The property, located at 1220 E. 142nd Ave. in Tampa’s University Area, is the second duplex acquired and rehabilitated under the Rehab to Restore Hope for Veterans program — a joint effort between the University Area Community Development Corporation and AdventHealth that pairs stable housing with wellness support for veterans exiting homelessness or housing instability.

Location is central to the program’s design. Rather than placing veterans wherever affordable units happen to exist, the initiative concentrates its housing stock near the Haley VA hospital and the surrounding network of medical care, transit and employment — resources that organizers say determine whether a housing placement holds.

University Area CDC Chief Executive Officer Erica Moody told Bay News 9 that housing, transportation and employment function as a single interlocking problem for the veterans the program serves — difficulty in any one area cascades into the others — and that veterans have absorbed a disproportionate share of the strain in the broader affordable housing crisis.

The duplex restoration was financed with $225,000 from AdventHealth and an additional $100,000 from the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Patch with a Purpose program, per Bay News 9.

The organization’s footprint in the neighborhood extends beyond the two duplexes. University Area CDC operates three apartment complexes in the University Area — Golden Glade, Golden Palm and Uptown Sky — and Moody indicated the group’s strategy runs on parallel tracks: constructing new units while acquiring and restoring existing housing stock as a means of preserving affordability and stabilizing the surrounding neighborhood.

Placement into the program runs through a formal referral pipeline rather than open application. Under a partnership among University Area CDC, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing program and the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA case managers assess veterans for eligibility, housing readiness and support needs, then refer qualified candidates directly into the application and placement process.

The Monday ribbon-cutting follows the program’s first duplex restoration, which placed a University Area veteran into housing in 2025.

Reporting attributed to Spectrum Bay News 9 (Angie Angers, Hillsborough County)

Reginald Seay, 39, was arrested Tuesday at his Clearwater home and charged with one count of harmful communication to a minor. Detectives said Seay admitted to the allegations during an interview at the sheriff’s office’s Largo headquarters before he was booked into jail.

Investigators said Seay was volunteering with the Tarpon Springs Jr. Spongers when he met the girl, who was 13 at the time. Over the course of more than three months, according to the sheriff’s office, he exchanged sexually explicit messages with her and exposed himself during a video call. Detectives said he also urged the teen to delete their conversations, warning her the messages could land him in jail.

The case surfaced after the sheriff’s office received information identifying Seay, deputies said.

The investigation remains open. The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information to contact Cpl. K. McKee at (727) 582-5827.

Source: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office; Fox 13 News

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The waterfront ballpark at 230 First Street S. has become the region’s unofficial supporters’ section this tournament. More than 3,000 fans packed the stands on June 12 to watch the Americans open group play with a 4-1 rout of Paraguay, and organizers expect Wednesday’s crowd to be bigger. To keep up, they’ve added more screens — and larger ones — so there’s a clean view from every seat in the house.

Gates open at 6 p.m. ahead of an 8 p.m. kickoff. Tickets run $10 here and the event is open to all ages, and seating is general admission, first come, first served. Parking in the stadium lot is $10, cash only. Beers and seltzers are $5 all night — a rate the organizers, not unreasonably, are billing as one of the better deals in world football.

The watch party is a joint production of the Rowdies, Michelob Ultra and PMB Events, with Michelob Ultra handing out giveaways and swag and radio stations 102.5 The Bone and Magic 94.9 on site. The St. Petersburg chapter of the American Outlaws — the national team’s traveling supporters’ group — will run a pre-match pep rally and keep the chants going through the final whistle.

“The Rowdies are excited to welcome fans into Al Lang Stadium for what will be a can’t-miss event,” team president Ryan Helfrick said, adding that he expects the atmosphere to top the June opener.

A portion of every ticket benefits Ocean Aid 360, a marine habitat restoration group, and the Williams Park Partnership, which is working to revitalize St. Petersburg’s historic downtown park.

The stakes on the field are real. A win sends the U.S. to the Round of 16 — and would be the program’s first knockout-round victory since Landon Donovan’s goal downed Mexico in 2002.

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The advisory runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The NWS issues a heat advisory in Florida when heat index values — the combination of air temperature and humidity — are expected to reach 108 degrees or higher.

