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Hillsborough County news and notes

 
Published Dec. 24, 2014

DAVIS ISLANDS

Singer headlines event at Peter O. Knight

Singer Sisaundra Lewis will be the featured performer at Quintessence, a luxury event from 6 to 11:30 p.m. Jan. 16 on the runway at Peter O. Knight Airport. Lewis, a well-known voice coach, rose to fame on Season Six of NBC's The Voice. The event also will feature food and other live performances. Net proceeds will go to Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Ryan Nece Foundation and Julie Weintraub's Hands Across Tampa Bay. For more information, go to quintessenceflorida.com.

GIBSONTON

Mosaic distributes food at elementary

The Mosaic Co. donated $13,000 to Feeding America Tampa Bay last week to provide a holiday meal for 700 students who attend Gibsonton Elementary School. Mosaic employees and nonprofit volunteers distributed all the makings of a holiday dinner, including ham, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green beans, sweet potatoes, stuffing and gravy. With a per capita household income of just over $20,000, 90 percent of the Gibsonton area's families are considered economically disadvantaged.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY

Recycling encouraged for holiday excess

The county encourages residents to consider recycling traditional holiday items in the blue bins. Items eligible for recycling include: clean paperboard boxes; flattened corrugated cardboard boxes; steel and tin cans; all plastic film and packaging; and grocery and shopping bags. Oversized boxes or volumes of recyclables that exceed the recycling cart capacity can be dropped off by county customers for free at community collection centers: Hillsborough Heights, 6209 County Road 579 in Seffner; Northwest County, 8001 W Linebaugh Ave. in Tampa; and South County, 13000 U.S. 41 in Gibsonton. For more information, go to HillsboroughCounty.org/SolidWaste or call the Solid Waste Customer Service Center at (813) 272-5680.

NEW TAMPA

County chooses plan for community park

Hillsborough County Commissioners selected a proposal at their most recent meeting for the development of the New Tampa Community Park, which will include a dog park, a cultural center and a grocery store. The proposal from Harrison Bennett Properties LLC and Regency Centers is a mixed-use town center with condos, townhouses and apartments, plus shops and an organic grocery store. Located on the west side of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard across from the entrance to Hunter's Green, the space will include a 3-acre dog park and also $2 million from the developer to go toward a cultural center or theater space.

NORTH TAMPA

Job fair for those with disabilities

The city of Tampa Mayor's Alliance for Persons With Disabilities will hold a job fair on Jan. 23. Applicants can submit resumes for review and feedback to larrylabelle@trainingtamer.com until Jan. 7. The fair at Keiser University, 5002 W Waters Ave., will give veterans and people with disabilities an opportunity to meet with employers and learn about job search techniques. The job fair will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Employers interested in participating in the job fair should reserve space ($100). For more information, call Cate Baierlein with Change of Course, the nonprofit facilitating the event, at (813) 786-2033. tampagov.net.

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TAMPA

KTBB honored by national organization

Fore the second consecutive year Keep America Beautiful honored Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful as its No. 1 affiliate for excellence in environmental initiatives, education and community improvements. The organization also was recognized as a first-place winner in its Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, which has been expanded in Tampa and introduced in Temple Terrace. The top Keep America Beautiful volunteer awards also went to two local residents. Thonotosassa's Cam Oberting received the Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson Award and Tampa's Dan Fisher received the Iron Eyes Cody Award. KAB also acknowledged Bill Langford, Hillsborough County Department of Code Enforcement, as well as community partner Pepin Distributing.

Commission launches sporting goods drive

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission, Elder Automotive Group and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will team up for the fourth consecutive year for Replay Tampa Bay, an annual sporting goods drive. The program encourages the community to assist local kids by donating new or gently used sporting goods to a designated drive location.

The Bucs' game against New Orleans on Sunday will kick off the effort. Both Elder Automotive Group dealerships will serve as drop off locations throughout the holiday season. For more information, go to TampaBaySports.org.

TEMPLE TERRACE

Police cracking down on drunken driving

Because of an increase in drunken driving-related fatalities around the holidays, the Temple Terrace Police Department and law enforcement agencies across America will increase efforts to locate impaired drivers through Jan. 1. On average, nearly a third of all crash fatalities in America involve drunken driving.

"If someone you know is about to drive after drinking, take their keys and help them get home safely," Capt. Mike Pridemore said. "We've got to work together to make our roads safer during the holidays and year-round."