Commentary on Bay Area issues
It seems so obvious. Why would we still countenance Confederate statuary in our public places? As in outside the Hillsborough County Courthouse.
Such statutes are appropriate in museums–where the focus is on history, like it or not. It’s part of us. But not in public where a salute-to-a-morally-flawed cause can still be inferred by the usual suspects. That should be apart from us.
And BTW, isn’t “Civil War,” America’s or anybody else’s, about as blatant an oxymoron as there is?
Some lines play well at a Trump rally. But if you’re not Donald Trump demonizing the media to the “Deliverance” crowd, you don’t use them. Mayor Bob surely knows that. Now.
As a print journalist–and one who wrote a column for the Tampa Tribune for more than a dozen years–I had more than a passing interest in “Stop the Presses,” the documentary about the demise of the Trib that recently played at Tampa Theatre. It was done by Deborah Kerr, a print journalism advocate and the wife of George Kerr, the former, long-time operations director at the Trib, who, on camera, effectively knits together the various aspects of the Trib’s ultimate end.
It’s well done–as it morphs from a day in the life of a newspaper to what has been wrought by the world of digital journalism. It was moving as well as maddening. It’s about lost jobs, severed relationships and the implications to our democracy when we have fewer voices to inform and hold accountable.
Here are a few takeaways:
*How ironic to see what has resulted from the Tampa Bay Times’ purchase and summary closing of the Trib. The Times cherry-picked some key Trib staffers and inherited a subscription base.
The resultant product when two regional daily newspapers became one: a noticeably thinner, inferior newspaper. One where copy editors and proof readers have obviously gone missing. One where even the page numbers are not always accurate, and some pages have been downsized by half. One where the editorial side has taken a pandering tack to the right. One where front-page news judgment is often head-scratching. One where without obits and Rooms To Go ads, the Times might look like a community freebie.
* Not unexpectedly, no one from the Times appeared on camera to offer input. We get that. The most riveting image, however, is that of Times’ publisher Paul Tash, arms crossed, frozen in frown and seemingly standing guard as employees find out their paper has just been euthanized.
* There was no formal, final edition. Hell, even the old Tampa Times exited with that touch of class.
* The city of Tampa showed well. Visually as well as anecdotally.
* In the abstract, it’s no shock that the Tribune closed. The signs had been manifest for some time. And multi-newspaper markets are ever dwindling. But when it actually happens–impacting employees and families and a community–it’s still a shock.
If I’m Charlie Strong, the new USF football coach, I’m upset. And, yes, that’s a euphemism for being #@&^ *<!>+^.
Strong should be incensed because in the last couple of months two Bulls’ players have been arrested for violent felonies–a road-rage incident and a sexual assault accusation. Look for them to be ex-Bulls.
But he should also be angry with a county judge in the latter case who called him out for not having “control” over his players. Then at a bond hearing, she implored him–in absentia–“to think long and hard about whether being head coach at USF is a good fit for you, before any other members of this community have to suffer at the hands of one of your players.”
Judge Margaret Taylor is no longer on the case, but unnecessary damage has been done.
Judge Taylor was right to underscore outrage about yet another college athlete–OK, football player–accused of sexual battery on a female. It’s beyond unconscionable. It’s a serious societal issue that needs addressing, and a tough-talking female judge is well cast.
But she went too far. The facts in this case are still evolving. No cover-up is alleged. A trial is a long way off. She lectured the university–ironically her alma mater–and the coach. Due process wasn’t given its due.
But Strong, who hasn’t coached a game yet and didn’t recruit either of the players arrested, deserves better. He has a reputation of running clean programs with zero tolerance for thugs and predators.
Judge Taylor could have helped the cause had she stayed with an overall theme that universities in general need to do some serious soul-searching about what they do to win football games. Who do they recruit and what do administrators allow? Recruits don’t typically morph from solid-citizen, high-school student-athletes to rapists once they land on campus. They’ve already manifested traits no university should want on its campus–no matter how powerful the pressure to win is.
That’s the message that needs to be conveyed–not a lecture of somebody who will actually improve the USF brand.
There are a lot of reasons why the stadium-lease vote, which could lead to a Major League Soccer franchise down the road, passed in St. Petersburg–and by an unheard of 87-13 margin. The proponents, most prominently Rowdies owner Bill Edwards and his point man, former St. Pete Mayor Rick Baker, were well prepared, and the footprint for Al Lang Field will not have to be enlarged. Frankly, it helps that the sport is not football or baseball, but the relatively boutique sport of soccer in America, where 18,000 capacity–the minimum required for MLS selection–is sufficient.
But the biggest reason was the one that toed the ultimate bottom line. Edwards and private investors will pay for everything. Edwards has already covered the special-election cost, which was $271,000. He’s also committed to underwriting stadium expansion, at approximately $80 million, and the MLS expansion fee of $150 million. That’s just not done in an era of government-subsidized sports facilities.
