Why is diversity the hot issue in Florida higher education?

Naked Cowboy stops by Tampa; update on Hillsborough's school boundary changes; St. Pete getting pickleball complex

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View on the web Go to our homepage Subscribe to the Times Wednesday, March 1, 2023 Forward this to a friend Subscribe to more newsletters We're halfway to Friday! Expect a partly cloudy day and weather in the low 80s.  New York City's Naked Cowboy, spotted Tuesday in Tampa, could return to the same spot today. Additionally, Hillsborough County's school board has delayed another vote regarding school boundary changes, and St. Petersburg pickleball enthusiasts should get excited because a facility is coming this year.  [IVY CEBALLO | Times] 4 things to know about Florida’s intensifying debate over university diversity programs The board of trustees at New College, led by six members appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, voted Tuesday to dismantle the Sarasota school’s diversity office.   The move comes as the governor targets diversity, equity and inclusion programs at state colleges and universities. He’s made their elimination a cornerstone of his plan to overhaul higher education in the upcoming legislative session.   What matters do these diversity offices tend to? Why are they being criticized? And with the session approaching, what happens next?   Divya Kumar and Ian Hodgson break it down. 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 Forget Times Square: NYC’s Naked Cowboy is all about Lykes Gaslight Square. At least he was Tuesday when he visited the downtown Tampa park.   Rap icons in Tampa: Wu-Tang Clan and Nas will play a September pool party.   Bern’s updates policy: South Tampa’s legendary steakhouse now requires a credit card to book a reservation. The change might make landing a table easier.   Wing it 🍗: The first Hooters opened in Clearwater four decades ago. To celebrate, the restaurant chain is offering specials at 11 Tampa Bay locations throughout the year.   BDubs GM arrested: A former manager at a Largo Buffalo Wild Wings stole nearly $73,000 from the store, police say.   Exploring new idea: Tampa has a business improvement district. Something similar could be headed to St. Petersburg if the city's Downtown Partnership gets its way.   Raise request stirs uproar: Port Tampa Bay leaders and companies say they were caught off guard by a proposal that would boost harbor pilots' pay.   Another delay: The Hillsborough County School Board on Tuesday again pushed back a vote on changing attendance boundaries amid ongoing criticism of the project's latest plan. Now what?   Home value gains: Discriminatory housing policies have long led to lower property values in Black neighborhoods. That may be changing locally.   Train derails: Hazmat crews responded to Manatee County on Tuesday morning after part of a train, including a car carrying about 30,000 gallons of propane, came off the tracks.  BRIGHT SPOT 🏎️ [LUIS SANTANA | Times] Gulfport teen is the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg's youngest driver The downtown event has a history of local drivers, but none like 14-year-old Nikita Johnson, who was born in Clearwater and named after a former Lightning forward. Johnson and his family are mapping out a $15 million, years-long path to Formula One. But first: His debut this weekend — 7 miles from his Pinellas County home. POLITICS Topics to watch: Next week, Florida lawmakers will meet for the annual 60-day legislative session. Read up on these 10 big issues worth keeping an eye on.   Injunction issued: A federal judge has temporarily suspended enforcement of Florida's new ban on paid lobbying by elected officials. Here's why.   Next chief judge: Hillsborough County's judges on Tuesday elected Christopher Sabella as their chief for the 13th Judicial Circuit. 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 Welcome to Year 4: The pandemic's fourth year is upon us. We can't pretend we should be the same as the people in those pre-COVID-19 photos, says columnist Stephanie Hayes.    Pasco's jail expansion: The county is spending more than $200 million on the project. History tells us we will always need jails and prisons. But, the Times Editorial Board asks, how about focusing more on preventing crime instead? SPORTS Lightning home streak ends: On Tuesday night, Tampa Bay suffered its first regulation loss at Amalie Arena in 17 games thanks to the Florida Panthers.    "Little bit stronger": With new forward Tanner Jeannot, the Lightning accomplished their trade deadline goal of getting harder to play against. And he's ready to get things going.    Wild about former Gator: At the NFL scouting combine Tuesday, the Bucs spent the better part of an hour selling Kyle Trask as the heir apparent to Tom Brady while acknowledging they'll add competition at the QB position at bargain prices.   So long, Lenny: Tampa Bay plans to release Leonard Fournette. The running back told us he asked to be let go.   Ticket prices rise: Some Bucs season-pass members will be paying up to 7.5% more for seats.   MLB rule change: A limit on the number of pickoff attempts by pitchers could be irresistible to a Rays lineup with a lot of speed and a fondness for aggressive baserunning, columnist John Romano writes.   Jason Adam's evolution: He hadn't done much in his major-league career until he joined the Rays. A few changes turned him into a dominant reliever.   Sidelined for a bit: The latest on Tyler Glasnow? The Rays starter likely will miss two to four weeks of the regular season, after only just returning from Tommy John surgery. TODAY'S TALKER  [DIRK SHADD | Times (2022)] Pickleball complex with a restaurant and bar, and maybe a hotel, to open in St. Petersburg St. Pete Athletic is aiming to meet the growing needs of the city's pickleballers with 16 indoor and outdoor courts at its new downtown facility. Among the other planned amenities: a gym, a pro shop and places to eat and drink. Here's what else the center has in store. Today's DayStarter was compiled by Meaghan Habuda, Anila Lijo, Mari Faiello 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.