside a bar in downtown Tampa, Florida has left one person dead and six wounded, police said.

    The Tampa Police Department said in a news release that the shooting occurred about 3 a.m. Sunday outside the LIT Cigar & Martini lounge. Two groups that had been arguing inside the club continued their confrontation outside when one person began shooting.

    One man was killed and six people were taken to hospitals with non-life threatening injuries, police said. No arrests had been made as of Sunday afternoon and police have not released identities of those involved.

    “This is senseless violence. There’s no reason why anyone should lose their life over a fight at a bar,” said Tampa police Chief Mary O’Connor. “We are working diligently to follow up on leads and find those responsible.”

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