Category: Tampa Bay

It was one of those vintage St. Petersburg Times features. Designed to elicit a torrent of letters and get people engaged, even riled. It obviously worked. It’s about a Brooksville archer-hunter who kills enough game, including deer and boar, to feed his family and share with clients and friends. Mounted trophy heads bedeck the walls of his home office.

It’s all about “lifestyle,” he says. Indeed, the 28-year-old personal trainer is part of a small but growing number of people trying to literally live off the land. Modern hunter-gatherers, if you will.

We all know the arguments against processed foods – and where hamburgers come from. And eating what you kill — plus thinning the herd — can be mitigating arguments on behalf of the “sport” of hunting. But I don’t pretend to be objective. Never have. Herbert “Survival of the Fittest” Spenser would likely think me hopelessly naïve. Hunters would add hypocritical and stupidly urban.

But to me, the only argument that really matters is this: Do you, as a hunter enjoy it? Is it fun to don camouflage; climb a tree; wait in ambush; string a bow; and kill something that wasn’t hunting you? And the kill isn’t always clean.

Bon appetit.

This is over the top, even for the moronically moralizing David Caton: an e-mail campaign against USF’s “queer theory” course. Come on, this is an elective course that’s been around for two decades and, among other things, delves into practical questions of gender identity in a “society that enforces categories.”

It’s not for everyone, but so what? It’s hardly irrelevant.

It’s what you would expect in a diverse community. It’s what you would expect in any university outside of Bob Jones and Liberty. Especially when courses on rock lyrics are practically higher-ed staples these days. And, by the way, the University of Virginia still offers its “Deer Hunting for Locavores” course.

According to Ikea, its well-received 29-acre complex near Ybor City remains “undersigned.” Reportedly, some shoppers motoring along on I-4 just might be driving right past Ikea because it’s “visibility challenged.” Who knew? What with that two-story sign on Adamo Drive and all those 10-footers on the building facing the Crosstown and Adamo?

But imagine how challenging it would be if Ikea weren’t renown as a commercial destination? If its customer base weren’t motivated fans and true believers? How would

they ever find it?         

Two years ago Tampa City Council voted to rezone Fort Homer Hesterly Armory. The move was made to facilitate the West Tampa icon’s transformation into the ambitious, 10-acre Heritage Square. The Armory’s next incarnation would include a luxury hotel, spa, marketplace park and cultural arts center. The lead developer was Tampa-based Intelident Solutions.

Along the way, there were issues, an impasse – and today those grand plans are on recessionary hold. The National Guard still awaits a buyer. It’s likely the development process will begin anew.

When it does, here’s hoping plans for a “West Tampa renaissance” are scaled back in the interest of ongoing reality, not just the economy of the moment. A 300-room luxury hotel and a spa, for instance, were never practicable for that working class neighborhood. Such ill-considered proposals should now be on permanent hold.

Perhaps the Armory Partners Group will resurface. APG had astutely proposed a mixed-use project that featured a film studio and soundstage. That would have met a critical city need, while acting as a magnet for arts-related enterprises and a catalyst for jobs. 

That is still the case. And the National Guard, which continues to maintain the Armory, is still looking for a buyer.

Look who’s branching out.

Four Green Fields, that throwback Irish pub in South Tampa, will open a second location – in Boston. Owner Colin Breen and investors are well underway in the planting of the FGF flag in the heart of Celtic land. Actually downtown in a huge, 8,000-square-foot, two-story glass atrium next to the imposing BNY Mellon Center.

Breen thinks the formula that has worked so well in Tampa will also be successful in a venue with plenty of pub competition. But he will also customize to accommodate the clientele and downtown dynamic. “A lot have grown jaded and haven’t tried anything new,” he explained. “We will.”

To that end, FGF of Boston will serve morning coffee to execs on the go and send lunch carts up the adjacent skyscraper’s service elevator. The pub-restaurant will feature its staple Guinness and classic Irish food. Irish musicians will perform and non-prosaic sorts can wax poetic on designated nights. The bartenders will work under a signature thatched roof.

