The Murder of Kiley

Most of the Tampa city employees and elected officials are hardworking and dedicated at what they do. Recently the city was given a rough rap by the St. Pete Times concerning the high pay levels that many of the administration are receiving.

At first glance it raises your attention, but Tampa has become a "high cost to live in" city. And if we paid our City administrators the national average salary for similar positons, would that mean we have average administrators ?

But that is not the subject of this blog posting. It is the blatant killing of Kiley.
Kiley Gardens Park on Ashley, between the former NCNB (or better known as the beer can) building and the Current Tampa Museum of Art, has been a neglected treasure for Tampa. Designed by an internationally recognized landscape architect, Dan Kiley, this park has been a subject in textbooks around the world.

This picture shows you what it looked like a few weeks ago.



And this one below shows it to you now.




Originally designed as an escape from the urban environment, this unique location provided Tampa with more than a park - a camouflage for the parking garage that is underneath the park serving the beer can building that has been so vacant for so long. As first built, the park had fountains and flowing water through various channels. But due to neglect by the City, the water part of the design was written off long ago. And speaking of water, it seems that rain water and moisture has lead to damage to the interior roof of the parking garage. And therein lies one of the reasons for the Kiley killing.

One of the other reasons was the placing of the wrong species of Crepe Myrtles that resulted in too large of trees, which combined with the neglect, might have also added to the garage roof problem.

The National Trust is a non-profit conscience for our national landmarks and treasures. They recently designated 11 projects throughout the United States that they deemed most important for saving from potential destruction. Two are in our area: the Belleview Biltmore Hotel in Clearwater and Kiley Gardens in Tampa. Imagine a relatively recently designed park deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

With City committees recommending Historic Designation of Kiley, Mayor Iorio refused to sign the designation that had been on her desk for months.

The Mayor met with a volunteer committee made up of young architects (YARDOPS)that had truly worked hard to clean the park on a regular basis. I have spent two work days there and have twice arranged for a lunch to be contributed by two restaurants: The Deck Pizza and Pub in SOHO and the Fourth of July Cafe in Old West Tampa, to feed the volunteers. The Weekly Planet did an extensive article on the park as has several national publications.

Twice I asked the Mayor if she would sign the Historic Designation, she indicated that she did not think she could because it would be too restrictive. In front of WUSF Radio's Bobby O'Brien, I asked her if Kiley was in danger and she clearly indicated that the park would be saved.

The Friends of Kiley Gardens were not notified of the planned killing so that the Crepe Myrtles could be saved, relocated or even sold to help raise funds for a potential new planting when the garage repairs are completed. Instead the killing
was done with saws and blades with little notice and as our pictures indicate above, the killing was massive for the Kiley Landscape.

The previous ambitious Museum of Art plans would have seen Kiley eliminated and replaced with the Vinoly designs, but that idea was thrown out due to cost. However, most Museum of Art supporters have not been supporters of Kiley Gardens. And with the beer can building looking more and more like the site of the new Museum of Art, they do seem to have a motive in this murder.

We like this current administration, they seem to have vision and purpose. The Parks Department and the Mayor have looked to neighborhood groups to help in the stewardship of parks and other projects,frequently relying on them for funds and direction. The killing of Kiley without any communication with this volunteer group that Mayor Iorio has met with before, must shake any confidence from neighborhood groups as to whether this commitment is real or not. With the Kiley fronting the Hillsborough River, the plans for the Mayor's Riverwalk project give her a motive for this killing as well.

Will Kiley be rebuilt ? We are not so sure anymore.

Thank You to ALL the Media in the Tampa Bay Area !

The amount of community and non-profit events happening in Tampa on a weekly basis is staggering.

Our websites: TAMPAGOLD.COM and SOHOTAMPA.COM try to provide as much information as we can about these. But sometimes it is just not possible.

Recently we received an email from someone taking us to task for not promoting their event. While we had the event listed for several weeks on our very interactive calendar, that was apparently not enough.

We are not the St. Pete Times or the The Tampa Tribune. We are not owned by Media General or Clear Channel or any other deep pocketed organization. We do our best to promote events as best we can.

