Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY — According to Hillsborough County Commissioner Gwen Myers, a drainage improvement project approved nearly two years ago for Progress Village will begin in January Myers says the decades-old drainage system in unincorporated Hillsborough County is long overdue for an upgrade Flood waters have receded in Progress Village but the damage caused by Hurricane Milton still lingers along with piles of debris and cars that took on water has lived in this historic community for over 50 years She had a close call but was spared flooding in her home but you still should have a place where this water goes,” she added District 3 Hillsborough County Commissioner Gwen Myers says the county was focused on flood mitigation long before Hurricane Milton “It was a lesson learned and a teachable moment of some things we need to put in place,” said Myers Myers says more than $10 million was approved a year and a half ago for the project “We’re going to install a new drainage system Progress Village Civic Council Vice President Sean Bell Senior says Milton taught us not only about infrastructure improvements but also about the need for adequate insurance “People pay for flood insurance when they think they need it Neighbors say they welcome any help to save their properties for future generations of their family FEMA has opened an office at the Progress Village Senior Center to help residents apply for compensation for any damage suffered during Hurricane Milton Residents of Hillsborough County's historically Black neighborhood dealt with devastating flooding from Hurricane Milton last week as the area has had drainage issues for years At a comfort station near the Progress Village Senior Center in Hillsborough County Wilma Hobdy is carrying a full laundry basket and wearing a T-shirt that says "Be kind Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about." She has lived in Progress Village nearly 55 years she's witnessed what she calls a "really bad drain issue" there "I used to wonder why my stepfather used to sweep the drains all the time And even with us sweeping and cleaning the drains the water wasn't going anywhere," she said The rainwater builds up and just stays there which she said was the worst flooding she's seen The water rose around her home in the front and back yards and two feet into her house "Once the road started flooding and people was trying to drive that water was whooshing into the house Hobdy had to wear rain boots to get in and out of her home Hobdy’s neighbors helped to drag wet items out of her house she pulled out her rake and leaf blower to assist others because you don't never know what somebody's is able to do And I just want to thank everybody that came out from across the country and stuff to help our community out And that's just my heart," she said tearing up Hillsborough County recently started construction on a project that will provide drainage solutions for Progress Village The public works department will install more stormwater drains to collect the rain The water will then move through a new treatment pond before being released to Archie Creek a community relations coordinator with the county said they can't necessarily eliminate the flooding "When you have over a foot of rainfall over such a short amount of time it is very difficult to make sure there's no flooding at all But it is aimed to reduce the flooding," she said adding that this project will improve the quality of life for people living in Progress Village We get residents reaching out to us in this neighborhood fairly often about their concerns for the flooding and so this really gives this area peace of mind." The county has been working on this project very closely with community leaders particularly those within the Progress Village Civic Council It's an organization that supports residents there and has been pushing for these drainage improvements and she's lived her whole life - 60 years- in Progress Village It began as an affordable neighborhood for African Americans in the 1950s "My parents were one of the first seven to receive their keys to Progress Village when it was built," she said She now owns several homes in the neighborhood passed down to her by deceased family members… and Hurricane Milton caused water damage to some of her properties Construction on the new stormwater system is supposed to wrap up in about a year Tolbert-Jones said Progress Village residents will continue to do what they've always done and Tolbert-Jones is part of a group chat where community leaders give live updates on what their neighbors need it just gives me chills to and I know you see the smile on my face we just rally around each other," she said with a radiant glow on her face like Wilma Hobdy who had two feet of water in her house leaving the neighborhood for higher ground is not an option 22HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY — The community of Progress Village has known for decades that its drainage is a problem But it never — not even 80-year-old Eugenia Shuler — had seen water come into its homes the way it did during Hurricane Milton The water from Milton’s staggering rainfall had nowhere to go So it climbed higher and higher until it overtopped mailboxes in some streets Those who couldn’t swim out were trapped in their homes that’s where those residents stayed until boats rescued them Thursday afternoon Twanda Bradley hates seeing her village this way Bradley’s family was among the founding members of this community of 10,000 kitty-corner between Riverview and Gibsonton when it was formed by Black people during segregation She teared up thinking about how it was likely better that her parents didn’t live to see this So Bradley did what she does best: She helped Hillsborough County fire and rescue use a boat to bring local residents to safety from their flooded homes on Thursday [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]She stood on a median and motioned for cars to slow down to prevent wakes from edging into homes wading around the town of which she is civic council president People called out to her from powerless houses who watched with her children from inside as their indoor back porch was ripped clean from the house by wind who beckoned Bradley over when she was already knee-deep Bradley ventured up to her waist in the murky floodwaters As the deluge from Milton reached Davis’ doorstep and then started seeping in from the seam around the toilet and kept coming Davis and her sister grabbed every blanket They threw them across the floor to try to absorb the water the water was above her ankles in her living room anyway shows the water damaged caused by a flooded street on Thursday [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]Above the threshold a decal read: “Home is where the happiest memories are made.” But as Davis looked at her house she ran her hands through her close-cropped blond hair her head throbbing — a sign that her blood pressure was too high ”I just want the water to go down,” she said before lighting a cigarette Davis couldn’t begin cleaning up until the stagnant water receded below her doorstep Bradley tried to assure residents that the government was finally working on improving the drainage after years of inaction She credited Hillsborough County Commissioner Gwen Myers with helping to secure millions to help build retention ponds which were under construction behind several homes [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]As Bradley sloshed back through the neighborhood toward her car copper-colored swamp eels wriggled through the floodwaters they zagged in a way that made S-shaped splashes Bradley worried about how many here are uninsured because residents either own long-held family homes outright or they’re renting from investors Bradley thought about her love for this place where neighbors stood guard on their doorsteps to make sure she and other tykes made it to school safely So when a resident called with a plea to help get her grandma out of a flooded home a Hillsborough Fire Rescue boat splashed down the street It came back bearing an older woman in a crimson life vest Bradley dumped the water from her rubber boots Then she put them back on to check on more people while she take some time to empty the water that gets into her rain boots on Thursday 5 things to know about the 2024 hurricane season, according to forecasters. Forecasters predict ‘extremely active’ 2024 hurricane season. Here’s why. Could Tampa Bay flood insurance rise after a hurricane? A warning from Hurricane Ian Want to know what areas are flooding in Tampa Bay? Here’s where to look Checklists for building all kinds of storm kits. Jefferee Woo is a staff photographer. Reach him at jwoo@tampabay.com. — The historical roots that were deeply grounded in Progress Village were breached by unexpected flooding during back-to-back hurricanes The Progress Village community was established in the 1950s to provide affordable housing for Black Americans and to mitigate displacements caused by redevelopment in historically Black communities.  Two months after hurricanes Milton and Helene some residents in Progress Village are now concerned about the risk of permanent displacement due to extensive flood damage.  They had boats and everything rescuing people,” said Catherine Davis Davis moved into the Hillsborough County suburb The people next door they are selling their property,” she said.  will eventually be forced out or priced out of the community are still awaiting responses to their FEMA claims “It takes a while for you to receive the insurance money to do what you have to do to fix up your house,” said Davis.  