People & Politics
Don Zimmer was one of the few Yankee or Red Sox players that Rays fans adored, and that’s because the effervescent, super-cuddly “Zim Bear” spent 10 years on our side as a coach and advisor. Zim — who died in June at the age of 83 — got a touching tribute when Rays broadcaster Todd Kalas announced his death during a game against the Miami Marlins. “I felt like I was getting a gift every time we talked,” Kalas said as he choked back tears. “Really sad news.” Deadspin ran this video clip of his remarks.
“This court concludes that a citizen’s right to marry is a fundamental right that belongs to the individual.” Those were the words of Judge Luis Garcia of the Monroe County Circuit Court, whose July ruling was the first in a slew of similar decisions by “activist judges” that may eventually wind up toppling the state’s anti-gay marriage amendment. Fun fact to rub in the face of John Stemberger Republicans: Garcia was appointed by Republican Governor Jeb Bush.
Runners-up: Water Works Park, more breweries
Runners-up: Vinoy Park (St. Petersburg), Crescent Lake Park (St. Petersburg)
Romano continues to carve out a distinct space in the Tampa Bay commentariat world in his Tampa Bay Times column, an effective progressive voice against the inanities that take place in the region, particularly in Pinellas County. [John Romano and Tim Nickens are tied for the Best Columnist award.]
Most of Nickens’s work comes to us sans byline; he’s editor of editorials at the Times. But we’re recognizing him for when he does put his name on his work. Whether it’s David Jolly, Charlie Crist or Rick Scott, Nickens eviscerates his subjects with a rapier-like sting. [Tim Nickens and John Romano are tied for the Best Columnist award.]
This past May, Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Executive Director Margaret Murray led more than 100 literature (and liquor) lovers on a circuitous bike tour of the ’Burg, stopping off at a number of places near and dear to the late Beat writer and hipster icon. The marvelously educational trek benefited from great company, great weather and a great starting/ending location at local dive The Flamingo, one of Kerouac’s favorite haunts.
Runners-up: Sierra Club, The Edible Peace Patch Project
Tampa Bay’s cycling community grows every year, and while we’re still the nation’s second most dangerous place for cyclists and pedestrians, the annual Risky Business Bike Ride is an easy way to get noticed on two wheels while scoring good karma points. The #RiskyRide — inspired by one Joel Goodsen and brought to life by local Manny Alamo & friends — requires riders to wear only underwear, Wayfarers, a long-sleeve white button-down, and tube socks (on feet) while they explore the city’s finest watering holes, all in the name of raising money for Moffitt Cancer Center. Doing good while showing off your goods? Yes, please!
Uber & Lyft are the two ridesharing services that have revolutionized transportation, and pissed off a lot of entrenched interests while doing so. Uber was more in the news, as the San Francisco-based service was working with local legislators to have the Hillsborough County Public Transportation drop its minimum fare of $50 for any ride in a towncar (like the “Uber Black”). But then in April, both UberX and Lyft said to hell with the rules, and began offering rides in Tampa and St. Pete, much to the consternation of local officials.
She’s bounced back from a personal setback (her beloved husband Juan died last fall) to continue to bring up issues that her colleagues don’t. And she’s not afraid to take on Mayor Buckhorn.
Sharpe has owned this title in recent years, but the outgoing Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners Chairman might have hurt his Tampa mayoral fantasies for 2019 by standing behind Rick Scott at too many press conferences where the governor robotically refused to answer simple questions.
Guided tours aren’t just for tourists, and locals would do well to join Eric Turner and his wife Katie on one of their monthly bike excursions exploring various Tampa neighborhoods. Knowledge gets doled out the way Oprah drops goodies on her studio audience, but your ass will get a minor workout, too, since you’ll be joined by handfuls of fellow bicyclists looking to either get learned on their amazing hometown or simply find out more about this city they wish they could call home. historybiketampa.com
An unthinkable arson killed three cats early Saturday, April 19, at the offices of the Animal Coalition of Tampa, forcing the nonprofit facility, which provides the community affordable veterinary care, to close temporarily. The community has rallied support and ACT has pushed on with limited resources in its old location on Lemon Street. Donate to this great organization so they can rebuild, and give them a pat on the back for persevering — just so our pets can get the care they need. The temporary ACT clinic is at 1719 W. Lemon St. Tampa, 813-250-3900, open Mon.-Sat. 8 a.m.-6 p.m., shot clinic 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. animalcoalitionoftampa.org.
