Coming to Tampa!

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Addison

Tampa tickets for Lil Wayne, T.I. go on sale Friday!

FILE, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lil Wayne is coming to the Amphitheatre in Tampa on July 13.

Savings in the near future for Florida drivers!

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Addison

Florida Senate votes to roll back motor vehicle fees

Published: April 24, 2013

The Florida Senate today unanimously passed a bill that rolls back automobile fees, saving an individual driver $12 a year.

The Senate passed the bill (SB 1832) on a 39-0 vote.

The state will make up the lost money — between $220 million and $230 million — by eliminating a decades-old tax break to insurance companies. Those companies pay a state tax on insurance premiums but also get a rebate worth 15 percent of the salary paid to their workers.

“The tax credit has helped produce jobs over the years,” said Sam Miller, executive director of the Florida Insurance Council, the state’s largest insurance trade association. “It is not clear that repeal of the credit won’t endanger job creation. The state should move cautiously and be sure.”

Indeed, a united front of business and insurance lobbyists had opposed the measure, many of them suggesting that getting rid of a tax break to pay for the rollback could cost the state thousands of insurance-sector jobs.

Sen. Jeremy Ring, a Margate Democrat, who described lobbyists’ rhetoric as “there’d be Armageddon if this passed,” said “it’s nice to finally call a bluff.”

State lawmakers increased auto fees in 2009 to help close a multibillion-dollar budget gap, part of a $2.2 billion package of tax and fee increases.

It included a 35 percent increase in annual tag fees, which went up $5 to $11.40, depending on a car’s weight. The initial vehicle registration fee went from $100 to $225. And the cost of an initial driver’s license increased from $27 to $48 and a renewal got boosted from $20 to $48.

Earlier this year, Senate President Don Gaetz had asked his committee chairs to review the state’s many tax incentives.

Sen. Audrey Gibson, a Jacksonville Democrat, voted “yes” after failing to stop the bill with an amendment requiring a study of the tax rollback.

Sen. Thad Altman, a Viera Republican, said the increase had never been discussed in committee and came up only late in the 2009 legislative session in budget conference.

“This is giving back to the people of Florida their hard-earned dollars,” he said.

Sen. Nancy Detert, a Venice Republican, called it “a Robin Hood bill,” and Jeff Clemens, a Lake Worth Democrat, said the measure was “a direct break for working people.”

But Miller said the incentive that’s paying for the tax break has been in place for more than 25 years, and was reaffirmed and expanded in 2003.

“We have seen companies that have been able to expand or maintain jobs, resulting in the industry employing more than 180,000 Floridians in just the last four years,” he said. The tax credit “is part of the broader consideration that companies take into account when deciding to place or maintain jobs in our state, and we think it is working.”

There is no companion bill in the House, meaning that chamber will have to consider the Senate version for it to become law. A spokeswoman for House Speaker Will Weatherford could not be immediately reached.

Article courtsey of TBO.com

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New mobile app feature to pay rent online!

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Addison

mobile payment flow

Now residents, current and future, may set up and account using the new app for mobile payments through www.rentpayment.com Pay your rent on the Go!

Dennis Miller coming to Tampa!

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Addison

Courtsey of TBO.com

DENNIS MILLER

Dennis Miller will perform in Lakeland and St. Petersburg.
1 of 2
MORE INFORMATION

IF YOU GO
When: 8 p.m. Friday

Where: Lakeland Center, Youkey Theatre, 701 W. Lime St., Lakeland

Tickets: $45 and $55 (863) 834-8111 and www.thelakelandcenter.com

AND

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Mahaffey Theatre, 400 First St. S., St. Petersburg

Tickets: $68.60 and $47.85; (727) 892-5767 and www.themahaffey.com
By BY ED CONDRAN |
Published: March 27, 2013
- Prior to performing at the Borgata in Atlantic City last year, Dennis Miller joked backstage about having played every venue.

“I’m like that Johnny Cash song, “I’ve been everywhere, man,” Miller cracked.

