• Residents »
• Business »
• Government »
• Visitors »
• News »
• Calendar »
• Contact »
• A to Z »

Click On Any Image to Display Larger Picture

HCC Dale Mabry Honors Tuskegee Airmen First, welcome back to the Legislator's Photo Diaries. We have been unable to publish for well over a year as there have been extraordinary technical difficulties that have finally been resolved. This photo was taken 08/04/07 when HCC honored the Tampa Bay Area's Tuskegee Airmen with USF Air Force ROTC students serving as military attaches. Left to right: Brian Savka, Lonnie Hays, Rep. Betty Reed, Clerk of the Court Pat Frank, former School Board Member Doris Ross Reddick, and Aaron Royster.

TBARTA Gets Underway Rep. Bill Galvano was instrumental in working the legislation that created the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority and attends one of its fledgling meetings in Nov. 2007. To his left is Amy Lettelleir, Director of Municipal Finance, RBC Capital Markets and his Legislative Assistant, Kathleen Galea, is behind him on the right.

Participating in the Annual Roundtables Each year, the Legislators meet with all elected officials in the county to discuss their legislative needs in the upcoming session. Here Rep. Seth McKeel studiously takes notes at the November 2007 meeting.

Rep. Betty Reed Absorbs the Information Rep. Reed listens intently as a Roundtable participant makes known the needs of his/her agency for the upcoming fiscal year. Roundtables for the 2009 session are now scheduled for December 2.

Following Along on the Backup Representatives Kevin Ambler, Ed Homan, Faye Culp, and staff in the background following backup materials provided by each of the Roundtable participants.

Senator Crist Makes a Point Senator Victor Crist talks about the issues as Rep. Rich Glorioso, Legislative Assistant Charlie Anderson (Sen. Joyner) and Senator Arthenia Joyner listen.

Chair of the Delegation Senator Arthenia Joyner, studying paperwork from the Sheriff's office, served as Delegation chair through the 2007 session and was succeeded by Rep. Rich Glorioso for the 2008 session.

This Photo Is About the Watch! On the left is Ash Mason who was Rep. Will Weatherford's Legislative Assistant at the time of the 2008 Roundtables and on the right is Glenn Gilzean, regional director for the FL Department of Education. We were fascinated by that bling on Glenn's left wrist!

Congratulations...and then a Surprise! Senator Arthenia Joyner congratulated Rep. Frank Peterman on his years of service to the people of House District 55 as he was expected to term limit out this year. Even though it meant leaving the Legislature, the Hillsborough Delegation was delighted to learn of his appointment to head the Department of Juvenile Justice, taking that position before the start of the 2008 session.

USF ROTC Joint Military Leadership Center The nation's future military leaders will be trained in the newest building on USF's Tampa campus. In a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 2, 2007, USF dedicated the building by naming it C. W. Bill Young Hall. It will house the Joint Military Leadership Center and USF's ROTC programs. Many dignitaries attended the event including Rep. Rich Glorioso.

Farm City Day in Chillura Park Chuck Smith of the FL Poultry Federation always serves up fresh omelets at Farm City Day as well as at "Flavors" (a/k/a Hillsborough Day) in Tallahassee. Delegation staff frequently volunteers to help cook. In this pix, however, Bulls Fans (and USF graduates) Rebekah Torres (Rep. Scionti) and Jeffrey Huggins (Sen. Crist) flash their allegiance for the camera.

SEEDS The USF College of Engineering, Florida Progress and the City of St. Petersburg launced two Sustainable Electrical Energy Delivery Systems (SEEDS) projects on May 27. On hand were Rep. Seth McKeel's staff, Callie Neslund and Ryan Sandy (Ryan has now moved on to graduate school in Washington, D.C., and Callie is the Legislative Assistant), standing with St. Pete Mayor Rick Baker and USF President Judy Genshaft.

Senator Charlie Justice at Poynter Library Senator Justice is on the left with Rep. Bill Heller, former Dean of USF-St. Petersburg, Dr. Arthur Guilford, CEO of USF - Sarasota/Manatee, and Dr. Ralph Wilcox, USF Provost to his left. Special thanks to Kathy Betancourt who supplies us with album photos and whose Mission IS USF...Go Bulls!