We appreciate our advertisers and those who support our advertisers and our events. This is what provides the dollars to do what we do. We even launched a new website FLORIDAMILLION.COM to support non-profits AND to provide groups with a FREE ad to promote their events and their websites. Only a few have bothered to take advantage of it so far.

Frequently we do not receive any thank you for promoting events and that is ok, but we do get a little pissed off when we catch hell for not promoting an event that someone thinks we should. And of course, they expect us to buy tickets to their event when we do so. On some evenings I may attend 4 events.

We just want to say THANK YOU to all the media that is doing their best, just as we are , to inform you about these worthwhile efforts. We know you hear the same type of gripes and complaints about not covering this or that event. But we think you do a great job. THANK YOU !

The Riverwalk and Tampa's Future

With great fanfare the City of Tampa launched the Tampa Riverwalk project for downtown. Lots of area residents have griped about what they call a misplaced emphasis on the downtown area. We think they are just not quite getting what this is all about. It is about YOUR neighborhood.

When you live in Carrollwood or SOG (South of Gandy) or Brandon that seems like a lot of b.s. doesn't it ? Well it is not.

Look around. The demand for housing is continuing to soar. The past few years appreciation proves that. More and more people are moving to the Tampa area. They are jamming our roads and schools and our water/sewage lines.

Why downtown ? Because the infrastructure is already in place. The roads are there, the property is there. The same for Old West Tampa and East Tampa. The appreciation in these areas has been outrageous as well. You can see renovations and tear downs already happening in these areas that have stood idle for so long.

As Mayor Iorio says "downtown is everybody's neighborhood." When we have a nationally televised event in Tampa what is shown ? The downtown skyline.

We do not always agree with the Mayor. The sound ordinance in Ybor is too restrictive, (we wish she would stand on 7th Avenue and hear where the db levels are currently set), the failure to effectively monitor some of the development is concerning (like allowing 4 townhouses to be built on what was a single family lot and allowing the townhouses to have entrances on an alley, her failure to designate Kiley Park as a historic landmark (even though National Historic groups have requested it), and the sometimes slip ups in the administration in dealing with the elected city council. However, on Riverwalk, she has shown a vision for Tampa that will last a lot longer than you and I. An elected official with vision - what a great idea.

The idea of The Riverwalk is not very complex. It is a waterfront, open to the public park designed to provide thought about Tampa's past, our environment, and our community. But most importantly it is designed to connect all of downtown together.

With the majority of the infrastructure already in place, the residential renaissance in downtown will generate buckets of cash through tax dollars for City and County coffers. And it will create an attractive and welcoming environment for all of Tampa's residents and visitors. Our only complaint is: we wish it was complete now.

Tampa's Turf Wars Continue

As the availability of information keeps exploding, it is always a delight to find a copy of the Weekly Planet and TBT waiting for me at one of my usual beer stops. Ok, you might not always agree with them and the ads and subjects are sometimes a little more over the edge than you might like, but, isn't that what an "alternative" paper is supposed to be all about ?

The financially affluent (as in rich) St. Petersburg Times has decided to launch their TBT (Tampa Bay Times) on a Monday through Friday basis. While the Weekly Planet is their main target, Media General's Tampa Tribune is in their sights as well.

Information is everywhere: thousands of radio stations are now within your reach courtesy of satellites and webcasts; bloggers are cropping up everywhere, and of course, websites that can specifically target your interests, and even newspapers that are publishing online editions. All of these have been contributing to the continued decline in newspaper circulation and job layoffs in the industry.

When you are at your next beer stop and the alternative paper racks are brimming with new issues, pick up TBT and the Weekly Planet and compare the LOCAL content and reporting. There are very noticeable differences. As your read this blog and other news online, it seeems that maybe they are just fighting over deck chairs on the Titanic. What do you think ? We would like to know.

President Bush - Credibility Shot to Hell

"No need to worry about security" about US ports is what President Bush had to say about the potential deal to change the mangement of some of our largest ports.

"Brownie, your doing a heck of a job" is what the President said about the former FEMA director while touring Hurricane Katrina damaged areas.