and multiple generations of her family were born and raised in Progress Village and the home was left to me,” said Winkfield.  She wants to preserve her home for future generations of her family “I do understand that the drainage is poor that would help the drainage,” said Winkfield.  She continuously raised concerns about debris clogging drains to the county.  Hillsborough County approved a regional drainage improvement project worth $17.3 million The project is scheduled to be completed by late 2025 This is a project she hopes will protect her home from future flood damage Winkfield states that the economic devastation from these storms will change the Progress Village community forever Many homeowners did not have flood insurance and are now facing total losses “They can’t come back home because of the condition of their home,” Winkfield said.  Neighbors hope that the community that afforded Black Americans the opportunity of first time homeownership can rebuild and flourish again On Jan. 18, Progress Village Middle School teacher Bennie Leverett put a student in a chokehold, “restricting the student’s ability to breathe before eventually releasing the hold,” the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Friday. According to an arrest affidavit, Leverett “had the victim in this position for approximately four minutes and at one point pulled the victim to the floor while he was still in the rear choke hold.” The report said the student was 14 years old. Multiple witnesses recorded the incident on their cellphones, and Leverett made them delete the videos before they left class, the report states. The school’s assistant principal, Tashiska Fabian, met with Leverett and the student after the incident but did not report it to the child abuse hotline or law enforcement, the news release states. Fabian also learned that a student had captured the incident on video, and she told the student to delete the footage, deputies say. The deleted video was later recovered by detectives. On Feb. 16, the sheriff’s office responded to the school with the Department of Children and Families, and Leverett was arrested March 14. “Following a detailed investigation, detectives determined Fabian failed to report this incident and issued a warrant for her arrest,” the news release states. She was arrested Wednesday. “It is deeply troubling that a teacher would harm a student, but even more so when a person in a position of authority fails to do the right thing and report the crime,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the news release. A spokesperson for Hillsborough County Public Schools said Leverett, 39, and Fabian, 41, were removed from duty in February after the school district learned of the allegations. Leverett never returned to the school, and he resigned from the district in March, spokesperson Tanya Arja said. Fabian was not allowed to return to the school and was terminated. “Neither one of these individuals has been on our campus since last February and it does not involve any current district employee,” Arja wrote in an email. “The safety of our students and staff is our top priority.” Leverett is charged with one count of child abuse, a third-degree felony. Records show he was released from the Hillsborough County jail after posting a $5,000 bond on March 14. He has pleaded not guilty through an attorney. Fabian is facing one count of failure to report child abuse, a third-degree felony. Records show she was released from the Hillsborough County jail Wednesday after posting a $2,500 bond. Emily WunderlichMidday Editor PROGRESS VILLAGE, Fla. — After Hurricanes Helene and Milton have come and gone experts say mold left in the aftermath poses a health risk for Tampa Bay area communities They say people with allergies or respiratory problems face a higher risk of illness The American Red Cross went door-to-door Wednesday in Progress Village to alert residents about the dangers they could face from mold One team member told a resident that if their home was flooded they should tear out the drywall in their home so mold doesn’t form.  It’s a message the American Red Cross has been sharing with urgency in communities like Progress Village since Hurricane Milton “Progress Village Boulevard has never been underwater,” said Progress Village Civic Council Vice President Sean Bell Sr The Red Cross joined council board members as they went door-to-door to check on residents — many of whom were senior citizens A disaster like this was a first for Delores Fletcher The 83-year-old said she’s thankful for any help she can get we pull together,” said Progress Village Civic Council Secretary Marlise Tolbert-Jones According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mold typically develops within 48 hours of water damage Civic Council officials say some residents need extra hands to clean up American Red Cross North East Chapter Executive Director Kyle McWilliam Lopez said his organization is actively providing aid and then we’re also distributing emergency supplies like clean-up kits and comfort kits for families that were affected,” he said Fletcher says she isn’t afraid to start over “We have been blessed so much that I know this stuff is replaceable,” she said the Progress Village Civic Council will bring together volunteers to help residents clean up their properties If mold is found to cover more than a 10-foot by 10-foot area the CDC and the Environmental Protection Agency recommend bringing in a trained mold remediation professional to clean it up The State of Florida requires contractors that clean mold to be licensed 2024Trevor Clarke knew Florida would be hot “I have social media,” laughed the 35-year-old Michigan resident visiting friends in Carrollwood But he admitted to underestimating the power of the sun in the Sunshine State Clarke took his 2-year-old son to Carrollwood Village Park’s playground They lasted 15 minutes before going for a swim at a friend’s nearby home “My friends are right to complain,” he said But they were back on a cloudy morning a few days later Carrollwood Village Park and another 13 county-owned parks might receive more manmade shade if voters renew the Hillsborough County Community Investment Tax on the November ballot Approved by voters in 1996 for 30 years the half-cent sales tax funds capital improvement projects throughout unincorporated Hillsborough Voters can reapprove it for another 15 years. If they do, Hillsborough has a $2.6-billion wish list. Projects include bridge replacements, repairs to Amalie Arena and Raymond James Stadium, nine new fire stations and stormwater infrastructure. In all, the shade initiative would use around $8 million of the tax funds by adding shade sails over playgrounds in Progress Village, Carrollwood Village, Cross Creek, All Persons Rotary, Northdale, Apollo Beach, West Park, Sadie and Bloomingdale parks. Plus, it would add covered structures around basketball courts at Roy Haynes, Apollo Beach, Northdale, Winston, Keystone, Egypt Lake and Turner/Bartels parks. “There’s nothing better than to go to the park and be able to play and enjoy yourself and not feel like you’re just baking in an oven,” said Jason Mackenzie, park planner and development manager for Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation. Shade sails, like the ones already at Skyway Park, will be added throughout Hillsborough County if voters approve to renew the Community Investment Tax in November. [ Courtesy of Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation ]Shade might not be as vital as the other Community Investment Tax proposals, but it is one the county envisions being celebrated by the everyday family. “We do get a lot of requests for additional shade in our parks,” Mackenzie said. And not just from adults with kids, but veterans with disabilities, senior citizens and anyone who wants to spend time at a county park but would like respite from the sun. “This is a great way for us to provide a better experience at our parks for our patrons.” Subscribe to our free Do & Dine newsletter You’re all signed up!Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started. shade sails are made of a porous canvas and attached to steel columns that are placed in the ground with large concrete footers They can withstand winds of up to 120 miles per hour but the droplets tend to get more misty,” MacKenzie said The basketball court metal coverings will cost around $1 million per park and allow for all activities Parks were chosen based on locality and usage give an opportunity for residents to be within a decent driving distance if they chose to go there.” But what if voters decide against extending the Community Investment Tax “We’ll look for additional funding to do some of them,” MacKenzie said “But definitely the potential for some of them happening will decrease.” For lists of all proposed Community Investment Tax projects for 2026-2041, visit hcfl.gov/government/budget/budget-information/community-investment-tax. Paul Guzzo is a former culture reporter. President Donald Trump delivers the commencement address at the University of Alabama on Thursday evening. WATCHConstruction making progress at Providence Pallet shelter village after multiple delaysby GABRIELLE CARACCIOLO (WJAR) — The final stages of construction work are underway at Echo Village in Providence where Pallet shelters will eventually house the homeless The 'rapidly-deployable' shelters were originally supposed to open in June Now leaders say they'll open this winter but a move-in date has yet to be announced "It's been challenging," Laura Jaworski from House of Hope said "Forty-five beds matter and make a difference to 45 Rhode Islanders who otherwise don't have a place to go." The House of Hope is ready to help move people into the shelters once final inspections are passed They've shared job openings online looking for people to work at the site construction work was unable to take place as the state tried to figure how to fit the unique shelters into the building and fire code really difficult to see this growing need of shelter and housing on on the streets and see it continue to get delayed and delayed through our process," she said The remaining work includes final utility hookups final inspections can take place and a certification of occupancy can be issued "I think the real opportunity that remains is for us to continue to come to the table and say 'how can we at least learn from this experience?' You know the delays that echo village is having are not anything unusual or abnormal for the normal process that we go through to develop housing in Rhode Island," she said Jaworski is hopeful these challenges will help improve housing hurdles ingrained in the system "I think there's always opportunities to look back," she said "Where are the opportunities to come creatively to the table and figure out ways that we can move things forward There's all these opportunities that we need to start addressing and it's just simply because echo is now such a high profile and visible project It's illuminating all of these challenges And so I think the real travesty will be if we don't respond and we let a project like Echo Village open and we don't learn how to address our system." Federal officials also reach out to Miccosukee Tribe in path of the massive storm President Joe Biden has issued an emergency disaster declaration for the Seminole Tribe of Florida for recovery and relief efforts from damage wrought by Hurricane Milton flooding and high winds as it moved across Central Florida after making landfall late Wednesday SUPPORT INDIGENOUS JOURNALISM. CONTRIBUTE TODAY. It is the fourth emergency declaration for the Seminole Tribe in the last four years including declarations for hurricanes Nicole and Ian in 2022 and for the pandemic from 2020-2023 A statement from the White House said that Biden administration officials had also been in touch with the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida the only other federally recognized tribe in the state The tribe had not received a disaster declaration as of Thursday though the tribe did receive a declaration in 2022 for Hurricane Nicole Both Seminole and Miccosukee lands were in the path of Hurricane Milton which made landfall from the Gulf of Mexico south of Tampa and quickly moved across the center of the state before exiting into the Atlantic Ocean and gas on the highway that stretches from Miami to Naples The Miccosukee closed tribal offices as the storm approached but the Miccosukee Casino and Resort remained open Miccosukee Indian Village posted on social media that it would reopen on Saturday Miccosukee Chairman Talbert Cypress posted on Instagram Thursday afternoon that tribal offices would reopen Friday before closing again on Monday “Everybody back to work,” Cypress posted Thursday afternoon The Miccosukee, based in the middle of the Florida Everglades, were hard hit by Hurricane Wilma in 2005, when nearly 90 percent of the homes there were destroyed. They were spared damage from Hurricane Ian, and officials instead turned out to help others with recovery efforts Damages from Hurricane Milton were unclear for the Seminole Tribe though FEMA documents noted the disaster declaration came in response to a request from the chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida Hurricane Milton moved quickly through Florida after making landfall but left at least six people dead and millions without power amid widespread flooding The latest storm came through the state before many residents had a chance to clean up from Hurricane Helene By Dianna Hunt, of Cherokee Nation descent, is the national editor/news director at ICT (formerly Indian Country Today). She can be reached at dianna@ictnews.org or on X: @DiannaHunt. Will you support our work?All of our content is free And we have hired more Native journalists in the past year than any news organization ─ and with your help we will continue to grow and create career paths for our people Support Indian Country Today for as little as $10 — The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office arrested a vice principal and teacher in connection to a child abuse investigation at Progress Village Middle School putting a student in a chokehold before eventually releasing the hold Officials said the school's vice principal met with Leverett and the student after becoming aware of the incident Fabian did not report the incident to authorities Fabian also learned that another student recorded the incident and instructed that student to delete the footage HCSO and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) went to the school to investigate Further investigation revealed Fabian's role in the incident 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 Report a typo Two years after a Norfolk Southern train derailment rocked this village East Palestine officials have posted a report highlighting progress made in the recovery and revitalization efforts prompted evacuations and concerns about environmental impacts.  Since then village officials say they have focused on rebuilding and improving the community “While we will not forget the day and events that followed what we choose to remember is the resiliency of the town and the strength we have shown as we pushed forward,” the report stated Rebranding: The village adopted a new logo and slogan and social media channels were launched to provide reliable information "East Palestine Progress," is mailed to residents and businesses Village council meetings are also filmed and posted online Community Improvement: The Village of East Palestine Community Improvement Corporation (EPCIC) was established to work on development goals Park Improvements: The $25 million East Palestine Community Park Improvement project is underway and expected to be completed in 2026 Historic Depot: The village accepted the renovated train depot from Norfolk Southern and received technical assistance to develop a reuse plan Requests for proposals from businesses or organizations interested in the space are being accepted Water Safety: A new Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filtration system was put into service at the water treatment plant Economic Development: The EP VIP Shopper Club was created to spur local shopping An online database of available properties was also launched After-Action Review: Mission Critical Partners conducted an after-action review of the derailment response and presented recommendations The village is working on a strategy to implement improvements Safety Initiatives: The village received a federal grant to develop a comprehensive safety action plan for local streets including pedestrian and trail improvements EPA’s Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) Program reviewed environmental monitoring data Downtown Revitalization: The village is collaborating with Small Nation on a downtown revitalization plan Community Input: The East Palestine Think Tank collected input from residents to help guide the village's future Public Safety Complex: The village was awarded up to $15.8 million in federal funding for a new public safety complex Fundraising: The EPCIC raised $161,500 through a tree lighting and fundraiser Downtown Plaza: The village purchased the former PNC Bank property to develop a community plaza Village officials say they continue to work on long-term recovery and revitalization efforts Your #1 source for housing industry trends and best practices This article first appeared in the NAHB International Builders' Show 2025 Preshow Planner issue This year, those attending the International Builders’ Show (IBS) will have the opportunity to experience Pro Builder Show Village in a whole new way Set against the backdrop of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s renovation and expansion, Show Village offers IBS attendees a front-row seat to that project’s progress in real time. As the convention center undergoes its transformation, attendees will experience tangible examples of the home building industry’s innovation and potential at our new (if only for 2025) location just outside the convention center’s Central Hall. Here, Show Villagers will have the opportunity to self-tour four innovative show homes, network with colleagues and product suppliers, learn from live construction how-to demonstrations, and participate in various games and giveaways. Show Village 2025 brings exciting industry advancements to life with four, fully-built homes demonstrating off-site construction methods aimed at providing attainable housing solutions. If you're looking for a place where industry professionals can connect and network, Show Village is it! You can take a self-guided house tour with a peer, enjoy nightly block parties together, compete in fun skills challenges (with prizes!), or