New Restaurants, Community-Building Bookstores, and My Failed Visit to the Gun Show
Meanwhile, DeSantis urges Americans to defy public health guidance even as cases of respiratory syncytial virus increase in Florida.
CURRENTS
Tampa City Council looking to create public safety 'master plan'. ABC Action News
Prolific federal drug prosecutor offers Tampa police business card during DUI arrest. Fox 13 News
USF receives $25M gift from Tampa General Hospital to name new athletics district. 10 Tampa Bay
Hillsborough County property owners will see a lower tax rate this year to support public schools. Tampa Bay Times $ (subscription required)
All roads converge on Florida Supreme Court as justices decide future of abortion rights. Florida Phoenix
Abortion-rights supporters see little hope ahead of Florida high court arguments. Politico
Panther Killed: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported remains of a young, female Florida panther were collected Aug. 29 on Desoto Boulevard North in Collier County. Other fatalities are reported on the Panther Pulse web page. Report injured or dead panthers to the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
How Ben Sasse became a combatant in Florida’s education wars. As Ron DeSantis has turned public education into a political battleground, his state’s flagship university, now led by the former G.O.P. senator from Nebraska, has not remained neutral territory. New York Times $
UF ranked No. 1 among US public universities by Wall Street Journal. Tampa Bay Times $
Citing issues with tenure, loss of DEI, Florida faculty members want out. Axios
DeSantis’s immigration law may affect hurricane cleanup in Florida. Undocumented workers who once flocked to Florida to help remove debris and rebuild said they feared that a new immigration law could result in their deportation. New York Times $ (subscription required)
Nikki Haley’s goal: Leapfrog Ron DeSantis to become Donald Trump’s top GOP rival. Wall Street Journal $ (subscription required)
DeSantis names Moms for Liberty co-founder to Florida ethics panel. Politico
Former state attorney Monique Worrell suing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over suspension. Fox 13 News
Lee already category 5 hurricane, but expected to miss Florida. ABC Action News
HELP: How you can provide relief to people affected by Hurricane Idalia. 10 Tampa Bay
Your name in granite: Through today, you can buy a 12 inch-by-12 inch granite paver with your name on it along the Tampa Riverwalk for $150, courtesy Friends of the Tampa Riverwalk. Get four lines of text with 18 characters per line.
Going cashless: Busch Gardens and Adventure Island are now cashless. This means restaurants, retail stores, games, ticket windows, and parking toll booths will only accept card and mobile payments. If e-payments aren’t available to you, you can convert your cash to a Visa prepaid debit card at the Cash-to-Card kiosks located throughout the park for free.
Flags across Florida to be flown at half-staff to honor late Jimmy Buffett: 'Our adopted native son'. Fox 13 News
Got news? Send it here.
TODAY’S SPONSOR
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WHAT HE SAID
REPORTER
Gov. DeSantis urges Americans to defy public-health guidance; attacks Trump on COVID
By Michael Moline
Gov. Ron DeSantis, back in Florida amid his presidential campaign, urged Americans to defy any new federal public health guidance to wear masks, take vaccines, or engage in social distancing in light of an upsurge in COVID cases and emergence of a new viral variant.
The move by DeSantis comes as First Lady Jill Biden has been infected by COVID-19 and President Joe Biden has announced his plan to wear face masks while indoors and around other people.
In Florida, the governor pushed laws through the Legislature banning mask and vaccine mandates in schools and workplaces and allowing doctors to follow their “conscience” in prescribing alternative therapies. He also persuaded the Florida Supreme Court to appoint a civil grand jury to investigate “the adverse effects of COVID-19 shots.”
But during a news conference in Jacksonville, DeSantis even urged people in other states to defy any federal public-health orders.
“There needs to be pushback, because there wasn’t pushback back in March of 2020,” the governor said, referring to the virus’ initial emergence and issuance of the first federal lockdown guidance to help people avoid infection.
“I can tell you, as somebody that pushed back, I was on an island. I didn’t have a lot of people support me. I certainly didn’t have, you know, the bureaucracy, the media, the left, the Democrats, but even a lot of Republicans were attacking me, you know, at the time,” DeSantis continued.
Read more at the Florida Phoenix
Health officials expect new COVID-19 booster to be available soon. ABC Action News
New survey of Floridians: Vast political differences when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines. Florida Phoenix
RSV on the rise in Florida and Southeast, CDC warns. Cases of respiratory syncytial virus are increasing in Florida, likely heralding a new infection season. Tampa Bay Times $
Inside the new Classic Learning Test: Why are FL conservatives pushing for it, and what’s on it?
