Mitch Perry - page 518

The power to put a referendum on the 2016 ballot in Hillsborough County on transit is up to the seven members of the Board of County Commissioners, and one of their newest members, Stacy White, has been quite explicit in declaring his lack of support for such a tax while on the campaign trail. “I’m not in support of any type of tax right now,” White reiterated after attending his first meeting as a member of the HART (Hillsborough Area Regional…

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She’s had the audacity to do what no one else in Tampa has been willing to do  — challenge Bob Buckhorn in his bid for re-election next March. But Becky Rubright now says it’s doubtful she’ll be a candidate for mayor, because she’s not sure she’ll be able to generate enough signatures on her petition to qualify for the ballot by the end of the year. Although the deadline to submit the 3,472 or so signatures required to run for…

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Welcome back to the working week. This holiday weekend I did what I do most weekends – see a motion picture at a local movie theater. Actually I saw two over the holiday break: the Jon Stewart-directed “Rosewater,” and “Citizenfour,” the documentary directed by Laura Poitras on NSA leaker Edward Snowden (of which I’ll be writing about later this week). Amongst a good deal of my friends who actively watch a lot of films, I feel like I’m in the…

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Gov. Rick Scott last Monday signed a death warrant for 42-year-old Johnny Shane Normandy, who was found guilty of committing first-degree murder and sexual battery during a home-invasion robbery in 1993 in Escambia County. He is scheduled to die by lethal injection on January 15. The execution would be the 21st in the Rick Scott era, equaling the number overseen by former Gov. Jeb Bush, which is the most for any Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in…

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Approximately 65 protestors, several of them striking Walmart workers, demonstrated in front of the retail giant’s Tampa location on Dale Mabry Highway on Black Friday, one of the busiest retail shopping days of the year. They were there to protest for a $15 living wage and the opportunity to work more hours, as well as what they say are unfair and illegal retaliation against some workers for making such claims. “If we speak up about something that’s not right, they…

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Like Christmas and New Year’s, Thanksgiving in America comes equipped with non-stop sports entertainment to keep it interesting while you mingle with friends and family. So without any further ado, let’s have a breakdown on the three games that will air on at least one television where you’ll be at  you’re eating, drinking or sleeping throughout the day. Game one: 12:30 p.m. CBS – Chicago Bears (5-6) at Detroit Lions (7-4) –  On paper, this is the weakest of the…

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Following the announcement that Stuart Rogel is stepping down from the Tampa Bay Partnership, the question now is: who takes over, and where does the Partnership go from here? While John Scheuler will succeed Rogel on an interim basis, the Partnership will undertake a national search for a new leader (and Rogel isn’t actually leaving the organization until next March). “There’s no crisis, but there is a sense of urgency,” says Brian Lamb, the Partnership’s new chairman, who just took over…

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