#HMBlog: City of Brooksville accidentally sells its Water Tower
BROOKSVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A small town in Florida accidentally sold its water tower in a blundered real estate transaction.
A businessman purchased a municipal building underneath the city of Brooksville’s water tower last April for $55,000 with the goal of converting it into a gym. However, when Bobby Read went to the county to get an address for his new business location, he was told the parcel he bought included the entire water tower site, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Luckily for the town, Read was willing to give it back. County records show he transferred the water tower back to Brooksville through a warranty deed last month. The town of 8,500 residents is located 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Tampa.
“I don’t know where the blame falls here,” said Blake Bell, a city council member. “We’re council members and we rely on the city manager. We assume that he has done his due diligence.”
City Manager Mark Kutney blamed the use of a bad legal description for what happened. The city’s redevelopment agency director resigned after the accidental sale.
“We’re human,” Kutney said. “Sometimes we make a mistake.”
#HMBlog: Tom Brady breaks his silence on the infamous "4th Down" blunder against the Bears
Snip from Buccaneers on TikTok
Tampa Tom hit up the Buccaneers TikTok to go over some of the more infamous plays of the 2019-2020 Buccaneers season. Two were highlighted in particular, the first was a touchdown bomb to Scotty Miller. “Look at Scooter ... running by [King],” Brady said. “Bowling Green State University’s finest ... We’re not playing it safe. No risk it, no biscuit!”
The second highlighted clip was from an incomplete pass to Cameron Brate with 38 seconds left in Chicago, a play where Tom seemed to thing that it was 4th down with that incompletion, but alas, no, the game was over…
“You guys remember this one?” Brady asked, before face-palming himself. “Fourth quarter, last chance in Chicago. I thought it was the second-to-last chance in Chicago, but apparently not. I don’t think I’ve ever been as confused as I am in this moment right here. Look at that face.”
Now…do we believe him? Did he actually forget it was fourth down or was he trying to use his Tom Brady GOAT magic to try to convince the ref’s that maybe it was actually 4th down because how would the best QB of all time possibly screw that up? Well, even so, no matter, the Bucs still hoisted the Lombardi a few months later. We still love you, Tommy.
#HMBlog: Ladies and Gentleman...they got him. Florida Man arrested in Zephyrhills
Reported by Yahoo News:
A 28-year-old Zephyrhills man was arrested Saturday on felony burglary charges in connection with break-ins and thefts at seven businesses, police said.
His name, according to a news release: “Mr. Florida.”
In the early morning hours Saturday, Zephyrhills police said, Lawrence Franklin King Florida entered the back area of The Great Catch restaurant, 5039 First St., and took beer and White Claw seltzer valued at $600 from a freezer. Florida threw the beverages into a retention pond behind the store, police said.
Next, according to the news release, “Mr. Florida walked to Massey Barbershop, 5330 6th St., broke a side window, entered the business, and took a set of clippers, charging stand, and Otium wireless earbuds.”
Florida’s next targets, police said, in order:
Lisa’s Barber Shop, 5517 Gall Blvd., where he broke the glass front door and stole five clippers and two pairs of scissors valued at $1,000.
The Carpet and Floor Source, 5527 Gall Blvd., where he broke a side window and entered but didn’t take anything, police said.
Living Foods Bakery & Cafe, 38201 10th Ave., where he stole about $800 in cash along with jackets and keys.
Zephyrhills Veterinary Clinic, 5655 Gall Blvd., where he broke a window, triggering an alarm, but apparently took nothing. Keys and a bag of coins were found in a dumpster at the business.
Cat Rescue, 38245 15th Ave., where he broke into a shed and stole, cat wormer, animal pain medication, and syringes.
A truck in the 5900 block of Ninth Street, where he broke in and stole tools in a briefcase.
Video from a home doorbell camera on 12th Avenue helped track down the thief, police said. The homeowner identified a man on the video as Florida, his neighbor, wearing the same clothes he was seen in during the burglaries, police said.
Florida was arrested about 10:30 p.m. Saturday. He admitted to the break-ins and walked with police to show them where he dumped the stolen items, according to the news release.
