Here’s what you may have missed, and what you need to know as you start winding down.
Facebook scrubbed Bill Akins’ update wall after the Washington Post revealed his posts to be filled with racist and fake news stories and memes. Akins, the secretary of the Pasco Republican Executive Committee, also got a talking to from party Chairman Randy Evans, who feared Akins had embarrassed U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, the host of a town hall meeting at which Akins was shouted down for saying "death panels” were part of the Affordable Health Care Act. Evans also issued a statement on behalf of the local party apologizing to Bilirakis "for any harm or discredit caused by statements” from Akins. But Evans said he won’t be asking for Akins to resign from his unpaid position.
As you head out for your drive home, check out our live blog for the latest traffic updates and road conditions across Tampa Bay.
The Coast Guard and other agencies continued searching today for a plane carrying three people that left a Brooksville airport Sunday but failed to reach its planned destination in Cedar Key. Jasper Jerrels, 65, his 17-year-old son, and 60-year-old Hue Singletary took off from Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport on Sunday morning in a Piper Cherokee. The plane last appeared on radar about seven miles south of the island at 11:06 a.m. Sunday, according to the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.
One of Jerry Sandusky’s adult sons faces multiple charges of sexual offenses involving children, more than five years after the former Penn State assistant coach was himself first arrested. Court records filed Monday say 41-year-old Jeffrey S. Sandusky was charged with 14 counts, including criminal solicitation and corruption of minors. WTAJ-TV says state police accuse him of sending inappropriate texts to a victim and asking for naked photos. Jerry Sandusky is serving a lengthy prison sentence for sexual abuse of 10 boys.
At a time when the number of homes for sale remains unusually low, the ranks of real estate agents vying for listings continues to swell. Ashley Williams was among the 32,954 first-time applicants who took the state exam in 2016, the most in 10 years. And including repeat test-takers, the number of people who passed — 27,926 — brought Florida’s total of currently licensed agents to almost 250,000. More are on the way.
Across Florida, how much unstructured playtime public elementary schoolchildren get each day varies greatly from school to school. Some of the state’s 67 county school districts don’t have a formal policy, and in those that do, administrators often give principals and teachers a lot of discretion. It’s that inconsistency that’s leading passionate "recess moms" to once again lobby lawmakers this spring to pass a statewide, mandatory requirement that elementary schoolchildren get 20 minutes of recess each day.
The owners of South Branch Ranch on State Road 54 are planning to swap cows for commerce. Currently, there are approximately 65 head of beef cattle on the land at the northwest corner of the Suncoast Parkway and SR 54. Commissioners unanimously blessed a change in the county comprehensive land-use plan that will allow the property to be used for single-family homes, town homes and apartments, 15 acres holding at least 800,000 square feet of offices or light industrial uses, a walkable commercial retail district of up to 440,000 square feet and 400 hotel rooms.
St. Petersburg College is inviting the public to weigh in on what they want to see in the college’s next leader. Community members are welcome to attend two evening forums this month, one in Tarpon Springs and another in St. Petersburg, to discuss the qualifications and attributes they want candidates to possess.
A day after teaming up with Lady Gaga to rip the Grammys, Metallica has announced they’re coming to Florida. The metal titans will bring their summer stadium tour to Camping World Stadium in Orlando on July, according to their website. It’s one of two Florida dates for the band, along with a July 7 date at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. Opening the shows are Avenged Sevenfold and Volbeat.
Guy Fieri was visiting Disney Springs — the reimagined dining, retail and entertainment district at Walt Disney World Resort — for the relaunch of Planet Hollywood. He was on hand to introduce the media to the restaurant’s "Big Bite Burgers" and signature sandwiches, a menu he has personally created for Planet Hollywood. Only, the fire marshal, not quite ready to clear the building to open, was having none of it. Amid the chaos, Fieri, wearing one of his black "Knuckle Sandwich" T-shirts, dark shades and a bemused smile, took a seat and began to graciously answer our questions.
In times of great political uncertainty, maybe a dose of The Daily Show is just what Florida needs to stay sane. Thankfully, Trevor Noah is on his way. The Daily Show host is coming to Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater for a stand-up show on June 2, according to the venue. Tickets are $68.75 and up, and they’ll go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.
The Rays’ reconstruction of their roster after a 68-win season has gotten mixed reviews, but manager Kevin Cash made it very clear at today’s spring training opening press conference he feels they did enough to get back in the playoffs for the first time since 2013. "We expect to be playing games in October.,” Cash said. "That’s the goal. We’re confident with what we’ve done this off-season.”
On Tuesday morning, John Spierling will leave his north Detroit home, sailboat in tow, and head south to St. Petersburg for the National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta. The journey will take about 20 hours, and likely involve plenty of caffeine, but it’s a trip he looks forward to every year. Spierling has been in just about every St. Petersburg NOOD Regatta since he started sailing in it in 2000. This year’s event begins Friday and runs through Sunday off of St. Petersburg’s waterfront. Being a defending champion is reason enough to come back to St. Petersburg, but there’s also another one. "You can’t sail on a frozen lake," he said.
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