Sewers & storm drains fail to perform yet again in the Tampa Bay area

Tropical Depression 9 (TD9) hit the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday. According to BayNews 9, the rains were actually just the “indirect effects” of TD9, a storm which will only arrive tomorrow. When it does arrive, TD9 will bring even more rain. A normally joyous Labor Day weekend may bring misery and recovery for many. There are…

State senator Jack Latvala supports more transit taxes, claims roads are 100% subsidized

“We need leadership to develop a grassroots support for more taxes to generate revenue to pay for the construction of public mass transit”, said one attendee during a Cafe con Tampa event on Friday (August 26th) at Hugo’s in South Tampa . “Where is the leadership for that?” asked the attendee. “Well”, said state senator Jack…

Florida Constitutional Amendment 4 on Solar Devices – a review

— by James Lampe, former national environmental reporter  — Summary: if passed, this Amendment would exempt solar devices installed on homes or businesses from ad valorem taxes until the end of 2037. As you consider how to vote, please remember that this is a 20-year Constitutional Amendment. Therefore, it’s passed, the chances of changing this particular amendment are slim. Before…

County Commish on PSTA board finds Sunshine Law compliance “irritating”

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority August July board meeting turned into a political “Spin Bin” on Wednesday as political spin was applied to a multitude of embarrassing situations. First, evidence of Florida Ethics Law violations by board member Ben Diamond was presented. Then there was the news that the number of Pinellas County indigents using their county “free healthcare cards”…

Sad state of Polk County judicial system exposed, lessons for all Floridians

— from our Polk County reporter — In Polk County there is a contested race between incumbent judge Susan Barber (formerly Susan Flood) and a local attorney, Carson Bassett.  At present, agitated voters in America paradoxically show little interest, and even less enthusiasm, in examining the judges they elect. Yet many of those those very same agitated voters will continue to complain about…

“Baseball Forever Night” suffers low turnout

On August 19, the Rays held a “Baseball Forever Night”, a promotion where tickets prices were cut in half. Rays caps were handed out to those who bought the lower-level seats, which were reasonably priced at $25 each. Being a pretty good offer, the Guardian attended and saw the Rays take on the Texas Rangers. According to the…