Call it a vote of confidence in the further energizing of downtown St. Petersburg, as the Rowdies synergistically aim to join the top tier of U.S. pro soccer. Also call it a “Kick in the Grass.” Remember that one?
In a few months, according to developer Larry Feldman, there will be a sales office open for a 52-story, mixed use-building on a long-vacant riverfront parcel at S. Ashley Drive and Brorein Street. It will fill in a waterfront gap and further underscore the revitalization of the core of downtown.
It’s also a reminder of what was previously planned there: the less-than-lamented Trump Tower Tampa, a branding this city didn’t need.
“Eat, Drink and Be Wary.” That was the clever, front-page headline in Sunday’s Tampa Bay Times that chronicled law-breaking in the boozy afterhours along South Tampa’s SoHo strip. It’s hardly a crime-laden area, but there was that recent drive-by killing outside a hookah bar at 4:30 a.m. It doubtless helped prompt such a prominent piece.
One photo in the Times’ layout was particularly telling. A sign outside a SoHo establishment read: “Open Crazy Late.” It spoke volumes about what can turn a party scene into a crime scene. When your market niche is the already drunk, nothing good is ultimately in the offing.
The main takeaway from Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s State of the City address–other than that he loves this forum–was a theme of unity. A culture of tolerance and diversity took precedence over ongoing downtown upgrades. We get it–plus, the high-profile, developmental bragging points did not exactly go unacknowledged.
But unity is part of an emerging sub-plot. As in standing united to confront new challenges from Washington and Tallahassee.
We all know the Trump Administration’s priorities–and the need for budget reallocations to accommodate the funding of, for example, a border wall. Urban aid–in myriad ways–will take a hit.
And we know the more ideological threats now gaining momentum in the state legislature that aim to limit the powers of local government–from wireless-device placement to property tax-hike restrictions to vacation rental-law limitations.
While Mayor Bob’s legacy will be the downtown makeover he helped propel as a game-changing priority, his bully pulpit will likely play an increasing role in civic defense as well as advocacy in his remaining time in office. No one knows better than a mayor that the best government is the one closest to the people.
And Buckhorn is certainly no exception. In fact, as an I-4 Corridor player with business instincts, some friends on the other side of the aisle and no gubernatorial plans, he’s positioned to make the unfettered municipal case. One where the federal government continues its commitment to invest in America’s cities and one where the states don’t retreat on cities’ self determination.
Amid the unconscionable frustration that accompanies the usual impediments to common sense and modern transit around here, there has been a notable ray of regional hope. Ferry tales can come true.
By all accounts, the experimental Cross-Bay Ferry, the product of regional cooperation with some BP-spill money, has been a success. It’s no longer some Ed Turanchik fantasy. A major market with an identity dominated by a gulf, bays and channels actually has a viable water link–connecting the downtowns of Tampa and St. Petersburg. By late January ticket sales were generating enough revenue to cover costs. Hillsborough County is now setting aside serious money in reserve–with the hope it could one day be applied to expanded service.
From a personal standpoint, I’d recommend it–with a few tips. This isn’t mass transit–but a cool way to experience two waterfront downtowns complemented by Bloody Marys and skyline aesthetics. But plan accordingly.
Make museum and/or dining plans. Bring comfortable shoes, a bike or cab/Uber fare. Remember it’s an outing, not a logistical commute. That will have to come later with further transit maturity.
This doesn’t address gridlock and all the highway-sprawl scenarios we’re constantly reminded of. For now, this is feel-good fun and qualifies as a win over provincialism and business as usual.
Every time I see an announcement for another ground-breaking at the University of Tampa, it’s cause for reflection.
In a few weeks, UT will begin construction on what will be the biggest academic facility on campus, a six-story, 90,000-square-foot Graduate and Health Studies building. It will house the nursing program, physician assistant studies and graduate studies. It will also be the 19th academic building refurbished or built since 2000. Another year, another upgrade.
For context, I go back to the 1990s when USF was seriously considering UT for a downtown campus. Enrollment was less than 1,500 and heading farther south. It was a private university without impressive credentials or cachet. Budgets were in deficit and bankruptcy rumors were in the mix. UT was hurting and USF was hunting for that long-coveted DT presence.
Then, as we know, President Ronald Vaughan, who took over in 1995, and the John H. Sykes family became key catalysts in re-energizing UT. Benefactors started digging deeper–a combination of pure philanthropy and vote-of-confidence investment. Barack Obama was the first sitting president to visit. The impressive run continues.
Now enrollment is 8,300, and UT is a major synergistic player in the ongoing re-development of downtown Tampa. And, BTW, there are construction plans beyond that new Graduate and Health Studies building–as in a twin building. Is the sky the limit? Well, the two academic facilities would literally–and symbolically–be connected via skywalk.