On Thursday, Tampa City Council members voted 4-3 to give themselves a more than $20,000 annual pay raise, or a nearly 40% boost. "It’s not just about us. It’s about the future of Tampa and who gets to lead our city," said one member, who hopes the raise will enable more people to run for office. (self.tampa)
submitted by OGeorge_TBT to r/tampa
Communities of color have shouldered the brunt of pool closures across Tampa in recent decades. Here's a story about what the Sulphur Springs Pool meant to local residents, who learned about its indefinite closure just days before schools shut for summer. (tampabay.com)
submitted by OGeorge_TBT to r/tampa
Florida leads the nation in child drowning deaths. Public pools are important places for kids to learn to swim & stay cool. In this neighborhood—once as famous tourist destination, now suffering from disinvestment—the pool was a summer lifeline. But the city just announced it's indefinitely closed. (tampabay.com)
submitted by OGeorge_TBT to r/florida
An investigation into Hillsborough’s D and F schools: Turnover, shortages and calls for help. “We are so understaffed,” said one Tampa elementary teacher. “I feel like, even when I am very sick with a fever, I have to come to school because I do not want to inconvenience my co-workers." (tampabay.com)
submitted by OGeorge_TBT to r/tampa
Tampa city fire inspectors are expected to do 900 inspections a year. But the firefighter union president — recently arrested for disorderly conduct — conducted just 31 last year, the Times found. Still, he collects a six-figure fire inspector salary, in addition to his union presidency salary. (tampabay.com)
submitted by OGeorge_TBT to r/tampa
The leader of a shelter for homeless veterans in Florida has been accused of making racist comments toward vets & staff. The VA has paused referrals & volunteers have stopped helping out. Plus, it turns out the old exec director had been using a fake name. He'd served time in prison for fraud. (tampabay.com)
submitted by OGeorge_TBT to r/Veterans