Miller has been everywhere and it feels like he’s been everything. The cerebral humorist, who will perform Saturday at the Mahaffey, is the conservative stand-up comic. If you need a one-liner from the right wing, Miller is more than willing to toss a verbal hand grenade at liberals.

But wasn’t the Miller from the ’90s, who hosted an acclaimed HBO show, “Dennis Miller Live,” a lefty, who hit the GOP with esoteric salvos? “No,” Miller said. “I made jokes at Bill Clinton’s expense but if you recall I ripped everyone a new one. But as you get older, you grow more conservative. And things changed for me after 9/11.”

Miller, 59, enjoys waxing about President Obama. He isn’t pleased overall with Obama but he admits that he is pleasantly surprised by how tough the Commander-in-Chief has been in the Middle East.

New in the community!

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Addison

Courtsey of TBO.com

Lid about to open on Tampa’s Container Store

JAY CONNER/STAFF

The Container Store, which has its grand opening on Saturday, is located near Spruce Street and Westshore Boulevard.

The Container Store, which has its grand opening on Saturday, is located near Spruce Street and Westshore Boulevard. JAY CONNER/STAFF

Conttainer Store opening soon

By RICHARD MULLINS | The Tampa Tribune
Published: March 14, 2013
Updated: March 14, 2013 – 8:42 AM

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AMPA –Organization is a journey, not a destination.

That’s the soothing mantra sales staffers at the Container Store use to comfort overwhelmed customers who wander into their store feeling overwhelmed and maybe a bit ashamed by their houses packed with clutter.

Don’t try tackling the whole house at once, they say. Instead, start with something small, such as your junk drawer, and then “enjoy the euphoria of neatness.”

This weekend, the Container Store opens in an enormous building at the corner of West Shore Boulevard and Spruce Street, and the company this week is training staffers on how to help customers find that neatness euphoria. Maybe it’s a nifty wall-mounted box to hold and dispense plastic grocery bags, maybe a hanging shoe rack.

If customers do pick the closet to tackle, here’s one tactic: Take everything in hangars out on your birthday, and turn the hangars around so the hooks face outward, not inward. Then as you use clothes, put them back in the right way.

On your next birthday, “look at everything still facing the wrong way because you never wore them, take them out, and maybe give those clothes to a friend, or to charity. It will free you,” said Elaine Luce, a senior director of marketing and special events at the Dallas-based Container Store.

Wednesday, sales staffers took group tours of the store’s departments, taking lessons on how to show off organizing doodads from the company officials who buy those products for the store’s lineup. For instance:

On a wall of hundreds of types of hangars, closet expert Erin Hogue showed three kinds, including an especially wide version for customers who aren’t “big,” but rather “broad shouldered,” and a pack of special hangars whose hooks rotate. Why, she asked. “So you can hang an outfit on the door! On the door!” an excited trainee blurted out. Price: $5.99.

A “Little Black Dress” jewelry hangar, the size and shape of a real cocktail dress, but covered in tiny pockets to hang your jewelry in your closet, and make it all visible at once. Price: $19.99.

A wall of bubble wrap sold by the foot, white cardboard boxes and bags of recycled paper filling priced $8 for a bag the size of an extra-large pillow.

An “Eagle Creek Packet Folder” kit to fold clothes into your luggage, complete with a plastic sheet covered in directions, “Just like they use at the Gap to fold clothes,” Luce said. $27.49.

Hundreds of refrigerator magnets. But knowing that many customers have stainless steel fridges that won’t hold magnets, the store sells a special dry-erase Clingboard, “with a special stickiness that has no adhesive to leave a residue,” Luce said. Price: $9.99.

This is the 59th Container Store to open nationwide. Another will open soon in Orlando, as the company continues to expand in Florida, but there’s already huge buzz here, with more than 100 people online signed up for an opening day event at the store.

rmullins@tampatrib.com (813) 259-7919 Twitter: @DailyDeadline

Favorite Pet Event of the Year!

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Addison

Courtsey of The Humane Society of Tampa

Event Details

humanesocietytampa.org

The Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 2012 Readers’ Choice Awards named Tuxes & Tails, our signature fundraising gala, as the FAVORITE EVENT OF ITS KIND in Tampa Bay!

