Category: Tampa Bay

Talk about a teachable moment.

Over at Hillsborough High School, the principal stepped in to censor a story in the school’s newspaper. It had to do with achievement gaps on the FCAT among white, black and Hispanic students.

According to Hillsborough Principal William Orr, the content – a story and a chart — was inappropriate even though it was based on familiar enough data the federal government routinely publicizes under the No Child Left Behind Act. Orr felt that running the story wasn’t worth the possible impact on those students negatively characterized by the story and chart.

“If it’s something that has a potential to hurt students’ self-esteem, then I have an obligation not to let that happen,” explained Orr. “I don’t think it’s the job of the school newspaper to embarrass the students.”

There are several issues in play here.

First, the principal is the de facto publisher of a newspaper written by student journalists. (Since professional journalists have been known to screw up royally, the ultimate in adult supervision over teen scribe wannabes is an exercise in both prudence and common sense.)

The principal, not unlike real-world publishers, is responsible for what he signs off on. That can’t be delegated to a faculty adviser. There may be fact, libel or taste issues. There are inherently gray areas when it comes to appropriateness. The principal has the authority – and, indeed, the obligation – to make the call that is in the best interests of his institution. The Supreme Court has formally agreed.

Second, student self-esteem is not irrelevant. To not be sensitive to those in their impressionable years is to be ignorant of the maturation process and life in the peer-pressure lane. Having said that, however, self-esteem is not its own disembodied end; it’s a by-product of accomplishment – even a modest one such as grade-level reading and math. Arguably, feel-good curricula are part of the accountability problem in American education.

Third, of course it’s not “the job of the school newspaper to embarrass students.” But it is the school newspaper’s raison d’etre to be relevant – in general to the student body and specifically to the student journalists. These are not incompatible concepts.

But do keep in mind that we’re not talking about your parents’ school newspapers here. Today’s budding journalists are bombarded and immersed in media. The better ones are pretty savvy and no less idealistic than their predecessors. They are not satisfied with cafeteria surveys, boosterism stories, coach profiles, concert updates and sanitized Q&A’s with administrators. And they will push the envelope, because, well, that’s what teenagers do – let alone teens with ink by the barrel at their disposal.

It’s up to the adults in charge to channel student-journalists’ legitimate, real world concerns about drug use, bullying, birth control and FCAT obsession. Sure, it will involve the word “no” and censorship, but it also entails taking on important, albeit controversial, stories – and treating them responsibly.

One such is the appalling achievement gaps between white and minority students that still persist. It’s hardly unique to Hillsborough High. It remains an ongoing national disgrace more than half a century after Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. Frankly, it’s embarrassing for the entire country.

And if there’s any place where this subject should be part of the conversation it’s in the citadels of failure themselves. It’s the elephant-in-the-drawing room syndrome. Let’s just pretend that it’s not there. Or worse yet, let’s just accept that this is the way it is, a racial reality not unlike the composition of the basketball team.

It’s defeatist, insulting and, frankly, racist to not run a story this germane for fear of self-esteem fallout. Unless this is a story on eugenics, it needs to run and hopefully provoke a breach in the status quo .

The question never should have been: Do we censor this or not? It should have been: How good can we make this? As in: What kind of a black-white-Hispanic package – with salient side bars and pertinent profiles — do we want? What community resources should we avail ourselves of? How is Hillsborough High, whose enrollment is about 70 per cent minority, a microcosm of a seemingly intractable, self-perpetuating societal scandal?

And to cut to the scholastic chase, is academic achievement among some minorities still seen as “acting white?” If so, that self-inflicted heresy needs to be on public display for all of its counterproductive perversion.

And, sure, this approach won’t please everyone. That’s another journalistic lesson.

Among those taken aback by the recent public speculation about former Mayor Dick Greco making a political comeback was – Dick Greco.