just take a break and get a breath of fresh air. Each day at Show Village offers a fresh lineup of games and activities for visitors. Attendees can take part in exclusive giveaways, including a life-size Plinko game to win cash and other prizes! Show Village gives IBS attendees the chance to get outside and experience new home building materials, products, and methods from our industry partners located on site, including: Village of Sugar Grove President Jen Konen made her 2025 State of the Village on Friday morning, Feb. 7 at Waubonsee Community College. Konen called Sugar Grove a village on the rise. “It’s about more than just new developments,” she said. “It’s about growth that strengthens our community, opportunities that make life better for our residents and a shared vision of what the Village of Sugar Grove can be.” In that vision is the 760-acre development, The Grove. “This is a transformative opportunity for the Village,” she said. “The Grove is designed to open our doors to new opportunities for our families, children and businesses. It’s a project that positions our village for sustainable growth and creates spaces and services that truly benefit the community.” The Grove aims to bring a lively town center, a wide range of housing options for all ages, community-focused retail and services, flourishing parks and green space and job opportunities to Sugar Grove. During her presentation, which was hosted by the Sugar Grove Economic Development Corporation, Konen shared that Crown Community Development would soon be breaking ground for The Grove and that site construction and utility movement would follow. “By 2026, the developer will have residential mods ready for builders to start construction,” she said. “This is an exciting opportunity to bring much needed homes to Sugar Grove and position our community as a leader in meeting housing needs in the future.” Konen, who is running for re-election and facing challenger Sue Stillwell, has been pushing for growth since her first State of the Village in 2022. Konen announced Jiffy Lube, Starbucks, the Cilantro Taco Grill and the BrightPath Sugar Grove Child Care Center as some of the new businesses coming to Sugar Grove soon. “BrightPath is now enrolling and set to open in early 2025,” she said. “This center is addressing the growing need for childcare options and revitalizing a long vacant building with updated landscaping, making it fresh and a welcoming addition.” While Konen’s advocation efforts for a stoplight at the intersection of Rt. 47 and Park Avenue fell short, a different solution is in progress. “When I took office, I knew we needed to make safety improvements at Park and Illinois 47,” she said. “The State said there was nothing we could do to qualify for a traffic light but those of you who know me can imagine I refused to stop there. Today, we are at phase two engineering with intersection improvements that will prohibit through movements on Illinois 47 and left turns off of Park.” Konen praised the Village Board for two straight years without property tax increases. “This is something that hasn’t been done for 25 years,” she said. “This reflects the Village Board’s commitment to keeping costs manageable for our residents. On top of that, Village reserve bonds are now exceeding $20 million, putting Sugar Grove in its best financial position its ever been. And there’s more good news. Over the past five fiscal years utility rates have been decreased by 5% saving you more money thanks to the Board’s focus on responsible fiscal management.” Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network 2024Floridians know the drill: Hurricane season hits big storms take down power lines and residents are left without electricity some neighborhoods that get their power from Tampa Electric Co — from Hyde Park to Winter Haven — are seeing big trucks rumble onto their streets to take those lines underground and out of the way of the winds It’s a process not always without initial headaches even though they look forward to the future payoff Construction takes months and the trucks can seem ever-present on narrow neighborhood streets Customers are asked to give workers access to their property and some end up with boxy equipment installed in their yards Lawns get staked with small colored flags that can make mowing a challenge “Headache in the beginning,” said Twanda Bradley president of the civic council in Progress Village not having outages is going to be huge — it’ll be a win for us in the end.” residents initially didn’t get what was going on “We had gone through two months of ‘why are they doing this?’” said Bev Kieny president of the neighborhood civic association Then came a well-attended community meeting with Tampa Electric representatives “That really helped so many people understand,” she said Residents there were pleased to be one of the first neighborhoods for the underground work “because of how many times we have been down without power,” she said utilities are required to have a 10-year plan for better withstanding storms Tampa Electric says about half of its power lines are already underground mostly in areas of new construction and paid for by developers According to utility spokesperson Cherie Jacobs the company’s goal is to convert up to 100 miles of its roughly 6,000 miles of overhead lines to underground yearly Duke Energy Florida removed 26 miles of overhead lines in 2023 and plans to remove 61 more this year Tampa Electric spends about $150 million a year on its Storm Protection Plan which includes undergrounding lines as well as trimming trees and strengthening power poles Here’s how undergrounding works, according to Tampa Electric: The power company identifies lines most prone to outages. The utility seeks easements from residents — the right to access private property — so it can install and maintain equipment. Cable is put into the ground using directional drilling rather than open trenching or digging, according to the company. In some cases, a boxlike transformer averaging 34 inches high and 40 inches wide or a smaller piece of equipment is installed on residential property, which not everyone loves. Subscribe to our free DayStarter newsletter “In neighborhoods with small yards, some residents have been hesitant to commit to placing equipment on their property,” said Jacobs, “but they typically support the project overall.” Finally, there’s a scheduled power outage to energize the new underground cable, which usually lasts four hours or less, according to Tampa Electric. Overhead lines are taken down, and crews remove poles and restore whatever might have been damaged in the process, such as landscaping, the utility says. Residents who refuse to participate are left with lines over their homes. But Jacobs called that “rare” and said the company has “seen overwhelming support for the project.” So if overhead power lines are vulnerable to weather, why weren’t they installed below ground in the first place? “The primary reason is that the Public Service Commission requires utilities to provide power at the lowest possible cost to customers,” said Jacobs, “which in most cases is overhead construction.” While out of the way of the winds, underground lines can also be more susceptible to water incursion from storm surge and flooding in certain areas, experts say. ”Undergrounding is a strategy and it’s best employed as a targeted strategy, ” said Ted Kury, director of energy studies for the Public Utility Research Center at the University of Florida. “One of the unfortunate things we deal with is there is no way to completely insulate the grid with interaction with the environment.” In Progress Village, Pat Stewart has served as the neighborhood’s liaison in the undergrounding process. “Right now, I’m looking at quite a lot of trucks down my street,” she said last month. “They’re still drilling and placing the wires. It’s a lot of crews.” Once, one of those big trucks parked outside her house, leaving her little room to maneuver her car out of her driveway. And once, a piece of heavy equipment — a ditch digger — was left in the neighborhood on a weekend. Teenagers got on it, playing around and honking the horn, she said. After a call, the equipment was picked up. But overall, Stewart thinks the workers have been efficient. “I know it’s for the best, so I have no qualms with it,” she said. “I will be glad when it is completed.” Sue Carlton is a former urban affairs reporter. Eight months since our last update, First Street Village continues to fill out in Downtown Burbank The project, a joint venture between Del Rey Properties and Chandler Partners spans a 3.4-acre property at the intersection of 1st Street and Magnolia Avenue plans call for three buildings featuring a combined total of 275 apartments 19,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space Completed apartments at the complex are advertised as studio Rents range from $1,404 to $6,950 per month CBA Partnership is designing First Street Village which will include five- and six-story buildings organized around T-shaped central courtyards Each of the three buildings is also to include terrace decks The First Street Village is one of a handful of large mixed-use project slated to bring new housing and commercial space to Downtown Burbank, including an even larger project now rising at 777 Front Street Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn / Threads / Instagram Details about the first phase of Village 55 represented by the three buildings