April 20, 2013
6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Marriott Waterside
700 S. Florida Avenue
Tampa, FL 33602

For more information or to inquire about available sponsorships for this event, please contact our Special Events Coordinator Shannon Sellards, specialevents@humanesocietytampa.org or call 813.876.4150.

Read About Last Year’s Amazing Event

2012 marked the 10th ANNIVERSARY OF THIS GALA EVENT as well as our CENTENNIAL. On Saturday, May 5, at the Tampa Convention Center, we threw a spectacular celebration of SAVING LIVES FOR 100 YEARS!

Guests enjoyed an evening of live music, cocktails, and a silent auction followed by dinner, live auction and fashion show. But the festivities didn’t end there! We celebrated into the night with after-dinner drinks, a cigar bar and more live music along the water.

But, attendees weren’t just there to have a good time, they came to give back. Due to their generosity and passion for homeless animals, more than $265,000 was raised through silent and live auctions and Save a Life pledges.

Spring Break Weather Forecast

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Addison

Courtesy of TBO.com

Current Weather Location

Tampa, Florida

10 Day Forecast - °F | °C

View the Calendar Forecast »

Monday, March 11
Shwrs Late	77° 65°
View Detailed Hourly »

Rise: 7:43 AM Set: 7:36 PM	Rise: 7:19 AM Set: 7:42 PM
Day: NA
Night: Partly cloudy this evening followed by mostly cloudy skies and a few showers after midnight. Thunder possible. Low near 65F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

UV Index: 8 (Very High)

Relative Humidity: 80%

Precipitation: 40%
Clouds

Cloud Cover: 62%

Moon Phase: Waning Crescent
Wind Speed: 14mph (22km/h, 12kts)
Wind Direction: 170° (S)

Tuesday, March 12
Showers	69° 53°
View Detailed Hourly »

Rise: 7:42 AM Set: 7:37 PM	Rise: 7:57 AM Set: 8:40 PM
Day: Showers early becoming less numerous later in the day. Thunder possible. High 69F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Night: Partly cloudy. Low 53F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.

UV Index: 5 (Moderate)

Relative Humidity: 82%

Precipitation: 50%
Clouds

Cloud Cover: 85%

Moon Phase: New
Wind Speed: 12mph (20km/h, 10kts)
Wind Direction: 235° (SW)

Wednesday, March 13
M Sunny	72° 47°

Rise: 7:41 AM Set: 7:37 PM	Rise: 8:34 AM Set: 9:37 PM
Mostly sunny. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the upper 40s.

UV Index: 8 (Very High)

Relative Humidity: 48%

Precipitation: 10%
Clouds

Cloud Cover: 23%

Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent
Wind Speed: 15mph (24km/h, 13kts)
Wind Direction: 349° (N)

Thursday, March 14
Sunny	67° 44°

Rise: 7:40 AM Set: 7:38 PM	Rise: 9:12 AM Set: 10:33 PM
Sunny. Highs in the upper 60s and lows in the mid 40s.

UV Index: 9 (Very High)

Relative Humidity: 45%

Precipitation: 10%
Clouds

Cloud Cover: 12%

Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent
Wind Speed: 10mph (16km/h, 9kts)
Wind Direction: 359° (N)

Friday, March 15
Sunny	71° 48°

Rise: 7:39 AM Set: 7:38 PM	Rise: 9:51 AM Set: 11:27 PM
Sunny. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the upper 40s.

UV Index: 9 (Very High)

Relative Humidity: 54%

Precipitation: 10%
Clouds

Cloud Cover: 12%

Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent
Wind Speed: 6mph (10km/h, 5kts)
Wind Direction: 349° (N)

Saturday, March 16
Sunny	77° 52°

Rise: 7:38 AM Set: 7:39 PM	Rise: 10:33 AM Set: 12:01 AM
Mainly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the low 50s.