Greco, who has been elected four times (1967, ’71, ’95, ’99) as mayor of Tampa, dismisses most of the talk as predictable “political season” palaver.

“It’s not at all abnormal for people to talk to me about running,” says Greco. “And it was a thrill when I came back and did it again (in 1995) after 21 years. “But I haven’t sat down with anybody. I’m not being coy, but I would have to talk seriously with my wife, kids, best friends. And I haven’t. In fact, my son called me after those newspaper stories came out and said, ‘What are you doing?’

“As I said, this is the political season and it’s not unusual for people to ask.”

But if the right people – say, serious business interests still on the lookout for an alternative to Pam Iorio – were to do the formal asking, how would he answer?

“I’d have to honestly search my soul,” responds Greco, sounding not unlike a man who misses the mayoral limelight — and appreciates the flattery of the buzz.

Greco’s reputation was built on personal charisma, a hands-off managerial style that was heavily reliant on a coterie of long-time loyalists, and an uber salesman’s instinct for cutting the big deal. Even his cronyism critics will concede a can-do legacy.

But it’s not the same City Hall he left in 2003. The culture has changed and key operatives from the Greco administration are no longer there. And Greco has never been 73 years old before. And the incumbent is popular.

Greco’s Tampa legacy includes a perfect elective record: one city council and four mayoral races. Soon to be added: a bronze Greco statue. A fund-raising campaign is now underway. Is this the time for a last hurrah?

“Dick Greco is the best known politician in Tampa,” points out John Belohlavek, a USF history professor and political analyst. “He’s seen as a great booster for Tampa. His reputation is for doing the big stuff. He has lots of friends, especially in the business community, and his supporters would give him enough money.

“But would he want to go through the day-to-day of being mayor in his 70’s?” wonders Belohlavek. “And don’t forget he wouldn’t have that built-in (personnel) structure that enabled him to be Dick Greco.

“The bottom line,” underscores Belohlavek, “is why jeopardize the legacy? Will he run? Probably not. Could he win? I don’t think so.”

But should Greco confound the skeptics and make another mayoral run in early ’07, he won’t need some ad agency to think up a snappy campaign slogan. Courtesy of an acquaintance, he already has one: “Gimme Five.”

It certainly wasn’t a coup along the lines of a big convention or prominent sports event, but the recent 10th anniversary drop-in by roving Fox News Channel anchor Shephard Smith was the sort of exposure chambers of commerce – and city halls — die for.

In front of the magnificent backdrop that is the Don CeSar Beach Resort and Spa in St. Pete Beach, Smith did his 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. newscasts last Tuesday. That meant countless cut-away shots of the facility and sunset ambience around commercial breaks. He sprinkled in locals such as WTVT, Channel 13 meteorologist Paul Dellegatto and Hillsborough County prosecutor Pam Biondi.

There was also a mini infomercial on Tampa teased with references to “Tampa’s time” and its “downtown revitalization.” Allusions were made to its growing (eighth largest nationally) school system, “recent” Stanley Cup and Super Bowl winners and a “crime rate falling faster (30 percent over three years) than any other Florida city.”

Mayor Iorio was interviewed in front of city hall and waxed Pamglossian about Tampa, a city that was “youthful, vibrant and a place for entrepreneurs and a new breed of retirees. A city to watch for the future.”

Sounded fair and balanced to us.

Steeven Knight is absolutely in his element right now. He loves boats, and he thinks big. He slavishly obeys the law of supply and demand. His mantra is service.

Back in July, the animated, 49-year-old Fort Myers resident shelled out $42 million for land in Tampa’s hot south West Shore area – on Old Tampa Bay – that housed Bayside Marina and Rattlefish Raw Bar & Grill. In approximately a year – and another $32 million later — it will be converted into the Tampa Harbour Yacht Club.