We are making progress in Iraq, we will get Osama Bin Laden, Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, we are not involved in torture, we are not violating the constitution in eavesdropping on Americans, leaking the name of a covert agent will not be tolerated. These have been the meaningless rhetoric coming from the Bush Administration.

Tax cuts for the higher income brackets are being extended, while the budget deficit continues to reach record levels.

The picture on this post was taken just a few days ago. It shows the rows and rows of still occupied trailers in what is called FEMA City - near Punta Gorda, Florida. ALMOST TWO YEARS after Hurricane Charley swept through they are still occupied. While the damage was severe, it is pale in comparison to Hurricane Katrina last year.

Today it was reported that 25 million Americans relied on food kitchens last year. And the number has been rising. I think there are many things we need to be worrying about Mr. President, and yes, Port security is one among many. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear you are worrying about any of these any more. It is time for a change.

"Necessity is the mother of invention".

That seems to sum up the newly touted deal on the Tampa Museum of Art. Mayor Iorio had come under a lot of heat from Museum supporters after the skirmish over funding and location. Talk of active recruitment of a mayor candidate kept vibrating through the community. She needs the museum to be a significant part of her downtown re-development plans.

The Museum has been on a course of elimination. With the planned demolition of the current location and the elimination of the grand new building as a viable alternative, time was of the essence. They needed to do something.

The Beer Can Building and Adjacent Cubes have set significantly empty for years. This property needs activity and I am sure the rent to keep everyone happy. They needed a significant tenant.

The Mayor, the Museum, and even the Tampa Tribune have expressed their enthusiasm for this new plan. But the reality is that the size of the museum will be cut by about one third with this move until an additonal building can be built. That will not occur until the Museum has raised a significant amount of funds to do so.

Who won in this new location ?

First of course, is the landlord. He is going to have a significant tenant for a previously vacant location.

Second, the museum wins. They now have a place to move to instead of being out on the street. While their current space will decrease significantly, at least they will have a space.

Third, Mayor Iorio wins. She is going to be able to remove the current building to further her plans for Riverwalk Park. Under the proposed deal, the museum will be held more accountable for their funding.

Fourth, the Public Wins ! An enhanced waterfront park, more accountability of the spending of public funds, and a continuing art museum with a long term plan in place.

And maybe, just maybe, Kiley Park won too.

In a recent press release, the Friends of Kiley supported the new museum location and said they anticipate "The Honorable Pam Iorio’s signature to the application for inclusion of Kiley Gardens into the National Trust, a program that will ensure the preservation of the Gardens through the allowance of solicitation of public and private grant monies to be used towards the renovation of the Gardens without undue cost to the citizens of City of Tampa while preserving the pleasure of its beauty." The New York Times featured the Park in an article last year.

We have asked the Mayor about this designation on two occasions, she has not indicated her intent to sign the application. We think it is time for her to do so.

The World Can't Wait

1. A Republican lead congressional committee has called the handling of the impact of Hurricane Katrina "a national failure."

2. The National Forest Service has announced the proposed selling of a significant amount of national property in an effort to raise funds.

3. Our Budget Deficits continue to explode while tax cuts for the highest of income individuals are cut.

4. Funding of education is continuing to be cut dramatically. College tuitions are rising dramatically.

5. Americans are now being eavesdropped on by our government without supervision by the Courts that were created in order to stop the potential for abuse.

6. A close confidant of the Vice President has been indicted on charges of leaking the name of a CIA operative in what could be a breach of national security and in what might have been done so for political retaliation.

7. A high ranking Republican leader has been indicted for misuse of funds in what maybe an effort to effect local elections in an effort to control the drawing of Congressional district lines.

8. A new medicare system has been implemented that is leaving seniors without access to required prescription drugs.

9. One of Washington's top Republican lobbyists is indicted on corruption charges.

10. We are engaged in a war that was not sanctioned by the United Nations and as we have learned, was justified to the American public based on false information resulting in the death of over 2,000 Americans and thousands of others.

11. The master mind of the largest terrorist attack in our Country's history is still at large.

A group called The World Can't Wait has been formed calling for the immediate resignation of "President Bush and his regime." Not very suprising is it.

I Don't Want the Money !