at right from a rooftop patio across Broadway Avenue in Cleveland’s Slavic Village are becoming clearer as it seeks financing The project intends to rejuvenate the intersection of Broadway and East 55th Street (HDG) Independence-based Veda Capital LLC has joined forces with Slate Property Group of New York City to pursue Village 55 Their $30.8 million first phase involves the construction of 125 units of affordable housing in a new building that’s five stories tall plus the renovation of an historic structure On the ground floor will be a retail space plus building management offices According to a newly submitted LIHTC application to the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) the partnership Village 55 Investors LLC is seeking non-competitive 4 percent tax credits that it is almost certain to get approved as along as OHFA says the project checks all of its boxes the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority’s board of directors voted to support a non-binding agreement to finance Village 55 with $20 million in tax-exempt revenue bonds That would be in addition to the LIHTC application now pending with OHFA Of these four existing buildings on the northeast corner of East 55th Street only the Columbia Building at far left is proposed to remain A five-story building and a two-story building both with apartments over retail and community spaces are planned where the other three buildings now stand (Google) four existing buildings between and including 5601-5619 Broadway are affected One historic building that’s still in good condition will remain standing and be renovated That’s the three-story Columbia Building that has stood at the northeast corner of Broadway The other three buildings are slightly newer having been built over several decades after the Columbia But all of them are either in bad condition and/or too small to contribute prominently in the new development whose goal is to repopulate and reactivate this mostly intact neighborhood The development site measures 0.75 acres and includes a vacant city land bank lot that is proposed to remain a greenspace Village 55 Investors has control over the site through direct ownership or purchase agreements According to the partnership’s OHFA application and to plans its principals shared with the community at recent public meetings the Columbia Building will be renovated with a handful of apartments over a ground-floor retail space A total of about 5,660 square feet of ground-floor retail space is planned in the Columbia and in new Two conceptual planned phases of development are shown here The first phase is planned at the upper-right with a future phase at the corner of Broadway five-story apartment building atop retail space and 2,300 square feet of support and program spaces Plans show the new construction totaling 90,000 square feet that could include an additional two-story structure next door “Building amenities will include an outdoor garden common room and surface parking” behind the new and historic buildings according to Village 55 Investors’ OHFA application It further states that “The building will also benefit from security and maintenance staff.” The OHFA application states that at least 25 of the housing units in this development will be targeted to households earning up to 50 percent of the area’s median income (AMI) and 100 units will be for households earning up to 60 percent AMI Street-level view along Broadway Avenue of the proposed first phase of the Village 55 development The building at far left is the Columbia Building The light-colored building is proposed as a five-story structure And a new two-story building is partially seen at far right (HDG) The 4 percent LIHTC typically subsidizes about 30 percent of the costs of a low-income housing development the 4 percent credit is used for the acquisition of existing buildings and for new construction or rehabilitation projects that use tax-exempt bonds A future phase could be of similar size and located at the southwest corner of Broadway Two buildings located at 5478 and 5484 Broadway were acquired by the partnership and would be demolished for a new building or two with more apartments over ground-floor retail or other public spaces Village 55 Investors includes architect The Heart Design Group of Cleveland It and Veda Capital both have their roots in the diverse real estate firms of the DiGeronimo Companies of suburban Independence Donnie DiGeronimo is a principal at Veda Capital the property will be managed by Veda Lifestyle Across Hamlet from Village 55’s first phase, another New York City-based real estate firm is investing in the neighborhood. Genesis Global Holdings Inc. plans to renovate the 113-year-old Olympia Building That building will feature renovated apartments over existing storefronts and the preserved lobby for the Olympia’s adjacent movie theater that was demolished long ago The future of our Website depends on revenue from our readers The Indonesian government enacted Act 6 of 2014 to decentralise village governance aiming to improve service delivery at the local level village governments received support through the Village Fund benefiting 81,616 villages across 38 provinces The fund has been crucial in enhancing government administration developing infrastructure and empowering communities the central government allocated a total of IDR609.9 trillion to the Village Fund demonstrating a strong commitment to rural development The budget started at IDR20.8 trillion in 2015 and increased rapidly to around to IDR 70 trillion by 2019 at which level it more or less stabilised (Figure 1) village funds led to significant infrastructure improvements including the construction of 261,877 kilometres of village roads and 11,499 kilometres of bridges and the establishment of 39,844 village-owned companies The funds also supported the establishment of essential services such as clean water facilities health units and early childhood education centres These initiatives had a positive impact on the quality of life as evidenced by the decrease in the number of underdeveloped villages from 12,177 in 2021 to 6,803 in 2023 The number of impoverished individuals in rural areas also decreased from 17.9 million in March 2015 to 15.3 million in March 2020 reflecting the positive effects of village fund utilisation on poverty reduction there is a troubling aspect to the situation Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has reported that since the distribution of village funds began in 2015 there have been 851 corruption cases involving 973 individuals — half of whom are village heads The KPK has stated that this represents the largest ever corruption scandal related to the management of state finances misappropriated village funds for personal use causing a financial loss to the country of over IDR1.38 trillion the Sistem Keuangan Desa (Siskeudes) was launched in 2016 to improve financial management capacity among village governments It aims to simplify reporting and ensure compliance with regulations establishing a framework of principal-agent relationships among various stakeholders including the Village Consultative Body (BPD) and district officials as principals and village governments as agents The implementation of Siskeudes is supported by a 2015 memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) and the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency Limited electricity and poor internet connectivity in many villages hinder its effectiveness many village officials lack the necessary skills to use the system resulting in weak oversight and opportunities for corruption MoHA issued a directive in August 2023 to enhance online-based Siskeudes infrastructure This initiative is part of the “One Data Indonesia” project and requires local governments to support the implementation of Siskeudes including through infrastructure development and training for village officials many districts and cities with low tax revenues continue to face challenges in complying with the MoHA directive due to limited budgets and insufficient transfers from the central government many local governments in Indonesia are burdened with monthly mortgage payments to PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (Persero) which provided loans during the COVID-19 pandemic period to help boost local economies Poor coordination between MoHA and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) further complicates matters MoF can compel local governments to allocate funds for specific programs and they risk losing transfers if they fail to comply The central government has initiated several anti-corruption efforts including capacity building at the village level and Transmigration (Kemendes PDTT) launched the Village Youth School program to educate rural youth about village fund management and promote integrity through the Anti-Corruption Village Program This initiative aims to instil integrity as a core value among village government members and local communities fostering an environment that discourages corrupt practices the role of newly inaugurated President Prabowo In his campaign and first presidential speech Prabowo emphasised that village funds will remain a top priority along with efforts to prevent and combat corruption Strengthening anti-corruption efforts is essential for the integrity and long-term viability of village funds this can be achieved through collaborative integrity networks such as the Forum Koordinasi Pimpinan Daerah (the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum) that include district heads These forums must work closely with civil society organisations and BPDs and District Villages Empowerment Offices to oversee the allocation and use of village funds By fostering cooperation among these groups accountability and integrity at the village level ensuring that development initiatives truly benefit the communities they are intended to serve Garry Rosario da Gama is a PhD student at Crawford School of Public Policy His research is focussed on Integrity Networks transparency and anti-corruption efforts in Indonesia Glad that you mentioned the need to encourage and facilitate the involvement of civil society organisations Grass-roots movements can complement and fill the gap that top-down approaches have not been able to reach or sustain Our experience at Perkumpulan Desa Digital Terbuka has shown that involving and empowering villages directly in a sustainable manner can achieve results that uncoordinated and intermittent national efforts struggle with our open source community based village information system is now actively used daily by more than 8,200 villages (and growing) to improve village administration and importantly transparency and accountability many villages using OpenSID have regularly been successful in the annual KPK village anti-corruption competitions document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "a18a261da37a1c868d59d4ca25b90bbf" );document.getElementById("he0651cfc3").setAttribute( "id" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" The Devpolicy Blog is based at the Development Policy Centre Posts on the Devpolicy Blog are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License unless otherwise noted 2023-24 Report we set ambitious goals.” A prime example of this is Prologis’ commitment to achieve net-zero emissions across our value chain by 2040 As we enter the third year of our journey to achieve this goal collaboration and data are all key.   To learn more about our actions on the path to net zero, read the 2023-24 ESG Report here.  the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) validated our goal As the most widely respected standards-setting body for science-based climate action SBTi’s stamp of approval means that our goal is aligned with climate science we will be doing our part to help decarbonize the global supply chain 2 and 3 emissions: emissions from our operations as well as our customers an important differentiator in our industry.   The foundation of good sustainability reporting is data partners and projects generates a proprietary data lake that we analyze to make informed decisions and manage risk for our customers Our people are the key collaborators in this effort – from our real estate and operations teams directly engaged with our customers to our finance and IT teams focused on data automation and quality to our teams leading innovative environmental and social initiatives They do the hard work to capture and accurately report tens of thousands of data points Their work is supplemented by a network of more than 100,000 sensors that stream real-time data to enable decision automation including fleet management for our mobility customers billing our energy customers and alerting a maintenance tech of equipment repairs We also subject our ESG data to third-party assurance to drive accountability for data quality to stay ahead of investor data requirements and emerging climate disclosure regulations.  industry collaboration and data centricity strategies we continue our path to net zero with a focus on driving innovation across our industry and enabling the decarbonization goals of our many customers around the world.  Suzanne and her team advance integration and scale of Prologis’ sustainability and social impact strategies Suzanne has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of corporate responsibility and sustainable investing Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and a B.A Suzanne has served on a number of industry advisory boards and committees on sustainability and corporate responsibility over the past decade She currently serves on the board of the non-profit Net Impact/Good Institute which equips emerging leaders to use their skills and careers to make a positive impact on the world Every connection starts with a conversation — There's a growing push for change in Progress Village we heard from people who live in the unincorporated Hillsborough County community who said they needed a larger space to gather their options are a local center that they said is too small and is often booked for sporting events and another space that they said is big enough but currently operates as a senior center in Progress Village Park the community met with the county leaders to learn more about plans to upgrade Progress Village Park They asked leaders if it was possible to include a community center for all ages in those plans Related story: Calls for community center in Progress Village intensify as county works on West Tampa space county leaders came back with their solution to the problem—telling the crowds that they will instead focus on creating outdoor spaces that can be used for gatherings "We're looking at options for event-style shelters that can be rented out for large group events and things that people can do [and for] community gatherings," said Jason Mackenzie the parks planner and development manager with Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation those in the community said they needed an indoor space for those gatherings that kind of meeting space isn't in the budget—so the community is now turning to the Progress Village Park's senior center for help we could work something out with aging services who has control of it," said Twanda Bradley the president of the Progress Village Civic Council The county hopes to finish upgrades to the park by 2025 Progress Village was Tampa's first affordable housing suburb and this week on Florida Matters we'll hear its story WUSF launched an ongoing series in 2015 called Telling Tampa Bay Stories that highlights neighborhoods in the Tampa Bay area and the people who make them special First we brought you stories from Midtown in St Petersburg and now we're shining a light on Progress Village in a special two-part series We’ll hear residents of Progress Village share their memories growing up there And they’ll talk about their hopes for the neighborhood’s future Progress Village is located near the middle of Hillsborough County Developers announced plans to construct the historically African-American neighborhood in 1958 and people began moving in around 1960 When Progress Village’s first residents arrived there was almost nothing besides the houses themselves and the cow pastures that surrounded them so at night the sky was lit purely by the moon There was no bus service, no postal service and no telephones until residents of Progress Village banded together and formed the Progress Village Civic Council The council advocated for the neighborhood and got residents the services they needed to flourish as a community While in the early days there were barely 100 people living in Progress Village the neighborhood now boasts thousands of residents But some residents say the neighborhood has taken a turn for the worse in recent years in terms of safety and up-keep of homes while others worry that surrounding development could threaten Progress Village's identity We'll hear more about those concerns in this two-part series Pamela Ennis Colleton: Colleton grew up in Progress Village when it was first founded She shares some fond memories from her childhood and talks about the community's first family reunion Johnson would open up the park in the evenings – he ran the concession stand he would put a quarter in the jukebox and it would play five records By the time he played those records the park was full.” This story was produced by Stephanie Colombini with the help of USF student journalist Megan Holzwarth Angela Gilmore: "It takes a village to raise a child' -- that adage was quoted by a number of residents interviewed for this series She shares her memories of going to school in Progress Village and what it was like being the daughter of the deputy sheriff “Because our teachers lived in Progress Village and the whole village does take care of a child Everybody's mama was Mama and everybody's daddy was Daddy We developed a Progress Village culture and we walk around representing that culture.” This story was produced by Stephanie Colombini with the help of USF student journalist Hafsa Quraishi Jones: Jones has lived in Progress Village all her life She talks about her late father’s fruit trees and the influence the neighborhood’s now-senior population has had on her I haven’t seen anyone that’s going to take it up [the reins] – when the elders are gone it’s going to be really different but the ones that are passing on were the ones that kept this community together.” This story was produced by Stephanie Colombini with the help of USF student journalist Miki Shine Johnson: Dubbed by residents as the “Honorary Mayor of Progress Village,” Johnson is one of the pioneers of the neighborhood and founders of the Progress Village Civic Council He paints a picture of the early days of the village in the beginning of the show and concludes our program with recollections of the day the Emmanuel P Johnson Community Center was dedicated in his name “You see you’ve got to