Catching you up on overnight happenings, and what you need to know today.
10News WTSP
The latest Tampa Bay-area radar
10News WTSP
The latest 7-day forecast
• Tuesday will warm up to the 80s after fog in the morning, and a potential stray shower in the afternoon, according to 10Weather WTSP.
• As you head out for your morning commute, check out our live blog for the latest traffic updates and road conditions across Tampa Bay.
• The Pinellas County Commission is set to meet at 9:30 a.m. and reforming the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board is on the agenda. The commission will consider a draft proposal that would add more oversight to the board by limiting the terms of board members and letting the county administrator appoint a representative. The commission is trying to come up with a plan that state Sen. Jack Latavala will support, since the powerful Clearwater Republican said last week he would veto any legislation aimed at reforming the licensing agency. Follow Mark Puente at @MarkPuente for updates.
• Meanwhile, while John Romano says we apparently can’t seem to trust educators, state lawmakers or elected officials, apparently building contractors are the most trustworthy people in the state. That seems to be the message from Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, who says major changes are not needed at the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board. In other words, no accountability needed there.
• From the Tampa Bay Times editorial board: The annual assault on Florida’s public records law begins anew today in the Legislature. A bill that would make it more difficult to collect legal fees from public agencies that illegally withhold records is a serious threat to open government and should be rejected at its first committee stop. And from the "words matter" file, President Trump shows disrespect for an independent branch of government and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman’s ‘s declaration that the city is "a sanctuary from harmful federal immigration laws" was well intended but poorly conceived..
• In Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, students are waiting to find out if they’ve won seats in preferred schools, while Pasco County parents are just beginning to submit applications. It may seem normal, but see how a new state law designed to expand school choices for families by allowing them to enroll in other counties is having an opposite effect for many families.
• The Florida Public Service Commission meets in Tallahassee this morning to discuss a settlement agreement between Peoples Gas and the Office of Public Counsel regarding depreciation charges, among other issues. Follow @Times_Levesque for updates starting at 11 a.m.
• The Hillsborough County School Board will meet at 3 p.m. in downtown Tampa. The board expects to name a new principal for Summerfield Elementary School to replace Derrick McLaughlin, who has been tapped to lead the new Warren Hope Dawson Elementary School when it opens in August. The agenda includes a report on Chairwoman Cindy Stuart’s School Transportation Working Group, a multi-agency committee that is looking at ways to help middle and high schools cope with their loss in August of courtesy busing. The board also will be asked to vote on a contract for Waterset Charter School, which will be the fifth school in Hillsborough to be managed by Charter Schools USA. Reporter Marlene Sokol will live-tweet the meeting.
• A revived proposal to let Florida high school students count computer coding as a foreign language looks to be on an easy path to pass the state Senate again this year. Members of the Florida Senate Education Committee offered no questions or commentary on the proposal before voting unanimously to advance the measure out of its first committee on Monday, after hearing strong support from the business community and personal testimony from a Broward County middle-schooler and his mother.
• A Florida appeals court will hear arguments this morning in a case that pits parents against the state Department of Education and several school districts. A parent lawsuit filed in August challenges the state law that prevents many third graders from advancing to fourth grade if they have poor scores in the spring reading test. Read the background on the Times’ Gradebook blog and stay with tampabay.com for updates on the case.
• Sugar cane growers and other farmers who own some of the largest parcels of land in the Everglades Agricultural Area say they won’t willingly sell their land to build a water-holding reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee, setting up a possible stand-off in the power struggle over the future of Everglades clean-up.
• Tom Brady became the first quarterback to win the Super Bowl five times, the first player to be named Super Bowl MVP four times and the first player to shake hands with the man who suspended him for four games for his alleged role in Deflategate. Oh, and Martin Fennelly says, Brady lost his jersey but not his status as one of the game’s all-time best. Meanwhile, Rick Stroud says the Falcons’ Super Bowl collapse may rank as the worst in sports history.
• Tampa was recently named one of WalletHub’s "Best Places For Valentine’s Day" (No. 11 in the nation), mostly based on a beautiful weather forecast for the area on Feb. 14. But whether you’re planning to spend the heart-filled holiday indoors having a romantic dinner at a restaurant, or outside, taking in a romantic movie under the stars, these special Valentine’s Day-themed events, which span the whole weekend, should have you covered.
• Here are the top things to do today in Tampa Bay including an art exhibit featuring art by veterans and Wicked at the Straz Center.
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