Sheriff’s deputies were called about 6:35 a.m. to the 1300 block of S 78th Street, sheriff’s officials said, to what was described as a “possible deceased person.”
The deputies found the adult man, who had what was initially described as “upper body trauma.” Late Monday morning, sheriff’s officials said the man suffered a single gunshot wound.
A news release states that the man’s death is “believed to be an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public.”
The man’s name was not immediately released.
An investigation was ongoing Monday morning. No arrests had been made.
No other details were immediately released.
Sheriff’s officials asked that anyone with information about the killing to contact them at 813-247-8200.
Dan Sullivan is a criminal justice reporter. Reach him at dsullivan@tampabay.com.
The power of three is what could be said about the three women at the helm of Palm River Family Services in Tampa
Chelsea Lee is one of the Go-4-Kids after-school teachers at the center
Luz Hernandez is its family support specialist and Cathie Schroder is the executive director
All three women have a passion for the children and families they serve in the community
“I like to give back as a thank you for all the wonderful things life has blessed me with,” Hernandez said
“Helping and serving is my passion and kids are a great reminder that we all deserve a good role model and support.”
Palm River Family Services originated in 1996 as a nonprofit community development corporation in collaboration with local residents
The group challenged the Board of County Commissioners to approve a $6.5 million investment for the improvement of one of the community’s most important roadways
The center also provides an after-school enrichment program at Clair Mel and Palm River Elementary Schools called Go-4-Kids
“The aim of our program is to provide societal and educational safeguards to prevent learning loss,” Schroder said “We carry forth with this mission by offering free after-school programs for students providing individualized homework assistance
snacks and educational activities that support the children’s learning and development.”
The program’s participants are challenged academically and often experience learning deficits during the school year and experience summer learning loss
In addition to providing after-school educational programs free of charge to families
they also provide family support case management
“The families in our community are poor and are often in need of assistance with rent
clothing and cleaning supplies,” Schroder said
“We serve as a safety net within our community for underserved youth and their families
We provide financial support and linkages to needed services in the community.”
The center is looking to the community to help support its efforts since the recent pandemic has had some effects on its program
“Collaborations through local organizations in our areas or charitable donations to help with our STEAM-Makers after-school program and volunteering are great ways to help,” Schroder said
To learn more about the Palm River Family Services, visit www.facebook.com/palmriverfamilyservices or call 628-9179
The center is located at 7454 Palm River Rd
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2019TAMPA — One of the men connected to the discovery of three murder victims found in a burning home in the Palm River-Clair Mel area last year now faces three murder charges
the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday
was charged with three counts of first-degree murder with a firearm and one count of robbery with a firearm
He still faces a charge of armed burglary of a dwelling from his Dec
but the charges of arson and tampering with physical evidence were dropped
The Sheriff's Office did not explain why the murder charges were added
what evidence those charges are based on or release any other information about the case
RELATED: Man faces three murder counts after bodies found in burning Palm River-Clair Mel home, deputies say
He is the second man to face murder charges in the discovery of the bodies on Nov
was arrested on three counts of first-degree murder
armed burglary of a dwelling and robbery with a firearm
Whitehead and Wilkerson were the two men captured on surveillance video at 6221 16th Ave
S before firefighters were called to the home and found three bodies inside
investigators said all three suffered upper body trauma
The victims were identified as Haley Stone
RELATED: Arrest linked to bodies found in burning Palm River-Clair Mel home
Video surveillance systems in the neighborhood captured video of a white Nissan Altima at the home, according to the Sheriff's Office. A gray Infiniti was also seen at the residence, and one person in the car was seen setting the fire. The Altima was registered to Wilkerson, the agency said. He was arrested on March 1.
Whitehead and Wilkerson are both being held in separate Hillsborough County jails without bail.
Contact McKenna Oxenden at moxenden@tampabay.com. Follow @mack_oxenden.
McKenna OxendenFormer Times Staffer
Tower Dairy Facebook PhotoOne of the many dairy cows they had at the dairy farm
Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White
received the 2022 Harvest Award for Farm Family of the Year
holding the 2022 Harvest Award for Farm Family of the Year
Xavier Pierre Whitehead, 28, of Tampa was arrested on a warrant Saturday and charged with armed burglary of a dwelling, first degree arson and tampering with physical evidence, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Whitehead is one of two men captured on surveillance video at 6221 16th Ave. S before firefighters were called to the home on Nov. 15 and found three bodies inside, deputies said.
