Tampa Bay's suburbs are booming

St. Pete pastor leaves behind legacy; state confirms new USF president; Florida's manatee feeding trial winds down

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View on the web Go to our home page Subscribe to the Times Thursday, March 31, 2022 Forward this to a friend Subscribe to more newsletters Morning! How about those wildfire warnings? The region should prepare for severe thunderstorms tonight, but first: wind and clouds (high of 87, low of 72).   Today’s newsletter brings stories on what Tampa Bay lawmakers are saying about the upcoming redistricting special session; the legacy of the St. Petersburg pastor who died in a drowning accident; Bruce Arians announcing his retirement as Bucs head coach; and much more. [Courtesy of Metro Development Group] How one Tampa firm plans for new residential communities further away from city centers Guess which areas around St. Petersburg and Tampa are growing at the fastest rate, according to new data.   The suburbs! And that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon.   Metro Development Group knows a thing or two about building houses in suburban areas. The Tampa-based real estate firm has created master-plan communities across Pasco, Hillsborough and Manatee counties that are known for their unique amenities — think Wesley Chapel’s Epperson Lagoon.   What brought Metro to the suburbs, and why is it looking for more opportunities there? We asked.   Read the story. Get the latest sports coverage from the Times For updates and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays, Florida college teams and more, follow the Tampa Bay Times sports crew on social media. Twitter Facebook Instagram AROUND THE BAY St. Petersburg pastor remembered: The Rev. Dr. Shawn E.E. Thomas, who drowned in Lake Seminole, had a passion for youth mentorship. His family, friends and parishioners recall his love of faith and community.   It’s official: The Florida Board of Governors on Wednesday confirmed Rhea Law as USF’s president. Her compensation package of up to $1.1 million is one of the highest in the country.   PSTA bus drivers getting raises: After weeks of protests, drivers and other union employees are set to receive some sizable pay increases.   Pressure mounts for resignation: Tampa City Council member Guido Maniscalco is urging Chairperson Orlando Gudes to give up his post in the wake of a hostile workplace report. Here’s the latest.   Weigh in on park changes: Hillsborough County wants to hear from the public about ways to improve Veterans Memorial Park, the site of 14 war memorials.   $860 million settlement: CVS and other pharmaceutical companies will pay the state that money to settle an opioid epidemic case.   Shielded by sovereign immunity: An appeals court has ruled that Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri is protected from a lawsuit over prisoner-transport van seatbelts.   Former Tampa police officer arrested: Paul Mumford, 61, is facing 100 counts of child pornography possession, Chief Mary O’Connor said Wednesday night. In Valrico, a fifth-grade teacher also was arrested this week for possessing child pornography, deputies said. BRIGHT SPOT [PICASA | Ruth Eckerd Hall] ‘Happy Days’ star is coming to Clearwater Henry Winkler appeared in one of the biggest hits in TV history. After Happy Days left the air in 1984, the man who played the super-cool Fonzie redefined himself as a producer, director, author and actor. Next up for Winkler: sharing stories from his four-decade career at the Capitol Theatre. Check out our Q&A with him ahead of Saturday’s show. CORONAVIRUS DEVELOPMENTS UPDATES AT TAMPABAY.COM/CORONAVIRUS Back to the office? COVID-19 changed the way we worked the last two years. Now, one report predicts most employees in Tampa Bay will return to a traditional office setting in the next three to nine months.   “Office occasional” model: The office culture at Tampa firm Kforce changed overnight when the pandemic hit. It was for the better, its leaders say.   Vaccine doses: See how Florida compares to other states. POLITICS Conservation land deals get OK: DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet approved spending nearly $40 million to shield 17,000 acres from development.   State to stop feeding manatees: Florida wildlife officials took the unprecedented step of giving the animals lettuce to help prevent them from starving. That effort will end Friday.   Redistricting special session: We round up Tampa Bay lawmakers’ takes on the congressional maps and DeSantis’ veto of them, plus their hopes for the upcoming session.   Will judge withdraw?: The plaintiffs who filed suit over Florida’s congressional redistricting process have asked federal judge Allen Winsor to recuse himself because he represented the Florida House in the last redistricting cycle.   Parents sound off on bill signing: DeSantis signed the so-called “don’t say gay” measure into law in Pasco County. Some parents are upset over the event at their kids’ school, and over the unwelcoming message they say the bill sends to the LGBTQ+ community. Dive deeper into your favorite local subjects 📨 Our free email newsletters bring the best of the Tampa Bay Times to your inbox every week. Explore all of them here. OPINION AND COMMENTARY Great graduation gift: Antonio Paz, a longtime high school economics teacher, is glad for Florida's new financial literacy law. He explains in this guest column. SPORTS [IVY CEBALLO | Times] Bruce Arians retiring as Bucs coach, Todd Bowles to replace him The Bucs offseason just got a bit more surreal: Coach Bruce Arians is retiring to take a front office role effective immediately, he announced Wednesday night. Veteran defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will replace him. Read Arians' full statement and more about Bowles.   Top takeaways: A number of Bucs-centric topics were addressed at the NFL's annual meetings in Palm Beach. Reporter Joey Knight shares five things to know.   "This is home": Gators great Mike Peterson wasn't happy to leave Florida. But that decision helped him return this year as an assistant. Now, he's back where he belongs.   Here to help: Much like Charlie Morton and Rich Hill, Corey Kluber was brought in primarily to pitch for the Rays, but also to serve as a role model and mentor for the young and less-experienced pitchers. He's already had an impact.   Rays get official bad news: The word on Pete Fairbanks isn't great.   Finding their way together: The Lightning have won three consecutive games since Jon Cooper put Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov on the top line. TODAY'S TALKER [First Citrus Bank] Interest rates are going up. So what now? Fixed-rate mortgages remain in high demand and businesses are still borrowing. With interest rates on the rise, Tampa Bay lenders offer advice for borrowers and other insights. Today's DayStarter was compiled by Meaghan Habuda, Carly Thompson, Anila Lijo, Rachel Adamson and Amy Gehrt. Did someone forward this to you? Get DayStarter in your own inbox next time. It's free to subscribe. Sign up here. Contact us Privacy policy Terms, conditions & copyright Standard of accuracy © 2022 • All Rights Reserved Tampa Bay Times • 490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 To ensure this email is delivered to your inbox, add custserv@elist.tampabay.com to your address book. You are receiving this email because you signed up for the "DayStarter" newsletter from the Tampa Bay Times. If you'd prefer not to receive updates, you can unsubscribe from this email.