What DeSantis and Trump T-shirts say about the 2024 primary

Tampa mayor picks new police chief; USF joins exclusive club; Tampa demonstrators protest Florida immigration law

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View on the web Go to our homepage Subscribe to the Times Friday, June 2, 2023 Forward this to a friend Subscribe to more newsletters Read today's e-Newspaper Happy Friday. Today will be mostly cloudy with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms (high of 88, low of 70).   Tampa Mayor Jane Castor picks the city's next head of police: interim Chief Lee Bercaw. Also, USF joins an invite-only group of top-tier research schools, and Tampa demonstrators protest a new Florida immigration law. [JAY CRIDLIN | Times] Trump isn’t the only politician with a hold in conservative merch. DeSantis is coming. “DeSantisland. Land of liberty.”   “DeSantis Airlines: Bringing the border to you!”   These slogans on T-shirts, flags and other merchandise echo some of the most seismic news events of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ tenure as Florida’s top elected official: His ongoing feud with The Walt Disney Co.; his administration’s move to relocate dozens of migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border to Massachusetts.   But much of the swag seen in public isn’t sold by DeSantis or those in his political orbit.   Who are the people selling this stuff? And does their gear offer insight on the Republican presidential primary? AROUND THE BAY Castor selects next top cop: Tampa Mayor Jane Castor decided to forgo a national search for a police chief, tapping interim Chief Lee Bercaw for the job.   Honoring Pride month: On Thursday, the mayors of Tampa and St. Petersburg were resolute about their towns being welcoming places for all and raised rainbow flags over their respective city halls.   3-year sentence: A federal judge gave a former airman at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base prison time for keeping 300-plus classified documents in his home.   Threats via text: A Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office deputy was arrested this week for sending text messages to his wife threatening to harm or kill her.   Grab those umbrellas: Forecasters upgraded a patch of rough weather in the Gulf to a tropical depression late Thursday afternoon. It’s expected to bring rain to the Tampa Bay area.   What has Florida learned? As the 2023 hurricane season begins, engineers and disaster experts warn that our state has been too slow to make changes and avoid repeated mistakes.   Tourists wanted 🌴: Visit Florida is rolling out plans to draw more travelers with COVID-19 restrictions now lifted nationally.   New College replaces mascot: The Sarasota school's board of trustees voted Thursday to scrap the Null Set in favor of something new.   Major milestone: USF is joining the Association of American Universities, an invitation-only group of top-tier research schools.   Spelling 🐝 champ: Dev Shah, an eighth grader from Largo, spelled the word "psammophile" correctly to win the National Spelling Bee on Thursday. He's the first Florida student to win since 1999. MUSIC 🎶 [Photo illustration by LISA MERKLIN | Times and ZUMA Press] Sing your heart out at 24 summer concerts in Tampa Bay Punk reunions. Today's divas. Hot rap tours. It's going to be a spectacular season for local live music fans. These are all the shows we're excited about. POLITICS Day of demonstrations: Protesters took to the streets in Tampa and across Florida Thursday to push back against a new state law imposing further immigration-related penalties and restrictions.   Florida book bans: DeSantis said not "a single book" has been banned in the state. School districts have removed dozens. Read more from PolitiFact. SPORTS Strong division: In a year when the Rays may have their best shot at glory, the American League East is as stacked as any group of teams we've ever seen, columnist John Romano writes.   Is this greatness legit or a fluke? The Rays are more than one-third through the schedule and still the team with the best record and a lesser amount of credit. But will they be great in October? MLB analysts weigh in.   More on Rays: They're looking for Tyler Glasnow to go deep vs. the Red Sox today ahead of a doubleheader Saturday.   Seeking coveted award: No high school or college in our region ever has produced a Heisman Trophy winner. Could Tampa Bay Tech alumnus Michael Penix Jr. become the first? 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 Better safety for students: The dangers Tampa Bay youth face walking to school just might come to an end, thanks to legislation signed this week by DeSantis. It is high time Florida made it safer for kids to cross the street, says the Times Editorial Board. TODAY'S TALKER [Chris Lake] St. Petersburg couple turned an eyesore into an urban farm. Here's how. 🥬 When Shannon O'Malley and Brad Doyle bought the one-third-acre site in the shadows of Tropicana Field seven years ago, it had no utilities or running water. But the wife-and-husband duo envisioned a way to create a better business model for growing produce with cost-effective production.    From the outside, their containers could pass for storage units. But inside it's a different story.   Florida Trend checks in on the leafy greens oasis that is Brick Street Farms. Today's DayStarter was compiled by Anila Lijo, Alexandra Urban and Meaghan Habuda. 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. 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