change with the times When we came out here we did things year by year And then when they came up with this building I couldn’t have felt no better than when they told me that That was one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever had.” This story was produced by Stephanie Colombini WUSF will bring you more stories about Progress Village next week on Florida Matters We’ll hear more childhood memories from residents from growing up next door to the “Candy Lady” to enduring Hurricane Donna And we’ll learn more about concerns regarding increased development in the areas surrounding Progress Village and what that could mean for the neighborhood’s future WUSF hosted two interview sessions at the Emmanuel P. Johnson Community Center in Progress Village to collect these stories. We invited people who live and work in the neighborhood to come speak with us. The project was a collaboration with journalism students at the University of South Florida’s Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications Check out this video produced by USF student journalist Paige Cruz: reporter Daylina Miller and USF journalism professor Jeanette Abrahamsen also helped oversee this effort 2023 at 10:14 am ETThe Progress Village Park master plan calls for a new playground and fitness zone a dog park with separate areas for large and small dogs (Playmore)The Progress Village Park master plan calls for a new playground and fitness zone FL —Hillsborough County is asking residents for input on an ambitious plan to improve Progress Village Park Residents can give their opinion at a public meeting on Monday Parks & Recreation officials will be available to answer questions and residents can see visual representations of what the improvements will look like Work has already begun on some parts of the $2.4 million project Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Last week we shined a light on the historic neighborhood Progress Village and this week on Florida Matters its story continues In the second half of our special two-part series Telling Tampa Bay Stories: Progress Village we hear more residents of Tampa's first affordable housing suburb share their memories growing up there and talk about how the neighborhood has changed If you haven’t heard the first part of our series, click here and do so There are more fascinating stories about Progress Village mostly from the perspective of some of the neighborhood’s founding residents There are also old photos from the early days of the village We learn in Part 1 that Progress Village was founded in 1960 as a community where African Americans could purchase affordable suburban homes When residents first moved to the neighborhood there were no street lights until residents formed the Progress Village Civic Council That organization played a major role in the neighborhood’s development As the physical landscape of Progress Village flourished so did the strong sense of community shared by the people who called it home Residents were more like brothers and sisters than people who happened to live on the same block We also learned that Progress Village has seen a bit of a decline in recent years Residents suggest the younger generation seems to lack some of the pride in the community the elders have and development in the areas surrounding Progress Village is threatening to encroach on the neighborhood We hear more about that in this week’s show who are still out there working hard to make the neighborhood the best it can be Linda Washington: Washington has been President of the Progress Village Civic Council since 2011 She grew up in the village and moved away for a time when she got married but the neighborhood’s family-like atmosphere eventually brought her back home “In Bloomingdale I never felt I had neighbors that we could just hang out or do activities with But in Progress Village you felt that family and that’s what I wanted for my daughter because by the time my daughter was old enough to go to Progress Village Middle Magnet School [of the Arts] It just felt good to know I had eyes and ears out there.” Linda’s story was produced by Stephanie Colombini with the help of USF student journalist Ashley Vedral Alfred Sheffield: Sheffield is another resident who grew up in Progress Village left as a young adult and eventually came back to his roots He paints a vivid picture of what the neighborhood looked like in the early 1960’s when the only street lights around were lightening bugs blacks could get very good jobs in Tampa…They could educate their kids properly feed them and encourage them to make something out of their lives However through the years so many people have run into very hard economic times…So the neighborhood took a hit.” Alfred’s story was produced by Stephanie Colombini with the help of USF student journalist Samantha Nieto Jackie Davis Mix: Davis Mix is a proud member of the First Baptist Church of Progress Village one of several churches that have long played a vital role in the community She talks about how her church has grown since its humble beginnings in 1965 to the present “The thing that I most remember that just kind of stays with me is as a child you could always hear on Sunday morning when it was time for church they’d ring the church bell so there was a toll around the community to know that church was getting ready to start And that’s a very memorable thing because we no longer have the steeples on the church Jackie’s story was produced by Stephanie Colombini with the help of USF student journalist Abby Rinaldi Shirley Griffin: Griffin moved to the village kicking and screaming when her husband got stationed in Tampa at MacDill Air Force Base But after getting involved in the community and taking a job at the local elementary school she fell in love with the village she still calls home “I see them [my former students] all the time – some of them hug me and some of them I just don’t remember!...Some of them went the right way But I taught them that in life you have to reason with yourself; you have to follow the good people Shirley’s story was produced by Stephanie Colombini with the help of USF student journalist Tyrah Walker Sharon Seabrooks: Seabrooks always wanted to work in Progress Village and her dream came true when she was offered a job as a school counselor in the neighborhood She’s proud of the many successful graduates that have come out of Progress Village Middle Magnet School of the Arts and one thing about Progress Village is they got the name right…Your roots are here in Progress Village…I know people came from all different parts of the United States to come and live in the village but as a village they stick together They’re people who care enough to know that Sharon’s story was produced by Stephanie Colombini with the help of USF student journalist Tea Piro Bianco and London Berry: This father and daughter are active members of Progress Village Little League They talk about what they love about the sports program and what it means to have each other’s backs Bianco: “One thing I always tell my daughter is you’ve got to trust in your ability…if you work your hardest you know I’ll never be mad at you for that so I just want you to go out and give 110% all the time.” London: “Many people don’t have a dad that can just tell them that ‘You’re amazing,’ or ‘You’re worth it in life,” so I just feel respected that I have someone who is there for me and can tell me that.” Bianco and London’s story was produced by Stephanie Colombini with the help of USF student journalist Katherine Ebner and WUSF News Director Mary Shedden Ardra Daniels: Daniels has lived in Progress Village close to 30 years and both she and her husband work in the community She shares her concerns about how the neighborhood has changed in recent years “When I see a lot of the new construction taking place around Progress Village When the dairy cattle left us right off of 78th St and now we know that over 1,500 new single-family homes are going in…it concerns me I think after a while a lot of these private companies will start selling out as well and the village might not be what we used to know it as.” Ardra’s story was produced by Stephanie Colombini with the help of USF student journalist Justin Garcia Special thanks to all those who shared their stories with us both on and off the air and thanks to the employees at the Emmanuel P Johnson Community Center for helping facilitate our interview sessions USF journalism instructor Jeanette Abrahamsen and WUSF reporter Daylina Miller were also critical participants in this series.   