As the Republican presidential primary season rapidly plays itself out, there’s still a number of issues and scenarios with plenty of ongoing shelf life. Especially here in Tampa. To wit:
*Will the 50,000 visitors to August’s GOP Convention leave enough hoteliers, restaurateurs and cabbies feeling like it was worth the hype?
*Will Mayor Bob max out on marketing Tampa on an international stage second only to the Olympics?
*Will Tampa be praised for its crowd control and restraint or will Occupy America and generic anarchists create a perfect, neo-Chicago storm?
*Will hordes of lazy, free-loading media recycle clichéd, strip-club dreck?
*Will national meteorologists focus more on humidity or hurricane season and the Cone of the Apocalypse? And how many photos from the hurricane of 1921 will be at the ready?
*Will Joe Maddon’s lads still be referenced as the Tampa Rays and USF as the University of Southern Florida or, worse yet, Florida Southern?
*Will pundits make an issue of Gov. Rick Scott’s transparent attempt at image overhaul–in part to mitigate potential damage to the nominee’s chance of carrying battleground Florida?
*Will Ron Paul use his leveraged, prime-time speaking slot to reprise Pat Buchanan and his “Culture War” stemwinder from the 1992 Convention?
*Will it be noted that the RNC’s punishment of the Florida delegation is petty, vindictive and wrong–and that there’s still no meaningful move in the direction of rotating, regional primaries?
*Will it be apparent that this is the de facto beginning of the Huntsman 2016 campaign?