The State of Florida's Governor Jeb Bush has found himself in the unique position of a significant budget surplus. It sure doesn't happen often and let's hope his brother doesn't hear about it. Brother George took the Federal budget surplus and turned it into record deficits so fast it was spooky, but we will save that for another post.

The cost of collecting tax money is not cheap. Bureaucrats with benefits and state cars have every method available from fees like license plates to just plain tax bills that were processed and mailed. The cost to collect taxes is significant.

Governor Bush now wants to refund $100 to each resident homeowner for a total of about $500 million. Of course that will require bureaucrats with benefits and state cars and all the is required to process and mail the checks. The cost to refund taxes is significant.

I could use the $100, but so can Florida's roads and schools. Why not split the money between the two projects ? You have already got it, and the schools and roads are in need due to Florida's rapid growth. Or put some of the money aside in preparation for tha major hurricane that will hit Florida some day. We just ask you to plan better for next time so that you are not collecting too much to begin with. That is our suggestion, what do you think ?

When Will Tampa's Arts Community Get REAL ?

Let's start this out with the clear statement that I and TAMPAGOLD.COM are supporters of the Arts. Especially anything that allows for the public at large to have exposure to the arts. We are stating this up front because we know the overzealous arts junkies are going to give us grief for the rest of this posting. Lights on Tampa is a good start in reaching to the Tampa community. See our coverage of the event here.

The old expression of the "squeaking wheel gets the grease" is clearly applicable in Tampa's so called "arts community." There are many really talented local artists that work their rear ends off creating some really unique works and then working at almost the same intensity trying to find locations to show their works that aren't squeezing them for every dollar along the way. But it is frequenly the "squeaking" monied crowd that gets heard. Tampa is fortunate to have the likes of Kama Gallery in North Ybor, Covivant Gallery in Seminole Heights, and many others that work tirelessly to provide exposure to this ever growing group of local artists. They have little to show for it and receive virtually no city recognition.

It is the big guys that are the problem. We have heard so many complaints about the recently concluded Georgia O'Keefe exhibit at the Tampa Museum of Art that is has really gotten our attention.

What is wrong with Georgia O'Keefe ? Nothing. Her works are great. WE LIKE GEORGIA O'KEEFE. BUT from October 2 to January 8th, this highly promoted show stayed pretty scarce of Georgia O'Keefe works. If you went to the museum expecting to really enjoy O'Keefe's works, guess again. You could have counted them all using fingers, no need for any toes in this arithmetic.

The Museum touted their record attendance during that three month show at 24,685. If you figure they could maintain that pace for a year, (which they can't) that would put their annual attendance at about 100,000. Gasparilla will attract many times that many in one day. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers has had a sell out crowd at every game since 1998, with 65,657 seats. Maybe we should scrap the arts and stick with Pirates, Booze, and Football. Will Tampa support the arts and at what cost ? And should they ?

The City currently plans to provide annual funding to the Tampa Museum of Art of $1,000,000 per year to fund a new museum, that means a supplement of at least $10 for every attendee plus an up to $8 admission fee. And do not forget all the corporate and individual sponsors and fundraising events, etc.

The Museum supporters have not been getting along with Mayor Iorio since she tried to be a fiscally responsible elected official and hold them accountable for the financing on the now defunct museum design last year.

Mayor Iorio says "the arts bring people together". As discussion continues on a possible new Tampa Museum of Art, more support for local artists needs to be part of the City's arts agenda. And we don't mean some lame effort that Arts Ybor has become.

We call on the City of Tampa to aggressively provide support to local artists by taking the following steps:
1. allocate the proposed funding for the Tampa Museum of Art to our next five steps until the new museum is completed, then maintain local artists support at $500,000 per year, even if it means reducing support to the Museum by that amount;
2. provide a complete directory of area galleries and artists that is used as a key marketing tool for the City of Tampa. While the Hillsborough County Arts Council does this to some degree, many artists feel excluded by the process. You can visit their site here.
3. provide specific assistance encouraging outdoor arts events at virtually all of Tampa's over 100 city parks, bringing art to the neighborhoods and helping to emphasize the beautiful assets we have in our neighborhood parks. (How about some live outdoor theatre ? St. Pete sure made this work.)
4. assist in the funding and promotion of shows at the various private galleries and theatres throughout the City that emphasizes local artists.
5. whether it be through the Museum or otherwise, encourage more local participation with sponsored juried shows for local artists and with more hands on involvement with beginning artists, including the performing arts.
6. create an artists exhibit at the Tampa Airport to highlight our local artistic community and offerings to visitors and to travelling Tampa residents.

