Tampa Bay reacts to Trop developer pick

10 people shot in Lakeland; a former Pinellas nonprofit employee accused of leading fraud scheme; and the city of Tampa lost control of a historic Black cemetery

View on the web Go to our home page Subscribe to the Times Tuesday, January 31, 2023 Forward this to a friend Subscribe to more newsletters Any chicken finger fans out there? Tampa Bay’s first Raising Cane’s restaurant is set to open today (high of 82, low of 62).   Keep reading for a rundown on Ken Welch’s biggest move yet as St. Petersburg mayor, plus stories about a former Pinellas County nonprofit employee accused of leading a fraud scheme and the city of Tampa losing control of a 104-year-old Black cemetery. [DIRK SHADD | Times] What local officials are saying about Ken Welch’s preferred development proposal for the Trop St. Petersburg’s mayor on Monday tapped the Rays and global real estate firm Hines to reimagine the 86-acre Tropicana Field site.   Their plan includes a new, modern, 30,000-seat stadium, a senior living facility, 40,000 square feet of conference space and a new Woodson African American Museum of Florida.   Lots of people had thoughts on the pick — and what it means for keeping baseball in the city and for the historically Black Gas Plant District.   Reactions from Tampa Bay political, community and business leaders ranged from “a great day for St. Petersburg” to “I hope they find the money.”   Here’s a roundup.   Related coverage:   Welch never got a real inauguration — he came down with COVID-19 and was sworn in remotely last year. His triumphant State of the City address Monday made up for lost time.   Top Rays officials say this ballpark deal could improve the team’s fortunes on and off the field.   For 25 years, we’ve been told the Trop site was a nightmare for the Rays. So why are they so excited about the possibility of redeveloping that land with a new stadium? Sports columnist John Romano breaks it down. 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. AROUND THE BAY 10 shot in Lakeland: Two people were critically injured Monday in a drive-by shooting, which police said happened about a minute after a school bus dropped off children on the street.   Strong words: Tampa Bay law enforcement and community leaders condemned the fatal police beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. Hear from them in this story.   Accused of fraud: Wendy Merson led schemes totaling more than $1 million at the job she held until 2018, according to Pinellas Park police. Her more recent employer, a prominent local nonprofit where she served as chief financial officer, wouldn't say what it did to vet her, or how it's making sure public funding wasn't put at risk.   Spring Hill singer found guilty: A vocal coach from Hernando County has been convicted of federal charges for her role in the U.S. Capitol riot.   Update on police chief search: It likely will be several more months before Jane Castor picks Tampa's next top cop. The mayor wants to wait until City Council elections are over.   "Make it right": Clearwater residents could get refunds for the six months the city didn't recycle materials collected from their homes.   Record number: For the first time, Hillsborough County hotels have hit $1 billion in annual taxable revenue.   State faces tourism lag: Florida's tourism-marketing agency boasts that the state is the top U.S. destination for overseas travelers. But numbers of international visitors here and beyond remain far below pre-COVID-19 totals. BRIGHT SPOT [ANGELICA EDWARDS | Times] 'Caniacs,' rejoice! Raising Cane's is finally here. The beloved Louisiana-based chicken finger chain will debut today in Clearwater. Here's everything to know about the first Tampa Bay location. POLITICS School faces upheaval: Two of the six people Gov. Ron DeSantis recently appointed to the New College of Florida board of trustees have suggested drastic changes, including demoting the president. Will they get their way?   Permitless carry bill: Should Florida mandate a permit and training to carry a concealed gun? Legislation promoted by the state House speaker would remove those requirements.   Lawsuit gets dismissed: A judge has rejected a suit alleging that the Florida Department of Transportation and a contractor didn't fully comply with public records requests about the state's migrant flights to Martha's Vineyard. 📹 Find us on YouTube The Tampa Bay Times video team produces special reports, sports coverage and more. Follow along with their work and subscribe to our YouTube channel. OPINION AND COMMENTARY School voucher questions: The Times Editorial Board agrees a big expansion of the vouchers can make sense to rescue a poor child from a failing public school. But it's still the taxpayers' money. And taxpayers — that includes parents — should require adequate accountability that the money will be spent wisely. SPORTS [Times (1985)] Tampa Bay has produced an assortment of sports franchises. Take a look back. Now that another pro sports franchise — the Tampa Bay Strikers — has washed up on our shores, Joey Knight revisits the smorgasbord of non-mainstream teams that have called our region home, if only briefly. Five, in his opinion, have especially flourished.   Dig college football? You might want to block off mid-April for a busy three days of Florida spring games.   This season's opponents: The ACC Network announced Monday its 2023 football schedules. Here's who FSU and UM will be facing. TODAY'S TALKER [CHRIS URSO | Times (2021)] Property flipper now owns a historic Black cemetery in Tampa The city hoped to officially take ownership of Memorial Park Cemetery earlier this month by placing a lien and foreclosing on the 20-acre site, then purchasing it at a county auction. But Tampa officials were outbid in the blind auction process. What does the cemetery's new owner have planned? Today's DayStarter was compiled by Meaghan Habuda, Anila Lijo, Alexandra Urban 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 © 2023 • 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.