Florida was being held Tuesday in the Pasco County Jail in lieu of $5,150 bail on charges including five counts of burglary.
#HMBlog: Video of Florida Panthers fan asked to remove jersey in Amalie Arena goes viral
Screencap from YouTube
A video of a Florida fan being asked to remove his Panthers jersey at Wednesday’s Game 6 in Tampa is going viral, Brad Bargman’s YouTube post has gotten 84,000 views since being put up on Thursday. The Lightning have had a “only Lightning gear” policy in place in the club areas in the Chase and Lexus clubs.
The New York Times did a story on the Lightning’s restrictive ticket policy in 2015 during the Rangers series in the Eastern Conference finals.
After getting backlash over the encounter, the Lightning announced today that they would be doing away with that policy according to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski:
What do you think about the move? Should teams be able to restrict what patron’s wear to their games? Comment below.
#HMBlog: Tom Brady, Meme King, Destroyer of Twitter Feeds & Aaron Rodgers
Tom Brady may have ditched workouts with the Bucs this week but never question his competitive spirit. After the success of last summer’s The Match where Brady and Phil Mickelson took on Peyton Manning and Tiger Woods during the heart of the Coronavirus Pandemic, an encore was just announced, which will feature Brady and Phil Mickelson taking on Aaron Rodgers and Bryson DeChambeau on July 6.
Brady unleashed a trio of tweets on Wednesday, using the extremely meme-able screen shot of Brooks Koepka rolling his eyes as DeChambeau walked by his chat with The Golf Channel after the final round of the PGA Championship on Sunday.
Hasn’t Aaron suffered enough? Maybe, but we can’t say it’s not fun. Who comes out victorious in The Match? Leave your comments below.
#HMBlog: New Era's Tampa Bay Rays edition of ‘Local Market’ hat omits Tropicana Field’s 727 area code
Photo from New Era
The Tampa Bay Rays are on fire. They’ve won 11 straight and just took possession of first place in the AL East. Yes, there is still a lot of baseball to play but there is a buzz in St. Petersburg about their hometown team. Someone better tell that to New Era, the hat company who is the exclusive hat provider of Major League Baseball since 1993.
Each year, New Era puts out a “Local Market” edition of each baseball cities hometown. This year, the Rays cap features the state of Florida and the number 1998 in reference to the team’s inaugural season as well as Florida staples including a flamingo, a palm tree, and an orange. Also, the area code “813” is featured on the front of the cap. 813 which is centered on Tampa and includes surrounding communities such as Brandon, Land O’ Lakes, Oldsmar, Riverview, Thonotosassa, Town ‘n’ Country, Valrico and Zephyrhills.
The Rays play in St. Petersburg however, the 727 area code, which is not featured on the hat. The Rays may not be in St. Pete for long, with talks in process to redevelop the Trop site after the City of St. Pete and the Rays lease contract ends in 2027. However, for now, they reside in St. Pete, the 727! If nothing else, in the age of disinformation spreading across the internet, we need accuracy now more than ever. New Era needs to either fix this mistake or St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman needs to draft a militia to take over Tampa and surrounding area’s to win the battle of disinformation- either is fine with me.
#HMBlog: Two women steal dildo's from Salty's in Gulfport
Photo courtesy of JP Brewer.
Earlier this week two women entered Salty’s in Gulfport and left with a buzz in more way than one. After sitting down, the security camera caught them swipe a bucket full of dildo’s meant for an upcoming charity “Vibrator Race” benefiting Gulfport Pride. The women were caught after their likenesses were plastered across many St. Pete Crime Facebook Groups. One of the gals said she thought the bucket was full of darts (which I guess it kind of was in a way). The theft is reported by The Gabber at over $200 dollars for the toys. I don’t know who they are getting their sex-toys from, but these folks need a new Dildo Guy. Just be the looks of these two, the charity may be letting them keep the bucket of toys. The show will go on though! Talk crime and raise money for the Gulfport Library’s LGBTQ Resource Center at the vibrator races at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 29 at Salty’s: 5413 Shore Blvd S, Gulfport, FL 33707
HMBlog: A quick note regarding 2021
Hello friends, I hope your 2021 is looking bright so far. Granted we are a few days in and it feels much the same as 2020 but who knows what is in store. I guess that’s part of the fun, isn’t it? We can hope and maybe we will get lucky. Yes, objectively “the new year” doesn’t really exist and it’s just the Earth completing one rotation around the Sun. I’m sure Neil deGrasse Tyson has already crafted an annoying tweet alerting us all to this reality in his snarky tone that only he can bluster. That aside, we will pin up our new calendars and it gives the illusion of a fresh start, it feels new even though it’s very old.