You never know, we might have someone in our midst that could become as famous as Georgia O'Keefe. What value would that have to the City of Tampa ? Let's invest in our local artistic talent with neighborhood based outdoor shows and gallery events. It is money well spent. What do you think ?

A County Mayor ?

In the recent League of Women Voters debate between County Commissioner Rhonda Storms and Attorney Mary Ann Stiles, the issue of an elected County Mayor was clearly defined. It is really a battle of power - the issue of who will actually run the county. Currently 7 elected commissioners (3 elected at large , 4 from individual districts) work as a committee with a paid administrator. The proposed ballot initiative would allow for the elimination of the administrator and the creation of an elected County wide Mayor that would administrate with the direction of the Commission.

Professional - appointed administration OR an elected administration.

There are clear arguments both ways, and of course, remember that either of these decisions can be confused by a really "outstanding" administrator or by a "horribly inept" administrator - either elected or appointed

Over the next few months this issue will be discussed over and over again, what do you think ?

Miners, News, and Technology

The extremely sad story of the 12 miners that died in West Virginia was made considerably worse as a result of the false news leak about their survival. Everyone has to have a pit in their stomach - and their hearts - when hearing of this story.

About midnight the false survival story broke. Now being partially blamed on the poor communications technology from the rescuers to those above ground.

After watching the Orange Bowl Game, I, like most everyone else, went to bed with at least a little relief that 12 were still alive. But as I slept, the truth came out.

As a National Public Radio fan, I was given the horrible truth first thing in the morning. Of course, the Tampa Tribune on my doorstep and the St. Pete Times, like almost every newspaper in the country, were still telling the story of survival that had looked like it was true a few hours before.

Technology has changed the news business forever.

Can you imagine having to wait almost 24 hours later, til tomorrow morning's paper,to get the story of 9/11 ?

Our impatience for news and information is fueled by the huge amount of information available to us at any hour of the day at the end of our keyboards or our remote controls.

Technology has changed the world forever. The horrible shock and disappointment we felt when learning of the miners tragedy a few hours later would only have been made worse if it had taken another 24 hours to learn the truth.

Is it an wonder that newspaper circulation is in decline ? How can they compete with instantaneous pictures and audio when the public wants things NOW !

Lights on Tampa

This weekend will see a new effort begin to transform Downtown Tampa - again.

The idea of a vibrant nightlife in downtown is still only an idea. Lights on Tampa is trying to make a point that it can happen.

Recently over 20 young professionals organizations tried to make that same point at the Downtown after Six event. Several hundred participants came and had a great time. Unfortunately, most businesses closed and the participants walked down many dark streets.

This time the Lights On event is powered by the financial muscle of the Tampa Tribune, TBO, Channel 8, Verizon, and lots more, including the City.

But this time the weather forecasts call for high temperatures not reaching 60 and lows in the 30's - not exactly a lets be outdoors type of forecast.

AND across town the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be playing the Washington Redskins in a playoff battle.

One city council member is said to have called these "complimentary events." Who is she kidding ? Football and Art. Beer and Art. Floridians being outside for 30 degree weather at a football game only to warm up while driving across town to be out in more 30 degree weather ?

The event should still have a moderate success as to attendance, but are the downtown businesses staying open to help make it a success ? We doubt it.

We are extremely bullish on downtown. Should half the proposed developments not happen, downtown is still going to flourish.

We will be at the Lights on Tampa event for you. So come back to Tampagold.com on Monday for the pictures. But if it were really up to me, I would be hanging out at home or a favorite sports bar watching the game where it is warm.