Replicating the Tampa success will be a challenge. An intimate watering hole with Old World charm and live, authentic entertainment has been well received here. A lot of space and a lot of glass will make for a decidedly different look. South Tampa has a neighborhood — not big city — feel.

Breen would, thus, be well advised not to deviate from a critical key to his Tampa success – one that is often overlooked. He doesn’t allow television. Never has. While huge flat screens are now de rigueur in bars — and even pubs — he won’t permit them at Four Green Fields. His rationale is as simple as it is sensible. “It makes you talk to somebody,” he has noted.

Indeed, Four Green Fields’ success is its throwback appeal. More thrownback, in fact, than a lot of pubs in Ireland that have gone global and more closely resemble sports bars.

So, for those heading to Boston later in the year, here’s hoping you won’t be able to catch the Red Sox or the Patriots at Four Green Fields in Boston. And that you’re sitting next to somebody interesting.

I’ll admit to some skepticism regarding the well-intentioned Gates Foundation game plan for improving the quality of Hillsborough County teaching. Especially when its cost runs well into nine figures. Especially when some of the best teachers in the system will likely have to leave the classroom for a couple of years to do some mentoring. Explain that to the impacted students and their parents.

Like it or not, really good teachers are born, not made – no matter how much video-taping, mentoring, role-playing and seminar-attending you want to factor in.

Here’s what you need. Individuals:

*Who are smart. Certifiably so.

*Who have a work ethic that has enabled them to master their subject(s) and will prompt them to put in plenty of outside-the-classroom time.

*Who have a sense of humor.

*Who are creative — and relevant — without being gimmicky or patronizing.

*Who are forceful enough of personality to be strong disciplinarians. 

*Who have a sense of fairness.

*Who genuinely like students.

*Who have never quite forgotten what it’s like to be a kid.

*Who because of the above qualities will not have to demand the respect of students. They will earn it. Year after year – as their reputations precede them.

Here’s arguably a better use for some of that Gates’ money. Underwrite scholarships and recruiting efforts to bring in the sort of teachers who won’t necessitate the best and brightest incumbents going on mentoring sabbaticals.  

The late Blythe Andrews deserved better. He was, as some have reflected, a “touchstone” for Tampa’s black community. He was a fixture on numerous boards – from Tampa General Hospital to the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. He was the first black appointed to the Tampa Sports Authority.

And yet, for some he’s largely the man – in the final months of his life – who became embroiled in that sex harassment lawsuit involving County Commissioner Kevin White and his former assistant, the winsome, experience-challenged Alyssa Ogden. How unseemly and unnecessary.

The body of Andrews’ work over a lifetime of service is his legacy. The last few months an unfortunate footnote. To date, the sleazy harassment, the resultant lawsuit and the taxpayer tab in excess of $400,000 is White’s scandalous legacy.

PBA must stand for Police Buffoonery Association. Benevolent it is not. Nor fair. Nor politically savvy.

That was evident last week as those dozen or so PBA protesters gathered in front of Union Station to take an unconscionable cheap shot at City Council member Linda Saul-Sena. The five-term City Council member was inside announcing her formal bid for Hillsborough County Commission. The PBA dolts carried signs saying: “Linda Saul-Sena: The Criminal’s Best Friend.” They really did.  

That was PBA payback because she had recently voted against a police step-pay increase. Saul-Sena is hardly anti-cop — let alone “the criminal’s best friend” — because she joined  a council (super) majority in requiring all city employees, including police and fire, to take one for Team Tampa during a devastating recession. In so doing, some layoffs were benevolently avoided.

Interestingly enough, the lone council vote in favor of the police pay increase was cast by Joseph Caetano. Does that mean “Clueless Joe” is the police department’s only “friend” on council? Please.

By the way, Saul-Sena will be vying for the District 5 countywide seat being vacated by the term-limited Jim Norman. Her main opposition will be Commission Chairman Ken Hagan, who will resign his District 2 seat.