Knight is ushering in the pricey, exclusive new world of “dockominiums” to the Tampa Bay market. Tampa Harbour YC is part of a national trend of marinas being turned into private-ownership, condo-like clubs. Members actually purchase boat dockage space as real property. They pay taxes, monthly association fees ($275 for THYC) and build equity. Unit ownership is fee simple by warranty deed and title policy.

Knight, the founder of Fort Myers-based Yacht Clubs of the Americas (YCOA) says it’s a classic case of the right product – and service — at the right time.

Florida is a primo recreation state with more than 1 million registered boaters. That figure will only go up – even as the number of marina slips declines. Last year some 2,000 slips were lost as prime waterfront land was sold to condo and hotel developers.

“The mom and pop marinas are a thing of the past,” says Knight. “The dirt is too valuable to operate ‘old style’ marinas. But contrary to popular belief, we are actually preserving marinas. This will be a marina for life.” One, he pointedly adds, that will probably sell social memberships and leave open a fuel dock for the public.

There will be nothing “old style,” promises Knight, about Tampa Harbour YC, where slips will run $300,000-$600,000 for wet and $125,000-$240,000 for dry. Plans call for 40 wet slips and 700 dry racks. In addition, Rattlefish RB&G will eventually close to the public and reopen as a private restaurant for club members.

His market, he says, is a combination of avid boaters and investors.

The key, emphasizes Knight, is to afford boaters as much R&R time as possible and leave the maintenance and other time-consuming details to staff.

“We will deliver 5-star concierge service,” states Knight. “We will create the standard in the boating industry.” Among the amenities: unlimited in/out service; a harbor master and staff; soap washdown and engine flushing; fuel and provisions at wholesale prices; owners’ lounge; gourmet deli/coffee shop; spa and fitness center; swimming pool; 24-hour security; and reciprocal privileges at other clubs.

Club reciprocity is no throw-in. Tampa will join YCOA’s up-and-running Sanibel Harbour Yacht Club. In 2007 Knight also plans to open affiliate clubs in Naples and New Smyrna. The following year he expects to debut Key West and Stuart. Also in the mix – and under contract – St. Augustine and Charleston, SC. Under consideration: Fort Lauderdale and Destin. On the radar: Cancun and The Bahamas.

“We want to tie it all together as a self-sustaining network of use,” explains Knight. “Members can make trips all around and use their memberships. Berth for free.”

Count Jean Baer, a Sanibel realtor, as a boater-investor-believer. She and her husband paid $133,000 (pre-construction) for a dry rack at Sanibel Harbour YC.

“It’s a terrific concept,” assesses Baer. “It’s a double plus. It’s an investment, and it’s really opened up more possibilities from a recreation standpoint. We (including two sons, 13 and 16) don’t have to wait for dad to get the boat out on Saturday. And the service has been great. I’m still not used to it. They help you anyway they can.”

When Hillsborough County enacted tough new regulations that targeted sexually- oriented businesses, it put into motion the usual scenarios. Luke Lirot was on the case, and the county was soon sued. Lirot, representing three bikini bars, is seeking an injunction against enforcing the new adult-entertainment ordinance.

No need to repeat all of the details here, except that the suit’s couched in the bedrock context of First Amendment and due process rights.

It’s another high-profile skirmish in a long-running battle that pits governments against lap-dance emporiums and other adult businesses over the touchy, as it were, issue of where the First Amendment ends and lewd behavior begins. Likely, this is not what (even the randiest of ) the Founding Fathers and three-fourths of the states had remotely in mind when the free-speech, free press First Amendment (and nine others) was ratified in 1791. Arguably, no one could have foreseen the following 215 years as a speech-expression-behavior slippery slope.

What is without question, however, is that this is serious law and serious business – with serious ramifications: legal, economic and quality of life.

And yet, it is impossible to read with a straight face the rationales as quoted in the lawsuit. Among them: that the adult businesses provide a “socially enriching experience,” which can’t be bad for a community. Moreover, “The presentation of expressive dance performances is a beneficial social activity which creates an improved self-image for the dancer and joy and entertainment for the beholder.”

