TAMPA BAY, Fla. - Here are five things you need to know happening in Florida on Thursday.
(1) Tampa panhandling ban vote
The Tampa City Council is expected to make panhandling illegal six days a week throughout the city on Thursday.
On October 6, council members approved a ban by a 6-1 vote during the first reading of the ordinance.
The ban would prevent panhandling and newspaper sales at the ten most dangerous intersections in the city seven days a week. Elsewhere, panhandling would only be allowed on Sundays with an exception for newspapers hawkers who could sell newspapers every day.
Following the first vote, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn released a statement saying is satisfied with the ban.
"I am pleased that Tampa City Council has come to a consensus and is adopting a panhandling ordinance," said Mayor Buckhorn. "I am confident that the majority of the Council will ultimately do what is best for our community and I look forward to a day when our medians are panhandler free."
Council members will vote to adopt the panhandling ban ordinance at their regular meeting which begins at 9:00 a.m.
For more information, visit www.tampagov.net/dept_City_Council/ .
(2) Rick Scott Jobs Announcement
Governor Rick Scott will be in the Bay Area on Thursday to make a major jobs announcement.
The Governor will be joined by officials from Pinellas County, the city of St. Petersburg and the University of South Florida at the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library on the USF St. Pete campus.
Scott will announce a biotechnology company is relocating to the city.
The news conference begins at 12:30 p.m.
(3) Dan Wheldon bereavement resolution
The City of St. Petersburg will honor race car driver Dan Wheldon on Thursday.
Mayor Bill Foster and St. Petersburg council members will issue a resolution of bereavement in tribute to Wheldon during the City Council meeting at 3:00 p.m. In attendance will be Tim Ramsberger, vice president and general manager of the Honda Grand Prix of St.
Petersburg.
Wheldon made St. Petersburg his home after moving to America to compete in the IndyCar racing circuit. He died after sustaining head trauma during a race on Sunday in Las Vegas.
Wheldon was a two-time Indianapolis 500 champion winning in 2005 and 2011, the 2005 IndyCar series champion, and winner of the 2005 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He won 16 times in 128 starts on the IndyCar series.
The City Council meeting is open to the public. It is also streamed live at www.stpete.org .
(4) Port Manatee Berth 12 dedication ceremony
Port Manatee will commemorate the opening of Berth 12 with a dedication ceremony beginning at 11:15 a.m. on Thursday.
The new berth can accommodate Panamax-sized vessels that travel through the Panama Canal. Port Manatee is the closest U.S. deepwater seaport to the Canal and the hope is Berth 12 will help make Tampa Bay an attractive destination for cargo.
Berth 12 is nearly 1,600-feet-long. The dredging project to create it has been the main focus of Port Manatee's $200 decade-long expansion. The new berth sits next to a planned 52-acre container terminal.
"This is a big moment for Port Manatee, our tenants, customers and the port's future," said David L. McDonald, Port Manatee Executive Director. "To attract Class A carriers, we have to offer a Class A facilities and we've achieved that goal with the opening of Berth 12."
The first ship to dock at Berth 12, the 492-foot-long M/V Sea Brave, arrived at Port Manatee on October 17.
For more information on Berth 12 and the port in general, visit portmanatee.com .
(5) World Cup of Paintball
The world's largest paintball tournament returns to Polk County on Thursday.
The four-day PSP World Cup begins at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City today. Over 2,500 participants from 18 countries will compete to be among the best in the world.
Games will be played across ten fields set up on grass fields with netting. Bleachers, that can hold 4,000 players and spectators, have been set up along the sidelines.
Professional paintball teams will be playing Friday through Sunday while 250 regional teams begin four days of competition today.
A free trade show featuring the world's largest selection of paintball gear, equipment and apparel will be open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Professional paintball team members will be signing autographs each day at the trade show.
There is no free for parking or admission, but tickets are required to watch the professional games from the main grandstands. Tickets are $15 a day or $40 for all three days and can be bought on-site or in advance at www.pspevents.com .
Teams are coming from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Russia, Slovakia, South Korea, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Venezuela.
Paintball is a game based on the "capture the flag." Two teams of five people compete against each other on a field about the size of a tennis court. A number of inflated shapes
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