Our Predictions for 2006

At this time of year, everyone likes to make predictions about the New Year, so why should we be any different. Here goes:

1. The Real Estate Market. The incredible explosion of prices that happened in 2005 cannot continue, but don't look for any big collapse either. While some of the speculative projects will disappear, buyers will be there to step in. BUT the gravy train is over. We hear stories of high end Bayshore Blvd. projects seeing some significant price pressures. Remember there does come a time when someone has to put their name on these properties and either stroke a check or take out a mortgage. The market for high end condos will be gasping a bit, and prices will not be rising as fast, but overall the real estate market will move along in a positive direction in 2006. Watch for homes to appreciate at around 7 % rates in 2006. The South of Gandy development will be getting everyone's attention.

2. Downtown Development - Mayor Iorio's plans for RiverWalk Park will start to take a more substantial role in downtown planning. The funds for this endeavor look like they will be found. The main developer - EDAW - knows what they are doing. Surprise of surprise will be the History Museum (to be located between Channelside and the Forum) as the main pivot point for this entire park plan. Watch for more attention to be placed on Tampa history. Intial construction should start for the Bishop/Wallace plans for reinvigorating the entire district spanning between downtown and Ybor. Downtown will be a totally different place by January 1, 2007 with lots more changes on the way.

3. Speaking of Museums - The Tampa Museum of Art will find themselves still struggling for a home. While the Cube building is currently being promoted, it will prove to be an expensive and undoable location. The museum will locate there only as a method of survival.

4. More Live Theatre in Tampa. The many local theatre groups will continue to find sponsorships and willing audiences. With prices considerably less than the big shows and with quality talent and the comfort of small theatres, watch for these groups to thrive. The co-operation between groups will intensify and the completion of new small theatres will helped to stimulate interest further. Stageworks, Gorilla Theatre, and TBPAC have shown what benefits come from working together.

5. The Power of Sports. To steal a line from the movie "Rollerball", "This isn't a game." Just because points are involved, don't think this is just a game - this is big business. The financial boost that the completed Hockey season, the winning Buccaneers, the Outback Bowl, and now booming USF Bulls football team will continue to have on Tampa will be extremely noticeable. AND for Those of you in the real know; to have the Manchester United owners (The Glazer family) involved in Tampa is an incredible boost to our prestige around the globe. (pay attention to our #6)

6. More Global Connections. From the original days of Henry Plant running a train to the docks to move Caribbean products to the north to what lies ahead, Tampa has been a city with international connections. The Glazers will be bringing more attention to Tampa from the European markets. Watch for charter flights to increase between St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport and European destinations; while in Tampa, watch for more flights to Mexico and Caribbean nations including Panama. And while on this subject, WIFI will be almost everywhere. The growth in computer usage will keep exploding. Almost all of downtown has free wifi now. The rest of the city will not be far behind as many businesses will find it a great way to attract customers. More here.

7. SOHO will start making Significant Changes. But the biggest changes will not really happen until 2007. The Citivest High Rise at DeSoto and Bayshore, the Bern's Hotel and Parking Garage, The Post Properties construction at Swann and Howard, and more townhouses sneaking in where possible. Changes to the building currently housing Sangrias/Cappy's will stay a topic of discussion, but no real changes in 2006. Watch for a few more national franchise names to sneak into the neighborhood.

8. YBOR will Continue to drift. The continual tug of war between the bar/restaurant owners (that draw people) and the daytime businesses(that don't draw people) will continue for at least another year. It will take at least another year before Ybor's shaky legs gain some strength. The completion of the direct roadway from the Port of Tampa to the Interstate will finally let the east side of Ybor provide the catalyst to really change directions and images. For you real estate investors, this might be the best place in town to be !

9. President Bush and Rhonda Storms. They will start to have more in common. President Bush will go through an impeachment trial that will stagnate his administration as they work to survive. Rhonda Storms will continue to be challenged as a result of her moral exuberance. Oh, and Brian Blair - who is he? In both cases, ideals of where and what our government should "be" and "not be" will be the real questions before us all. (We have to talk about the Governor's race - competitive - this will be a cliff hanger. The timing of the Bush impeachment trial will determine this race.)