Not to straddle the issue, but this isn’t about Ginger and Fred. It’s about Jasmine and John and those who don’t want their stripping of the light fantastic nearby. And for those who keep tabs, it’s also about vice unit detectives running up big bar-dance-and-tip bills to convict a handful of raunchy Little Egypts polishing their self images.

In short, there’s a lot not to like about adult entertainment in your community, the problematic cost of litigating it and the ongoing parody of the otherwise sacrosanct First Amendment.

As for where legal ends and lewd begins, unfortunately we can never codify the 1964 common-sense musings of Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart.

“

So, Minneapolis, a city once thought to have a better shot at regaining the Lakers than landing a big Republican bash, has been awarded the ultimate: the 2008 GOP convention.

Was it politics or was it hurricanes? Call it the politics of hurricanes. You think anybody – starting with RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman — wants to answer for what the weather around here might be like the first week of September 2008? Hurricane Ken loomed for Mehlman.

Rationales were found to go elsewhere. Inroads into Democratic territory. A really nice meeting facility. Nostalgia for the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Pre-emption of Dems who were also eyeballing electoral-vote challenged Minnesota. And Gov. Jeb phoned it in again.

Frankly, Cleveland and New York have a case too.

Regardless, Al Austin deserved better. Bad news for the GOP’s consummate good soldier.

Congratulations to the University of Tampa, 75 years old this Thursday. At 4 p.m. The date and time commemorate the debut of UT’s first class in 1931.

Lest we forget, UT is also the Tampa Bay area’s first university.

Call it the perfectly taxing storm — that city council property tax-cut vote a fortnight ago.

*What a difference three months make. Back in June only council members Shawn Harrison and Rose Ferlita wanted to even consider it.

By mid-September, AKA “election eve,” it had passed. Only Linda Saul-Sena and Mary Alvarez voted against. John Dingfelder and Kevin White switched sides.

*To a majority of city council, the vote qualified as “listening to the people,” although, it was acknowledged, it was only a “symbolic” gesture. The owner of a $200,000 home will save, for example, about $20 – or the cost of two tickets to see “The Illusionist.” That’s what a reduction of .131 mills yields. In reality, most home owners have seen little increase in their taxes because most are insulated by Save Our Homes, the 3 per cent (but not portable) cap on the amount a homestead property’s taxable value can increase per year.

But guaranteed, they won’t look like “symbolic” dollars to the parks and recreation or code enforcement departments – and whoever it is who will feel the pinch.

*Mayor Pam had a late-night flappable moment. It was apparent even over a cell phone. It happens when a largely infrastructure- and neighborhood-focused budget needs to lop off $3.3 million at the 11th hour.

*City council is normally a budgetary rubber stamp. But this time more than a dozen tax protestors showed up with rhetorical pitchforks and doing a collective “mad-as-hell-and-not-going-to-take-it-anymore” imitation of Peter Finch in “Network.”

That’s because property values are up. And up. And up. And tax revenues keep reflecting that assessment ascension. This year it’s up a projected $28.7 million, which surely looks like a windfall to a lot of folks — most notably those who own rental and commercial property or vacant land, which do not have homestead exemptions. But property tax (mileage) rates (6.539) had remained — for 18 years — the same, a mockingly misleading figure.

*And then there’s the halo effect. This comes at a time when enraged crowds around the state have been pressuring city and county officials to cut property taxes. And it occurs in the context of obscene insurance hikes, health care roulette and fuel costs that still remain too high.

*And once again, those not of a mood to revolt against the status quo stayed home in droves and made it easy for city council to hear — and appease — the (non-cell phone) voice audible that night.

The Wall Street Journal recently profiled Matt Silverman, the 30-year-old president of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. It noted how he has solicited input from other team presidents on ways to improve the franchise. The advice, most notably from the Yankees’ Randy Levine and the Texas Rangers’ Jeff Cogen, has helped refine Silverman’s already strong commitment to customer service.

