🌱 Tampa Man Allegedly Busted With $50K Of Fentanyl + Bookstore Day

Morning, Tampa! It's me, Carlos Hernandez, your host of the Patch newsletter. Here's all the local news you need to know right now. In today's issue, we'll touch on:

• U.S. post office workers in Tampa held a protest on Friday against mismanagement and poor working conditions.
• City of Tampa is working to finalize a deal to acquire a historic cemetery that was acquired by a developer auction.
• Independent Bookstore Day is being held throughout the Tampa area today.

But first, today's weather: Humid; breezy in the p.m. High: 86 Low: 73.

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Here are the top stories today in Tampa:

1. Tampa General Hospital (TGH) has launched primary care services at its new Diagnostic Center in St. Petersburg with Dr. Anastasios Mavrakis, who is a Tampa General Medical Group primary care doctor. It is located at located at 4949 4th St. North in St. Petersburg. (Press Release Desk)
2. City of Tampa is working to finalize a deal to acquire the Memorial Park Cemetery after losing control of the cemetery previously, outraging residents. The cemetery is full of Black history and is the home of the graves of nearly 800 veterans. The city and the new owner, who bought the property at auction, disagree on the value of the site. (ABC Action News)
3. A Tampa man was allegedly caught by police with over $50,000 worth of fentanyl early Friday morning during a traffic stop, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Police said they stopped a white Lexus on I-75 in Sumter County due to improper window tints and discovered the drugs on-site. The suspect was arrested and taken by authorities to Sumter County Jail. (WFLA)
4. Post office workers in Tampa joined protests held across the nation over understaffing and mismanagement. The union representing postal workers is demanding changes to improve their work conditions and mail service to customers. The turnover rate is also extremely high for non-career workers. (WTSP)
5. Independent Bookstore Day is being held today across Tampa. Participating bookstores include Oxford Exchange, Mojo Books & Records, Over the Books, and more. The number of independent bookstores in America has fallen sharply since Amazon entered the book business. (St. Pete Patch)

Today in Tampa:

• Crescent Lake Clean Up at Tasco Parking Lot. (9 a.m.)
• 43rd Annual Storytelling Festival at C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library. (11 a.m.)
• Sankofa Spring Festival at Rebirth Event Park. (11 a.m.)
• 4th Annual Taco & Tequila Crawl at Park & Red DTSP. (1 p.m.)
• Kpop Bop Nite Tampa at Pegasus Lounge. (9 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers shared: "After being selected 19th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Buccaneers, University of Pittsburgh Defensive End Calijah Kancey spoke with the media. Catch the 2023 NFL Draft on NFL Network, ABC & ESPN from April 27-29." (Tampa Bay Buccaneers via Facebook)
• Busch Gardens Tampa Bay shared: "The sun is setting on our Food & Wine Festival, but we still have a whole weekend of thrills ahead of us! 🎢 Don't miss out on sipping and savoring your way through flavorful eats." (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay via Facebook)
• Tampa International Airport shared: "Saturday is Drone Safety Day. Got a drone and want to fly it? We've collected a few tips for safe flying: 📕 Read your drone’s manual. ✈️ Do not fly near airports or other aircraft. 🤝 Register and mark your drone." (Tampa International Airport via Facebook)
• City of Tampa shared: "In case you missed it, Tampa's new tree goal is to plant 30,000 trees by 2030." (City of Tampa via Facebook)
• City of Tampa shared: "City of Tampa Wastewater Department is looking for an AWT Shift Supervisor to join the team. This role is responsible for supervisory work at the Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant (AWTP) Division." (City of Tampa via Facebook)

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Featured events:

• Taxes in Retirement Seminar at Carrollwood Cultural Center (May 1)
• Breast Ultrasound Screening Coming Direct to You! (May 2)
• AI Workshop: How Top-Producers and Non Techie Realtors Can Grow their Biz (May 5)
• Ongoing Friday Jewelry Classes (May 5)
• Uptown Music Festival (May 6)
• LEADS Mardi Gras Masquerade Brunch Fundraiser (May 20)
• Add your event

Thanks for following along and staying informed! See you tomorrow morning for another 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