Burning Body Identified + Hudson Depressions + PDX Nonstop

Good Morning and Happy Friday! My name is Carlos Hernandez and I am back to update you on the latest happening in the Tampa area with Patch News.

In this issue, you'll learn about new jobs coming to town with Amazon, a body found burning near the Skyway Bridge, efforts to help residents in Hudson, Red Tide in Pinellas, and more.

Today’s weather: The high is 92 and the low is 77 with mostly sunny skies.

Here are the top 5 stories happening around Tampa:

1. Amazon is opening 2 delivery stations and bringing hundreds of full-time jobs to Hillsborough County with pay starting at $15 an hour and benefits. One will be in Tampa and the other in Gibsonton. (Patch)

2. A body was found burning in a wooded area near the Skyway Bridge on Wednesday night. An investigation revealed the body was a missing Town ‘N’ Country woman in her 30s. (WFLA)

3. Pasco County’s commission is looking to help a Hudson neighborhood plagued with depressions. More than 70 depressions have opened up in the neighborhood over the past few years and federal grants have been denied. The county wants to buy and demolish the homes there. (WTSP)

4. Red Tide has been found off Pinellas beaches with dead fish reported since last Friday near Pass-a-Grille, Redington Beach, Redington Shores, and Indian Shores. Tourism groups are monitoring it as they seek to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic slump. (Tampa Bay Times)

5. Tampa International Airport (TPA) has announced its first nonstop route to Portland International Airport (PDX). The route will run on Alaska Airlines and begin on December 16th. (That’s So Tampa)

Today in Tampa:

• Café con Tampa: Preserving Tampa Bay's Key Historic Landmarks at Oxford Exchange. (8 a.m.)
• Gasparilla International Film Festival at AMC Westshore. (5 p.m.)
• Clearwater Threshers vs. Tampa Tarpons. (6:30 p.m.)
• Flick and Float at Northwest Pool St. Pete. Screening The Croods: A New Age. $1 for ages 3 to 12 and $2 for ages 13 and up. (7 p.m.)
• Undine at Tampa Theatre. (7:30 p.m.)
• Rock the Yacht at Yacht Starship. (9:30 p.m.)

Tampa Patch Notebook:

• A new marijuana testing lab called Method Testing Lab has opened in Tampa. It is the sixth in the state.
• Water Street Tampa has signed a local tenant for a new office tower.
• Opera Tampa has announced a partnership with the Florida Orchestra for 2022.
• Whole Foods Market is closing its Dale Mabry location and relocating to Midtown Tampa.
• A new shipping route for Dole pineapples and bananas to the United States will pass through Port Tampa Bay starting this summer.

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That's all for today. I will be back tomorrow with the latest happening in Tampa. My inbox is open if you have any tips to send or want to reach out: tampadaily@patch.com

-Carlos Hernandez

About me: I have lived in Florida since 1999 and covered the Tampa area for nearly 10 years, mainly with a focus on food through my blog at CarlosEats.com.