Wednesday, May 22, 2013
A campaign fundraiser for Darden Rice was held Tuesday night at Cassis in downtown St. Petersburg.
District 4 City Council candidate Darden Rice spoke Tuesday night at Cassis in downtown St. Petersburg about one of her first experiences in politics 21 years ago. She recalled reaching out to newly elected Florida state legislator Charlie Crist about an offshore drilling ban. Unable to speak with him, Rice said she left a message thinking she would hear nothing more. To her surprise, however, Crist called her back to thank her for taking the time to call him and say he supported banning offshore drilling. Tuesday night, the former Republican governor turned out to help Rice again a fundraiser for her campaign for District 4. "I think that Darden is incredibly special," Crist said Tuesday night. Crist, a long-time St. Pete resident, …
Monday, May 20, 2013
There will be third and final budget summit at 6 p.m., June 12 at the Enoch Davis Center, 1111 18th Ave. S. in St. Petersburg.
Facing a $4.3 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2014, the city of St. Petersburg asked attendees of the May 15 budget summit what they thought should be cut from the budget and what should be saved. “How can we spend the money that we have and spend it in a way that has the greatest impact?” asked City Council chair Karl Nurse. Residents said it was time to invest. Invest in universal curbside recycling. Invest urban agriculture. Invest in education. Invest in small businesses. And invest in youth employment programs. Olga Bof, with Keep St. Petersburg Local, said as the city talks about its priorities, sustainability and long-term investments, there is one thing that will help all areas of the city: Small businesses. “You have the …
Friday, May 17, 2013
St. Petersburg City Council Chair Karl Nurse announced Friday he is running for re-election of his District 6 seat.
St. Petersburg City Council Chair Karl Nurse announced Friday that he has filed for re-election for his District 6 seat. “I believe that St. Petersburg is in a moment of great opportunity," Nurse said in a statement Friday. "As the economy comes back, it is critical that we aggressively seek to bring more and better jobs to our community. "Many neighborhoods are a point where they can get much better or worse in the next four years," Nurse continued. "I will work every day to make them safer and to seek ways to speed the renewal of our housing stock so it meets the needs of 21st century families.” Nurse's opponent for the District 6 council seat is Sharon Russ. District 6 covers most of downtown St. Petersburg and the southeast portion …
As news about possible abuses of power on the federal level continues to break, we’d like to get your take about what’s been going on Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay residents who keep up with the headlines coming out of Washington, D.C., have likely found themselves scratching their heads more than a few times this past week. Allegations of wrongdoing seem to be coming at the speed of light as the Obama Administration fends off bad press about inappropriate targeting of Tea Party organizations by the Internal Revenue Service and possible wrongdoing in the handling of a national security leak. The IRS’ targeting of Tea Party groups centers around hassles these groups report experiencing while trying to apply for tax-exempt status prior to the 2012 election. The controversy even hit home as Bay area groups are now reporting that they were targeted, according to The Tampa Tribune. The kerfuffle…
Thursday, May 16, 2013
The $869K in approved funding, however, is only a partial approval of the $1.5 million the proposal was originally seeking.
The St. Petersburg City Council voted 5-3 Thursday to approve the next phase of funding for the "Lens" pier design for $869,000. That funding, however, was only a partial approval of an original funding request of $1.5 million for the proposal. The partial funding approved will cover things such as wind tunnel tests, caisson tests for the existing structure and costs related to permitting for demolition of the St. Petersburg Pier. Council members Steve Kornell, Leslie Curran, Jeff Danner, Bill Dudley and Jim Kennedy voted for the funding. "It's better for our community that we are supportive of the 'Lens', while also attempting to be fiscally responsible and spending the minimum amount of money to get the answers we need to educate our …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
More than 20,000 petitions were turned into the city clerk's office Wednesday morning at City Hall.
With more than 20,000 petitions in hand, Concerned Citizens of St. Petersburg, also known as Stop the Lens, turned in the petitions to the city clerk's office Wednesday morning. 20,559 petitions to be exact. "The signers of those petitions are asking the city of St. Petersburg to cancel the contract for the design of the 'Lens' or give the citizens the right to vote. The city can do better," said Fred Whaley with Stop the Lens. A day before city council votes on the next phase of funding for the "Lens" pier project, Stop the Lens said the city should adopt its petition and refuse to approve any new funding for the "Lens" project. "The citizens want the city to pause the funding of the “Lens” and not waste their money," Whaley added. "…
Former state Rep. Frank Farkas wins the $50,000-a-year-for life prize, after purchasing a $20 scratch-off ticket at the Rally on 4th Street.
Frank Farkas – a former state lawmaker and St. Petersburg chiropractor – has won the Florida Lottery, after buying a $20 scratch-off-ticket at the Old Northeast Rally, 2131 4th St. North. Farkas chose a lump sum payout of $815,515.72. The win is the "$50,000-a-year-for-life" prize in a scratch-off ticket game. Farkas is well-known in St. Petersburg. Active in Republican politics, he served in the House eight years – from 1998-2006. He lost in 2012 to Democrat Dwight Dudley. The Tampa Bay Times reports that Farkas' net worth is $3.5 million. He is married to Toni Lee Witkowski. The couple has two children: Brian Alexander and Stephanie Marie. Farkas holds an associate degree from (the former) St. Petersburg Junior College, and a bachelor's …
City council has asked for few changes to the city's sidewalk cafe ordinance.
Careful not to disrupt a bustling downtown or hurt business owners, city council, sitting as the public services and infrastructure committee, asked city staff for only mild adjustments to sidewalk café regulations in St. Pete. Area of concern include outdoor amplified noise, height and size of out door cafes, number of signs, the use of public right-of-way and the sidewalks being overcrowded. “People figure out how to navigate things,” council member Steve Kornell said. “Friday night and Saturday, I mean we want people on the sidewalks. “I don’t know how a business owner would regulate that,” Kornell said of an overcrowded sidewalk. “They would yell and have to go out there and be nasty to the patrons. I don’t want to restrict success. I …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The group said Mayor Bill Foster has assured them the vote on the "Lens" pier design will happen on the Aug. 27 primary ballot.
Less than nine months into its campaign to collect 15,652 signatures needed to halt the construction process of the "Lens" pier design, Stop the Lens will be turning in its petitions Wednesday at St. Petersburg City Hall. The petition, which sought to create an ordinance to cancel the "Lens" contract with Michael Maltzan Architecture, was signed by more than 20,000 people, according to Stop the Lens. That's well more than the 15,625 required to force the city to choose one of options: adopt the petition as written and cancel the contract with Maltzan or hold a public referendum on the issue. The city has chosen the latter, which will take place on the Aug. 27 primary election. According to a report by the Tampa Bay Times, Mayor Bill …
The city of Sarasota just enacted a law aimed at getting motorists to turn down the volume. Now, other local governments are following suit. Should they?
Most of us have been in the car when a great tune comes on the radio. The urge to turn up that volume just a little bit is often too strong to resist. But, how loud is too loud? When is cranking it up going too far? When should authorities be able to step in and say enough is enough? Those are questions some local governments in the Tampa Bay area are now wrestling with. Since the Florida Legislature shot down a measure that would have regulated just how loud car stereos can be, some local authorities have decided to take matters into their own hands. The City of Sarasota just put its new ordinance into effect that makes it against the law for car stereos and portable electronic devices to emit sounds at a level that are considered “…
Rich Runyan
7:25 pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Well you have to give Charlie some credit at least he had enough sense to leave the repulsive Republican Party. more ›