Tampa Taxi Shots

Tampa Bay Economy Recovering

The economy in Tampa seems to be making a comeback, at least the tourist economy. There has been an improvement that is noticeable. Events and conventions seemed to be lined up well into the spring. These are all good signals. In 2008 when the economy collapsed there was no hope. There were no good days; all days were bad. Hope was gone; the suffering was on. I mean that. The tourist economy reached a flat line and it was going to take years to recover. 

Weekends are now rocking and rolling. The expansion of the cruise industry has been a benefit for us. Tourist are now calling United Cab from many hotels for rides to the port. This is something they were not doing in the last three years. Multiple trips on Saturday and Sunday can be expected. 

Now that our GPS dispatch system is working well, we are getting our regular riders back. The business people that use us to go to the airport in the early mornings are coming back. They had left us last year. Now, when they call for a cab, one shows up. 

I talk to people that work in the hotels and they say advance bookings are way up and they are full through March. Major conventions are booking now through the Republican National Convention in August 2012. 

I am knocking on wood becasue I may now get my life back and stop living like life was on hold.

Tampa Police Trying To shut down Epoch Newspaper

I saw this scene at Kennedy and Westshore. It seems this Tampa cop does not like people selling newspapers. Tampa Florida has yet to be informed that Newspapers are protected by the constitution. You would have thought this was on the streets of Havana with Castro's thugs (Castor's thugs) shutting down freedom of expression and the press. I thought this cop was going to use his taser on these homeless guys. He should have used his pepper spray, right? Maybe he should just go out and right a speeding ticket.

After all, cops in Tampa are only hired to raise revenue for the city. Their time would be better served by just holding a telethon.

How embarrising for a city that is going to host a major political convention next year that they don't even know what peoples rights are. 

Liberty and freedom are important to most people. It is too bad that the Tampa police have never heard of  the Bill of Rights. I see them violating peoples rights all the time. This is nothing new. 

Bob Buckhorn and Chief Castor are not our dictators. I wish they would start behaving and representing the people of Tampa. 

Since  the City of Tampa has outlawed panhandling a newspaper was stated that will allow homeless folks to collect one dollar on every copy of Epoch they sell. It is legal and protected by the Constitution.

This is a drop point by the Army Navy store downtown where they can come and pick up their newspapers. This is how all newspapers are distributed. 

The sellers work hard. They have to ride a bike, or take a bus to the part of town where they work. And they work all day. It is not easy work. If a person was willing to do this, I am sure they would go to a real job if they had one to go to. That is the problem in this economy - There are no jobs.

I hope the publisher of Epoch will not take this sitting down. He needs to get his lawyer involved. This harrasment by the cops should not be tolerated.

Tampa Epoch Newspaper Helping The Homeless Get Around Bob Buckhorn's Ban

A street newspaper in Tampa

"This is a noteworthy time for the Tampa community." - proclaims the publisher of Tampa Epoch.

A new Newspaper is now being circulated in Tampa by the homeless community. The newspaper has a unique business arrangement with them. They get to keep the profits off the street sales and the publisher keeps the profits off the advertising. This is a legal (ethical and moral) way for homeless people to make an income, without panhandling.

The publisher of the newspaper is Bill Sharpe. I have not been able to interview him yet, but I would believe that his main concern is first amendment rights. The homeless have been marginalized by local politicians who have made it illegal for people to express their right to free speech. They said that holding a sign informing others of  your plight was a crime. It is free speech; It is protected by the Constitution.

Now, homeless (and formally homeless) can get around what Bob Buckhorn wants, and still find a way to make a living - the only way they can right now with an unemployment rate close to Great Depression levels.

The newspaper I bought today was from a vendor at the 'Occupy Tampa' sight. I felt the dollar was worth it and in twelve pages it had more content then the Tampa Tribune (which will soon be out of business). I support this effort and wish them well. The vendor seemed very happy to make a sell and I was happy for him to provide a service to me.

Street newspapers work well for the homeless and there are over 100 world-wide. They provide employment for the unemployed (something Obama has been promising for years). They provide information to the public that they will not get anywhere else. The main thing is they financially help people. Tampa Epoch is sort of a stimulus plan.

Way to go Bill Sharpe. You are one guy that is trying to make a difference by helping people that others have giving up on.

Occupy Tampa Movement Is Not Giving Up Under Police Harassment

Occupy Tampa Protesters before sunrise

Ronald Reagan once saw a hippie holding a sign that said "Make love, not war." Reagan said to Nancy that he did not believe that man was capable of either. He was no threat, and either are the Occupy Tampa protestors. 

I know harassment when I see it. I was driving by Curtis Hixon Park at six in the morning, on my way to the Howard Johnson's to drop off a fare. There were police lights in front of the park - where an hour earlier I saw protesters sleeping. They were not disturbing anyone. The police were now disturbing them.

They do this every morning. Lets just say they are an over paid wake up service. This is a shame.

I dropped my fare off and went right back and parked across the street and pulled my camera out. With all the humidity in the air, my lens fogged. Too bad. I go some great shots of the cops harassing the kids. Unfortunately, the images were too blurred to see anything.