Nobody, however, could help with the low payroll and the last-place product on the field.

But Cogen did provide a contrarian spin for the still floundering Rays.

“The old saying is, ‘The beer always tastes better when you’re winning,'” pointed out Cogen. “In this case, maybe they’ve created a situation where the team looks better when the beer tastes better.”

Time was when a gourmet meal meant out-on-the-town fine dining.

Increasingly, however, there are creative alternatives to the ritzy restaurant scene. The cachet and convenience of at-home gourmet dining has caught on.

Take it from Margaret Franklin, the co-owner of Tampa’s Franklin Travel Inc. She and her husband work long hours and travel a lot. Time is something they don’t have a lot of – and they don’t like allotting it to shop, cook and clean up.

At least once a week, Franklin stops by Chavez at Home in Tampa’s SoHo section for “Gourmet Take-Home Cuisine.” Typically she calls ahead and orders off the a la carte menu. For something special, she’ll allow for a two-day turnaround. “You can get whatever you want,” says Franklin, “including a fantastic Lobster Thermidor.”

Denise Chavez’s year-old, take-out enterprise has found a South Tampa, disposable income niche spanning empty nesters to young singles to Mayor Pam Iorio.

Menu entrees range from prime rib to a shrimp and crab casserole; sides include baked apricots, brandied fruit gelatin, twice-baked potatoes and even a Brunswick Stew.

“I can get anything you want,” says Chavez. “I’ll get you a server if you request one.” Indeed, she can accommodate requests for wine, linens, china, flowers or musicians.

The popularity of at-home fine fare has even drawn the attention of the Schwan Food Co., one of the largest, branded frozen-food companies in the U.S. In October 2004, it launched the Impromptu Gourmet Complete Meal Experience. Diners can go online (www.Impromptugourmet.com) to access and assess menus for entrees, appetizers, soups, sides, breads and desserts and, in effect, design their own meals. Culinary agents also stand by for orders and/or questions (877-632-5766). Delivery is 3-5 days.

“We looked at the trends out there,” says Glenn Bader, Schwan’s director of emerging channels, “and we thought corporate gifting could work for us. We also saw the rise of the ‘foodies,’ an aging demographic and people who have money and want to pamper themselves. We saw an opportunity to sell ‘an experience.'”

To that end, IG’s “You-buy-the-wine-and-turn-on-the-oven” service also includes a CD (jazz, blues or classical) and a guide to cooking, seating, table-setting and wine-pairing. Early menu favorites, says Bader, include the lobster bisque for starters, entrees Beef Wellington and a Seafood Cannelloni and the sweet-tooth pleasing tiramisu.

Yet another variation on the convenient cuisine theme is storefront kitchens, where ingredients and recipes are ready and waiting. According to the Easy Meal Press Association, there are now more than 200 companies across the U.S. and Canada offering this “make-and-take” main course service. Among the dozen or so in the Bay Area is the Tampa Bay Supper Club in Safety Harbor that opened last December.According to co-owner David Stender, it’s been a “gangbusters” response from those who appreciate the turnkey approach with a collegial atmosphere. It’s become a venue where friendships can be fostered and mother-daughter relationships fortified.

TBSC has 16 stations, with no more than 10 in use at a time. There are three (1 3/4 hour) sessions Wednesday-Saturday, with a single session on Sunday. The menu, which changes monthly, features 12-16 items. Sample entrees have included lobster strudel, bacon-wrapped artichoke chicken and the surprise favorite: Cape Capensa South African white fish. Diners choose 4-packs ($77), 8-packs ($148) or 12-packs ($199).

“The concept has taken off,” says Stender. “The food they take out is as consistent as any good restaurant’s and our guests – not ‘customers’ – have a wonderful time.”