Assignment 5A- Identifying Local Opportunities

1. The title of this article is “As the battle over a large used car dealership continues, the future is murky for Muck Pond Road”. The link is https://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/as-the-battle-over-a-large-used-car-dealership-continues-the-future-is-murky-for-muck-pond-road-20190120/. At the intersection of McIntosh and Muck Pond there is a 19-acre cow pasture. Off Lease Only Inc. wants to turn this land into a 1,000-vehicle used car lot. This used car lot would just add to the list of eye sores on Interstate 4. Other eye sores include a T-Rex around Dinosaur World and an old run-down restaurant. Residents of this area are ready to fight in opposition. This car lot would cut into farmlands, homesteads, citrus groves, and strawberry fields. The location of said car lot is not ideal either, in the middle of a growing area with 3 schools. The car lot would add a lot of traffic. Residents of east Hillsborough County would be affected, specifically the Dover area. 

2. The title of this article is “Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office: One dead in Tampa apartment fire”. The link is https://www.tampabay.com/breaking-news/hillsborough-county-sherrifs-office-one-dead-in-tampa-apartment-fire-20190120/. On Saturday January 19^ththere was a fire at apartments in Tampa that Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded to. Two of the apartments were consumed by flames. Once the fire was put out and police were allowed in the buildings, one body was found. The problem is that there was a fire that destroyed peoples homes and killed one person. Residents and their families of the 5500 block of Tranquility Drive are affected by this terrible incident. The victims family is also affected.

3. The title of the article is “His truck broke down on the highway. He was lost. He was killed in a hit-and-run, authorities say”. The link is https://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/a-woman-is-suspected-of-fleeing-the-scene-of-a-fatal-crash-authorities-say-she-was-under-the-influence-of-drugs-and-alcohol-20190120/. Gary Gogolowski was driving northbound on US-301 when his pickup truck broke down around 11:30 pm. He called someone asking for help because he did not know where he was. His wife called the Hernando sheriff’s office asking them to go look for her husband. Gogolowski was crossing US-301 when Kelsey Scheg, driving southbound, hit and killed him. She then left the scene. A little while after the hit-and-run a call was made about a disturbance in Zephyrhills where Scheg was found and arrested. Scheg had been charged with driving under the influence and was sentenced to a year of probation from an incident in 2016. The problem in this story is that too many people drink and drive. The consequences for these acts are not very severe. Drunk drivers need to be held more accountable for their actions. Gogoloswki’s friends and family are affected, as well as Scheg and her friends and family.

4. The title of this article is “Tyndall Air Force Base hit by tornado”. The link is https://www.tampabay.com/breaking-news/tyndall-air-force-base-hit-by-tornado-20190120/ . Tyndall Air Force base which is located in the panhandle was hit by a tornado on Saturday night, just months after being hit by Hurricane Michael. The tornado touched down at roughly 6:30 pm wrecking buildings and cars. Thankfully, no one was hurt. This Air Force base is an important base for the military and the economy. It’s location gives pilots a lot of airspace for training. The problem is that Tyndall is damaged. Buildings are destroyed, there are piles of debris, and many airmen are having to sleep in tents outside. Those affected by this devastation include those that work and live on the base and its surrounding areas, as well as their families.

5. The title of this article is “The fallout from state review of 2-year-old Jordan Belliveau’s death”. The link is https://www.tampabay.com/news/the-fallout-from-state-review-of-2-year-old-jordan-belliveaus-death-20190117/. Jordan Belliveau, a 2-year-old Largo resident, was murdered by his mom after being returned to her just four months prior from foster care. According to the Florida Department of Children and Families there were missteps by child welfare agencies, child protective investigators, and others before the child was killed. This led to a review of the foster care program in Pinellas County. DeSantis assured to hold those responsible accountable. Senator Lauren Book warned that more children will die if the problems in the foster care system are not taken care of and said children end up under state watch. She also feels that those responsible need to be held accountable but sees a passing of blame in the CDF report. Charisse Stinson, Jordan’s mother, reported her son missing on September 2. Just two days later his body was found and Stinson confessed to striking Jordan, hiding his body, and making up a story. She awaits trial on a charge of first-degree murder. Before his death, child welfare agencies missed warning signs, did not go to home visits, and did not comment on Stinson lying in court about going to mandatory counseling classes to get her son back. In addition, child protective investigators did not identify the threats Jordan faced of increased domestic violence between his parents. Book also stated that a foster parent she had met with had eight different case managers in a span of two months. The problem is foster care in the state of Florida. The child welfare system is underfunded with a very high turnover. It is hard to keep knowledgeable and responsible employees when people keep quitting and getting hired. All children in foster care, their foster parents, and their birth parents are affected by this problem.