After the cops finished their civic duty for the day, they left in a hurry. They know people have digital devices with them and they don't want any images going viral. Plus, it was a Saturday morning and that is when the cops like to set up speed traps to right cheap tickets to make their quota's. I wonder if these guys can actually earn their pay by having a shootout with a real criminal.

What Dennis told me was after the cops made them get rid of all their water and food Friday, they came back latter and said they could now have this stuff again. The cops are not following any city ordinances. They can't site any code violations. They are not civil rights lawyers. They are mealy people who are paid to screw with the public.

These kids will not be deterred. We have been dealt a bad hand, and they know it. These movements will not just go away. They were 'flyiing their signs' as soon as the cops left. It was cold; it was wet; I felt a little sorry for them. However, they are more determined then ever.

Occupy Tampa May Be Over With Police Clearing The Park

The police went to downtown this morning and cleared Curtis Hixon Park of the Occupy Tampa crowd (there was only a dozen of them). This movement may have taken hold if the people who showed up for the marches actually 'occupied Tampa.' I guess they had to get back to their jobs and continue to be exployeted by the corporete world.

This is what I saw last Sunday when I interviewed many of the crowd.

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I stopped by the Occupy Tampa movement downtown at Curtis Hixon Park. I wanted to talk to the demonstrators and find out some of their views. Where they a bunch of liberals hanging out in the park? Where they a bunch of unemployed college students who voted for Obama in 2008, and now, can’t find a job? Speaking of Obama, why do none of the signs across America not mention Obama? I wanted to find this out for myself.

Notice the red tape on the sidewalk

I found a parking space (Sunday the only day you can do that) and walked over. I met a group of people who had set up a make shift open air office and logistical center on the sidewalk in front of the park. The people seemed friendly and easy to talk to.

I noticed the amount of food, sandwiches, and bottle water they had. They said many people come by all day long and give them supplies. Without that, they would not be able to camp out. I asked them if they needed anything and blankets was something they could really use. The last few nights have been cold. That was not their primary concern, however. It was the Tampa police.

They told me they were clearly the victims of police intimidation tactics. The police were making up the rules as they went along. There were clearly maked boundries on the sidewalk where they must sleep. The protestors don’t like sleeping there because they are afraid a car might jump the curb at night and kill someone. They have had a beer bottle thrown at them which hit a girl. They want to be able to sleep further back on the grass, but for some reason, the cops won’t let them. Someone does not want them there.

Most of the people had an individual story of being under employed or out of work. Many had large student loan debt and were finding it hard to make payments on a seven dollar an hour job. They were frustrated with an economic system they felt was corrupt with the deck stacked for the privileged.

Nick with a hot coffee donated by the publc

I talked with this young man Nick, who after college found himself delivering pizzas. His belief was that the pizza company was raising the price of delivery (which cut into his tips) to cover the cost of insurance that Obamacare was requiring him to pay. Nick believed all companies would only pass the cost of doing business onto the customers, so nobody benefits. He clearly did not have good things to say about Obama. That surprised me. They 'End the Fed' signs they had are from the Ron Paul Alex Jones playbook.

some of the signs they are using

I asked him why none of the signs mentioned Obama. Another guy interrupted by saying the ‘illuminati’ runs people’s lives. Nick and others were Ron Paul supporters and he believed that was true nationwide. Obama has been marginalized by other forces, and is a non-player at this point. Interesting.

Nick, and others, are followers of Alex Jones and his website Prison Planet. This was not what I expected.

Flugtag In Tampa Bay Only United States Event In 2011

I have no idea why 100,000 people showed up for an evnt called Flugtag produced by Red Bull. I guess there is not much to do in Tampa during October when the weather is getting cooler. Flugtag is German for "flying days." That's the problem; nobody flies. All they do is crash off the end of a pier into the water without ever getting airborne. Red Bull says their product "gives you wings." Yea. Seems like a waste of time.

This was the only United States event this year. There were teams from all over the world at this event willing to launch their crafts off a diving board for five seconds. Some of them took months to build their flying machines. The wind was gusting today up to 20MPH; I was hoping some of these planes would catch big air and take off. That did not happen.

It really does not matter to Red Bull. As long as they can draw these crowds, they will continue to sell hugh amounts of energy drinks that people have been brainwased by advertisers to buy. they have convinced an entire generation that they are out of energy, and need the Red Bull product.

I don't know how the people got down to the Convention Center becasue we got very few calls at United Cab today. I did not even put 100 miles on the cab. I was hoping to make money. That really sucked.

They should go save the whales or something or "Occupy Wall Street."

Occupy Tampa Takes Over Downtown Tampa Protesting Wall Street Greed

The protesters began to show up after the lunch hour. I thought they would be out all day; I thought they would be camping in Gaslight Park. I hear the police will not let them, so they have to leave and return the next day. No problem, this means they can drink in the bars all night.

Most of them seem to be coming from the University of Tampa. Could it be they are just young, bored and looking for a little excitement? They should be studying finance so they can become part of that 1% they are railing about.

Hippy protesters seen from the taxi downtown Tampa

I picked up a fair that wanted to go downtown Tampa and see the protesters. At the time we were there, we really had to look hard to see them. I think for this demonstration to work, they will have to really "Occupy" the downtown area but that would mean they cannot drink, screw and order pizza. Protesting comes with sacrifice.