10. WestChase What ? Sometime in 2006, Tampa residents will start to realize the growth that has already occured in West Chase and in Wesley Chapel. These booming areas are just outside the Tampa radar. But their impact is really large.

Biggest Tampa News in 2006 ? We think there will be lots to talk about, but the biggest event will be the emergence of the properties immediately east of downtown as a new real estate growth market. This battle between real estate developers and the port/shipping interests will start to heat up as they fight for turf.

That is what we think is ahead in 2006. What do you think ?

A Story About a Horse

Time - 1920. Location - almost anywhere.

There I am working at home as usual when this fancy dressed fella stops by to tell me about how my life is going to change. He tells me about a new world coming and what it is going to mean.

I only have to laugh. For generations my family has done as I am doing. Working at home and travelling as we always have. Whether by myself or with the whole family we were always able to get where we wanted to go with a minimum of effort.

He started talking about thousands of new business locations dotting the countryside and people thinking of things in a whole new way.

Seemed like a nice young fellow, but he will learn that things don't just change like that.

***************

And a short time later - things did change - no more horses or wagons, no one travelling as they did. Thousands of gas stations sprouting up to take care of them and a whole new industry was born.

**********

Over 70% of 2005's air travellers will buy tickets online - not from travel agents. Online sales of almost all products are continuing to rise at double digit rates. 73% of home buyers are using the internet to shop for a new home, 26% are actually finding their home online. The average internet user spends more time online than watching TV. Over 35% of today's holiday shoppers will buy a gift online. Online advertising spending is rising at a rate of 26%. Newspapers are laying off workers partially as a result of the competition from the internet.

**********If you aren't using the internet to advertise your business maybe you are still using a horse and wagon to attract new customers to your door or to remind your existing customers that you are still here.

SOHOTAMPA.COM and TAMPAGOLD.COM have already had over 600,000 hits in the month of December. Let us put the internet to work for you ! Get more info here.

A Government of Laws - In the Toilet.

With the revelation of the domestic eavesdropping on Americans without court approval by President Bush, we see a continuation of the erosion of the basic concept of a govenment of laws. People being held for extended periods of time with out charges being filed is already part of this erosion process. The inability of them to have access to the court system and a jury is appalling.

When you consider these erosion of our laws, the blatant deception that was used for our reasons for going to war in Iraq, and the continuing revelations of secret prisons and prisoner abuse contrary to the Geneva Conventions, it makes the impeachment of President Clinton for not telling the truth about a sexual affair look like a joke.

This President is out of control. In response to this new revelation he is blaming the information source rather than really addressing the issue of domestic surveillance. It is time for him to be reined in. As these details continue to be revealed it looks like we will once again have a White House so busy dealing with their own shortcomings they will not deal with the issues facing our citizens.

Over 40,000 Hurricane Katrina victims are still in hotels. The FEMA efforts from over a year ago in Florida are still hovering like a ghost of government failed. California has similar risks to New Orleans should a serious earthquake occur. Osama Bin Laden (the real perpetrator of the 9/11 attacks) has still not been found.

Normally I would suggest we wait til the next election to put things back on track, but at the rate of the erosion of laws protecting our rights to the courts and to privacy, I am not sure we can afford to wait. You can almost expect a statement from the Bush Administration that the elections will be delayed because of a threat to national security that has ties to terrorists.

With these newest of revelations, even many Republican legislators are sickened. It is time for Congress to act. Not talk, ACT. Let's see if they rise to the occasion or would they rather wait for the next Democrat involved in a sex scandal instead ?

Even Conservative Political Commentator Robert Novak started to point fingers at President Bush this past week. It is hard to believe that we are where we are. At what point is enough, enough ?

ArtsYbor Like a Dead Horse

The first time Ybor City held this monthly event, it was well received and attended. The abundance of quality art on display throughout the area was a real topic of conversation. However, the subsequent events have been so poorly attended that it has become an embarassment.

The City has helped to fund this event. Hartline is running their empty trolleys for the event. Musicians are playing. BUT NO ONE IS THERE.

You can't get a dead horse to win a race. The Arts Ybor event has become such a dead horse they should just quietly let it go away.

