Community Chat Board - Tampa Heights - Tampa FL

Opening Week Football Recap
Rivalry games and dramatic finishes headlined the first Sunday of the 2025 NFL regular season. Aaron Rodgers led a game-winning drive against the New York Jets in his Pittsburgh debut, while Tampa Bay rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka caught two touchdowns, including the last-minute winner against Atlanta. Indianapolis scored on every offensive drive en route to a 33-8 win over Miami. Sunday Night Football featured elite quarterbacks for Baltimore and Buffalo.

Ranking the Best Places to Retire
Orlando, Florida, was ranked the best place to retire in the United States for the second year in a row, according to WalletHub.
The survey was based on four metrics: affordability, activities, quality of life, and health care.
Orlando earned the top spot thanks to an abundance of quiet communities, great restaurants, and independent stores. Scottsdale, Minneapolis, Miami, and Tampa round out the top five.

Florida Opens ‘Deportation Depot’
Florida opened its second immigration detention facility, dubbed "Deportation Depot," at the former Baker County Correctional Institution this week, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday.
"We'll use as many of the detention spaces as we can. We want to fill them up. We want (to) deliver on this mission," Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said.
Currently, 117 detainees have arrived at the facility, and officials have provided photos from the first day.

it's about time
The U.S. will deploy 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in an expansion of its drug cartel fight, just days after a lethal strike by US forces destroyed a boat the White House said was carrying a 11` Venezuelan narco-terrorists.
On Thursday, two armed Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham, according to multiple Defense Department officials who described the action as a "show of force."
Apart from the Dunham, the Trump administration has deployed at least seven more warships to the Caribbean, along with more than 4,000 Marines and sailors in its …

Florida Attorney General Arrests
Ten people have been arrested during "Operation Van Diesel," an investigation into a ring of diesel thieves that committed 350 thefts across 70 locations in 13 counties, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said Thursday.
Seven out of the 10 arrested were illegal immigrants.
The suspects allegedly used modified minivans, outfitted with 500-gallon tanks, pumps, hidden compartments, and floorboards with cutouts to siphon diesel fuel from underground gas station tanks.
The investigation began about six months ago when gas stations in Hillsborough County reported a discrepancy in fuel on hand.

A new event is coming to Tampa's waterfront. The inaugural Holiday RiverFest is set for Dec. 20 at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, with a full day of live music, festive treats, and family-friendly activities.

Brandon: Tampa General Hospital is partnering with The Michaels Organization to build about 170 workforce housing units for employees that will be priced slightly below market rate and include shuttle services to the hospital.

Social Security Paper Checks End Sept. 30 (if it applies to you)
After 90 years, social security payments will no longer be sent by mail starting Sept. 30, with paper checks being phased out to reduce fraud, cut costs, and speed up delivery.
Paper checks cost around 50 cents each, more than three times the cost of an electronic transfer, and are 16 times more likely to be lost or stolen, according to the Social Security Administration.
Fewer than 1% of the nearly 70 million recipients—about 500,000 people—still rely on physical checks and will need to switch to direct deposit …

Hillsborough County: The Diocese of St. Petersburg broke ground on a new facility in Ruskin to be completed by 2027. It's the first new Catholic school to be built in the area in 10 years.

Thousands of Floridians petitioned Publix to bring back hurricane-themed cakes. The supermarket chain once sold "hurricakes" depicting a storm in frosting with funny messages. (See Video)