The movement is new and perhaps it will work, with time. I am already making some money off of this event, so that is cool. I shot a video and put in up on Youtube. You can see it here.

Paying The Man

I had to go to the Downtown Tampa courthouse today. I really did not want to but I was in a little bit of trouble, and could not allow this to go much further. I had an outstanding ticket that needed to be paid. I drive for living so I needed to take care of this fast.  None of this was my fault because I was a victim of circmstances, and a ticket hungry cop.

Last February I picked up a fare at Memorial Hospital in south Tampa.It was around sunrise on a Sunday morning. The fare came out and he had a black eye. It really looked like someong had beat his ass. He said a cop did it to him . I did not beleive his story.                                                                                                      

In a situation in which a police officer would have to use such force, the guy probably would have been arrested. Moreover, they don’t send Baker Acts to Memorial Hospital. There is an intake center on the east side of town for that. Another thing that made me nervous was he was paying cash. A rule of thumb about Emergency rooms in the early mornings is the fare, for whatever reason, never has any money.

He was not going very far, so I decided to take the risk. I started heading down Henderson boulevard toward Gandy. The guy was sitting behind me and starting to act a little weird. There are many things the cab driver must focus on while driving to ensure safety. Unfortuanlty, looking over our shoulder at a stranger sitting behind us can cause a distraction and I was distracted.

I saw the blue lights in my rearview mirror and thought they must be for someone else. I was wrong.

The cop pulled up right behind me and I put on my turn signal while I pulled over.
I wanted to tell the police officer that I had a weirdo in the back seat and plead mitigation under these circumstances but I saved my breath. When cops stake out certain intersections on a quite Sunday morning - The Are Going to Write a Ticket. That is the only reason they are there. They are reviewed like any other employer on any other job. He has a quota to meet and there is no better way to get cheap tickets then lay in wait when nobody is on the roads, and by definition, nobody is in danger. 

He gave me a ticket for going 50 in a 35 zone. The cop was wrong. The speed limit on Henderson is 40. The cop lied on the ticket and I was not going to let him get away with it. I decided to take it to court, and I did. 
The judge agreed with me because he lives in south Tampa and was familiar with that stretch of road.

He did, however, lower it to going ten miles an hour over the speed limit instead of fifteen. That meant a $240 ticket was reduced to $120. The judge even cut that in half, withheld adjudication, withheld points, and gave me sixty days to pay the fee and court cost. This is the kicker. Court Cost are $93...wow! I still won, sort of. 

You can see in the photo that I had until August 12, to pay the fine. I hate August. Nothing good happens in August. That is the slow time of year down here for the service industry and August puts the slow in slow season. Bottom line was I could not come up with the money. 

I finally made some good money today because of the Special Forces convention that is town this week, and got down to the courthouse to pay the fine. 

They told me my driver’s license would have been suspended on September 13 if I had not paid it today. I forked over the 173 bucks. That hurt.

I hope you are happy Mr. Police Officer. Is that all you have to do is screw with law-abiding people. Was it that important to do this to me? There is a recession gong on and I really needed to use that money for other things. 

Go shake down a real bad guy you punk.

 

Location of downtown Tampa surveillance cameras will be kept from the public

The city of Tampa will be hosting the 2012 Republican Convention that will nominate Gov. Rick Perry of Texas.

The city of Tampa is very concerned with security, but they are making certain assumptions about the guest. They believe that many of the people who will be expressing their constitutional rights to assemble will be criminals. That is why they are installing cameras in secret because they don't want anyone to know they are there.

This is an outrage and I have a license to drive a cab and I have the right to NOT have a fucking camera aimed at me. This totalitarian thinking cannot be allowed. I hope the people assemble in mass.

I know that if a riot breaks out, they will want to be able to identify the perpatrators. Of couse, we all want that. But you can't put cameras up to film people without thier consent. Sorry Republicans, this is the United States of America and I have certain rights. Even Alex Jones on his website Prison Planet picked this story up.

"Whether it's the Republicans or the Democrats, conventions are almost always a flashpoint for police and protestors. At the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis in 2008, some 800 protestors, reporters and bystanders were arrested.

Our local law enforcement is hoping for much less conflict when the GOP comes to Tampa next summer. Toward that end, Tampa police will be employing a ring of surveillance cameras to be installed around downtown and the convention center.

"There are going to be a lot of people in downtown and we don't have enough police officers to keep eyes everywhere, so we think the cameras will assist us in keeping people safe by giving us more eyes to view what's going on," said assistant Tampa Police Chief, Mark Hamlin."

via www.abcactionnews.com

The problem I have with this is they are hiding the cameras and they are assuming that there will be trouble. It is a political convention and you have police and secret service patrol. The real reason for these cameras in downtown Tampa is to use facial recognition to shake down innocent citizens. The people of Tampa should be outraged and no more tolerate this then the "traffic" cameras they use to raise revenue.

Bar Exam In Tampa And Some Taxi Busness

The Florida Bar exam is held twice a year in Tampa. This is an even that many drivers look forward too. The reason is that you can cover you lease in the early morning, and then spend the rest of the day making some money for yourself.

