Wednesday, November 14, 2012
The businesses were forced to close down during the Republican National Convention in August.
August’s Republican National Convention in downtown Tampa was a mixed bag of good and bad news for businesses in the county. Some businesses that thought they’d see a surge in business didn’t realize the profits they’d hoped for. Others reported doing very well as hundreds of Republicans converged on Tampa Bay. But a few businesses had to shut down entirely, forgoing all hope of realizing profit during the event. Three of the businesses that faced the latter circumstances will be brought up during Thursday’s Hillsborough County Commission meeting. Commissioners are being asked to give the three businesses that operate out of the first floor of County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., a month of free rent in December to make up for the losses …
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Now that the Republican National Convention is a memory, we want to hear your thoughts on how the county’s law enforcement agencies performed.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers from agencies all over the Tampa Bay area converged on downtown Tampa last week to keep the peace during the Republican National Convention. The Tampa Police Department estimates 3,500 officers from various agencies pitched in to keep the county safe as thousands of visitors from all over the country came to town, according to spokeswoman Andrea Davis. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office alone assigned more than 1,000 deputies to the downtown area during the convention’s four-day run. Other agencies from around the county also lent some of their finest to what was likely the biggest law enforcement undertaking in Tampa Bay history. As the RNC unfolded, stories about the professionalism of …
Thursday, August 30, 2012
We've compiled some of the best, funniest, oddest or most interesting Republican National Convention stories from Patch and other local and national media.
Are you a political junkie? Can't get enough of all the headlines about the Republican National Convention? Patch is bringing you hyperlocal coverage of the RNC, from the floor at the Tampa Bay Times Forum and from local angles in 23 different Patch towns across the region. We're also pulling some of the best, funniest, oddest or most interesting RNC stories from around the web and compiling the links here for your convenience. Below is just a sampling that we'll continue to update, and if you find an RNC-related link that's interesting, feel free to post it in the comments section at the bottom. Patch: Other Local Media: National Media:
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
They’ll have to make a 15-minute hike to the convention tomorrow.
First they were left without transportation from Palm Harbor’s Innisbrook Resort to the Republican National Convention in downtown Tampa. Then they were stuck on a bus for hours following the convention Tuesday night – not making it back to the resort until after 3 a.m. Wednesday, according to TBO. Now, Florida’s Republican delegation is facing a 15-minute hike from the security perimeter to the convention as officials try to straighten out the transportation problems facing the state’s top GOPers. "The (Republican National Committee) needs to fix this bus problem … We need to take care of our delegates," TBO quoted Adam Putnam, Florida’s agriculture commissioner as saying. “It was a complete breakdown.” According to TBO, the Republican …
Hundreds of protesters marched through Ybor City to the St. Pete Times Forum to voice their dissatisfaction with the GOP agenda. "We're seeing so many things we worked so hard to change in the '60s being challenged today," said Westchase's Anne McGrath.
Sporting a bandana and aviator sunglasses, greeting fellow protesters with a peace sign, David Gonzalez of Brandon resembled a refugee from the 1960s. In fact, said Gonzalez, not much has changed politically over the past 40 years. "Just like back then," Gonzalez said. "There are people today who are being denied the basic right to vote. It's wrong and it has to stop." Gonzalez was among hundreds of protesters who gathered in Centennial Park in Ybor City Aug. 28 to rally against efforts by the Tea Party and other right-wing groups to purge 180,000 registered voters from state voting lists on the basis that they are ineligible to vote because they are ex-felons or noncitizens. The opposition claims the purge is an attempt to suppress likely…
We've compiled some of the best, funniest, oddest or most interesting Republican National Convention stories from Patch and other local and national media.
Are you a political junkie? Can't get enough of all the headlines about the Republican National Convention? Patch is bringing you hyperlocal coverage of the RNC, from the floor at the Tampa Bay Times Forum and from local angles in 23 different Patch towns across the region. We're also pulling some of the best, funniest, oddest or most interesting RNC stories from around the web and compiling the links here for your convenience. Below is just a sampling that we'll continue to update, and if you find an RNC-related link that's interesting, feel free to post it in the comments section at the bottom. Patch: 13 Protesters Booted from Innisbrook After Marco Rubio Heckled (Palm Harbor) Newt U is Now in Session (Old Northeast-Downtown St. Pete) …
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Visitors in town for the 2012 Republican National Convention share their impressions of the Tampa Bay area.
As Patch covers the local impact of the 2012 Republican National Convention, we're asking visitors we encounter what they think of our Tampa Bay community. If you're visiting Tampa for the RNC, please feel free to share photos and memories of your Tampa experience with our local residents by clicking the "Upload Photos and Videos" button above!
An Odessa mortgage broker is selling "NOBAMA 2012" wristbands outside the Republican National Convention this week in Tampa.
Are you against President Barack Obama but don't know how to show it? Bob Caruso has your answer. The Odessa mortgage broker is hawking his "NOBAMA 2012" wristbands this week in Tampa's Channelside, just a few blocks from the site of the Republican National Convention. Caruso started his website, nobamawristbands.com, a few years ago, but he's hoping the rubber, red, white and blue wristbands he sells for $4 apiece online really take off during the RNC. To do that, he said, he just needs to get them in the hands of the right person. He's tried conservative pundit Sean Hannity, and he ran into former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele on the street corner Tuesday, where he was set up with his wristbands outside the …
Delegates were ready to go today at Palm Harbor’s Innisbrook Resort, but the buses didn’t arrive to take them into Tampa.
Florida’s Republicans are already in trouble with their party for holding the primary earlier than desired. They paid the price in the number of delegates allowed at this year's Republican National Convention. They may have also helped add fuel to a fire to enhance the penalties for states that host early primaries. Now it looks like might be paying more. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the buses meant to pick up the Florida delegation at Palm Harbor’s Innisbrook Resort today at noon never arrived to bring them into downtown. “The RNC forgot to send them,” the Times story said. "Well, that sucks," the Times reported Hillsborough County GOP chair Art Wood as saying. "I guess it won't be the first glitch." Do you agree with Wood? Was it a …
How has the RNC changed your commute? Let us know in the comments section.
With thousands of out-of-state visitors converging on the Tampa Bay area for the Republican National Convention, most locals expected traffic to be bad. Just how bad, however, seems to be a matter of debate. The Tampa Tribune is calling traffic the “talk of the town,” while Twitter is exploding with comments about the commute into downtown as Day 2 of the RNC gets under way. “#Tampa, SB 275 remains slow and go from MLK into the downtown slot, and though Dale Mabry...NB an good drive!! :)” wrote Channel 8’s Leslee Lacey on her Twitter feed. “You've been hearing for weeks that #traffic in #Tampa was going to be bad during the #RNC2012. How bad? http://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/roads/republican-national-convention-ties-up-tampas-…
Amy Rogers
1:19 pm on Thursday, November 15, 2012
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