I’ve been enjoying my “time off” which has been pretty work filled. I had the opportunity over the past few months to fill in on The Mike Calta Show over Thanksgiving and Christmas with Johnny B. It’s rewarding knowing those guys trust us with that show and always good to pick up a few dozen social media followers with that exponentially larger audience (by the way, follow me at @home_made_man on Instagram and Twitter). I have to remember sometimes to take a step back, I get frustrated with where I’m at now and while you don’t want to look back you have to take a quick peek sometimes just to remember how long the road is behind you even though there’s still a lot of terrain still to go. Of course we all want to change the world and maybe even conquer it. Alas, we’re dogs chasing a car, we wouldn’t know what to do with the car if we caught it (aside from getting dragged along the asphalt and broken teeth). One step at a time, I guess. At least it would make a funny Instagram video.
I started this podcast many years ago and I’m still no where close to where I thought it would be by now and that’s okay. It’s a bummer but it’s okay. From what I’ve read about others experience with creating content is that it’s irrelevant until it’s not and there’s a good chance it might not ever be. That tipping point is instantaneous though so I’ll keep talking and chasing the carrot. There’s always time to kill, hopefully.
The subject matter of HMBradio has changed over the years from getting high with my roommate and being as edgy as possible, trying to garner some attention which is hard when you are quite literally a nobody screaming into the void. I started having on my friends and then their friends who were artists and makers in St. Pete. I miss those shows but I don’t miss chasing people down and getting stood up on more occasions than I would have liked. Working a day-job and then being promoted to a “full-time” on-air personality on The Bone has been a dream come true but it’s hindered the podcast, no doubt. I don’t have the time to chase people down anymore, are there even artists left here in St. Pete? I’m very much out of the loop on the cultural scene here in town, all I see are rich women carrying little dogs in yoga pants. I’m not complaining, I’m just saying…
I guess I’m adapting to my environment and what the city is now. The podcast kind of turned into me complaining about media and politics and that probably isn’t interesting to people who were sitting through boring chats with local artists who are local for a reason. When Anna got fired from The Bone and Stay Woke ended it allowed the opportunity to essentially do Stay Woke via podcast which is where the show is now. I’m excited about that prospect moving forward, we work well together. The podcast will be back next week and back on Radio St. Pete on Sunday the 10th. I’d like to beg and plead with you to subscribe to the podcast where you get your podcasts, it should be everywhere. I’d also like to ask that you share it and give it a five star rating, these are small things and they help out immensely.
If you receive this message and take the time to read it- I hope you enjoyed your holiday, I hope you have a job, I hope you aren’t going hungry and I hope you’re doing well enough. I know there are many who aren’t and I hope things get better soon. Please forgive my grammar and spelling errors. Talk soon. -W
#HMBlog: Did the Buccaneers just confirm new uniforms for next season on Twitter?
The Buccaneers uniforms stink, just about everyone is in agreement on that. They’ve been widely mocked on social media for their “alarm clock numbers” & for years the fans have been begging for a new design. Yesterday on the 11th buzz started on social platforms after official Bucs accounts started commenting the eyes emoji on posts calling for the new threads.
This morning, the Buccaneers released a video on their social platforms that seems to hint at fan’s prayers being answered. The Bucs are getting new uniforms…probably…it’s not confirmed but c’mon…this is happening…right?
Are you excited for the change? Comment below.