This photo is a view from the drop off area at the Tampa Convention Center. There were many cabs coming in and out of this area so I knew the guys were getting work. It only lasted for a couple hours and we need so much more then that. 

I went into Paul Hinton's office and asked him what he was going to do to make sure that his drivers would be able to make money during the coming months. He said something about calling Ft. Laurderdale to see what they thought. Don't get me wrong, I like Paul but hie is like the front man for a politician - he will only spout the party line. 

Many drivers who are grown men and have been driving for years are making no money. you would think the company would want the good drivers who built this company to make money. Why would they care when there are boat people to hire. 

In the long run their actions are working against them. They have no clue of this; they will make less money in the future because of the lack of foresight they show today. That is the classic definition of a fool. 

Robo Hockey Player

Saw this outside of the St. Pete Times Forum this morning. This robo hockey guy represents the power and strength of the Tampa Bay Lightning. GO BOLTS - BEAT BOSTON!  It is in my financial interest for the Stanley Cup to come back to Tampa. Taxi drivers make a lot of money during that event. I am high on the prospect of this returning to Tampa Bay...Go lightning!

Tampa Blogs

People often ask the taxi drivers questions. They want to know what time you started your shift, how long you have been driving a taxi and what is the most interesting thing that has ever happened while driving a taxi. I do not know if they think it is a romantic adventure, but they sure seem to romanticize cab driving. 

People always enjoyed my stories, and they were not hard to think of. Just about every day something happens that probably does not happen to the average Joe. Where else can you go from taking a physicist downtown to a Relativity conference and five minutes later picking up an urban drug dealer? Stimulation occurs all day long.

Cab drivers also like stories. When we would sit on stands waiting for the next call, we would tell the other drivers what happened on the last call, or the one yesterday that everyone had heard about. You would think this was just about taking people from point A to point B, but it is not. It is much more than that. 

Often, people would suggest that I write a book about all that. Most people seem to have seen the HBO show Taxi Cab Confessions and think that is what happens to cab drivers. Yes. That is what happens to most cab drivers. 

I had thought about doing a book, but never really knew how to approach the task. In the last twenty years, I had written nothing more complex then a grocery list. Then I heard about something that seemed exciting. 

In 2005 a new phenomena was taking off on the internet called web logs - commonly called blogs. At that time, these online journals were growing exponentially in just a few short months. In addition, cool software was available to the average person, so anyone could start a blog. 

I never thought what I did was very important but starting a blog would allow me to communicate even the most trivial of things instantly to anyone on the web. I came up with a name called Tampa Taxi Shots.

Originality is important to me and I did not want to copy what someone else was doing. The concept of taxi driving experiences was now going to hit the web and I was hoping people would visit my blog. I was correct on that.

There was a growing online community of local Tampa Bloggers. They were growing in numbers and putting out great content. They were reporting on local matters ignored by local newspapers. The St. Pete Times began to notice. 

They did an article in TBT about the local blogging scene. In fact, that article inspired me to get into this. It validated that anyone with a keyboard could get started. In fact, I still have that TBT. 

Unfortunately, many of the blogs profiled in that article are not published anymore. Sticks Of Fire was the biggest casualty. I guess life moves on and people move on.

Blogs are now a source of information that we can access anywhere, even on mobile devices. There is no telling how many there are now. 

I know that I miss some of the early ones. I kind of wish they would come back.

 

Farm Workers Have Labor Issues With Publix

Its seems many other people are private contractors not just taxi cab drivers. I saw this group of people (hundreds of them) marching down Kennedy blvd in Tampa Saturday. They were protesting unfair labor policies by the Publix supermarket chain. Publix does not want to pay them a fair amount for their labor. What is strange is these people really don't look like migrant vegetable pickers. Just an observation. 

In America today it seems if you have a union you strike, if you don't have a union you strike, people are not being treated fairly, there is no doubt about that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This line of people went for several blocks. They had drums and signs and were chanting. They were organized and very angy with Publix Supermarkets. I guess Publix wishes them a very "Merry Holiday" like they do everyone else In December because the hicks that started this comany can't even use the word Christmas. As they say, they are closed on "December 25" scared to call it what it is. I suggest many more people boycott Publix for this reason alone. There are no Jews that are offended by people observing Christmas..

My Letter To The St. Pete Times About The Taxi Commission

I am a fifteen year veteran United Cab driver from Tampa Florida who likes his job. What could be simpler, someone calls or hails a cab, they get in and you take them to their destination. The best part is you get paid for what is mostly a pleasant experience for the customer. However, this simplicity belies complications that lie beneath the surface. There are intense issues of competition, meter rates, flat rates, free taxis, permits, conditions of the cars themselves, the background of drivers, compensation using high tech, public safety, organization, and even the health and safety of the drivers.

All of these issues can be addressed and resolved with a strong central body known as the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission. The groundswell to dismiss this entity would be a terrible mistake that would be detrimental to the community and visitors to Tampa, as well.