Actual air temperatures are expected to reach the low to mid-90s Thursday afternoon. Lower rain chances and strong high pressure building over the region are limiting the typical afternoon storm activity that would otherwise provide some cooling relief and cloud cover.

The advisory follows an extended stretch of elevated heat across the region. Tampa set an all-time record high of 100 degrees on Sunday — the hottest temperature ever recorded by the National Weather Service at Tampa International Airport. Heat advisories have been in effect for multiple consecutive days since.

Who Is Most at Risk

Heat-related illness can affect anyone, though health officials note that certain groups face greater risk: the elderly, young children, outdoor workers, and people without access to air conditioning.

St. Pete Fire Rescue Lt. Garth Swingle said the department typically sees an uptick in heat-related emergency calls during advisory periods.

“People that are coming out for just a couple minutes — we see it there.”

— Lt. Garth Swingle, St. Pete Fire Rescue

Swingle added that no one should assume a brief period outdoors is without risk during extreme heat conditions.

Recommended Precautions

Officials are advising residents to limit time outdoors during peak afternoon hours, stay hydrated with water rather than sugary or alcoholic beverages, and wear lightweight, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing if going outside.

Residents without air conditioning at home are encouraged to seek out cooling locations, including public libraries, shopping malls, and museums. Area cooling centers may also be available through local government programs.

Officials are also urging residents to check on elderly neighbors, relatives, and pets who may be more vulnerable to heat illness.

Recognizing Heat-Related Illness

Heat exhaustion symptoms include heavy sweating, weakness, cold or pale skin, a fast and weak pulse, nausea, and possible fainting. Those experiencing heat exhaustion should move to a cool place and drink water.

Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Symptoms include a high body temperature, hot and red skin, a rapid and strong pulse, and possible loss of consciousness. Anyone suspected of suffering heat stroke should receive a 911 call immediately. Do not give the person anything to drink.

Hot and humid conditions are expected to persist beyond Thursday. Heat index values are forecast to remain in the 105 to 110 degree range through the weekend and into next week, with rain chances remaining below normal.

Updated forecasts are available through the National Weather Service Tampa Bay office.

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Love, 58, was booked into the Orient Road Jail in Tampa on June 16 and subsequently transferred to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he is being held on no bond. TMZ reported that Love missed a child support hearing, which appears to have triggered the contempt action.

Court records obtained by multiple outlets show that a woman named Tiffany Lee moved to reopen a declaration-of-paternity case involving Love on June 11 — five days before his arrest. While officials have not formally confirmed the connection between the two matters, reports from Entertainment Weekly and People indicate Love allegedly failed to pay $250,000 in child support owed to Lee. Love is expected to appear before a Hillsborough County judge on Friday.

His legal representative had not issued a public statement as of publication.

A Pattern of Legal Trouble

The Florida arrest is the latest chapter in a growing series of legal entanglements for the comedian and character actor, whose real name is Langston Faizon Santisima.

Most significantly, Love is awaiting trial in San Diego on a felony assault charge stemming from a August 2024 incident at a Mission Valley Sheraton hotel. Prosecutors allege he ripped a credit card reader off a front desk counter and hurled it at a clerk who told him the hotel had no room for him despite a third-party booking. A San Diego judge found sufficient evidence to send the case to trial; Love faces felony assault with a deadly weapon plus a great-bodily-injury enhancement — a combination carrying up to seven years in prison. He has pleaded not guilty.

In a prior interview with VladTV, Love said he did not realize the charge had been elevated from a misdemeanor to a felony until he was already in court and noted he had been undergoing psychiatric treatment in advance of the proceedings.

Love also faced a civil judgment in 2022 after a former personal assistant, Hevekiah Walker, sued him and his company for alleged sexual harassment. When Love failed to respond to the complaint, a judge entered a default judgment against him for roughly $543,000 including interest and costs. Walker subsequently pursued NBCUniversal to garnish residuals owed to Love, and a court issued a matching default judgment against the network — which NBCUniversal has since moved to appeal.

A 2017 arrest in Columbus, Ohio — captured on video — showed Love grabbing a valet by the neck and throwing him to the ground at John Glenn Columbus International Airport.

