🌱 Valrico GOP Rep. Calls For Total Abortion Ban + Vine Vegan Coming

Good morning, neighbors. It's Thursday in Tampa and I'm back in your inbox to get you caught up on all the most important things happening in the community today. Let's do it.

First, today's weather:

An afternoon thunderstorm. High: 89 Low: 77.

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Here are the top five stories today in Tampa:

1. A University of South Florida biologist has discovered a species of salamander in California that can parachute out of the world's tallest trees and land safely on the ground. Christian Brown, a doctoral candidate in biology at USF, has spent four years studying the wandering salamander, Aneides vagrans. (Tampa Patch)

2. St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said Wednesday the city is tossing out the previous administration's Request For Proposal and starting over in the redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site. The news comes as the plan for a Rays stadium in Ybor City seems imperiled. (Creative Loafing Tampa)

3. Crème De' Contour, a local skincare company, is now open as a seasonal pop-up at Hyde Park Village. The public is invited to a grand opening event on Saturday, July 2 from noon to 5 p.m. The pop-up will run through August 31. (That's So Tampa)

4. Valrico-based GOP Rep. Mike Beltran says he would like to see Florida pass legislation to ban all abortions in the Sunshine State. Beltran says he supported an earlier proposal in the Florida House this year that would have banned abortions after six weeks that died in committee. Polls have consistently shown that a majority of Florida residents support abortion rights. (Bay News 9)

5. A new 100% plant-based vegan restaurant is coming to Brandon with a planned October opening. Vine Vegan will be located at 2080 Badlands Drive in Brandon and offer all-day breakfast, lunch, dinner, a kids menu, brunch and more. (Creative Loafing Tampa)

Today in Tampa:

• Wonders Of Nature Wildlife Show at Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative. (10:30 a.m.)
• Bridges To Business | Subcontractor Outreach & Networking Expo. (2 p.m.)
• Thirsty Thursdays at Acropolis Greek Taverna - South Tampa. (3 p.m.)
• Art On The House at Tampa Museum Of Art. (5 p.m.)
• Family Game Night at Your Turn - A Board Game Café. (5 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Members of the Pasco County Democrats plan to protest the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade Saturday, July 2. From 9:45 a.m. to noon, participants are invited to protest at the intersection of Little Road and FL-54 near New Port Richey. (Creative Loafing Tampa)
• Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier expects to return from a left hip injury Friday night at Toronto, some welcome good news for the team which has suffered multiple injuries as of late. (Fox 13)
• Several parents in Hillsborough County have concerns about a new bus tracking app the county plans to use in the upcoming school year. Parents are worried about data privacy and the ability for the schools, app makers, or even hackers to track their children. (Fox 13)
• Tampa-based non-profit, Project Dynamo, rescued an American nuclear scientist, John Spor, from his longtime home in Ukraine last week. Spor's knowledge of sensitive U.S. military technology put a target on his back. (WUSF)

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You're officially in the loop for today! 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 Daily? Contact me at SouthTampa@Patch.com