The HCPTC for years had set a limited number of permits for taxi operation. The limited number was sufficient to serve the public, and it allowed the drivers of United and Yellow to make a living, with some days off to be with their families. The major companies (United and Yellow) would shelf permits in the summer when it slowed down to meet the demand of the market.

Former commissioner, John Cox, expanded the baseline of permits, it had an undesirable affect of allowing small operators to begin who would eventually cut into the market and undermine the service the public was receiving. How? A company of only six cabs cannot serve the general public in a timely manner. Many customers found this out the hard way. They would then make other arrangements, and that would further erode the industry as a whole.

Meter rates are established by the HCPTC and all are inspected each year by the division of weights and measures out of Tallahassee. Regulating meter rates protects the public by not allowing flat rating which is always a ‘high ball’ and it rips off tourist. They only flat rate is to the airport and a map a is posted in every taxi showing the zone in influence. The HCPTC prints and post those maps which protect the public.

An unregulated free taxi service was recently started in Tampa which was mostly a glorified golf cart. It was unsafe, uninsurable, and a public safety hazard. The HCPTC did the right thing in shutting it down, and yellow put out a courtesy fleet of new cars with insurance and background qualified drivers.

To get a hack permit in Tampa, you must go through a background screening which includes mug shots, fingerprinting, and being run on the FBI computer. If the applicant has a warrant anywhere in the world it will show up. The public is protected because they are not being picked up by dangerous fugitives. The HCPTC is now regulating the use of credit card scan machines that would put us on a par with most major cities. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard “they have them in New York.”

The commission also has requirements on the mechanical condition and cleanliness of taxis and requires that drivers dress appropriately. I am sure you would not want your wife being picked up my unshaven man in a tank top shirt and cut off jeans. The commission makes sure that does not happen by issuing fines for poor dress.

With the National Republican Convention coming to Tampa in 2012 we need order to ensure Tampa makes a good impression to the nation. Without a commission it would be wide open with all the quality drivers long gone because they could not make a living in this town.

Is The Tampa Theatre Haunted?

 
Did you know the Tampa Theatre is haunted?  I found this out recently when I was at Borders Books and considering that Halloween is Sunday, I have been thinking about ghost and stuff.  In fact, it seems the Tampa Bay area is full of ghost.

According to Haunted Houses.com

"thedesign of this beautiful theater is described as being "an eclectic blend of Italian Renaissance, Greek Revival and "Florida Mediterranean styles." Gargoyles decorate the main lobby, which has a terrazzo floor. The interior is decorated by statues, terra-cottas, copper and brass jugs, detailed tapestries and banners, reproductions of paintings hang on the walls, dozens of gilt-edged mirrors highlight the decorations and atmosphere of the place. The large ceiling of the auditorium is a mass of blue sky and hundreds of twinkling stars. It originally had 10,000 light bulbs."

Foster Fink Finley is said to haunt the place.  He was the long term organist that played from 1930-1965 when he died of a heart attack during a movie showing, in the projection booth!  As with many ghost, it took years before strange manifestations began to occur.

 
People who have walked by the projection booth (which is very small) have heard knocking coming from inside.  Now that would scare the shize out me.  People inside the booth, when trying to leave, cannot get the door open.  It is as if someone is pressing it closed.  At night, people have felt someone tapping them on the shoulder.  They turn around and nobody is there. I'm running man.

It is said that if you leave an object at a specific spot, in the morning it will have moved to another place.  This was confirmed in 1984 during a controlled experiment. Someone may have been in on it.

Anyway, I was taking a man from California to the Tampa Theatre this morning to attend a wedding of of Robert and Yari (their names are on the marque) .  They picked a beautiful palce for their nuptials.  I hope they don't have an unexpected guest.  Woo!

Bay And Beach Cab In Tampa

This taxi seen in downtown Tampa is an invader - but not for long. The former manager of United Cab in Tampa started a new company while she was employed by United Cab.  She also started up a new company, which by defenition, is a competitor with United, and a conflict of interest. That may be one of the reasons that Nancy Castillano was fired from united.

Her company is doomed to fail.  If you can now only hire the drivers that you once fired, where are you going?  Since you can't feed sweetheart charges to your company, where do you go? He company will eventually be one the many of failed ventures by her (Bay Shuttle) and others who have tried to crack this market. 

The Black Cat And Obamanomics

 I got a call to pick up a fare named’ Mark’ this morning, just before sunrise. Mark is one of those guys that you look forward to picking up; he is smart, witty, interesting and gay - literally. He lives on a street north of Tampa in an older neighborhood which ten years ago was pretty much urban scare tissue. Then, a phenomenon happened. Mark, and many like him, began to move into the area, and with their flare for decorating and remodeling, the area was soon being re-gentrified into a marvelous and quant place to live.

Mark has a cat (I love cats). It is solid black (reminds me of a cat I had long ago named Amos).  The cat is usually involved in some kind of antics when I show up. This morning, he was just sitting in the yard near the driveway looking at me as I pulled in. His pale blue eyes lit up like demon eyes as I entered the driveway, the one true pointer that I was indeed at the right place. For time immortal people have acquainted cats with strange bewitching abilities. I think it has more to do with their female characteristics. Face it; you have cat women, not cat man.