By Christian Casale
In a national climate where there are growing calls to abolish college admissions tests such as the SAT and ACT, Florida is set to add an alternative exam: the Classic Learning Test — a three-section exam on verbal reasoning, grammar, and writing that has been pushed by conservative politicians and religious activists.
How Florida students will fare on the alternative test, CLT for short, isn’t known yet. But the new exam comes at a time when Gov. Ron DeSantis has been overhauling K-12 schools and colleges and universities, spawning lawsuits over conservative changes in education.
Taryn Boyes, a spokesperson for CLT, said the test has mainly been accepted by private, liberal arts universities, many of which tend to be religious, but insisted that the test in itself is not ideological.
“This is not a Christian test, and we are not a Christian company,” Boyes said.
However, of the 12 private institutions in Florida that nowaccept the CLT, 11 are religiously affiliated. It is a list that includes Pensacola Christian College, Trinity Baptist College, and Ave Maria University.
Boyes said to think of the word “classic” in the test’s name as meaning “timeless,” a test meant to unearth foundational skill, logic, and critical thinking. “Think about how much [the SAT and ACT] are based on gaming the test, tips and tricks, how to study for this particular type of question,” Boyes said. “That’s not educating students and it’s not enriching students.”
Read more at the Florida Phoenix
BITES
There is no shortage of new restaurants coming to the Tampa Bay Area. Here’s a list of places. Some are now open; others are coming. Call ahead before visiting.
New Restaurant Openings
Kinka’s Bakery and Cafe: Pop into this cute Lutz newcomer for breakfast or lunch featuring eye-popping pastries, delicious egg dishes, and tasty soups, salads, and sandwiches to satisfy most any appetite. There’s a Latin-Puerto Rican flair to the menu, with empanadas, pulpo and camerones, café cubano, tres leches, and flans galore to tempt you. You might hear a little salsa music while sitting at the upholstered banquette peppered with foodied-themed pillows. Enjoy the view of the trees across busy SR 54 — it’s nice. The Cuban was packed full of pulled pork on real-deal Cuban bread, and the queso flan was superb. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Turtle Lakes Plaza, 24020 State Road 54, Lutz, 813-235-3512.
Cass Street Coffee Company, 905 N Florida Ave., Floridan Palace Hotel, Downtown Tampa: La Colombe coffee plus doughnuts, pastries, sandwiches, salads and wraps. That’s So Tampa
Half Moon Seafood, 615 Channelside Drive, Sparkman Wharf, Tampa: seafood, such as oysters, po’ boys, crab cakes and tacos (first location is at 11508 N. 56th St., Temple Terrace), 5208 N 22nd, Tampa: Nashville-style hot fried chicken
Lona, 505 Water St., Tampa Marriott Water Street: Mexican with tons of tequila
Ro Hyde Park,1500 W. Swann Ave., Tampa: modern Asian sushi restaurant
Slim Chickens, 27244 Wesley Chapel Blvd., Wesley Chapel: chicken tenders with lots of sauces, chicken and waffles and buffalo chicken wraps
The Sommelier Hideaway, 14351 N Dale Mabry Highway, the Grand Plaza (first location is at 6072 Van Dyke Road, Lutz): small plates, charcuterie and 100 wine bottle choices. Opening Sept. 16.
Ybor Seoul, 1531 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City, Tampa: Korean comfort food, including dumplings, soup and Korean fried chicken, plus bubble tea. That’s So Tampa
Got restaurant news? Send it here.
CAPTAIN’S LOG
My Failed Attempt to Understand Gun Culture
By Judith M. Gallman
Sometimes things don’t work out like you plan.
I went to my first gun show in Tampa in August to see who else goes to gun shows and why. I wanted to ask people why they were there, whether they had guns at home, and why they had guns in the first place — were they hunters, weapons collectors, or sharpshooters? Maybe they wanted weapons protection for themselves or feared for the fate of the world so wanted to protect their communities? What were their opinions on gun control? Were there any ghost guns for sale? Did I need a gun?
When entering the state fairgrounds exhibition hall, the ticket taker asked if I was armed. I was not, so she stamped the top of my hand the bottom half of the word “GUN” in bright blue.
My exposure to guns is limited. They feel foreign yet familiar. My father hunted and had guns at home, one brother made his own ammo for a while, and the other brother took me out a few times to shoot at tin cans in the woods when I was a kid. My recent interest may have been prompted by an old friend who’s a great marksman. I thought this exercise might be a way for me to reconnect with him.
