🌱 Hillsborough Co. Requests TECO Energy Hearings + Festa Italiana

Hello all. It's me, Carlos Hernandez, your host of the Tampa Patch newsletter — back in your inbox with everything you need to know about what's happening in town these days. Including news about...

• Hillsborough Couty Commissioners, local residents, and environmentalists are requesting public energy hearings on TECO's fracking and the rising cost of energy in the Tampa area.
• Festa Italiana returned to Tampa's historic Ybor City this past weekend with plenty of Italian food and culture for locals to enjoy.
• Taylor Swift fans flooded Raymond James Stadium over the weekend, with over 200,000 fans attending the concerts.

But first, today's weather:

Mostly sunny and less humid. High: 81 Low: 58.

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Here are the top stories today in Tampa:

1. The Hillsborough County Commission wants Tampa Electric Company (TECO) to host energy hearings in Tampa about the energy company's fracking, which environmentalists oppose and say is raising energy costs locally. Customers are pushing back as the average TECO bill has increased 62 percent since 2019 with little public input. (Tampa Patch)
2. The Florida House has expanded a bill to deal with over $500 million owed to taxpayers in Hillsborough County after litigation by Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White killed a transportation tax surcharge years ago. The new proposal would create a temporary tax holiday, where people in Hillsborough County would see a 1% cut in sales tax starting in October 2023 until the money drains out. (WTSP)
3. Festa Italiana was held over the weekend in Ybor City with numerous events held including Bocce & Bellinis, WineFest of Italy, and Mercato Italiano by Italy Expo. Proceeds benefited The Italian Club of Tampa, a historic building that has served Tampa's Italian community for over 100 year and is now a wedding, corporate gathering, and events center. Participating local restaurants included Barterhouse Ybor, Cena, Bavaro’s, Flor Fina, Trattoria Pasquale, and Your Pie Brandon. (CarlosEats.com)
4. It was a busy weekend at Raymond James Stadium as Taylor Swift fans flooded Tampa. The attendance number for the weekend was a jaw-dropping 206,459 people. The massive crowds sold out parking all the parking lots at the stadium. Swift dubbed Tampa fans a "supercrowd" on Saturday as they sang and danced all night. (Creative Loafing Tampa)
5. A 93-year-old man from Wimauma was killed in a traffic accident on US Highway 301 on Saturday evening. The incident happened near the intersection of Bill Tucker Road after the 93-year-old man turned left into the path of a car. A 17-year-old boy suffered serious injuries in the crash, while a 19-year-old had minor injuries. (WFLA)

Today in Tampa:

• Hillsborough Schools Transportation Job Fair at Instructional Services Center. (9 a.m.)
• Bilingual Awareness Night at HCC Brandon. (6 p.m.)
• HIIT In The Park - Free Fitness Class at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. (6 p.m.)
• HOVVDY at Crowbar. (6 p.m.)
• Movie On The Lawn - Top Gun: Maverick at Armature Works. (8 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers shared: "Congrats to Robinson High School's Josh Saunders for winning Girls Flag Football Coach of the Week! 🏈 Winners receive a $2,000 grant from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation to help maintain & upgrade their football program." (Tampa Bay Buccaneers via Facebook)
• Tampa Police Department shared: "On March 15, this suspect broke out windows on two school buses at Benito Middle School before shattering windows & a trophy caseinside the school. Investigators have been working to identify the suspect." Anyone with information is asked to contact Tampa Police Department 813-231-6130 or Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay. (Tampa Police Department via Facebook)
• City of Tampa: "For the 6th year in a row, the Tampa Bay Lightning are in the NHL Playoffs. 👏 Mayor Jane Castor and the Lightning are celebrating with a banner drop at Tampa City Hall today, April 17 at noon." The public is invited to join. (City of Tampa via Facebook)
• City of Tampa shared: "Tampa City Council is hosting a regular meeting on Thursday, April 20 at 9 a.m. 🌐 Watch online at tampa.gov/livestream 📺 Watch on cable TV: Spectrum Channel 640 / Frontier Channel 15 See the agenda: tampa.gov/CityCouncil." (City of Tampa via Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured events:

• Social Security and Retirement Taxation Workshop (April 17)
• Taxes in Retirement Seminar on April 18th and 20th at Hillsborough Community College (April 18)
• Astral Tequila: 'This Round's For The House' Tampa (April 19)
• Uptown Music Festival (May 6)
• Add your event

You're officially in the loop for today! See you all tomorrow for your next update.

— 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 Patch newsletter? Contact me at SouthTampa@Patch.com