BayCare Pauses Elective Surgeries + Rent Rising + Benh Mi Pop-Up

Happy Saturday, neighbors! Let's get you all caught up on what's happening locally to start today off on an informed note.

First, today's weather: Possible light rain in the afternoon and evening. High: 90 Low: 76.

Here are the top stories in Tampa today:

1. Miami's Benh Mi is coming to Tampa this weekend both today and tomorrow at Willa's Provisions in North Hyde Park. Specials will include a Char Siu Mushroom Bánh Mi Sandwich, Xtra Crunchy Chicken Tender Bucket, Green Papaya Salad, Iced Ube Latte, and more. (Tampa Patch)

2. An attempt to hand out climate change materials at Freedom High School has landed 3 men in jail. Police said numerous attempts were made to get the men to move off school property to a sidewalk where they could continue their protest. When the men refused, they were taken into custody and charged with disrupting a school function and trespassing on school grounds. (Tampa Patch)

3. Florida has admitted the state cannot withhold salaries of superintendents who mandate masks in school districts after weeks of intense debate and increasing hospitalizations of children in the state. (Fox 13 Tampa Bay)

4. The cost of rental housing is expected to become more of a burden for the typical Tampa Bay renter by the end of this year, surpassing a threshold of 34% of people’s income spent on rent each month. That would be more than big metros like Los Angeles, Anaheim, and Long Beach California. (Creative Loafing Tampa)

5. BayCare has paused all elective surgeries in Pinellas, Pasco, and Polk counties, regardless of whether they require an overnight stay, starting today due to an overwhelming surge in patients from COVID-19. The majority of patients are unvaccinated. (WFLA)

Today in Tampa

• Mulch-A-Thon! - Unity of Tampa. (8:00 AM)
• Tampa Beer Run at Al Lopez Park. (8:00 AM)
• Brunch on 7th. (11:00 AM)
• VooDoo Bash at Dark Door Spirits. (11:00 AM)
• Second Saturday ArtWalk at Florida CraftArt. (5:00 PM)
• Music At Sparkman Wharf. (6:00 PM)
• Tampa Tarpons vs. Clearwater Threshers. (6:30 PM)
• Glow in the Park at Altitude Trampoline Park. (7:00 PM)
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers v. Cincinnati Bengals. (7:30 PM)

Tampa Patch Notebook

• Fred was expected to become a Tropical Storm on Friday and a 2nd Tropical Storm is brewing. The situation continues to evolve.
• Feeding Tampa Bay will get $20 in donations for every tackle by the Buccaneers defense this season. The Super Bowl champs and community partners at Mosaic have made the pledge.
• Tampa’s iconic Bo’s Ice Cream is temporarily closed due to a family emergency.
• Bryan Burns: "#Bolts announce start times for all 2021-22 regular season games. 7pm puck drop for the majority of home games." (Twitter)
• Florida Hospital Association: "Florida COVID-19 Update for August 13, 2021. Total Confirmed Hospitalizations: 15,441." (Twitter)
• USF Libraries: "Due to Tropical Storm Fred, the USF Tampa Library is closed Saturday and Sunday. We will reopen Monday, August 16th at 9AM. Be safe! #USFLibraries @USouthFlorida" (Twitter)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Two lawsuits are challenging Florida's push to make school masks voluntary. Tampa Bay parents are involved in both of..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Gov. Ron DeSantis' office now acknowledges it has no control over the pay of local employees as the mask mandate deba..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "The state also used to publish a daily spreadsheet detailing the county, age, gender and hospitalization status for e..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "“We deeply regret the impact this can make on many people." BayCare has suspended elective surgeries in Pinellas, Pas..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: ""We’re still seeing record numbers, really, each day," said St. Pete Fire Rescue's fire emergency manager. "Each week..." (Facebook)
• Kiera | Tampa Bay Foodie: "Happy #813Day Tampa!! If you’re looking for something to do today check out @sparkmanwharf’s page for a list of ..." (Instagram)
• TAMPA Downtown Magazine: "Happy 813 Day! Celebration concert 7pm tonight (8/13) at Sparkman Wharf @sparkmanwharf - - - - - #tampa #tampamagazi..." (Instagram)
• Tampa Bay Times: " Spend some time with today's front page: tampabay.com/todays-paper/ Not a subscriber yet? Sample our e-Newspaper ..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Hip hop icon Nas, electronic pop duo Sylvan Esso and Southern rock jam bad legends Gov’t Mule are lined up for the Ga..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Expectant women run a higher risk of severe illness and pregnancy complications from the coronavirus, including perha..." (Facebook)
• The University of Tampa: "Kaneesha “Kiki” Heath, who is in UT's master's in professional communication program, has produced a full-length film..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: ""Critical race theory" briefly resurfaced amid Florida's school mask brouhaha, which now features a lawsuit and an em..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "17 Tampa Bay state legislators shared they've been vaccinated. See who's gotten the shot:" (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "The beer garden will relocate and another restaurant concept from the owners is set to open in Ybor City next year." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "The minority owners believe the judge may have worked on legal documents relevant to the lawsuit." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Like prior annual surveys, participants weighed in on education and public policy. This is the first time Floridians ..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "While weak for a tropical system, Fred has shown it can still cause damage to places where it makes landfall." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Amazon expects the six new centers to create more than 2,000 jobs in Florida." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Regardless of classification, Tampa Bay is in for a rainy weekend, especially on Sunday." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Why offer only studios? Two blocks away at another downtown complex, developers saw those were the ones selling the f..." (Facebook)
• Clean Recovery Center: "Get clean while you live at home, work and spend time with your family with Clean Recovery Centers' outpatient treatm..." (Instagram)
• Tampa Bay Times: "James Evans, 35, also faces charges of grand theft, kidnapping and false imprisonment, Hillsborough deputies said." (Facebook)

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Events:

• Wu-Tang And Biscuits (August 15)
• Grape Expectations! (August 19)

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Saturday! I'll see you around. If you're liking these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to follow along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Carlos Hernandez

About me: Hello my name is Carlos Hernandez and I am a food writer with over 10 years of experience in the industry. I write the food blog Carlos Eats (http://www.carloseats.com) and also contribute to several newspapers and magazines with food-related blogs and articles.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Tampa Daily? Email me at SouthTampa@Patch.com.