#HMBlog: St. Pete Mayor Kriseman: Rays "Shared City" Talks Are Over
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - The chatter of sharing the Rays with our neighbors to the north are over (at least for a few years). This afternoon Mayor Rick Kriseman issued a letter detailing the end of negotiations with the Rays for their “shared city” concept. In which, the Rays would have played half the season in St. Petersburg and half in Montreal.
Major Takeaways from the letter:
The Rays will abide by the current deal and will play at the Trop full time, at least until 2028.
The Rays declined an offer to allow them to look for stadium site in the Tampa Bay area.
Kriseman won’t use public funds to build a stadium for a part-time team, but will consider it for a full-time one.
"I continue to believe that the Rays Organization will come to determine that the Tampa Bay area, and specifically St. Pete, remains the best place to play baseball and to succeed in the long term," Kriseman said in the letter.
What do you think about the letter and the team staying put? Comment below.
#HMBlog: Stranger Things star David Harbour to speak at USF Tampa
David Harbour, who plays Sheriff Hopper on Netflix’s Stranger Things is scheduled to make a speaking appearance at the Marshall Center on the USF Tampa campus on November 20th. He is taking the place of Orange is the New Black star Laverne Cox who had to cancel due to filming conflicts. The topic of the talk hasn’t been revealed but if I had to make a guess I would bet it’s about how the President is a Nazi & how we live in trying times. I assume it will be a sanctimonious & finger wagging fest about how he is better and morally superior to you and the rest of the plebs; much like his now infamous speech at the SAG awards a few years back.
If getting scolded by a famous person on a show you like seems like a fun time then head on down to USF Tampa on the 20th. Doors open at 7:30PM. Seating is first come, first served and you can line up at early as 5:30PM. Current USF students are the only one’s eligible for RSVP.
#HMBlog: Patron alleges Pelican Pub benches gave her a massive skin breakout
In a public Facebook post, a St. Petersburg resident alleges what all of locals always new: Pelican Pub nasty as hell. Rachael Renn published a post on Facebook alleging that she contracted some sort of skin rash after sitting on the benches at the longtime St. Pete staple.
The comments are littered with other folks alleging the same thing happened to them and the post has been shared hundreds of times. I was there a few years back and I thought I was gonna diarrhea my pants, I walked into the bathroom and decided I would rather have a backseat full of doodoo then attempt to use that bathroom & I always assumed the rest of the place isn’t any cleaner. I’m happy to report that I didn’t poop my pants there or any other bars but I’m still young. ABC Action news were able to get a statement from the establishment:
“We’re are taking the claims made on social media over the past couple of days very seriously, and we are doing everything in our power to determine if something at our establishment might be causing this and if so, how to rectify it as soon as possible.
As a result, we have contacted the Florida Department of Health to ask for their assistance and we are working with them to provide them with whatever they might need. We are scheduled to meet with them at 1:30 p.m. today.
Our pub has been operating in St. Petersburg for 10 years, and the bench in question has been in place for nearly five years.
Last month, we received the first and only formal complaint that we are aware of from a patron related to a potential rash. The Florida Department of Health came out shortly thereafter, and we worked with them at that time to provide them whatever they needed. Following their visit, they gave us the all clear with no conclusive results or findings.
We wish Rachael and any others affected by this unfortunate situation a speedy recovery and we want to thank her for bringing this to our attention. If this matter is being caused by something in or near the environment of our pub, we will work as quickly as possible to remedy the situation and ensure this doesn’t happen again.
Thank you to all of our guests and patrons for their continued loyalty and support.”
#HMBlog: Pasco man called 911 to report roommate for stealing $20 worth of weed
Pasco County, FL - Ah, Pasco County, the Florida of Florida if you will. The cops certainly earn their paycheck over that way, I’ll tell you what. A few ago actress Stacey Dash was arrested there for smacking her bitch up. This past weekend a man called 9-1-1 to report his roommate for stealing $20 worth of pot from him and a deputy live-tweeted the whole things because we live in the best and worst timeline simultaneously:
Deputy Zalva did a follow up tweet after the confrontation with the man who kept calling 9-1-1, surprisingly the man wasn’t very agreeable to everyone’s shock.
