5 things you need to know for Wednesday, March 2

Here are five things you need to know happening in Florida on Wednesday, March 2.

(1) Hillsborough County Solicitation Ban

The Hillsborough County Commission will consider a countywide ban on roadside solicitation on Wednesday.

Commissioners will take up the ban proposal during a 2:00 p.m. public hearing in County Center building in downtown Tampa.

The county's proposed ban would outlaw any type of solicitation, including panhandling and newspaper selling.

Last month the Tampa City Council declined to pass a partial panhandling ban that would have applied to main roads like Dale Mabry Highway and Hillsborough Avenue.

Some councilmembers believe Tampa needs to wait until the county passes a ban so the city's ordinance would be consistent with the county's version.

For more infomation, visit www.hillsboroughcounty.org/bocc .

(2) Bayshore Boulevard Enhancement Project

Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio along with business and community leaders will be at a sign unveiling ceremony on Wednesday signifying the start of construction of the Bayshore Boulevard Enhancement Project.

Phase 1 of the project will provide for continuous bicycle lanes in both directions along Bayshore Boulevard between Rome Avenue and Platt Street. The existing six-lane roadway between Rome Avenue and the Davis Island Bridge will be modified to a four-lane roadway with a 14-foot, grassed median.

There will also be upgrades to the existing traffic signals and pedestrian features at the Bay-to-Bay Boulevard and Platt Street intersections.

The anticipated completion date for Phase 1 is late September 2011.

In 2014, Phase 2 of the enhancement project will include upgrades from Rome Avenue to Howard Avenue. No timetable has been set for Phase 3, from Howard Avenue to Gandy Boulevard.

Today's sign unveiling takes place at 10:00 a.m. at the intersection of Bayshore Boulevard and Magnolia Avenue.

For more information on the project, visit www.tampagov.net/transportation .

(3) 18th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

Flowers are set to bloom during the 18th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival which opens on Wednesday.

HGTV star designers and landscaping experts Genevieve Gorder, Lisa LaPorta, Kim Myles, Brian Patrick Flynn, Taniya Nayak, Ahmed Hassan, Patti Moreno, Michele Beschen, John Gidding, Frank Fontana, and Vern Yip will appear on weekends on the HGTV Stage during the festival.

One popular attraction, Bambi's Butterfly House, featuring hundreds of native butterflies, will be double its previous size this year.

For more information, visit disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/ .

(4) NASA budget hearings

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden appears before the House Science, Space and Technology Committee on Wednesday to discuss the agency's 2012 proposed budget.

The Obama administration requested $18.7 billion, the same amount requested for 2010.

With the end of the space shuttle program and the termination of the Constellation program, it will be interesting to see what the committee members think of the budget proposal.

Part of NASA's budget pays for the continued operation of the International Space Station and the upcoming launch of the Mars Science Laboratory to send a new rover to Mars to search for microbial life.

On Thursday, Administrator Bolden will go before the House Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee in a second hearing regarding NASA's budget.

For more information on the space agency, visit www.nasa.gov .

(5) Read Across America Day

First Lady Michelle Obama and other celebrities will join in the National Education Association's 14th annual Read Across America Day on Wednesday. They will read to children during the nationwide party that attempts to get kids of all ages excited about reading.

More than 45 million people are expected to participate in reading events across America today.

March 2 is the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, also know as Dr. Seuss, the author of several favorite books like The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

In Orlando, Universal Studios is hosting elementary school students at Seuss Landing for a day of Seussian storytelling and celebrations. Nick Anderson from the Orlando Magic will be among the VIP readers participating in today's event at Universal's Islands of Adventure.

Target, a longtime supporter of the Read Across America Day, had special in-store reading sessions last weekend. In honor of Dr. Seuss, the story has a sale on his books: buy 2 Seuss books for just $10 through March 15.

For more on Read Across America Day, go to www.nea.org/readacross .