🌱 Red Tide Returns, Cancels Festival + Cruz & Hurtak Head To Runoff

Morning, everybody! It's me, Carlos Hernandez, your host of the Tampa Patch newsletter — back in your inbox with all the most important things happening in the community today. Today's briefing includes news about:

• Red tide is surging once again in Florida and canceled Indian Rocks BeachFest.
• Former state Sen. Janet Cruz and Tampa City Council District 3 incumbent Lynn Hurtak are heading to a runoff.
• Nearly 7,000 pounds of dead fish were recently collected in Manatee County amid red tide.

But first, today's weather: Partly sunny. High: 84 Low: 62.

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Here are the top stories today in Tampa:

1. City of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor is confident the city will take back control of a historic Black cemetery recently lost at auction. A developer acquired the land for $18,000 and outraged the community. Tampa City Council will hear a report Thursday on how the city can get the land back. (WTSP)
2. Ousted Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren has received fast-track approval from a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Warren has battled Gov. Ron DeSantis for months over what Warren says is an illegal removal from office. Although a judge agreed with Warren, the judge lacked the jurisdiction to put him back in office. (Creative Loafing Tampa)
3. Red tide is surging in Florida once again and now has claimed the Indian Rocks BeachFest as its victim. Festival organizers canceled the event this week with red tide expected to plague the area for weeks. The event helps fundraise for the community and will lead to a loss of important funding for the area. (WFLA)
4. Nearly 7,000 pounds of dead fish were collected in Manatee County in the last few days amid a red tide surge. Cleanups have been held both in land and on water. Officials note that the conditions appear to be getting better and are some seeing more activity in the area from sea life. (Fox 13 Tampa)
5. Former state Sen. Janet Cruz and Tampa City Council District 3 incumbent Lynn Hurtak are heading to a runoff on April 25 after neither candidate cleared 50 percent plus one vote, as required by election rules. City of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has endorsed Cruz and Hurtak is widely seen as embattled due to opposition to Castor's priorities. (Florida Politics)

Today in Tampa:

• Pets & Tots at The Humane Society Of Tampa Bay. (10:30 a.m.)
• Art On The House at The Tampa Museum Of Art. (4 p.m.)
• T(w)een Creative Writing at Temple Terrace Leisure Services. (6 p.m.)
• Thursday Bingo Nights at Two Shepherds Taproom. (7 p.m.)
• Bad Bunny Birthday Bash at Club Skye. (9 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Tampa Bay Lightning shared: "The Lightning entered this game with two objectives: begin building up their game again and, in doing so, snap their five-game winless skid. They accomplished both." (Tampa Bay Lightning via Facebook)
• Tampa International Airport shared: "COMING SOON: The Planes, Trains and Automobiles event is back at Plant City Airport. Join us on April 22 for a day filled with aircraft on display, a car show, model train layouts, food trucks and more." (Tampa International Airport via Facebook)
• South Tampa Chamber shared: "🎉 CONGRATULATIONS to Main Street Rocks Tampa on their Grand Opening. Thank you for having the South Tampa Chamber help celebrate today with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. 😊👏 ✅ Visit their website here: http://MainStreetRocks.com" (South Tampa Chamber via Facebook)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Thursday off right. I'll be back 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 Patch newsletter? Contact me at SouthTampa@Patch.com