Cats don’t need you, they can do fine on their own, they feign attention when they want something, they treat you like a servant, they are aloof and always looking for the next bigger and better deal, they don’t respond to auditory commands, and seem to prefer that you are not around, but will give you just enough love to keep you wanting more. I find all of these qualities to be female in origin. Again, I love cats. 

Mark hops in and tells me where he is going. He works at the hospital now, and no longer cuts hair. As he puts it, even the recession has taken its toll on hair cuts. He needed a steady gig and had some nursing experience. The steady pay check is important to him right now. Times were much better three years ago, and I remember him back then. 

Mark had taken advantage of the easy financing that was available a few years ago.  He, at one point, had over five houses that he had mortgages on, and was fixing them up and flipping them. His plan worked for some time and he made a profit on every house he sold. I should have bought one of them. I walked into a mortgage company office back then to pick up a fare (I had five bucks in my pocket) and they wanted to give me an ARM. How cool is that? 

“Sorry,” I said. 

“I don’t like packing my stuff up and moving six months later“. 

Perhaps I could have found a way to hold onto the property. Who knows?

Anyway, Mark got caught short - way short. He was holding the bag (many bags) when the economy fell apart like a two dollar watch and his life went down the drain like liquid Plummer. He says he is alright about this, and he knows who to blame. There is a villain and this man did him in like a back ally mugger…George Bush.  

Mark is convinced that “W” ruined his life. Like many fares I pick up, who are embroiled in domestic issues, the blaming is immense. Humans simply wont live what Socrates called “the examined life,” Instead, opting for “a life of quite desperation” seems more functional…some more quite, some more functional than others. 

The fact that he was done in by his own poor decisions is a concept that is anathema to this man. Was it Bush that forced him to take out those mortgages? I don’t think so. I think many people did enough to do themselves in. Mark also holds onto the mantra I hear often…”It took eight years to mess things up; it will take another eight to un-mess them.”  Really?  Is that right?

We were told the current occupant of the White House is a genius. Keith Olberman claims Obama has the highest IQ ever recorded (next to his, I imagine). My question to all my fares that hold onto this concept is this:

What can a moron do in eight years that a genius can’t undo in five minutes?  I am just trying to follow your logic. Because now I am hearing from the “unexhausted” Obama supporters that it is going to take time for the economy to get better with natural market forces needed to play out. Hummmmmmm.

Was that not the Republican plan all along?  Seems the horse is being changed in midstream. 

To be fair Obama has done this:

1) Bailed out the Banks (he did not have too because only the account holders money is insured)

2) Bailed out Wall Street (he did not have too…what was it Marcus Aurelius said that if Gordon Gekko has what you want, you do business with him). Politics is indeed a practical profession.

3) Bailed out GM.  They are now making a profit and millions of jobs were saved. How cool is that?

I am not sure John McCain would have done any of this stuff.

A floor was put under the economy and total collapse was avoided. However, none of this was George Bush holding a gun to your head so YOU would perform irrationally. 

Notice how cats will never blame anyone for anything. They just go with the flow, adapt, hunt and move on. That is what I, you, and America need to do. It’s time to turn the page and right our own destiny without ever mentioning George Bush again. 

Fetish Com Invades Tampa

 I had a special this morning from two guys I know from Los Angeles. They are in the adult film industry and produce content that they sell to web portals and outlets. 

The reason they were in Tampa this weekend was for the workshops at Fetish com at the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Tampa. The workshops they are attending are on the cyber aspect of the industry. 

Security is a concern, as well as, knowing how to promote your site with codex, spyware, viruses, and other things to make sure traffic is driven to your page. They don't want to crash your site, they just want your business. Downloading porn videos is the future. No longer do you have to go to the 'dirty book store' with the rain coat crowd. plus, this is the only way to keep Grady Judd (Queer Sheriff from Polk County) from kicking in your door. 

When we got to Hyatt, there was a commotion out front and lots of people (Please keep the Bible thumper's away). Wonder Woman and some other caped super girl were out front and getting much attention. The hotel has 521 rooms, and they block all of the rooms for this event (They really don't want families seeing this). This event is held here every year. It draws models, agents, and photographers from all over the country. I used to attend when things were better...got many a good shoot from this event. The Hotels suites are perfect for my type of 'high glamour' photography. 

I should be out running my taxi most of the night.  I know these freaks will be at the Castle in Ybor City and all of the other drinking holes. This has been a very good week, and this is just the 'cream' on top of it. 

Who is this Doc Johnson guy?

LandWarNet Is In Tampa

There is a massive Army trade show in Tampa this week called LandWarNet, and it is having a huge economic impact for the area. These are the kinds of events that will really put a few bucks in your pocket. This type of event has not been seen in Tampa in at least three years. I hope it is indicative of the recession coming to an end. knock on wood.

The military and defense contractors are at the Tampa Convention Center showing all their new high-tech gadgets to the brass, so they can use our ingenuity to kill the enemy before they kill us. A lot of computer guys, and hardware guys and everything electronic and james Bondish is for sell this week. The bad guys don't have a chance. It makes sense to have this in Tampa because the United States Central Command is located here at MacDill Airforce Base.

These people are also partying like animals at night, so we are busy round the clock. Talk about a stimulus plan.

