🌱 Moms For Liberty Protests + Tampa Affordable Housing's Next Move

Hey, hello! I'm back in your inbox this morning with your new copy of the Tampa Daily. Here are all the most important things to know about what's happening locally...

First, today's weather:

An afternoon thunderstorm. High: 90 Low: 77.

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Here are the top five stories in Tampa today:

1. The conservative Moms For Liberty group is now hosting its first national convention at Tampa Marriott Water Street through July 17. At the same time liberal groups Florida Watch and Progress Florida have launched DeSantis Watch "to shine a spotlight on the failures of Gov. Ron DeSantis to improve the lives of the people of our state while he remains focused on his future political ambitions." Groups, including local teachers, showed up downtown to protest Governor DeSantis and the conservative group. (Tampa Patch, Creative Loafing Tampa)

2. Tampa residents are pushing for government support amid an affordable housing crisis. The Tampa Bay Community Action Committee plans to present a budget ordinance to the Tampa City Council that would reallocate monies from the general fund and American Rescue Plan money toward affordable housing assistance. (WUSF)

3. A teacher's aide at Mulrennan Middle School in Valrico, 23-year-old Sean Timothy Shafer, has been arrested on child pornography charges. Detectives began an investigation after receiving a tip in May and believe that Shafer obtained the images from the internet, deputies said. Police do not currently believe any students are victims. (Subscription: Tampa Bay Times)

4. Alleged sex crimes at MacDill Air Force Base involving children as young as seven years old are being investigated. Parents are frustrated with the communication from the base about the allegations and want civilian law enforcement involved. "MacDill will continue to offer and provide resources to the families of the victims as well as the accused," said a spokesperson for the Air Force Base. (WFLA)

5. Tampa City Council executed an agreement on July 14 with the U.S. Department of Transportation to take a $24 million grant from 2020 that will extend Tampa's Riverwalk. The project would be completed by 2026. (That's So Tampa)

Today in Tampa:

• Back-To-School Clinics at Blake High School. (9 a.m.)
• Raymond James Stadium To Host Job Fair. (9 a.m.)
• SharkCon 8 at Florida State Fairgrounds. (9 a.m.)
• Webb Space Telescope Celebration at Museum Of Science & Industry. (10 a.m.)
• Tampa's Biggest Birthday Bash at Water Works Park. (11 a.m.)

From my notebook:

• Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island are running a Summer Sale on Multi-Day admission and Fun Cards through July 24. (ThrillGeek)
• Tampa City Council has called for an investigation into the troubled Timber Falls Apartments. Councilman Luis Viera is calling for the city legal department to investigate whether or not the management has violated any local laws or ordinances. (Creative Loafing Tampa)
• A federal judge has ruled that a Dunedin man must pay $30,000 in fines for tall grass. The man has pledged to appeal the fine. (WFLA)
• An Apollo Beach lawyer has filed a class action lawsuit against social media platform Parler after receiving unsolicited text messages promoting the app. The lawyer alleges that the social media platform violated Florida's Telephone Solicitation Act (FTSA) when it texted him. (Florida Politics)

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You're officially in the loop for today. I'll be in your inbox tomorrow with 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 Daily? Contact me at SouthTampa@Patch.com