🌱 Florida Adds 20,000 COVID-19 Cases + Tampa Porsche Driver Road Rage

Happy Thursday, people of Tampa! Here's everything worth knowing in town today.

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First, today's weather:

Sunny and comfortable. High: 68 Low: 54.

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Here are the top five stories today in Tampa:

1. Nike by Hyde Park Village has opened just in time for Christmas. The retail location joins a plethora of new stores. The district has also added Kittenish fashion boutique, Britt Ford Gallery, Timpano, and OddFellows Ice Cream Co. (Tampa Patch)

2. Florida reported 20,194 new infections to the CDC on Tuesday, the most cases since September 1st. The state was reporting fewer than 2,000 new cases per day from late October through early December. The new Omicron COVID-19 variant is to blame for the surge. (WPLG Local 10)

3. A Tampa investment banker driving a Porsche allegedly flew into a fit of road rage and punched a teenage girl after she accidentally cut him off on Florida Avenue, police said. 47-year-old Stephen Saunders was arrested for burglary of a conveyance with assault or battery, booked into the Hillsborough County Jail, and later released on $15,000 bond. (WFLA)

4. Sommelier Hideaway is an upscale casual wine bar featuring more than 100 wines by the bottle and glass in Lutz. The wine bar opened in the middle of the pandemic in late 2020. It offers a selection of cheese and charcuterie to pair with your tasting as well as a membership club for die-hard fans. (That's So Tampa)

5. Auto View, LLC is facing an administrative complaint filed by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The allegations include selling vehicles with more than 100,000 miles than advertised, charging a customer $435 for title and registration when the actual cost was $158.35, and repeatedly failing to transfer titles within 30 days of sale. (WFLA)

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Today in Tampa:

• Jim Garrett at Flute & Dram. (5:00 PM)
• Christmas Is Near at Strawberry Festival Fairgrounds. (5:00 PM)
• HarvestMoon Presents Christmas Under The Moon. (6:00 PM)
• T'was the Night Before Christmas Eve - Cookies for Santa at Sweet Tooth Tampa. (6:30 PM)
• Holiday Movie On The Lawn at Armature Works. (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Pop star Kesha will be playing at Seminole Hard Rock's Event Center on March 29th. Tickets start at $60 and are already available. (Creative Loafing Tampa)
• Check out this rendering of Water Street Tampa’s dining scene. (Instagram)
• Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper has entered COVID-19 protocols. (Fox 13 Tampa)
• City of Tampa is accepting donations of blankets and socks until December 31st at Lemon St. Municipal Office Building, Development Services Center, and Tampa Municipal Office Building. (Twitter)
• The Hillsborough County antibody therapy treatment site at the West Tampa Community Resource Center is now requiring appointments. Appointments can be made online. (Twitter)

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You're officially in the loop for today! I'll see you around.

— 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.