Haley Stone, 20, Xavier Greene, 28, and Derek Archie, 31, died from upper body trauma before the fire was set, investigators say. Detectives are still searching for a second man seen in the surveillance video and the investigation is still ongoing.
However, the Sheriff's Office did not disclose what links Whitehead to the incident or what role, if any, he may have played. Jail records show Whitehead was arrested at his home at 9404 11th St. N.
State records show Whitehead has an arrest history in Florida dating back to 2007 and was released from prison in May 2017 after serving seven years for armed robbery, attempted armed robbery and aggravated assault with a weapon. He was being held without bail in the county jail.
Senior news researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. Contact Tony Marrero at tmarrero@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3374. Follow @tmarrerotimes.
Tony MarreroMorning Editor and Justice Reporter
2019A second arrest was made Friday in connection with the triple-homicide discovered in November when three bodies were found in a burning home in the Palm River-Clair Mel area
according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Arrest linked to bodies found in burning Palm River-Clair Mel home
The investigation started with a Nov. 15 report of a house fire at 6221 16th Ave. S. Firefighters discovered three bodies inside the home. None of them died from fire-related injuries, authorities said. Instead, investigators said all three suffered upper body trauma.
The victims were identified as Haley Stone, 20; Xavier Greene, 28; and Derek Archie, 31.
Video surveillance systems in the neighborhood captured video of a white Nissan Altima at the home, according to the Sheriff's Office. A gray Infiniti was also seen at the residence, and one person in the car was seen setting the fiure.
It was on Nov. 20 that deputies say they identified the Nissan Altima caught on video, and learned that it was registered to Wilkerson. But the Sheriff's Office did not say what evidence led to his arrest on Friday.
Deputies made the first arrest in this case on Dec. 1. Xavier Pierre Whitehead, 28, of Tampa, was arrested on charges of armed burglary of a dwelling, first degree arson and tampering with physical evidence. However, his role in the case was not disclosed by the Sheriff's Office.
Wilkerson is being held in the Orient Road Jail without bail.
The event, called “Tampa Bay Wet-N-Wild,” encouraged street takeovers — occupying intersections to perform doughnuts or other driving stunts. In addition to the arrests, officials gave 23 citations and took eight vehicles.
The Sheriff’s Office released footage from part of the operation showing the driver of a blue Mustang doing doughnuts in an intersection at Madison Avenue and South 50th Street, also known as U.S. Highway 41, in the Palm River-Clair Mel area, with other people standing just feet the moving vehicle.
Deputies say the driver of the Mustang was identified as Julias Lopez Jr., 18. After the incident seen on video, Hillsborough deputies attempted to pull Lopez over, but he fled, according to the release. Deputies say they followed the car on the road and from the air using a helicopter, and they arrested Lopez when he stopped the vehicle.
Lopez faces a felony charge of fleeing to elude and a misdemeanor charge of unlawful racing on the highway.
Authorities also arrested Basel Hammad, 21. According to the release, he performed doughnuts at the same intersection and was “drifting close to pedestrian traffic.”
Hammad fled when authorities tried to perform a traffic stop. He was arrested in Polk County after he crashed, the release said. Hammad faces a felony charge of fleeing to elude and misdemeanor charges of resisting without violence and unlawful racing on the highway.
The release also announced the arrest of Joshua Davis, 20, who deputies say was blocking the same intersection with his gray Chrysler 300 so others could perform doughnuts. He faces misdemeanor charges of unlawful racing on the highway and operating an unregistered vehicle.
Lopez and Davis were both released from a Hillsborough County jail after paying bail, according to jail records. Hammad remains in a Polk County jail, awaiting extradition to Hillsborough County, a Polk County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said. He has an $8,500 bail.
Matt CohenBreaking news reporter
"She was fine," said Natori Ferrell, a manager at the McDonald's in Palm River.
It was busy Thursday night, Ferrell said, and no one much paid attention to where the woman went after she left.
But they couldn't ignore the commotion when deputies later arrived.
In the parking lot, they pulled Rivera-Ramis from the driver's seat of a white Hyundai. A man in a white striped shirt paced nearby, a phone to his ear.
In the intervening hour, Hillsborough sheriff's officials said, Rivera-Ramis, 42, went to Rivergate Apartments, a complex a half-mile north of the McDonald's on 78th Street, with her boyfriend. There, she was shot.