Runners-up: Tim Clemmons, Harvard Jolly
Runners-up: Logan Crumpton, ilovetheburg.com
Runners-up: University of Tampa, St. Pete College
Runners-up: Lane DeGregory, Mitch Perry
Witty and wise beyond her years, the Tampa Bay Lightning/Amalie Arena social media director makes following hockey hip. She shares the professional but also the personal in a very winning way with tweets like this one: “Just got a FB message from a rando saying hello and asking if I was Jewish & they saw me on ‘JSwipe.’ (Apparently the Jewish Tinder)? #OyVey”
Runners-up: @MrMikeCalta, @DrewOnTheRadio
There are myriad reasons to love New World Brewery’s Dean Rosenberger (his beard is one of the sexiest in Tampa), but the man’s unabashed commitment to wearing socks with sandals after he clocks out for the day is unparalleled. Part fashion statement and mostly a big “fuck you” to the idea that socks and slippers make no sense, Rosenberger is a trailblazer, and we’re just glad his feet don’t smell like complete ass by the time he’s done with his workday.
Best New Community Activists: Coordinated Active Neighborhoods for Development Organization (CAN-DO)
In the summer of 2013, anger grew in the Bloomingdale area of Eastern Hillsborough County over an amendment that changed a property land usage from a neighborhood development to mixed-use. The community felt they had been sucker-punched — the county hadn’t given due notice about such a change, they felt, paving the way for a big-box development that they absolutely did not want. So they formed the group and went to court, challenging the county. Though they lost that battle (and maybe the war, since a recent settlement with the developer could still see such a project built), they learned about the power of organizing, and vow that they won’t get fooled again.
There were a lot of groups who got funded to push for immigration reform in the Tampa Bay area in 2013. We didn’t see that many in 2014, but this totally grassroots group is keeping up the fight, pushing for drivers’ licenses for undocumented immigrants and holding rallies regardless of the weather.
Before working at the Tampa Tribune, this veteran reporter with deep knowledge of Ybor City had already demonstrated his chops at La Gaceta and other outlets (including CL), and he’s written some of the more interesting pieces in the local daily this year. But really, we’d like more Cuban stories (like his profile of Victoriano Manteiga) and less about say, Armand Assante. But that’s just us.
Newbs may celebrate a renaissance of old-meets-new culture at St. Pete’s historic playfield of the aged, but the truth is, these courts have consistently been a meeting ground of the ’Burg’s old and young for the better part of a decade, if not longer. And the folks that pick this storied spot as the location of shows, beer tastings, fundraisers and more deserve some kudos for their canny balance of classic God’s-waiting-room tropes and new art. When the weather cools, there’s no better place to see some bands and shove a biscuit around, more often than not for the benefit of local arts and nonprofits. Have your thing here — you won’t regret it. 559 Mirror Lake Dr. N., St. Petersburg, 727-822-2083, stpeteshuffle.com
This longtime Pinellas County Commissioner is showing big-time leadership in shepherding the Greenlight Pinellas initiative. And he's shown no hesitancy at all in pushing back on anti-Greenlight rhetoric — so much so that No Tax For Tracks has called for him to resign, which he forcefully announced in August he would not do, saying, "Not only will I not resign, but heck no, I won't resign. You don't have veto authority."
Although he ran as a “severe conservative” (in Mitt Romney parlance) in his election victories over Kathleen Peters and Alex Sink in early 2014, he hasn’t acted like one since being elected, and we doubt he will if he wants to remain a Congressman in the evenly divided 13th Congressional District. And special props for coming out for same-sex marriage.
