🌱 Tiger King 2 + Feds Sue Tampa Dr. + St. Pete Ends COVID-19 Restaurant Program

Happy Sunday, Tampa! Let's get you all caught up to start today off on an informed note.

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First, today's weather:

Humid and partly cloudy throughout the day. High: 88 Low: 72.

Here are the top stories today in Tampa:

1. TECO Peoples Gas will have new leadership starting in December. COO Helen Wesley will assume the role of President after the retirement of T.J. Szelistowski. Peoples Gas serves 425,000 customers statewide. (The Tampa Bay 100)

2. The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a civil lawsuit against a Tampa pain management doctor, Dr. Edward Lubin. He is accused of taking kickbacks from a drug company and prescribing fentanyl unnecessarily. (Tampa Patch)

3. "Tiger King 2" is coming this fall to Netflix and will focus once again on Joe Exotic and Tampa-area animal rescue operator Carole Baskin. It is part of a true crime series on the popular streaming giant. (Creative Loafing Tampa)

4. St. Petersburg is ending a pandemic program in October that allows parking spots to serve as outdoor space and seats for restaurants. Some restaurants are worried that it will hurt business, while others believe it will lead to more people coming to the area. (WFLA)

5. Around 50 educators were unable to cash $1,000 bonus checks they received from Florida as part of federal COVID-19 stimulus and were notified their checks bounced. Florida is blaming a banking error by JP Morgan Chase and says teachers will be reimbursed for penalties and fees associated with it. (Fox 13 Tampa)

Today in Tampa:

• Raprager’s Fall Pumpkin Festival and Haunted Barn. (9:00 AM)
• Hillsborough County Fair. (10:00 AM)
• Fall Family Fest 2021 at Water Works Park. (11:00 AM)
• Lakeland Punk Rock Flea Market: Volume ¡Tres! at Swan Brewing. (12:00 PM)
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Rams. Live on Fox. (4:25 PM)

Tampa Patch Notebook

• Tampa's Downtown: "#TampasDowntown set to gain its third full service grocer, Sprouts Farmers Market, this October" (Facebook)
• City of Tampa: "#ArtMatters! The #LightsOnTampa bridge ligthing installations are a great example of the power of public art to make a city shine. The impactful lighting, created by lighting artist, Tracey Dear, lights up 5 downtown bridges with low ene..." (Facebook)
• Visit Tampa Bay: "Today in Ybor City, the Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House officially opened its doors! Visit and see for yourself Tampa Bay’s close ties with America’s pastime." (Twitter)
• Ronald Kotinsky Photography: "Whoa. Birds dolphins and fish. Crystal River." (Twitter)

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Events:

• Over 250 Classes for you to Enjoy at Home! (September 27)
• Semi-Annual Rummage Sale returning Oct. 1st (10am - 6pm) and Oct. 2nd (8am - 1 pm) (October 1)
• German American Society 2021 Oktoberfest - Come Join Us! (October 1)
• 14th Annual Fall Festival Fundraiser (October 2)
• Hotter Than July - A Stevie Wonder Tribute (October 2)
• Social Security Seminar (October 5)
• Greektoberfest! Fort Myers - Friday, Saturday, Sunday! Greek Food, Drink, Music! (October 17)
• Add your event

Announcements:

• Charity Golf Tournament (Details)
• RENU Wellness Centers - Health through Healing (Details)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Sunday. See you all tomorrow morning for another update! If you're loving these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to read along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— 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 carlosreportsnews@gmail.com.