The mother of two apparently drove back to the McDonald's, sheriff's officials said. Her boyfriend called 911 about 11:15 p.m. She died a short time later.
Detectives believe the shooting was drug-related, though much about the circumstances remained unclear. No arrests had been made late Friday.
"All I know is she was with her boyfriend," said Rivera-Ramis' sister, Karidad Ramis-Hartman. "He probably has the truth, but I don't know if he'll ever share what the truth is."
Ramis-Hartman said her sister's daughter got a call early Friday from the man her mother had been dating. He told the 15-year-old girl her mother had been shot.
Hours later, detectives visited the family's home and delivered more details, but few answers.
"My sister was her own person," Ramis-Hartman said. "She had potential for greatness, but unfortunately she chose to be on a different path than most of us would choose."
State records reflect that she had been arrested twice in the last two years on domestic violence charges. She had also endured a bevy of health problems, her sister said.
"She did not do drugs," Ramis-Hartman said. "That was not her thing."
The family had met the man Rivera-Ramis was dating a time or two, but they didn't know him well, her sister said.
"He didn't feel like someone I thought she should be with," she said. "But he was nice."
A man who said he was Rivera-Ramis' boyfriend, but declined to give his name, answered the door Friday afternoon at the north Tampa home where she lived. He held a rag against his upper lip, over a wound he said was a graze from a bullet.
"I don't remember too much," he said. "God was with me, I guess."
Despite her troubles, Rivera-Ramis still strove to move her life forward, her sister said. She had interviewed for a call center job with a company that sought bilingual applicants. In her spare time, she made money selling Avon products. She was a licensed manicurist. She had gone to school at Pasco-Hernando Community College.
In addition to her daughter, she had a 21-year-old son. She also had a large extended family in Puerto Rico. Locally, the family would gather at her mother's house.
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"She was there if you needed her," Ramis-Hartman said. "She was full of life and happy when she was around us."
Contact Dan Sullivan at dsullivan@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3386. Follow @TimesDan.
Dan SullivanJustice Reporter
They were identified Friday as Haley Stone, 20, Xavier Greene, 28, and Derek Archie, who would have turned 32 on Monday, according to the Medical Examiner's Office.
All three suffered what officials described as upper body trauma that led to "non-fire related fatalities," according to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. The Sheriff's Office said foul play is suspected in their deaths.
A 911 call was made at about 3 p.m. Thursday, reporting a fire at the home at 6221 16th Ave. S. Firefighters quickly extenguished the blaze and found the three bodies.
Deputies released surveillance footage captured by the home's private security cameras just before the 911 call. The video shows a man approaching the home with a gas canister before driving away in a silver four-door sedan with a sunroof that deputies said resembles a 2008 Infiniti M35.
Detectives, forensics technicians and a medical examiner's investigator worked the crime scene Friday morning. Tucked behind trees at the end of a dirt driveway, the home that burned is not visible from the road. Hillsborough County Fire Rescue released photos showing a burned house with melted, cream-colored siding peeling off the walls like taffy.
Darrol Horton was there too, waiting for authorities to release the names of those found inside. Deputies contacted him Thursday to let him know about the fire at his property, which he said he rents to friends.
"I haven't been able to contact them so I'm fearing for the worst," he said.
Anyone with information about the man being sought or this incident was asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200. To be eligible for a $3,000 reward, contact Crime Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477 or send an anonymous tip online using www.crimestopperstb.com, or send a tip with a smartphone using the P3 Tips Mobile application.
Contact Tony Marrero at tmarrero@tampabay.com or (813-226-3374). Follow @tmarrerotimes.