With the start of a new year, Save the money and focus on something else.

Doesn't Seem Right

As you have driven downtown by the Federal Courthouse, it has been hard not to notice to barricades indicating something special was going on. That Something Special was the trial of Sami Al-Arian on charges involving terrorism and other grievious acts against our country. The U.S. Government spent lots of money and time to justify their charges against him. They failed.

No charge of guilt was found against him.

We really have nothing to say about that, except: a jury heard an unbelievable amount of evidence (that we sure haven't) and made a decision.

What does bother us is that days after the trial - with no guilty verdicts - he is still being held. What gives ?

It is hard to miss the rhetoric about Saddam Hussein jailing people with no reason, no trial, hiding them, and abusing them.

Hm... seems like our Bush lead government is doing the same. People being held for years without charges. People being held in secret prisons without any acknowledgement. No trials. Abuse at prisons from Americans or others. AND now, one guy goes to trial with all the resources of the Federal government being dumped on him to prove guilt, the jury finds none, and he is still behind bars.

I think we should classify all this as "For Adults Only". The last thing I would want would be for kids that are being taught about our Constitution and American ideas of a democratic country of laws to find out reality.

To "Merry Christmas" or Not

Ok, I admit I am not a religious person, but the spirit of Christmas is a really great feeling. Having shared Hannukah with many friends, that spirit provides a really great feeling too.

Since I am not Jewish, it would seem a little strange for me to be saying " Happy Hannukah" to people I greet.

But these days in the world of political correctness, saying "Merry Christmas" seems a little stressed to me, too.

TAMPAGOLD.COM and SOHOTAMPA.COM will be having our "HOLIDAY PARTY" on Monday, Dec. 19th, We want to invite You and Everyone to enjoy each other's company and holiday spirit - every holiday spirit. You can get the details of our party here.

What do you think about the "political correctness" that seems to be taking over our holidays ? Is there an answer ?

We Apologize and Have Taken Action

Recently, SOHOTAMPA.COM and TAMPAGOLD.COM became an affiliate advertising site for over 80 national businesses. Included are Florsheim shoes, Mikasa, Sharper Image, Macy's, Hilo Hatties, Time Life, Aetna and many other household names - and Wal-Mart.

Recent articles concerning claims against Wal-Mart of racism and how Wal-Mart responded have lead us to withdraw from being a Wal-Mart affiliate. The stories that have existed about this company have frequently been peppered with concerns about damage to local economies, fair wages and benefits, buying products from sweatshop manufacturing conditions, and more.

If Tampa were a small town, we would probably not like Wal-Mart due to their ability to eliminate the important local businesses. They have definitely had an impact in Tampa - both good and bad.

However, the new charges regarding a very poorly handled situation in the Brandon store is more than we are willing to ask our site visitors to overlook.

Internet advertising for this holiday season has grown by 24%.

We have removed their ad links on our sites, notified them as such by email, and withdrawn from their affiliate program

We apologize to you for any uncomfort this may have created you and assure you that our sites do not condone racism or bigotry.


IN AN UPDATE - 12/14/05 - It seems that Wal-Mart has taken the step of firing the store manager and putting another store employee on some sort of "double secret probation". These steps might help, but it is the overall company thinking that really needs to be considered.

Trolley Being Expanded to South Howard

After a series of many meetings and discussions, it finally took the development of the corner block at Howard and Swann by Post Properties to unleash part of the money required to expand this service. The City required Post to contribute to this service before approving any building permits. Starting in January of 2006, the trolley (actually a bus that looks sort of like a trolley) will continue past Olde Hyde Park Village from Downtown to loop around Howard and Bristol(the road behind Kash N Karry) on its way back to downtown.

With the business on South Howard, this is past overdue. Unfortunately, the hours are so limited that it might not accomplish much. Plans call for the service to start at 11:30 AM and end at 9 on weeknights and 11 on weekends. Not real supportive of doing an Ybor City, Channelside, or Forum event. BUT it is at least a start.

A possible short loop route could run with an additional $50,000 or a Long loop route for about $150,000. Get details here.

With the difficulty finding parking and fighting traffic, this could help to solve part of these problems. What do you think ?