Want to know the differences between a Strombus alatus (“Florida Fighting conch”) and a Melongena corona (“Kings Crown”)? The St. Petersburg Shell Club is a non-profit, scientific, and educational organization devoted to the promotion of marine conservation, shell collecting (conchology), the study of mollusks (malacology), and the study and conservation of allied marine, freshwater, and terrestrial fauna. The club provides an environment for exchange of information among members through monthly meetings, shell shows and other special programs, field trips, and events. Meetings are held on the first Friday of the month from September to May at the Seminole Recreation Center located at 9100 113th Street North at 7 p.m. www.stpeteshellclub.org
Runners-up: Christ the King, First United Methodist Church of Tampa
It was another banner year for the state’s most prodigious political blogger. After the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office exonerated him following an investigation into whether he was shaking down local officials, he expanded his operations and ended the year with a major f*ck you to the “Pay it forward” feel-good moment in St. Pete. He purchased a coffee at the Tyrone Blvd. Starbucks where the movement started, then told the barista he was going to break the chain and end the whole damn thing — but only after tipping her $100.
It ran on the first Sunday of 2014, and there hasn’t been a story stuffed with as much drama since. The story exposed the family-values Republican Congressman as a man who didn’t practice what he preached, revealing that he had an out-of-wedlock child with his secretary, Beverly Angello, when he was still married to his first wife, Marion Ford. Oh, and how he essentially shut out his first family after marrying Beverly. Fascinating, horrible, and all too human. Oh, and the remark from so many in the Pinellas media and political establishment that they knew about it all along — that was pretty rich as well.
This 24-year-old political powerhouse played an invaluable part in Rick Kriseman’s stunning 12-point victory last November over Bill Foster for St. Pete mayor. He’s now part of the team trying to get former Republican Governor Charlie Crist back to Tallahassee.
On April 1, local marketing agency Visit St. Pete/Clearwater spread word about a “rare marine mammal” that had been spotted off our coast, and their story about the “manaphin” — a manatee-dolphin hybrid — was reposted by news outlets around the world. The agency went so far as to create a mock website dedicated to the manaphin, replete with tacky graphics and misspellings. VSPC officials pulled the prank to show the world a fun, personal side of the St. Pete/Clearwater brand, and it seems to have worked: Yahoo! and ABC News praised the hoax as one of the top pranks in the world, and the UK news website Telegraph.co.uk rated it 7 out of 10, placing it in a tie for its highest-scoring April Fool’s prank of 2014. VisitStPeteClearwater.com
One of the best things our venerable community radio station did years ago was put Lorei on the air five days a week, where he consistently books great guests and keeps it entertaining — though some of the callers occasionally bring down the quality.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning Times columnist returned to the Saturday-morning AM airwaves around a year ago, and it was about time. Sure, we sometimes can go without the incessant name-dropping of actors or directors he once interviewed when working in Chicago back in the day, but nevertheless he’s well-prepared and entertaining even when there aren’t any callers contributing to his program.
Each year, young bicycle riders don their finest turn-of-the-century-inspired vintage threads and roll up for a retro-fun ride in and around downtown St. Pete. For the 2014 event on Feb. 15, hundreds of participants gathered at the Shuffleboard Club, conjuring the 1920s and ’30s with music by local jazz legend Buster Cooper and swigs of 21st century craft beer courtesy of Cycle Brewing. Kudos to the event and St. Pete Shuffle for another great wing-ding on wheels. stpetetweedride.com
On Feb. 18, Seminole Heights residents awoke to shocking news that a fire had devastated a favorite restaurant and retail spot — Domani Bistro & Lounge and A Modern Line, located on Florida Avenue at North Street (Modern Line has since relocated to a space next to Tempus Projects). The blaze originated from Domani’s, where the roof completely caved in and little remained except a few strangely pristine chairs and scattered debris. Neighbors and friends came out in droves to clean and salvage and move items. The Seminole Heights Foundation held a series of fundraisers to help cover the pay of the servers left unemployed after the fire. seminoleheightsfoundation.org
Last year CL was ahead of the curve in naming the Tampa Bay Times's Jones sportswriter of the year. This year he’s shown even more confidence and grown bolder with his opinions, condemning Tony Dungy for his comments about Michael Sam being a “distraction” — “It’s disappointing to even think this, but for the first time ever, I’m glad Tony Dungy is not an NFL coach” — and calling for the ouster of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in the wake of the Ray Rice mess: “It’s time for us to no longer excuse, tolerate or turn a blind eye to domestic violence.”