Anastasia DawsonFormer Times Reporter
2018 at 11:58 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}TAMPA
FL -- More than 200 children and teens living in the Clair-Mel/Palm River community area have a new hangout
The Jeff & Penny Vinik Family Club at Winston Park was opened by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay Tuesday
10,000-square-foot facility located at 7605 Destin Drive in Tampa will serve youth ages 5 to 18
primarily from surrounding Clair-Mel Elementary and Dowdell Middle School
The club has a capacity to serve 200 children and teens and its close proximity to area schools will make convenient for kids to head straight to the club after school
"Opening The Jeff & Penny Vinik Family Club is a critical step in providing quality youth development services in the Clair-Mel neighborhood," said President and CEO Chris Letsos
"This club will serve as a beacon of hope to a neighborhood struggling with academic progression
The Vinik Family Club is the fifth club to open under the model in partnership with the Hillsborough County Sherriff's Office
offering the 24-hour presence of an deputy
"This new club will provide a nurturing environment for at-risk children and
they will learn the skills necessary to achieve success in life and flourish within our community" said Hillsborough County Sherriff Chad Chronister
The club also boasts a one-of-a-kind street hockey rink on the property
It was a collaborative gift from the Tampa Bay Lightning and the National Hockey League in January as the Lightning hosted the NHL's All-Star Weekend at AMALIE Arena
"It is an exciting day to finally share this new club with the community and particularly the members of the Clair-Mel community." said Letsos
referring to a fire that halted the original opening of the club only months from its original opening date in 2017
"We are grateful to the Viniks for their unrelenting support of the vision of this club and the Boys & Girls Club Movement."
"Penny and I believe in bringing people together
and this club will do exactly that," said Jeff Vinik
"We have no doubt the rewards for the kids of Clair-Mel will far outweigh the difficulty of bringing this building online
yet we remain proud partners of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office."
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The raid yielded a small amount of marijuana, the agency said.
Levonia Riggins, 22, had been the subject of a monthlong drug investigation, sheriff's Maj. Chad Chronister said at a news conference.
When investigators arrived at the house at 1432 Longwood Loop with a search warrant about 8 a.m., everyone inside came out except for Riggins, the major said. Others who left the house told deputies Riggins was inside, most likely in the rear, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said in a news release.
That's when Deputy Caleb Johnson, 32, a seven-year veteran of the agency, entered the house with fellow SWAT members.
"After making numerous commands for Riggins to exit the residence, Deputy Johnson visually located Riggins in a bedroom, at which time Johnson perceived Riggins as an immediate threat and fired one shot, striking Riggins," Carter reported.
Riggins was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he died.
Family friend Carolor Jane Scott, 20, said Riggins was pronounced dead around noon.
Five hours passed before the Sheriff's Office released Carter's statement confirming Riggins' death and acknowledging, "While the investigation is ongoing it does appear at this time that Riggins was unarmed."
Johnson was put on administrative leave with pay pending a review, and the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office is expected to investigate.
Scott said the family thought Riggins was shot multiple times. She said they believe investigators confiscated about 2 grams of marijuana from Riggins' body.
Riggins has been arrested more than 20 times, according to state records. His most recent arrest was in April 2015 on charges of possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Before that, he had done jail time for burglary, grand theft and assorted probation violations.
"He was always a good person," said Scott, who grew up with Riggins. "Yeah, he smokes his weed and stuff, but he was never into anything serious. He was very kind, always wanting to talk to people, always there for you."
Scott said she heard from the family there was a baby in the house when deputies arrived, as well as other children adopted by Riggins' adoptive mother, Jesse Williams.
"He hadn't been in trouble in a while," said Deantae Huff, 22, who also grew up with Riggins. "They could have just Tased him. We just saw him yesterday and he was happy as ever."
News researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Contact Dan Sullivan at dsullivan@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3386. Follow @TimesDan.
2019PALM RIVER — It’s now been four years since motorists have been able to use the Maydell Drive bridge that crosses the Tampa Bypass Canal after Hillsborough County found it was structurally unsound
SEE RELATED: Palm River will be without Maydell Drive Bridge until 2019 or later
Ricky Bell, a reader and longtime Palm River and Clair Mel resident, mailed a handwritten letter to the Doc expressing his frustration with the delay.
He said the “major transportation artery” has been closed for too long and is “foolish at best.”
Bell also expressed frustration with the required detours that have forced drivers to venture to U.S. 41 and 78th Street — two much busier streets than the two-lane 616-foot long Maydell Drive bridge that connected the Palm River community to State Road 60.
Unfortunately, the Maydell Drive Bridge construction project has taken a back seat to other bigger county projects, such as the Citrus Park Drive extension project and the Carrollwood Village Park project.
In April, the county held a public hearing meeting that allowed the public to view the new design and hear the plans for the new bridge.
The design phase is now complete and construction is scheduled to begin mid-2020, according to Chris Wilkerson, the senior media relations strategist for Hillsborough County.
The old bridge will be completely demolished, and the new bridge is designed to serve as a multi-use bridge for cars, pedestrians and bicyclists.