Pasco, we love you like our perpetually day-drunk and racist Uncle we see on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanks for making the rest of the state look good by comparison.
#HMBlog: Buccanners OL Alex Cappa Breaks Arm in 2nd Quarter, Plays Whole Game
There’s tough and then there’s Alex Cappa. Cappa broke his arm in the 2nd Quarter in the loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday but never came out of the game. Initially, he said it was just a bruise but Head Coach Bruce Arians' confirmed it was a broken arm:
“I have to commend Alex Cappa. He broke his arm in the second quarter and played the entire game,” Arians said. “He’ll miss a few weeks.”
That’s the type of man all of us strive to be. My grandfather died as a young man because his Appendix exploded and he didn’t go to the hospital because he thought he’d just shake it off, what a freaking badass. Meanwhile, my knee hurts and I will happily tell anyone about it who will allow me to bitch and complain to them for a little while. Sorry, guys.
#HMBlog: 'Clueless' star Stacey Dash arrested for Domestic Battery in Pasco County
Booking photo from Pasco County Sheriff’s Office
New Port Richey- Florida: Ugh, as if! (sorry) Actress Stacey Dash, best known for her roll as ‘Dionne’ in Clueless was arrested last night in New Port Richey on a domestic violence charge. According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened at an apartment on Avana Way just before 8 p.m. Deputies say 52-year-old Dash got into a verbal argument with a man, presumably her husband Jeffrey Marty a local attorney practicing in Tampa Bay. An arrest report says Dash pushed the victim and slapped him in the face. The victim suffered red scratch marks on his arm from being pushed. There’s even a video of the arrest, isn’t the Internet great and awful all at once?
Things have certainly been better for Stacey, after a few years as a FOX News contributor she tried her hand at running for public office in California but dropped out of the race after a month. You have a better shot of reviving Alicia Silverstone’s career than running as a Republican in Southern California & winning. Although, now living in New Port Richey as opposed to Hollywood is a good indicator of how far things have fallen for her. It could be worse though, she could be living in Port Richey…
#HMBlog: Buccaneers’ Kicker Matt Gay get's trolled by a woman's deodorant company.
If there’s anything we have learned over the past few years it’s that women can do anything men can do & do it better & to say that isn’t true is a hate crime! Buccaneer’s Kicker Matt Gay continued to play out the years long Tampa Bay Great Kicking Curse last week against the Giants, missing a 34 year game winning kick at the end of the game. It was a heart-breaker but nothing Buccaneer fan’s are not familiar with at this point. In fact Secret, a deodorant for woman that I have used a few times and works pretty well to be honest, put a full page ad in the Tampa Bay Times trolling the rookie Kicker and implying that perhaps US Soccer’s Carli Lloyd could have made that kick. No problem, she hit a un-defended 55 yard kick over the summer at a Eagles-Ravens practice. Matt Gay hit a 55 yarder on his first NFL kick against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the preseason and set the record long for Field Goals kicked at Heinz Field & at college in practice, Lou Groza Award winner made a 62-yarder that ‘would have been good from 70’.
Whatever, MAN, step aside, a lady is here to show you how it’s done! Long overdue if you ask me. Secret is here to tell you the truth and it’s time you all listened:
“Hey Bucs fans, do you sweat 34-yarders? Carli Lloyd doesn’t.
Secret believes strength is more than overcoming what makes us sweat. It’s continuing to pursue progress and equality in all industries and sectors. Women may not play professional football (yet), but isn’t it time for a level playing field wherever she wants to play?”
The NFL has no rule about women playing in the league as far as I know. Lloyd was even offered a tryout. I think Buccaneer fans would take whoever could make kick’s consistently no matter what was between their legs. My only concern would be when a Kicker is forced to make a tackle, which happens from time to time in the game. Let’s go to the tape:
Yikes…good luck, gals.
#HMBlog: Study finds that Tampa Bay is polluted with 4 billion particles of microplastic
The University of South Florida - St. Petersburg in collaboration with Eckerd College released a study this week estimating 4 billion particles of microplastics swirling around in our local waters, these microplastics are small, less then 1/8 an inch and they breakdown from larger waste like water bottles & plastic bags. St. Petersburg has been active in banning plastics, by 2020 an ordinance will go into effect that will eliminate plastic straws and the distribution of Styrofoam products.