Funding for the Lowry Park Zoo Manatee Hospital Rep. Kevin Ambler requested a meeting at Lowry Park Zoo to discuss the dedicated funding for the state's three manatee hospitals; the problem, of course, will occur if the trust fund where the monies are held, is directed for other uses during times of revenue downturns. Among those attending were Rep. Michael Scionti, Rep. Ambler, and former Senator and now consultant, John Grant.

Senator Justice Sends His Folks Also at the Zoo's workshop were Bethany Linderman and Michael Haworth from Senator Justice's office. Legislator and their staff are frequently "out in the district" in their ongoing efforts to stay on the pulse of the community and to be readily available to their constituency.

Rep. Glorioso Receives Coveted Award The Children's Board of Hillsborough County and the Florida Childrens Services Council honored Rep. Rich Glorioso by awarding him the "Stepping Up for Children" award. The Representative is shown here with his Legislative Assistant, Cori Cuttler, who has now stepped aside and taken a position with the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Sonya Pridgen Becomes a Member of the FL Bar Sonya Pridgen, on the right, was recently sworn in to the FL Bar. Her colleague, Rosalie Smith, on the left, attended the ceremony. Sonya has rejoined Senator Joyner's team and Rosalie has left that office to work for the Senator and 15 other members of the Delegation at The Office of the Hillsborough County Legislative Delegation.

The Rays Win the Division Championship ...and then celebrated at Gaslight Square in downtown Tampa on October 9. Rosalie Smith joined the festivities on her lunch hour and got to meet Raymond, the Rays mascot. Also fun to watch were the "flogos," bubbles that were molded into logos and then floated into the air. You may be able to see a sample at www.flogos.net.

Staff Training The Delegation office provides staff development services and recently conducted a workshop on management of constituent calls and resources for successful resolution. Among those attending were Rosalie Smith, Sr. Administrative Specialist in the Delegation office, Sonya Pridgen (Sen. Joyner), and newcomer LaTasha McMillon who is also completing her third year of law school (Sen. Joyner).

Other Newcomers Attending Michael Haworth (Sen. Justice) and Kristina Austin (Sen. Storms)

One Repeat and Another "Newbie" LaTasha McMillon (Sen. Joyner) and Flo Felcione, a retired teacher who works on an occasional basis for Rep. Michael Scionti.

The Rest of the Crew On the left, Kristina Austin who came to Sen. Storms' office from Hillsborough County Government; Amber Smith, a relative "old timer" from Rep. Ambler's office, and Dr. Ruth Beckman, a returnee to Delegation staff who has been holding down the fort by herself in Rep. Trey Traviesa's office since May.

One of the Teachers Debra Harris, Director 2-1-1 Tampa Bay, enthusiastically told the gathering about the incredible resources offered by the Crisis Center. If you don't know anything about it, take the time to find out about this crown jewel in our community at www.crisiscenter.com.

Tom Cavalieri, Another Star Tom Cavalieri is interim Director of Social Services for Hillsborough County and passionate about the programs he administers as well. The target population is "low income, vulnerable residents of the county requiring case management services, and its vision is to build "a thriving community by enabling families to reach their highest level of self-sufficiency."

Ribbon Cutting at Mary Lee's House October 30 marked a gigantic step forward in our community when Mary Lee's house opened. It is the result of "a community collaboration committed to protecting, respecting and healing the children and families who pass through" its doors. It is based on a national model and evidence that it works that calls for a child-focused and child-friendly environment where many disciplines work together to ensure that child victims of abuse receive the services they need under one roof. Hillsborough County now has that facility.

Many Dignitaries at the Grand Opening Among those attending the ceremonies at Mary Lee's House were Senator Arthenia Joyner, School Board Member Carol Cordell, and Representative Betty Reed.

Rep. Mike Scionti Also Attends Rep. Scionti, flanked on the left by Chief Judge Manuel Menendez and on the right by Sen. Arthenia Joyner, was also among the well-wishers at the October 30 event.

Rep. Culp Takes A Time-Out Rep. Faye Culp, hecticly busy on the campaign trail, took time out to attend the Mary Lee ceremonies and chatted with another guest as she toured the house.

Senator Arthenia Joyner ...also attended Mary Lee's open house and was obviously quite pleased with what she was seeing there.