In Eastern Hillsborough County, Progress Village is claiming the title of the first Black community in Florida to adopt a solar microgrid. A coalition of community leaders met yesterday at Simmon’s-Bowers Park to unveil the first phase of their program to combat the energy burden for frontline communities Climate change has a disproportionate impact on the health of Black residents and low-income in the US. When David Carmena of Carmena Enterprises decided he would take on the task of offering weatherization to local residents he also wanted to address another disparity by offering opportunities to formerly convicted persons “Project Green strike was 100% use of formerly incarcerated individuals And so what we did is we provide weatherization training and then we provide them on the job training as well as advanced training while he was on the job Project Green Strike plans to confront climate resiliency and economic opportunities with a one-two-punch Pastor Lennox Zamore is with Exciting Central Tampa church said taking care of the environment is central to his faith “Assisting people with Mercy Ministries is way important to me But God has also given us a responsibility to maintain this earth And I think it is the heart of what we are and who we are.” Marta Pearson is with PowerNET of Tampa Bay and they are helping with providing resiliency for returning citizens by giving them skills to secure green jobs and housing “…to learn how to make better decisions so that they have the support of their family Reverend Jerry Gilem Nealey is with the Black Farmer’s Collaborative Inc. He’s been working for the Department of Energy for the last 18 months to work on three pilot projects including putting solar power on houses of worship and also developing community greenhouses with the help of historically Black colleges like FAMU And we see evidence of it with all of the announcements of the catastrophes African Americans in this country have always contributed and on this planet This is a problem that needs to be corrected and so we’re going to offer some leadership We’re not going to ask you what we should do about it What we’re going to do is demonstrate in an undeniable way Walter L Smith II is the host of WMNF’s The Sunday Forum, and helped organize Project Green Strike with the Tampa Bay Disaster Resiliency Initiative He says helping these first three homeowners is a great first step toward sustainable and equitable clean energy solutions XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong> Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value" Listen: Environmentalists in Pinellas County are calling for a renewed.. Roundup of news headlines produced for WMNF Community Radio: Trump,.. That means we don't advertise like a commercial station WMNF volunteers have fun providing a variety of needed services to keep your community radio station alive and kickin' Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_4" ).setAttribute( "value" Proud member of Project Galileo and protected by Cloudflare WMNF is a registered 501(с)3 charitable organization - The Nathan B. Stubblefield Foundation, Inc. | Online Public File Or if you just wanna let our DJ know you’re enjoying their show Signup below to get The Scoop delivered every weekday to your email inbox WMNF advises you to check with the individual venues or event planners listed before heading to anything posted here There is a high likelihood that many events have been or will be canceled or postponed Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" The proposed site for Hillsborough County Fire Station No 53 to serve the south Progress Village area is at 7402 78th St. After two years, they were different — some childhood friends moved more slowly, some were now accompanied by canes. Some were noticeably missing. Saffore, a 68-year-old Tampa native, knew she was different too. But the expressions throughout the packed room mirrored hers, with beaming smiles apparent even under masks. A banner proclaimed, “We Missed You So Much,” echoing what friends were at last telling each other in-person. “It’s so nice to be back, even if we didn’t all make it,” Saffore said. “We didn’t see each other — even through funerals.” For two years, Hillsborough County’s senior centers, which offer events and community support to older adults in the area, have been shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, three reopened their doors, signaling a hopeful new phase of the pandemic for Tampa Bay seniors. “We were getting plenty of calls asking why we were still closed,” said Frances Durán Brea, general manager for Hillsborough County Department of Aging Services. “We lost a few of them to COVID and to other things — so it means so much more to them now.” Nancy Bland, 75, center, and Luz Maria Echevarria, 90, share a laugh over a photograph during social activity at Tampa's Progress Village Senior Center, where seniors gathered on Monday for the first time since the pandemic shut the facility down. [ MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE | Times ]For Mary Baldwin, 84, many of the faces at the center were new. Baldwin joined Progress Village in 2019, shortly after the death of her husband of over two decades. The pandemic hit just months later. Hillsborough County senior centers offered remote activities and outdoor luncheons to help elderly community members combat loneliness and stay in touch during the years of lockdown. Baldwin participated in prayer lines and Zoom calls with other Progress Village members throughout her time in isolation. “It really filled a void in my life,” Baldwin said. “It saved me when I was in a dark place. Because I was so lonely, and depressed honestly, after my husband died. We’d always done everything together, and I didn’t have anybody to talk to. “My goal today is to put faces to voices,” she added. “Today is exciting because it’s like, ‘Oh, that sounds like the lady I saw on screen.” Saffore, too, longed for something more than a digital connection. “We stayed in touch over Zoom, but this is a lot better,” she said. “Because we can see each other in-person — we don’t have to wonder how they are.” John McDonald, 71, calls out the words to the song "My Girl" by The Temptations during a music trivia game at newly reopened Progress Village Senior Center on Monday in Tampa. [ MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE | Times ]Two other Hillsborough County senior centers — Ruskin Senior Center and Plant City Senior Center — also welcomed back older adults Monday. They join neighboring senior centers in Pinellas and Pasco counties, some of which reopened a few months into the pandemic. The county plans to progressively open more of its 20 senior gathering and dining centers every two weeks. All Hillsborough County senior centers will have opened their doors by June 6. Hannah CritchfieldInvestigative Reporter Johnson, who proudly shares he is 97 years old, moved to Progress Village nearly 60 years ago as one of the neighborhood's first residents. He is known by many residents as the honorary mayor of Progress Village for founding the community association that successfully lobbied to improve conditions in the predominately African-American neighborhood, which at the time lacked buses, mail service or telephone lines. Johnson, along with Hillsborough County Commissioner Les Miller and kids from the community, cut the ribbon to the playground at the dedication ceremony. "It means the world to me," Johnson said as he watched kids plays on the new swings, ladders and slides. "It takes me back to when they didn't have any type of recreation at all here. The only recreation I had was a piccolo and one record." Miller said the playground project required acquiring the money in the budget and gaining his colleagues' support. "I'm glad that we were able to put forth and honor Mr. Johnson while he's still alive," Miller said. "There's so many buildings, so many parks, so many streets, so many other facilities named after people that are dead and gone and will never see it. He's alive and able to see something that came to fruition that he never thought would happen." Contact Monique Welch at mwelch@tampabay.com or Follow Mo_UNIQUE_ . Monique WelchFormer Times Staffer This week on Florida Matters we'll hear the first episode in a special two-part series called Telling Tampa Bay Stories: Progress Village We'll hear residents of Tampa's first affordable housing suburb share their memories growing up there And they'll talk about their hopes for the neighborhood's future She was raised in Progress Village and fondly remembers its family-like atmosphere which was produced by Stephanie Colombini with the help of USF student journalist Megan Holzwarth: I’ve lived in Progress Village since September 5 I grew up in the neighborhood so I know a lot of the families here the older families as well as the newer generations of families I’ve worked at the Parks and Recreation for eight years doing the basketball program at the gym and there was only like five or eight houses built when we moved on that street Johnson would open up the park for us in the evenings – he ran the concession stand Any day of the week we knew when he was there By the time he played those records the park was full He played rhythm and blues songs that were on the jukebox In front of the concession stand we had a large piece of concrete to where the music was playing you could go and dance if you wanted to We had a four-square court and that stayed busy From the beginning to the end that stayed busy and it was okay because once we were at the park Our parents didn’t worry about us because we were at the park If they needed us for anything they knew to come to the park He was trying to take me away from my family so I came back to the village and I’ve been here ever since Owning that house is important to me because my children always have some place to come back to I always knew I could go back to my mama’s house if I had to go back You can always come home when you can’t go anyplace else [Pulls out booklet] I picked up this First Annual Family Reunion booklet [points to booklet] and this is the seal of Progress Village Civic Council we got folding hands which means brotherhood; we are American citizens and we trust in God that was our first year for our family reunion We had people coming back to Progress Village from years who haven’t been back in Progress Village for years