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Brian Dugan

Irma causes estimated $9 million in Hillsborough property damage

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Even though Hurricane Irma was “downgraded” to a Category 1 storm by the time it ripped through the region last week, it has definitely made a financial impact in Hillsborough County. Preston Cook, Hillsborough County’s director of emergency management, said Wednesday that while the storm wasn’t nearly as fierce as initially feared, Irma damaged 287 single family homes, 140 mobile homes and 14 businesses. That adds up to a total of $8.9 million in property damages to date. The estimated…

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Bob Buckhorn says power restoration is biggest issue for Tampa after Irma

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Mayor Bob Buckhorn says restoring electricity to the hundreds of thousands of citizens in Tampa currently without it is issue number one the day after Hurricane Irma barreled through Florida Sunday night.

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Bob Buckhorn warns curfew violators in Tampa as Irma approaches

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Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn declared that a curfew will begin Sunday at 6 p.m. in Tampa, and will not be lifted until he and other city officials deem it safe after Hurricane Irma passes.

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‘This is a big one,’ Bob Buckhorn says as he declares state of emergency for Tampa

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Saying that the magnitude of Hurricane Irma has the potential to be a storm “unlike anything that we have ever seen,” Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn declared a state of emergency late Wednesday morning.

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Tampa must look for new police chief as Eric Ward steps down

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After just a little more than two years on the job, Tampa Police Chief Eric Ward is leaving the force for a position with Coca-Cola Beverages Florida as head of security. “It was not an easy decision for me to make, and it was something that I did not take very lightly,” the 50-year-old soft-spoken chief said at a news conference Thursday at TPD headquarters to announce his departure. “It’s a great opportunity,” Ward said after he was asked why…

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Newly named Tampa Police Chief Eric Ward says he’ll maintain current bike citation policy

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Mayor Bob Buckhorn announced this afternoon that Eric Ward will become the new Police Chief for the city of Tampa, effective as of next week. Ward replaces Jane Castor, who retires next week after 31 years on the force, the last five and a half as chief of police. Ward becomes the second black chief in the city’s history (Bennie Holder was the first, serving from 1993-2003). He currently serves as the assistant chief of operations, and was announced months ago…

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Mitch Perry Report for 4.20.15 — Tampa’s Bicycle Blitzkrieg

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Happy 420 Day. There have been some interesting stories being produced by our friends over at the Tampa Bay Times over the past week. The paper returned to its coverage of Doug Hughes yesterday. Hughes is the Ruskin postal worker who hoped to raise awareness about the influence of big money in politics by violating national airspace to land his gyrocopter on Capital Hill. And while there has been some discussion about campaign finance reform in the wake of his actions,…

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