Volunteer for An Afternoon Christopher Ian Smith, son of Rosalie (and Donald) Smith, the Delegation's new Senior Administrative Specialist, spent the afternoon of Oct. 30 volunteering in the Delegation office. He attend Mary Lee's House grand opening, assisted with photography, and wrote a summary about the role Mary Lee's House would play in our community.

Tampa Airport Interchanges (TAI) Construction Project Delegation members and staff were invited to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the $212 million TAI project. FL Department of Transportation (FDOT) is improving SR 60/Memorial Highway from I-275 to the Courtney Campbell Parkway interchange. The project also extends west onto Courtney Campbell and north to the Veterans Expressway. Pictured are Melonie Hoyt, Legislative Assistant to Rep. Faye Culp, and Bill Hand, Senior Project Manager, TAI CEI Team, who offered the outreach and educational program to members and staff.

Rep. Mike Scionti Listens ...as Bill Hand further describes how the roadways will ultimately "come together" and the improvements will bring relief to harried and frustrated drivers.

Gloria Perez Attends for Rep. Culp Someone must have said something that tickled her!

Group I Attending the TAI-CEI Tour Because of the number of folks who signed up to attend the Tampa Airport Interchanges event, they went in two groups, one on Oct. 17 and the second on Oct. 31. Attending in Group I, front row: Rosalie Smith (Delegation office); Melonie Hoyt and Gloria Perez (Rep. Culp); Rep Michael Scionti; Bill Hand (TAI-CEI); Bethany Linderman, Courtney Vandenberg, and Michael Haworth (Sen. Justice). Back Row: Gerald Cavallaro (FDOT Construction Project Manager); John Rodriguez (Rep.Scionti); Sherman Johnson (TAI-CEI Project Administrator). Thanks to all - they were incredibly knowledgeable, professional, and clearly passionate about the work they do.

Group II Makes the Tour with TAI-CEI Marian Scorza (FDOT), Rebekah Torres (Rep. Scionti) and Amber Smith (Rep. Ambler) listen intently as Bill Hand (TAI-CEI) explains another facet of the project. Bill seems indefatigible!

Look, It's a Bird, It's a Plane... Janet Roder (Rep. Homan) looks at something skyward while standing on one of the promontories from which the TAI construction was viewed and explained.

Ah, to Be Young and Brave! Amber Smith (Rep. Ambler) and Rebekah Torres (Rep. Scionti) ventured out over rebar installed on one of the partially completed bridges where Patrick Stanford (FDOT Construction) talked about cleaning that had to be completed before the massive amount of concrete necessary to fill the rebar could be brought on site.

Sen. Storms' Office Staff Attends Kristina Austin listened as Matt Vargas (URS) talked about yet another phase of the project. As you can see by the car in the background, portions of the new roadway are already opened. Many strategies are used to prevent traffic delays while construction is completed.

Windy, But Warm Day Paula Tonelli (Rep. Homan) and Pat Dix (HCC Government Relations) talk about what they're learning as a stiff breeze blew. At least it was sunny, however. Group II had been scheduled the week prior when heavy rains hit the area, delaying the event.

Energetic! Bill Reed (Skanska) gave many hand directions as he explained the flow of traffic when the project is completed.

Group II Photo Op Front row: Matt Vargas (URS0, Janet Roder (Rep. Homan), Pat Dix (HCC), Paula Tonelli (Rep. Homan), Candace Hundley (Delegaton office), Amber Smith (Rep.Ambler), and Rebekah Torres (Rep. Scionti). Back Row: Bill Reed (Skanska), Patrick Stanford (FDOT Construction), Bill Adams (TAI-CEI), and Gerald Cavallaro (FDOT). And many thanks to Marian Scorza (FDOT) who was the photographer of the group and who as served the agency as its liaison with the FDOT Distrct 7 legislators very ably over many years.

Almost the Last One! This picture just took the fancy of the album producer since it looks like some sort of a giant spacecraft flying over Bethany Linderman (Sen. Justice)! It is actually a schematic of the completed project, produced by making a composite of the plan sheets.

And, Last, the Album Producer (among other things) Candace Hundley, Executive Director, Hillsborough County Legislative Delegation. She has worked on behalf of the Delegation almost 34 years with her career ending with it on December 31, 2009.