It will remain a two-lane bridge, but will gain travel lanes, eight-foot shoulders, a barrier separated five-foot sidewalk and a 10-foot trail.
Monique Welch is a staff writer at the Tampa Bay Times, and the voice behind Dr. Delay. Send your traffic concerns, questions, and pictures of roadway troubles you spot in your travels around the Tampa Bay area to docdelay@tampabay.com. Follow @AskDrDelay.
Monique WelchFormer Times Staffer
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Today, Hillsborough County's Livable Roadways Committee will discuss the potential project to extend the Selmon Expressway. The extension would run from south of Big Bend Road to US 301
The project aims to relieve traffic congestion in the southern part of Hillsborough County
David Hey lives in the area and is also part of the livable roadways committee
He said he would discuss with the committee how this project could impact the neighborhoods and communities surrounding the corridor
I might be going by at 50-60 miles per hour
but I am going through a place people live,” Hey said
The proposed extension spans 10 miles through Brandon
Lisa Sila is with the Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization and said the Livable Roadways Committee is made up of stakeholders and design professionals
She said they often provide feedback on projects in the early phases
The county will collect the information from today's meeting and send it up to the state
so they are seeking feedback to see if it is feasible,” Silva said
and I feel like that's part of where the system failed"
Henry Betsey Jr. is facing charges for marrying three Florida women in three different counties at the same time. Now
saying the system that handles marriage licenses kept them in the dark
Latest Hillsborough County News from ABC Action News
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Rodger M. Shipp, 49, was arrested about 1:30 a.m. at the intersection of 78th Street and Causeway Boulevard, in the Palm River-Clair Mel area, according to an arrest affidavit.
Hillsborough deputies responded to the intersection after a 911 caller reported seeing someone passed out behind the wheel of a pickup. The Ford pickup, locked and running, had been stopped at the intersection for three to four light cycles, the affidavit states.
Deputies tried to rouse Shipp by pounding on the windows. When that didn’t work, fearing for his health, deputies broke a rear passenger window.
“The defendant continued to remained unresponsive even after the loud break of the window,” a deputy wrote in the arrest report.
Shipp woke up just as deputies were opening the door. The pickup was in drive and Shipp’s foot was on the brake.
Deputies smelled alcohol on Shipp’s breath and his speech was slurred, according to the affidavit. He declined medical treatment and refused to perform field sobriety exercise or provide a breath sample.
Shipp was released later Monday afternoon after posting $500 bail, records show.
Reached by phone, Shipp told a Tampa Bay Times reporter he would provide the reporter’s information to his attorney. The attorney had not contacted the Times by Thursday morning.
Shipp has been placed on unpaid leave, according to the city. City and department rules and regulations state that any employee who is arrested will be summarily suspended while the case is pending.
Shipp joined the department in 2003 and was promoted to the rank of captain in 2018. He was based out of Station 7 at 6129 N Nebraska Ave. in Seminole Heights.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information the city provided to the Times on May 8, 2023 about Shipp’s job status and work history.
Officials say Richard A. Scarborough, 73, shouldn't have been living there in the first place because the property is zoned for manufacturing.
Scarborough died of smoke inhalation early Wednesday in the motor home parked at 1618 51st St S, , according to a Hillsborough County Medical Examiner's preliminary report. A spokeswoman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said no foul play is suspected in the blaze.
Scarborough's girlfriend told investigators the fire started outside of the motor home and they found nothing to contradict that, said Eric Seidel, a spokesman for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. Investigators were not able to determine the cause of the fire because the property around the motor home was littered with trash, debris and several power tools plugged into extension cords, Seidel said.
"There was so much of that stuff it was impossible to tell where exactly the fire started," he said.
The three-acre parcel is zoned for manufacturing and county officials had not granted a variance to allow someone to live there, county spokesman Todd Pratt said in an email. Code enforcement officials had not been to the property prior to the fire, Pratt said.
The girlfriend, Barbara Cascio, told investigators with the Sheriff's Office and Fire Marshal's Office that she was sleeping by the door of the motor home when she heard a crackling noise, according to the Medical Examiner summary. She went outside to find "smoke and embers," though the report doesn't specify what was on fire.
Cascio said she went around the motor home and knocked on the window of the bedroom where Scarborough was sleeping. Scarborough wasn't able to climb through the bedroom window because of shelves built in the interior window frame, the report says.
According to the report, the last thing Cascio heard Scarborough say was, "The smoke is getting too bad."