...photo courtesy of US Army

The Monster Under The Kennedy Street Bridge Tampa Florida

 People all over the state of Florida have reported seeing monsters.  Every county in the sunshine state has a database of sightings of what is commonly called the ‘’skunk ape.’ 

Is the monster real?  Is it just folk lore of ancient Indians? Possible, but did you know there have been recent sightings in urban areas including one near downtown Tampa. 

A worker getting off late in downtown Tampa saw a bipedal animal swimming under the Kennedy Bridge.  The creatures body was covered with hair and he was eating crabs on the rocks below.  When the man got close, the animal swam off at a very high rate of speed north up the Hillsborough River. The person who reported this said he went back the next day and saw crab shells on the rocks below. Interesting. 

In the last year, I have been searching the swampy lowlands of central Florida and the Green Swamp.  I have found footprints, caught fleeting images on video, and recorded strange howls at night that do not match any classified animal So I thought I would investigate this sighting. 

St Pete Pandhandlers Flood Into Tampa - Are They Begging, Or 'Flying A Sign?'

 St. Petersburg, in my opinion, has illegally outlawed free speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, in short, civil liberties by banning guys from standing on street corners 'flying a sign.' This is a great country we live in.  At least it used to be. St. Pete does not think so. There is, however, a real danger to doing this.  Let me explain.

In this great country a person with ambition and skill can rise as far as his dreams will take him. But what if his dreams are not to be an astronaut or a CEO or a doctor, or whatever people think you should be. Hell, what if he wants to be A TAXI DRIVER. What if he just wants to 'hang out' and drink beer with his buddies and go no further than that.  In this country that should be his God given right. Sadly, people don't think so. 

The problem with banning anything is that you move just a little closer to the banning of political expressing, and that is where the danger lies. That is why we uphold the rights of Larry Flint and Joe Redner.  That's right - porn is free expression.  If you ban it someone will come along and say they find a cable channel or a political party to be objectionable. Do we ban this stuff as well? 

Hell, we live in a country now where you can't even go into a bar and light up a smoke....WTF?

So when you see the guy on the side of the road and you give him a couple of bucks, you better believe it will go to fast food, a cheap motel, a quart bottle of beer (several) and a pack of cigs. 

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Free Green Cabs In Tampa Are Scabs

 If you go downtown on the weekends to party, you may have run into the guy above. His name is Tim Ireland. He runs a "free Cab" in Tampa Florida. The only question is - Why?

I don't know what you do for a living but if someone came along and told your boss they would do it for free, you might have a problem with that. If this person was just willing to work for tips when you have a mortgage and a family and responsibilities, you would actually be pissed. Many cab drivers in Tampa are.

The Hillsborough County Transportation Commission believes these free taxi cabs need to be taken off the streets. They really have never heard of such a thing. Who has? Working for free. Who is this Tim Ireland?

"The Green Go vehicles don't fit the legal definition of taxicabs, because they don't have meters. The closest definition they fit is limousines, but the commission has denied limo permits for vehicles that weren't considered sufficiently luxurious."  -St. Pete Times

Tim Ireland of the Green free taxi is a scab. In this time of economic downturn, there is not enough business to support the taxi drivers that have been doing this for years, if not, decades. When somebody comes along and finds bums like Ireland to undercut taxi cabs (by law we must charge $2.25 a mile) He can give them a free ride. Why? Is he that desperate? How much can he make doing this? Most grown men would not do what this little, little, boy does. I guess he lives with his mommy and daddy. How else could he do this. He needs to go back to HCC with the rest of his nerdy friends and leave men alone who take the transportation business seriously.

If you want to be a taxi cab driver in Tampa Florida, United Cab is the finest cab company in Tampa.  It is very good for new drivers because of the training program, scaled leases, voice radio dispatch which can help a new driver, and a stand system that puts you in social contact with other drivers who can offer advice. Be a real cab driver.  You just need to get a 'hack' permit from the HCPTC and be cleared thru insurance, and you are on your way. Just don't let the free guys take your business from you. 

Monday Mornings Are Important To Taxi Drivers

Taxi drivers need to have a good Monday morning.  That is when the bulk of 'time-calls' come out which mean the fare is going to Tampa International Airport.  The driver can make from $20-30 depending on where he picked up the customer.  What was going on with me this morning was the dispatcher was giving me the junk when he had over three pages of 'time-calls' on the board.  I soon found myself north of downtown (an area I don't like during the day, much less at night), and finally broke out of this mode and got a Davis Island going to the airport.  I thought I was going to miss out. 

 

Check out this new link at Swamp Spin. It is a Florida website about politics and they threw me a link. Also Tampa Bay 10 II find these new links all the time, and I think I will start posting them on my blog post. 

Where you here in 1985? - Storm surge depth danger

 By the end of the month, 30 signs will be posted in parks and along county roads to graphically portray the height water could rise if a major hurricane hits.

A Category 3, 4 or 5 hurricane roaring up the mouth of Tampa Bay could push a wall of water 13 to 17 feet high that would wash ashore and up rivers. The water could reach three miles inland in some parts of Hillsborough.

