By Matt Wiley & Gary Nager
Following his first 60-day Legislative session as New Tampa’s representative in Florida’s House of Representatives, Rep. Mark Danish (D-New Tampa) is back in town, but already looking ahead to his next stint in Tallahassee.Continue reading
So, I was visiting my friends Roberto and Steve, the co-owners of 900º Woodfired Pizza in the Shops at Wiregrass mall the other day when Steve (his last name is Falabella), who had served as the president of one of the subdivision homeowners associations inside the West Meadows community at the time the now-constructed New Tampa Blvd. “Gateway Bridge” was still being debated, admitted to a mistake he made at that time.Continue reading
By Matt Wiley
Neighborhood kids gather at a house in central Tampa, but it’s not because they live there. Instead, they come to this house in Sulphur Springs after school to do activities, play video games, make friends and even enjoy a meal, rather than wander the streets of this neighborhood in transition.Continue reading
By Matt Wiley
Although one segment of widening construction along the busy Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. recently wrapped up (except, of course, for the segment between Palm Springs Blvd. and Dona Michelle Dr. under I-75), Hillsborough County officials are now looking ahead to the next segment.Continue reading
By Matt Wiley | May 23
Details have emerged about the May 23 accident that killed a pedestrian standing next to her broken down car on I-75.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), 22-year-old Kerry Ruiz, of Tampa, was killed when she was struck by an Isuzu truck towing a 29-foot boat, driven by Sarmad Joseph Jamil, 36, of Gilbert, AZ, who was traveling north on I-75 near mile marker 282, three miles north of S.R. 54, at 3:25 p.m.
The report says that, for unknown reasons, Ruiz, who was standing on the east shoulder of the interstate next to her car, which had its emergency flashers on, ran out in front of Jamil’s truck. Jamil was unable to avoid hitting Ruiz and his truck struck the pedestrian and then ran into the right side of a 2009 Acura RSX being driven by 26-year-old Ashley Fields of Largo. The Acura spun off the northwest side of I-75 before coming to rest.
Ruiz died at the scene and northbound I-75 was closed at S.R. 54 for about three hours. No other injuries were reported and no further information was available at our press time. The crash is still under investigation.