But stepping into the world of guns was overwhelming. First, there were so many guns—handguns, rifles, automatic weapons. And there were cases upon cases of ammunition, knives, and other weapons, and so many accessories: body armor, sights, scopes, holsters, targets, ear muffs, pepper sprays, safety glasses, gun cases, safes. Other products — including jerky, onesies for kids, “Thunderwear” undergarments for packing heat, magnets, 2nd Amendment jewelry, T-shirts, coffee mugs — were interspersed among gun vendors, as was a table for the Republican Party of Hillsborough County.
The people weren’t too chatty.
Zelle Deitiker of Holiday said she came to the gun show with her husband who has “guns, ammo and other stuff. He’s into it.” She has two handguns for personal protection and home protection and was hopeful she’d never have to use either. Matthew Fowler of Sefner, who was at the gun show with his cousin and looking for ammunition, said he had an “AR5, pistols, and a little bit of everything” but declined to state a specific arsenal inventory before moving on. Rather than answer a question about how background checks worked at the show, one vendor responded that she wasn’t from here.
There was a friendly knife salesman, who was also peddling a handy knife-sharpening device and demonstrated its ease by whacking a knife repeatedly with an ax to dull it dramatically. He and then slipped the knife through both sides of the gadget to produce an instant razor-sharp edge. But I wasn’t buying.
I had come to the gun show to better understand this tribe, but I couldn’t do it. Instead I felt anxious, paralyzed, and judged for asking questions that were so clearly indicative of my own ignorance about — even bias against — guns. In today’s America, it’s harder than ever to meet folks where they are. I came to the gun show to better understand the motivations of gun aficionados, but I didn’t have the nerve to follow through with my plan.
So I have a new, better plan for the next time. I’m going to find a gun-savvy expert (police officer, retired or active; combat veteran, or experienced sportsperson perhaps) who can guide me through the wide world of guns.
THE LIST
Each week, we’ll bring you a new one. Got any ideas? Reach out.
Community-Building Bookstores
If you crave book discussions and getting a little one-on-one with touring authors, these five Tampa Bay Area bookstores are well worth checking out. From in-person book signings and book club meetups to book-oriented field trips, these purveyors are building community via books and literary events.
Barnes & Noble: Beach Park, 128 S. West Shore Blvd.; Brandon, 2400 W. Brandon Blvd.; Carrollwood, 11802 N. Dale Mabry Hwy.; Wesley Chapel, 28152 Paseo Drive Suite 100. Tampa Bay Area Barnes & Noble outlets bring in authors a few times per month for book signings, author meet-and-greets, readings and talks and offers occasional book club meeting opportunities. Check the website for locations and events. BarnesAndNoble.com
Book + Bottle: 17 Sixth St. North, St. Petersburg. It’s a bookstore/wine shop/wine bar/coffee shop with regularly hosted events (Sip + Stitch, Writer’s Retreat) and book club gatherings for book lovers with a penchant for fiction, “Lady Leaders + Readers,” genre and new and noteworthy. B + B also sponsors author pop ups around town and in-store author events. BookAndBottleStPete.com
Oxford Exchange: 420 W Kennedy Blvd., Tampa. OE hosts various book clubs in store, including the OE Book Club; Fiction, Fantasies, & Epics Book Club; and New & Noteworthy Book Club, and also hosts frequent author signings, depending on author availability and book publishing schedules. OxfordExchange.com
Tombolo Books: 2153 1st Ave S., St. Petersburg. Tombolo Books has a book club for almost every genre: horror, Florida, crime travel, queer comics, social justice, romance, sci-fi, banned books, fantasy and probably more. Some meet in-store, others gather off site, so check the website. There are poetry readings, lectures and in-person author events sprinkled into the mix, too. TomBoloBooks.com
Portkey Books: 404 Main St., Safety Harbor. Portkey Books sponsors regular author readings at the Safety Harbor Public Library and hosts a fantasy/sci fi book club quarterly in the store courtyard. PortkeyBooks.com
YOU NEED A PET
Meet Elf, a cute, little Jack Russell-terrier mix at the SPCA Tampa Bay. He’s about 2 years old, is neutered, and has ears to die for. His animal ID number is 53981805. This little guy wants to go home with you. Meet him at SPCA Tampa Bay, 9099 130th Ave. North, Largo, 727-586-3591.
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ABOUT US
Editors: Judith M. Gallman and Stephen Buel
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