That wall of water, called a storm surge, is the reason evacuations are ordered when storms approach. Surge is the main killer in hurricanes.

The signs, paid for by a $30,000 Department of Homeland Security grant, are intended to drive home the threat.

via www2.tbo.com

Most people who live in Tampa today did not live here in 1985. I was working for the Tampa Tribune at the time and downtown flooded almost to the second floor of most office buildings. The sea wall on Davis Island almost crested, and the south side was a disaster - and that was a 'near miss' from Helena who's eye was still 200 miles out in the Gulf Of Mexico! As far as the Homeland Security money...spend it!

Traffic Court - Ty Trayner In Action Defending Keven White

 Court was a success today with all the witnesses showing up and this guy had no chance.  Upon seeing the number of people ready to testify against his client, the lawyer changed the plea to 'no-contest.'  Seemed fair.  

Mr. Howard Romaine III did not even show up. Most of the witnesses believed he was either drunk or high when he ran the red light and almost killed us.  He was not cited for anything like that. 

One thing I noticed was the Lawyer Ty Trayner was representing several clients in court.  His professionalism and skill was very evident as he worked hard on getting the most favorable outcome possible for this clients. This guy is very good and I would recommend him for any traffic type of offense.  

Trayner even represented Hillsborough County Commissioner Keven White in a red light violation.  White was set up by the Tampa cop who was just trying to screw with White.  Mr. White was on his way to the hospital to see his father who was having heart surgery and should have been giving a break.  Ty Trayner even had photographic evidence that the traffic control device was poorly placed.  The Tampa cop tried to say the image had been photoshoped!  What a joke.

Judge Raul Palimino did acknowledge that the 'no turn on red' sign was poorly posted and the city should be notified about repositioning it so people could actually see it.  I believe that is why this cop was hiding there because he knew he could write a cheap ticket and avoid doing real police work. 

FREAKY GOOD

In all these years I have not seen it this good for the Gasparilla pirate festival. Money was flowing, and I was having a good time to boot. I picked up Nancy and her boyfriend and their crew, but I have not heard from Gordon. His email said he had lost my number. I am closing in on $400 for the day and it is only about 3 pm. Tim, reporting from the front seat of the taxi cab.

Photos Posted Live On Taxi Shots!

Tampa Taxi Shots will now be posting lmages live from the field. Typepad has a new feature that will allow email mobile posting of my cell phone pictures. Now how cool is that?

Protest Outside The University Of Tampa

Lots of people can be seen right now on Kennedy blvd., holding signs protesting our communist president. I know people will just think they are a bunch of wing-nuts, berthers, rednecks, idiots and so forth, but their numbers are growing.  Sorry mr. Obama if we don't do back flips over your stupid train that NOBODY will ride. Just my view from the front seat of the taxi cab.  

I do like the 23,000 jobs that it will create in the next four years.  That WILL stimulate the local economy.  That is a good thing.  I just think in the long run, it will be hardly used.

If you have lived in Tampa a long time, you will remeber Sandy Friedman and her downtown Tampa monorail.. Nobody road the thing and eventually the city of Tampa had to spend over a million dollars to take the thing down.  Just my opinion from the front seat of the taxi cab.

Roads blocked off around UT

They already have blocked off n boulevard between Kennedy and Cass. There are also National Guard troops patrolling the neighborhood near the university. It will get worse around Tampa as the day goes on.

HOTEL FLORIDAN TO REOPEN

Have you ever gone by this building in downtown Tampa and wondered what happened to it?  There was a time when the Florida Hotel was the tallest building in Florida until 1966.  I was driving by it recently and saw construction crews working on remodeling this hotel.  I don't know if it is going to be a hotel again or condos.  Maybe somebody knows.  I always thought it was a shame that this building had gone fallow for so long.

I noticed the arched windows, the iron railings and bottom floor which will have a coctail lounge, a ballroom and spa.  The owner will duplicate the glory days of this hotel as it was in the roaring 1920's.

Antonios Markopoulos, 67, the owner of the Floridan who is bankrolling the renovation of the 19-story hotel, a high-stakes bet that he can re-create a money-making boutique hotel for tourists and locals who remember its decades of history.

It may be to far to walk to the convention center but it will be real easy for cabs to pull up and take them.  We did that when the Days Inn was downtown and now with the Court Yard by Marriott.

I think this project is awsome and has tremendous potential. 

This is a huge upgrade for Tampa instead of homeless people and rats camping out in the building.

  

Everyone in Tampa has seen this building

 

You can see how nice they are making the outside.

 

They are redoing the inside.  This buliding used to house rats!

 

You can see the construction site out back of the Hotel Floridian

TAMPA MARATHON ON BAYSHORE

With an approaching rainstorm, the runners are on their way down Beautiful Bayshore Blvd in Tampa Florida.  The temperatures were cool, but the spirits were high as thousands made their way to Macdill Air force Base for the turnaround point.  This must be one of the only marathons that's an "out-and-back." 

Most cab drivers don't like race days because Bayshore is all blocked up, but the extra money we make from people using the cabs to get to event more than makes up for any inconvenience. 

There were people of various "fighting trim" in the race.  Hell, there were people that looked like me!  Now that's a scary thought.