The election of Rick Kriseman as mayor ushered in a new era for LGBT equality in St. Pete. Not only was this straight mayor (unlike his predecessors) happy to march in the St. Pete Pride parade, he also named new liaisons to the gay community, Robert Danielson and St. Pete Police Lt. Marcus Hughes; issued a proclamation declaring strong support for LGBT issues, including marriage equality; and led the raising of a rainbow flag over City Hall during Pride Week. Rumor has it that St. Pete’s Municipal Equality Score from the Human Rights Campaign (which was disappointingly lower than Tampa’s in 2013) is going to go way up this year, and Mayor Kriseman, along with newly elected LGBT Councilmembers Darden Rice and Amy Foster and incumbent Steve Kornell, can take much of the credit.
Often irascible, this former political consultant has now become one of the community’s leading transit activists, and is all-in in his support of Greenlight Pinellas, as well as pushing the ball forward to convince Hillsborough County officials to put up a referendum in 2016 on a “Greenlight Hillsborough” plan, or something like that.
The Florida Aquarium saved the life of a green sea turtle named Freud when it transported him to the USF CAMLS facility for a CT scan and other procedures, where he underwent a bronchoscopy that revealed air bubbles in his lower left lung. Now Freud’s injury has completely healed with minor residual scarring, so he can safely be released back into the wild. The Aquarium is working with Florida Fish and Wildlife to determine when and where the release will take place. Hearty kudos to a healthy partnership!
The time restrictions of television make political coverage a challenge, but Mayk has done great reporting on the governor’s race in particular. Good to see a political junkie held in such high esteem at her station, too.
Deeson continues to play it straight when it comes to holding officials or institutions to account, be it the Tampa Housing Authority, PSTA or state Representative Jamie Grant. [Mike Deeson and Noah Pransky are tied for the Best Male Political Reporter award.]
Although we worry sometimes about his obsession with red-light cameras, Pransky is still the man when it comes to all things stadium-related. [Noah Pransky and Mike Deeson are tied for the Best Male Political Reporter award.]
Runners-up: Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park
Tampa has its fair share of secret nooks and crannies begging to be explored, but when sneaking into the Sulphur Springs water tower or making out with other people’s girlfriends at the Kiley Garden amphitheatre gets old, any longtime Tampanian can head over to the Convention Center with 11 friends and throw down on an e-boat rental. Daytime floats by Davis Islands will probably beget a dolphin sighting, and the real treats come with sunset cruises, where you can take in downtown’s purty buildings and the Agua Luces project, which illuminates nine of the city’s landmark bridges. eboatstampa.com
And the beat goes on, and on, and on. The entrepreneurial irrepressibility of St. Pete couldn’t be contained in just the city’s downtown blocks, and that spirit has taken hold in a big way on Central and 1st avenues in the blocks west of downtown between MLK and 16th — the District known as EDGE (Entertainment, Dining, Galleries, Etc.). The Bends and Engine No9 were early adaptors in 2012, and in the last 12 months the openings of Green Bench Brewing, Enigma, Bodega on Central and Mis en Chic, to name just a few, have turned up the heat on the 1100 blocks. With Grand Central continuing to thrive and freeFall Theatre Company drawing more and more crowds farther west — plus exciting plans to link all of Central visually with a transit art project by the impressive team of Carol Mickett, Thaddeus Root and Robert Stackhouse — the prospects for synergy look sunny.
Runners-up: Road construction, trading David Price