UV Index: 9 (Very High)

Relative Humidity: 60%

Precipitation: 0%
Clouds

Cloud Cover: 3%

Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent
Wind Speed: 6mph (10km/h, 5kts)
Wind Direction: 237° (WSW)

Sunday, March 17
P Cloudy	80° 58°

Rise: 7:37 AM Set: 7:40 PM	Rise: 11:17 AM Set: 12:20 AM
Partly cloudy. Highs in the low 80s and lows in the upper 50s.

UV Index: 9 (Very High)

Relative Humidity: 64%

Precipitation: 10%
Clouds

Cloud Cover: 25%

Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent
Wind Speed: 6mph (10km/h, 5kts)
Wind Direction: 224° (SW)

Monday, March 18
P Cloudy	82° 59°

Rise: 7:36 AM Set: 7:40 PM	Rise: 12:03 PM Set: 1:11 AM
Times of sun and clouds. Highs in the low 80s and lows in the upper 50s.

UV Index: 9 (Very High)

Relative Humidity: 67%

Precipitation: 10%
Clouds

Cloud Cover: 27%

Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent
Wind Speed: 9mph (15km/h, 8kts)
Wind Direction: 200° (SSW)

Tuesday, March 19
Sunny	78° 56°

Rise: 7:34 AM Set: 7:41 PM	Rise: 12:52 PM Set: 2:00 AM
Sunshine. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the mid 50s.

UV Index: 9 (Very High)

Relative Humidity: 58%

Precipitation: 0%
Clouds

Cloud Cover: 0%

Moon Phase: First Quarter
Wind Speed: 13mph (21km/h, 11kts)
Wind Direction: 299° (WNW)

Wednesday, March 20
Sunny	81° 62°

Rise: 7:33 AM Set: 7:41 PM	Rise: 1:42 PM Set: 2:45 AM
Sunny. Highs in the low 80s and lows in the low 60s.

UV Index: 9 (Very High)

Relative Humidity: 60%

Precipitation: 10%
Clouds

Cloud Cover: 0%

Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous
Wind Speed: 7mph (12km/h, 6kts)
Wind Direction: 202° (SSW)

McCreery at Strawberry Festival!

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Addison

Courtsey of TBO.com

Country ‘heartthrob’ McCreery to mix hits, new songs at Strawberry Festival

ANDREW SOUTHAM

Scotty McCreery performs 7:30 p.m. March 8 at the Florida Strawberry Festival. McCreery, 19, said he loves strawberries and is looking forward to his first visit to the festival.

Scotty McCreery performs 7:30 p.m. March 8 at the Florida Strawberry Festival. McCreery, 19, said he loves strawberries and is looking forward to his first visit to the festival. ANDREW SOUTHAM

By DAVE NICHOLSON | Plant City Courier
Published: February 27, 2013 Updated: February 27, 2013 – 6:00 AM

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PLANT CITY –Country music heartthrob Scotty McCreery says he has two reasons to look forward to performing at the Florida Strawberry Festival.First, it’s a top venue for country stars, the 19-year-old said.

“Everybody said you’ve got to play this festival,” said McCreery, who was catapulted to fame as the winner of the 10th season of “American Idol. “A lot of the biggest acts in country music have played there.”

There’s an added bonus, the baritone singer said: “I love to eat strawberries.”

McCreery appears 7:30 p.m. March 8 at the festival as part of his first headline tour, Weekend Roadtrip Tour 2013. The tour’s title is a nod to his current routine, attending classes at North Carolina State University on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and concentrating on music the other days.

McCreery, a freshman studying public relations, said it’s been a challenge juggling school and music. “A lot of it is just catching up on my homework,” he said.

“Right now, I’m balancing my music career with my second semester at North Carolina State University. I go to school early in the week and get to play my music every weekend. So, calling this tour the Weekend Roadtrip Tour just made sense. Plus, what college student doesn’t love a good road trip?”

At the festival, the Academy of Country Music Artists reigning New Artist of the Year said he’ll sing a mixture of his hits, such as “The Trouble With Girls,” “Water Tower Town” and “I Love You This Big.” He also plans to give his fans a sneak peek at some new music coming soon from his second album.