According to USA TODAY, the top plastic polluters in the world are: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Thailand. So it’s a nice gesture but unlikely do actually do much in the long run to keep plastics out of the waters. Read more about the study here, I’m going to go have a coffee served in a paper cup and will disintegrate in my hands half way through.
#HMBlog: Clearwater Mayor George Cretekos calls for "assault" weapons ban
Photo from @myclearwater Twitter account- George Cretekos holding an assault dolphin.
Clearwater Mayor Geogre Cretekos made national news this week after calling for an “assault” (I don’t know what this means) weapons ban of “military style” (scary looking) weapons and high capacity magazines because he went to church and prayed and it didn’t work.
“I’ve gone to church, I’ve prayed, My prayers aren’t working.”
That’s a brave stance and one that usually comes from someone who has never bothered to learn more about this style of rifle but instead has a knee jerk reaction based on emotion. Mass shootings are in the news constantly and you would think that violence was on the rise, it’s not but it is reported on more because these types of stories get clicks and clicks equal ad-revenue.
It could also be that God isn’t listening or perhaps isn’t there at all. Maybe it’s because you’re in Clearwater and you’re praying to the wrong God. Clearwater, as we all know answers to the mighty Xenu, the dictator of the "Galactic Confederacy". Hell, maybe try Buddha or something while you’re at it. One of them is bound to hit and all our problems will be solved and we will live in peace and harmony forever without “assault” weapons (or until Xenu comes back to enslave us).
#HMBlog: Kwon Alexander returns to Tampa Bay, gets ejected for a hit & then gets a game ball?
Kwon Alexander gets ejected after a helmet to helmet hit on Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston during the first quarter of the game on 09/08/2019.
It was a short return for former Buc, Kwon Alexander, it didn’t even last a quarter. Alexander was ejected for a helmet to helmet shot on Buc QB Jameis Winston (whose name I still have to look up how to spell every dang time I mention him). Let’s check out the tape:
Yikes, I’m going to blame at least 2 of Jameis’ interceptions (he threw 3 yesterday) on that hit, his brain was definitely compromised on that one. Look, I don’t think Kwon did it on purpose but to add insult to injury, the 49ers game him a game ball for his effort. For you nerds who don’t know what that means it’s just an acknowledgement by the team for their effort, a trophy.
“I got down late. I gave myself up and he’s just playing football. It’s tough to finish to get out of the way, and fortunately we try to protect the quarterback in this league.”
It was an unfortunate accident and no doubt Alexander will be fined by the league for bursting a few of Jameis brain cells. I think the league should just institute a tit for tat type of element. Jameis should just be able to slap Kwon in the face and all will be forgiven like Pam did to Michael in “The Office”.
The Buccaneers look to bounce back after that smackdown this Thursday against the Panthers. I can’t wait to see what Cam “Lady Gaga” Newton will be wearing this week but it’s sure to be hilarious.
#HMBlog: Scammer exploits Hurricane Dorian by assuming local weatherman's identity.
ABC Action News Tampa Bay’s Denis Phillips
Nothing brings out the best in people more than a Natural Disaster that causes mass-destruction. Somehow, we are able to forget who your neighbor voted for when something like that happens and our natural born compassion tends to be unearthed. Maybe these things should happen more often if only for the fact…
However, these same events tend to also bring out the worst of our nature too. Some schmuck inevitably decides to exploit that compassion and try to scam somebody. That happened this weekend when Denis Phillips, meteorologist at ABC here in Tampa Bay shared a Facebook post where it would seem his identity was co-opted for the cause of separating a fool with their money.
These folks who try to tend to try this crap tend to be only slightly brighter than the actual people who fall for this stuff but still, it happens. Just remember that no one, especially a local weatherman is going to cold-call over Facebook to get donations for something like this. Never. If you want to donate to Hurricane Dorian relief there are legit charity’s like the American Red Cross & others. Be smart or at least a functioning adult- keep your head on a swivel.