About Faizon Love

In addition to Elf, Love has appeared in Friday (1995), The Replacements (2000), Couples Retreat (2009), Just My Luck (2006), and the 2022 film Santa Games. He played Al Baker in 30 episodes of the Starz series Step Up: High Water. The Florida contempt case is ongoing.

Sources: TMZ, FOX 13 Tampa Bay, WFLA, Entertainment Weekly, People, Baller Alert. This story will be updated as court proceedings develop.

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in partnership with the America250 initiative, delivered 40,000 pounds of food to Feeding Tampa Bay on Thursday — one stop in a coast-to-coast campaign aiming to send 250 truckloads of food to communities across all 50 states.

Forty thousand pounds. That’s not a donation — that’s a statement.

“We decided to send 250 truckloads out to all 50 states to commemorate the America 250 celebration,” said Casey Hess, president of the Tampa Florida Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “All year, we’re sending out truckloads of food to different cities across America.”

The shipment included pantry staples — macaroni, beans, corn, dry milk and other household essentials — that Feeding Tampa Bay will sort and distribute across its full service area, stretching from Citrus County through Hillsborough, Pasco, and beyond.

Why Tampa, and why now? Organizers say the timing is intentional — building community momentum ahead of the nation’s semiquincentennial in 2026 while making a practical dent in local hunger numbers. The donation is expected to translate into hundreds of thousands of meals for families in need.

Hess framed the effort in straightforward terms: “We get the opportunity to serve our neighbors and love one another. No matter our religious, political backgrounds, we’re all in this country together, and we need to serve our neighbors.”

Residents looking to get involved can find volunteer opportunities at JustServe.org as the campaign continues rolling through the calendar year.

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The exchange unfolded at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre after the band played “Soul Singing,” when its crow mascot — an intentionally subversive image of the bird dressed as Uncle Sam — appeared on the venue’s screens. Part of the crowd took it as a cue and broke into chants of “U-S-A.” Robinson responded with a dismissive “Thanks for the geography lesson,” then, as the chanting continued, told the audience he didn’t see what they had to be proud of at the moment.

The remarks drew a mix of boos and cheers. According to JamBase’s account of the on-stage sequence, Robinson went on to tell the crowd that some of them had real faith, then directed a profanity-laced line at the hecklers — saying that some of them were not afraid and were not ignorant — before the band moved into its 1991 hit “She Talks to Angels.” A video from TMZ shows some concertgoers getting up and walking out during the back-and-forth.

The reaction stood in contrast to other stops on the tour. At a Fort Lauderdale show, the same material reportedly drew a warmer response. Representatives for the Black Crowes did not immediately respond to requests for comment from multiple outlets.
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The forecast. Researchers at Colorado State University are calling for a “somewhat below-normal” season of roughly 13 named storms and six hurricanes. NOAA is similarly projecting a below-normal year, with 8 to 14 named storms, three to six hurricanes and one to three major hurricanes. For comparison, a typical season produces about 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

Why quieter. The main driver is a developing El Niño, which is expected to strengthen through the summer and fall. El Niño tends to boost wind shear across the Atlantic — high-altitude winds that can tear apart storms before they organize. The counterweight is that parts of the Atlantic and Gulf remain warmer than normal, which favors development; forecasters simply expect the El Niño effect to win out. CSU pegs the chance of a hurricane making landfall along the Gulf Coast, from the Florida Panhandle to Brownsville, at about 20% — below the long-term average of 27%.

Why it still matters. The 2025 season is the cautionary tale: it generated 13 named storms, five hurricanes and four major hurricanes — three of them reaching Category 5 — yet the U.S. avoided a direct landfall. A slow season can still produce a single devastating storm, which is why officials say preparation shouldn’t wait.

How to get ready:

• Build a kit now. Assemble at least a three-day supply of food and water per person, plus medications and supplies, before any storm is on the map.

• Fortify the home. Keep drains and gutters clear, consider check valves in your plumbing to prevent backups, and look into hurricane shutters if you don’t have them.

• Pack a go-bag for the car. If you may need to evacuate, keep important documents and essentials staged separately so leaving is fast.

• Heed evacuation orders. If your zone is told to leave, leave — and note that you often don’t have to drive far to reach safety.