Cascio went to a neighbor's house and called 911 at 3:07 a.m. Hillsborough County Fire Rescue crews arrived 10 minutes later to find the motor home engulfed in flames and smoke. Furniture, trash and other items surrounding the motor home also were on fire.
Crews had the blaze under control in about 30 minutes. Investigators found Scarborough's severely burned body lying on a bed frame in what was left of the motor home, the Medical Examiner report says. The remains of two of the couple's five dogs were also found inside the motor home.
Cascio was treated at the scene for burns on her hand. She could not be reached Monday. Another relative of Scarborough's listed in the report did not return a message.
In a brief phone interview Monday, Ron Sheets said he rented the property to Scarborough and he and Cascio had been living their for at least eight years. Sheets said he didn't know much about either of them.
Sheets said he told Scarborough "many times" to address the junk on the property.
Pratt, the county spokesman, said officials do not plan to cite Sheets.
"Fines and other punitive measures can be a way to ensure compliance, but in this case the living quarters that were in violation were destroyed by the fire, meaning there's no longer a code violation," Pratt said.
The Medical Examiner's report lists Scarborough's employment as "mechanic/shop owner" and says records indicated he had nine children. He'd been diagnosed with several health conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic kidney disease. He had a prosthetic implant in his right leg.
Scarborough was from Arlington Va. and liked classic cars and Bob Seger, according to his Facebook page. Friends called him Dickie.
"Can't believe this is what finally took you from us," one of his Facebook friends, Pamela Mace, typed earlier this week under a photo of him.
Contact Tony Marrero at tmarrero@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3374. Follow @tmarrerotimes.
2016CLAIR-MEL — Angela Wilson was in the laundromat at about 3 a.m
Thursday when flashing lights and loud shouting caught her attention
She rushed outside and saw the recreation center where she learned cheerleading as a child and where her children regularly play burning to the ground
"All you could see was the flames and the smoke," she said
No one perished in the overnight fire at the Winston Park Recreation Center in Clair-Mel
But that was about the only upside for the Boys and Girls Club of Tampa Bay
which saw nine months of construction work to modernize and expand the center wiped out in the blaze
The heralded $2.5 million project was funded with one of the largest grants so far from the Vinik Family Foundation, created by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and his wife, Penny.
It was envisioned as a means of transforming lives in a troubled neighborhood with few options to keep children off the street. Plans included include a technology lab, a full-service kitchen café, classrooms, a game room, a theater and dance studio and a covered roller hockey rink.
The 3,000 square-foot expansion was well on the way to completion with drywall and wiring already installed.
All that remained Thursday morning, however, were a few cinder block walls and piles of charred rubble.
"We've been told that nothing is salvageable," said Cassandra Thomas, Boys and Girls Club marketing manager. "It's so disheartening.''
The center at 7605 Destin Drive was on track to open early next year. It was to be renamed the Jeff and Penny Vinik Family Boys & Girls Club. Both Vinik and club officials said they are committed to continuing the project despite the setback.
"We are primarily disappointed for the kids and the community that the recreation center is designed to serve," Jeff Vinik said in a statement. "We will do everything we can in working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay to help facilitate reconstruction."
The land and building is owned by Hillsborough County. Officials said Thursday that the building is insured for $1 million and that the contractor working on the expansion was also carrying insurance. But it's unknown how much of the renovation will be covered by the policies.
The cause of the fire was still being investigated late Thursday.
Firefighters reported they could see fire and smoke from blocks away. Thirty-five firefighters worked for an hour and 15 minutes to get the blaze under control. They had to knock down walls to get at some hot spots. For several hours, crews doused piles of smoldering rubble so fire inspectors could begin trying to determine the cause.
The Boys and Girls Club chose Palm River/Clair-Mel as an area where children and youths needed more access to activities and amenities.
About 26 percent of residents there live below the federal poverty line, according to U.S. Census estimates. The percentage is even higher among children, with 37 percent – or roughly 6,000 children – defined as poor.
"We knew it would touch the lives of hundreds in this area," Thomas said.
In 2008, when real estate prices were crashing around the Tampa Bay area, Winston Park was one of several county recreation centers considered for closing because of budget cuts.
County Commissioner Les Miller was among those who fought to keep it open. He said he will work with county officials and the Boys and Girls Club to resurrect the project.
"They deserve it out there," he said. "That is an area that has been neglected for a long time."