McCreery said he’s grateful to “American Idol” for helping him launch a career that has led to almost overnight stardom. He laughs when asked about how he deals with being considered a heartthrob.

He brushes aside the compliment.

“They can call me what they want, but I still look at myself the same. They can describe me any way they want,” he said.

World Vision is the charitable sponsor for the Weekend Roadtrip Tour 2013. The 63-year-old Christian humanitarian organization fights poverty and injustice around the globe.

Reserved seats to McCreery’s festival concert are $25 and $30, depending on location. In addition to the reserved seats, there are about 3,000 free seats at each show in the festival grandstand.

For information, call the festival ticket office at (813) 754-1996 or go to www.flstrawberryfestival.com.

dnicholson@tampatrib.com (813) 394-5103

Martina McBride at Strawberry Festival Tonight!

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Addison

Courtsey of TBO.com

Martina McBride to play at Strawberry Festival on Tuesday

FLORIDA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL

“I love the strawberry shortcake. … “It’s one of the reasons I look forward to coming to the strawberry festival,” said Martina McBride.

PLANT CITY –

Award winning singer Martina McBride said she enjoys playing on the Florida Strawberry Festival’s stage.

But one of the reasons she really likes the venue doesn’t have anything to do with music.

“I love the strawberry shortcake,” McBride said. “It’s one of the reasons I look forward to coming to the strawberry festival.”

McBride, 46, said she has appeared at the festival two or three times during her more than 20-year music career. She said she plans a mix of her old hits and some new songs during when she takes the stage around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“We’re going to play quite a variety. It will be a good mixture,” said McBride, known for hits such as “My Baby Loves Me,” “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” and “This One’s for the Girls.”

She has had a long and distinguished career, and recently was nominated for her fifth Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year award.

Festival General Manager Paul Davis said he’s glad to have McBride returning to the festival stage.

“She’s a nice, sweet lady and she has a beautiful voice,” Davis said. “We love her and so do the fans.”

During one of her festival appearances, McBride pulled on a baseball cap and took one of her daughters on rides on the midway, Davis said.

“I don’t think anyone recognized her or if they did, they left her alone,” he said.

Reserve seats to her show on the Wish Farms Soundstage are $30, not including gate admission. In addition to the reserve seats, the festival offers about 3,000 free seats in the grandstand.

dnicholson@tampatrib.com (813) 394-5103

Seffner Sink Hole Donations!

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Addison

Courtsey of TBO.com

By KAREN MCALLISTER | Tbo.com
Published: March 04, 2013 Updated: March 04, 2013 – 11:44 AM

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Two relief funds were started to help the people displaced by the sinkhole that opened underneath their Seffner home last week.

Jeffrey Bush, 37, was in his bedroom Thursday night when the ground opened and took him and everything else in his room. A search for him was called off Saturday and demolition of the home began on Sunday.

Five others in the house escaped: Jeremy Bush; his girlfriend, Rachel Wicker; their 2-year-old daughter; and Wicker’s father and aunt.

The nonprofit Brandon Foundation is collecting money for them. To donate, call (813) 689-6889 and pay by credit card or send a check to Brandon Foundation, Attention: Sinkhole Family Relief, P.O. Box 3197, Brandon FL 33509.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue also has a relief fund. For information and to donate, go to firefighter-relief.com.

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The Addison Apartments | Brandon Florida

Luxury Brandon Apartments for rent

Coming to Tampa!

Tampa tickets for Lil Wayne, T.I. go on sale Friday!

Related Links

Savings in the near future for Florida drivers!

Florida Senate votes to roll back motor vehicle fees

New mobile app feature to pay rent online!

Dennis Miller coming to Tampa!

New in the community!

Courtsey of TBO.com

Lid about to open on Tampa’s Container Store

Favorite Pet Event of the Year!

Event Details

Read About Last Year’s Amazing Event

Spring Break Weather Forecast

McCreery at Strawberry Festival!

Courtsey of TBO.com

Country ‘heartthrob’ McCreery to mix hits, new songs at Strawberry Festival

Martina McBride at Strawberry Festival Tonight!

Seffner Sink Hole Donations!

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