While Saul-Sena is known as the avatar of the arts, the goddess of green and the patron saint of preservation, she underscored growth management, transportation and city-county collaboration as key themes she hopes will resonate countywide. It’s no longer about “Build, build, build,” she declared, but “Jobs, jobs, jobs.” Expect to see her play up her Metropolitan Planning Organization experience – especially in response to those inevitably portraying her as a South Tampa elite out to advance a liberal agenda.

It speaks volumes that she has Mitch Kates, the street-smart, take-no-prisoners strategist, on board. He’s the same advisor used successfully by Kevin Beckner against Brian Blair and by Mary Mulhern, who upset Shawn Harrison. Look for Kates to take the gloves off in referencing Hagan’s stands on the environment/wetlands/developers as well as a reputation for ducking debates.

It’s now official.

The theme for Gasparilla will no longer be: “Lewd and Rude Rocks.”  Nor will it be: “Anarchy by the Bay” or “Under Age, Under the Influence and Above the Law.”  

No, this year it will be the sobering antithesis of debauchery: “Responsibility Is The Key.”  Might as well be: “Rebottle the Genie.”

Good luck.

Actually, all understandable skepticism aside, good start.

But first, of course, you must concede that a mega parade attracting 300,000-400,000 really does belong on Bayshore adjacent to residential neighborhoods, and that it must have a beer sponsor (Pepin Distributing). That, uh, said, the recent changes announced by the city and the Tampa Police Department are, well, encouraging. More police, an extended parade route ending at the new, party-friendly Curtis Hixon Park, the elimination of some waterside bleachers and more Port-o-lets.

Even more to the point, there are serious signs of an attitudinal change. “We’ve listened very carefully to what the neighborhoods have said to us,” underscored Mayor Pam Iorio. Indeed, she has gotten an earful – through her surrogates – from a number of “ground zero” residents, some of whom feel extorted, in effect, into hiring security and erecting temporary fencing. All of whom have seen their share of disgusting, even threatening, incidents.

The new reality, say City Hall and TPD officials, is “zero tolerance” for drunkenness, lewdness and related mayhem. It’s no mere catch phrase, they stress, and arrests – where warranted – will be made. That means underage drinking, bead flashing and “large (beer) vessel” transporting, as well as public urination and back-alley sex, will be targeted.

The wonder is it wasn’t before.

But that was then, and this is now. For the first time, a number of groups – including TPD – are coordinating efforts to make community presentations to students. Both high school and college. They are saying, in effect: “Enjoy yourselves. But don’t force us to arrest you, because we will.”

And, yet, there are still others who need to be part of the solution to what has for too long been Tampa’s signature drunkfest. Those hosting house parties are responsible, at minimum, for under-age imbibers. Those who don’t read — or heed — the responsibility memo are a major part of the problem.

As are parents. Where do drunken teens go at the end of the day? Who do they go home to? Who do they answer to? Safe House parental surrogates? Parents are part of the problem if they countenance a day without rules or repercussions. Especially in somebody else’s neighborhood.

And one more thing. Those extra police? If “responsibility” is really the key, post them in the alleys. And maybe ask Grand Marshall Mike Alstott to patrol one as well.

And, yes, I live near “ground zero.” In fact, I was just reminded. A doorknob flier was just affixed. “Gasparilla: Protect your property from ‘The Invasion.’ Temporary Fencing. Call early.”  – Smith Fence.

Actually, we’ve “only” had to hire an off-duty cop in the past. And this year, given the official commitment to “zero tolerance,” we won’t do that. I hope that’s not being irresponsible.

By all accounts, Middleton High School is responding to the academic and behavioral SOS that had gone out over falling test scores and rising rates of unacceptable conduct. Hanging in the balance: the possibility of the state taking over under the federal No Child Left Behind Law.

Apparently a house cleaning of administrators and teachers has helped. So has help from the Department of Education that has enabled MHS to hire full-time mentors for reading, math and science. Even more importantly, a culture of hope, renewal and academic achievement appears to be taking root under the charismatic guidance of new principal Owen Young.

But that “house-cleaning” needs context. Middleton’s “underperforming teachers” have been “reassigned.” Surely, they’re not now the problem of some other school, one that’s out of the headlines and not under any state or federal mandate? Surely.