Luther Mosley, a member of a local neighborhood crime watch group, shook his head sadly as he drove by the center Thursday.
He said residents had fought for five years to keep the center open and were excitedly waiting for the upgrade. The next nearest rec center is on Progress Boulevard about four miles away.
"To see it go up in smoke like this, I don't know where to go from here," he said. "This is a big issue for this community."
Contact Christopher O'Donnell at codonnell@tampabay.com. Follow @codonnell_Times. Staff writer Tony Marrero contributed to this report.
Christopher O'DonnellHealth and Medicine Reporter
For two decades, the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office has divvied up the sprawling county into four patrol districts.
That changes May 8, when a fifth district goes live.
Patrol District V — the Sheriff's Office uses Roman numerals — includes most of Brandon and the communities of Bloomingdale, Palm River-Clair-Mel, Grant Park, Orient Park and Progress Village.
One of the goals in the change is to shave precious seconds from response times as call volumes increase with projected population booms in eastern and southern Hillsborough, sheriff's Maj. Kyle Robinson said. The move will enable the agency to divide the workload more evenly among deputies in each district and reduce the ground they have to cover, said Robinson, a 22-year veteran of the agency who was tapped by Sheriff David Gee to lead District V.
"The new district is first and foremost to better serve the citizens," he said. "With five districts, the deputies should have to travel less distance and can respond to calls quicker."
At 69 square miles, District V will be the smallest of the four districts. It pulls territory from districts II and IV, which will still be vast at a combined 658 square miles. Those two districts include Riverview, Ruskin and points north of Plant City where the pace of development has bounced back after the Great Recession.
A fifth district will also enable the agency to reduce the ratio of deputies to supervisors on each squad. Currently, there are 13 to 16 deputies per squad, high compared to the national average of about eight, Robinson said. That number will drop to about 11, easing the workload on the sergeants and corporals who supervise them.
"While our supervisors are highly capable and do a good job of managing their people, we can do better if we make strides to lessen the number of subordinates," Robinson said.
The agency analyzed data to come up with the new boundaries, such as calls for service and types and numbers of crimes and arrests. The new district includes some of the higher-crime areas in the county.
"Certainly this is an area with some crime issues, but we staffed the district with an adequate number of detectives, street crimes deputies and patrol deputies to handle those calls for service," Robinson said.
Among the 181 sworn officers assigned to the new district, there are 105 patrol deputies, a dozen street crime deputies and 14 detectives. But those numbers will be fluid.
"The opening of District V is not a finish line," Robinson said. "It's a continual process of looking at statistics to determine if there needs to be more transfers among the districts."
The district headquarters is at 10128 Windhorst Road. The existing substations at 3622 Erindale Drive in Bloomingdale and 7935 Flower Ave. in Progress Village will remain open in the new district.
The change comes as the agency works to bridge a deficit in its ranks. There are currently 209 law enforcement vacancies at the Sheriff's Office, and the goal is to hire 100 deputies each year to stay ahead of attrition and close the gap.
The district came as welcome news for Rilla Henry, who has lived off 78th Street in the Greater Palm River neighborhood for just over four decades.
Crime has increased in the neighborhood over the years, said Henry, who serves as coordinator for Greater Palm River West, a neighborhood watch and beautification group.
"We have two or three schools in the community, and it's a concern for our young people," she said. "Most of us have been out here for a while and we can't afford to go anywhere else. We don't want our neighborhood to go to the dogs, so to speak."
That's why neighbors were glad to hear last year that they would be part of a new district that might mean more deputies closer at hand, "so they can respond when we need them and don't have to come all the way across town," Henry said. We're really grateful for that."
George May, president of the Bloomingdale Homeowners Association, agreed.
The neighborhood of more than 5,000 homes and roughly 23,000 residents sees its share of car burglaries and other crimes. But May said residents were unnerved recently when two suspects knocked on the door of a home on Mallory Point Drive and then fired into the house when the woman said she was calling police. A similar incident happened on Big Pine Drive six minutes later.
"Anything that will help with response times and have more deputies dedicated closer to our area, we're all for," May said.
For Maj. Robinson, leading a new district "exceeds the expectations I had for my career." And he knows his new district well.
Born and raised in Plant City, he joined the Sheriff's Office in 1995 and was assigned to Grant Park and Palm River-Clair Mel as a new deputy and later as a street crimes deputy.