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The tower, at 2309 N. Rome Ave., is the first phase of the broader Rome Yards redevelopment, which is converting an 18-acre former municipal maintenance yard between Rome Avenue and the Hillsborough River into a mixed-income neighborhood. This phase will deliver 234 apartments — 60 one-bedroom, 152 two-bedroom and 22 three-bedroom units — with the large majority set aside for affordable and workforce housing.

“As Tampa continues to grow, we are focused on creating neighborhoods where residents of all income levels can thrive,” Mayor Jane Castor said, describing the project as inclusive development that expands housing options while reconnecting the historic waterfront community to the rest of the city.

Beyond apartments, the phase includes five live/work units aimed at small-business owners and a 3,800-square-foot workforce training center offering job-readiness help and résumé assistance. The center will be run by the West Tampa Community Development Corporation in partnership with the developer.

When the full master plan is built out, Rome Yards is slated to hold roughly 954 residential units along with townhomes, retail and commercial space, and new public amenities — part of the city’s wider push to add affordable housing in a corridor where rising values have squeezed many longtime, working-class residents.
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Deputies say the man was last seen around 9:05 a.m. Saturday in the 5400 block of State Road 54. Preliminary information indicates he walked into a business and demanded money from the register, then left the scene before law enforcement arrived. No one was injured, and investigators believe the episode was isolated.

The sheriff’s office has not said which business was involved. It described the suspect as a Black man, roughly 6 feet 2 inches tall and about 130 pounds, last seen in a black hoodie and black pants and heading away from the area on foot.

Anyone with information about the case or the man’s identity is asked to contact the sheriff’s tip line at 1-800-706-2488 or submit a tip online.

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Elsa R. Flores has stepped down as division chief and associate center director of basic science, according to an email sent to senior Moffitt staff. The note characterized the move as a personal decision and said she will stay on as a senior member of the Department of Molecular Oncology, where she will concentrate on running her own lab.

Until the change, Flores had sat near the top of Moffitt’s research hierarchy. Her institutional profile describes her as overseeing five academic departments in the Division of Basic Science and lists a long run of honors, including an NCI Outstanding Investigator award and an endowed chair. She is internationally known for her work on the p53 family of tumor-suppressor genes.

The resignation followed a retrospective review by her previous employer, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where Flores spent years as a professor before moving to Tampa. That review examined a number of papers she worked on while in Houston — papers that critics had already been picking apart in online forums, arguing that some of the images used to support the findings appeared to have been altered.

Those concerns have left a visible trail in the scientific literature. In 2024, Nature attached an editorial expression of concern to a influential 2002 paper Flores co-authored on how p63 and p73 contribute to programmed cell death, warning readers that questions had been raised about the integrity of some of the data. Separately, PLOS Genetics retracted a 2009 study on DNA-repair genes after editors found problems across multiple figure panels; the retraction notice indicates Flores did not agree with the decision. A 2019 paper in PLOS ONE drew its own expression of concern over reused western-blot images.

Moffitt declined to address specific questions about Flores, the Times reported, but said in a statement that the center holds its research to the highest integrity standards and relies on established oversight and compliance systems.

The case was reported by Christopher O’Donnell, an investigative reporter at the Tampa Bay Times.
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Investigators said a 21-year-old Tampa man was driving a Chevrolet Silverado the wrong direction on the northbound lanes near Busch Boulevard around 9:15 p.m. when he struck a Toyota Corolla almost head-on. The Corolla’s driver, a 24-year-old Tampa man, was killed at the scene.

The impact flipped the Silverado several times before it caught fire, according to troopers. The Corolla also rolled and was pushed into a third vehicle, a Toyota Camry driven by a 26-year-old Wesley Chapel man. That car then hit a fourth vehicle, a second Toyota Camry driven by a 38-year-old Tampa man.

The FHP said the drivers of the third and fourth vehicles were not hurt. The wrong-way driver, whose name has not been released, was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

Troopers said the Silverado driver had been involved in two separate hit-and-run crashes shortly before the I-275 wreck — one on Fowler Avenue and another just south of it. Authorities have not detailed those incidents or said whether anyone was injured in them.

Criminal charges against the driver are pending, the FHP said.

Reporting based on the Florida Highway Patrol via WFLA.

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