"While some may think of those neighborhoods and think of crime," he said, "I see the good citizens who we're working for, who want a nice, safe neighborhood where they can come out after dark and don't have to lock their doors as soon as the sun goes down."
The other driver, a 21-year-old Tampa woman, received critical injuries in the collision just before 7 a.m. on U.S. 41 near Old U.S. 41, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Neither woman was wearing a seatbelt, the Highway Patrol said.
The first car, a Chevrolet, was headed north in the southbound lanes of U.S. 41 for unknown reasons when it struck a southbound Nissan. The cars collided nearly head-on, rotated and came to rest in the median and southbound lanes.
The Highway Patrol did not release the women’s names because of its interpretation of Marsy’s Law, a voter-approved amendment to the state Constitution that was meant to protect crime victims but that deprives the public of information long available under Florida’s public records law.
Dennis JoyceFormer Times Staffer
Mr. Ringhaver was a member of a team led by the Rays' first principal owner, Vince Naimoli, that finally won an expansion franchise in 1995 after years of trying.
"It was a long fight and Lance was a big part of it," said Dick Crippen, senior adviser to the Rays and a newscaster during those years.
Mr. Ringhaver, a Cleveland native, led the construction equipment dealer Ring Power Corp. after his father, who founded the company, died in 1976. The company was based in St. Augustine at the time, but Mr. Ringhaver moved to Tampa in 1986 and launched Ringhaver Equipment Company under the umbrella of RPC, Inc. The companies later merged just before Mr. Ringhaver retired in 2003. Ring Power now has 26 branches in Florida with nearly 2,000 employees.
Mr. Ringhaver also served on the Tampa Port Authority Board for nine years after then-Gov. Jeb Bush appointed him in 1999. Some questioned his ability to serve as chairman of the board after he suffered a stroke in 2004, but he continued to serve for another four years.
Ringhaver's philanthropies included Tampa's Florida Aquarium, the YMCA and his alma mater, the University of Florida. He served on the University of Tampa Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2008 and was a member of the Hillsborough Community College Board of Trustees in the early 1990s.
"He was very community-oriented," said Chris Carter, Mr. Ringhaver's secretary since 1986.
Mr. Ringhaver also became interested in pursuing a baseball team for Tampa Bay soon after his arrival here. He and other investors gathered behind Naimoli, who came onto the scene after more than a decade of dead-end efforts that included bids to snag the Minnesota Twins in 1984, the Oakland A's in 1985, the Chicago White Sox in 1988, the Texas Rangers in 1989 and the Seattle Mariners in 1991 and 1992.
Mr. Ringhaver was part of the contingent that tried to buy and relocate the San Francisco Giants in 1992.
Mr. Ringhaver, who was still a minority owner of the team, was a life-long baseball fan. He attended the Rays' home opener on Sunday.
"He just had a life-long love of the sport," Carter said. "When there was an opportunity to bring baseball to the Tampa Bay area he wanted to be a part of it."
The Rays also put out a statement Tuesday: "The Rays join the entire Tampa Bay community in mourning the passing of Lance Ringhaver. He was a founding member of the Rays ownership group and a key figure in helping secure the franchise. Beyond his love for the Rays, Lance's influence as one of Florida's premier businessmen and philanthropists helped shape much of Tampa Bay's development over the past four decades."
Florida Highway Patrol troopers said Mr. Ringhaver was driving south in the center lane of U.S. 41 in Palm River-Clair Mel about 8:35 p.m. Monday when a semi trying to turn north onto 41 from Towaway Avenue failed to a complete a full left turn, blocking the southbound lanes. Mr. Ringhaver's Infiniti hit the trailer and became wedged underneath, troopers said.
Mr. Ringhaver, who lived in Apollo Beach, died at the scene.
The truck's driver, 38-year-old Isbel Perez Guzman of Tampa, was not injured. Guzman was cited for failing to yield the right of way.
Mr. Ringhaver is survived by his daughters, Deborah Lane of Crescent City and Sherri Geddes of Jacksonville; his twin sons, Mark Ringhaver of Odessa, and Lance Kendall Ringhaver of Jacksonville; and nine grandchildren.
Crippen said Mr. Ringhaver was a "true southern gentleman" who took pride in his role in Tampa Bay's baseball history and the team.
"He was a good supporter of the team as well as being an investor," Crippen said. "He was proud to be there and proud to be a part of it."