What's Tampa Bay Saying?

Does Tampa Bay Have an Identity Crisis?

Marketers say the Tampa Bay area has a bland identity and needs an 'elevator pitch' to boost tourism. What slogan would you use to describe our region?

Locals know the Tampa Bay area has awesome beaches, great parks, a sizzling Cuban flavor and really cool museums. The problem is out-of-towners don’t. While Miami is known internationally as an urban chic vacation destination with beaches on the side and Orlando has the mouse to thank for its tourism prowess, Tampa Bay is lacking in the image department. That lack of identity is something that concerns the folks at Spark, a Tampa marketing firm that’s been researching what people think of when they consider Tampa Bay. "We do not have a brand," James Robbins, Spark’s brand director, told the Tampa Bay Times. What’s the problem with that? According to Robbins, when an area doesn’t have a brand, people start coming up with their own ideas of …

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SAT Scores: Countryside High Ranks in Tampa Bay's Top 20

The top 40 area public high schools are highlighted in the rankings, which were compiled by the Tampa Bay Business Journal using statistics from the Florida Department of Education.

Countryside High School outranks most Tampa Bay high schools when it comes to 2012 SAT scores.  The top 40 public high schools in the Tampa Bay area are highlighted in the rankings, which were compiled by the Tampa Bay Business Journal using statistics from the Florida Department of Education. Countryside came in at No. 20. The maximum possible SAT score is 2400.  There are three parts to the SAT tests: math, verbal and writing. Each part is worth a maximum 800 points for a maximum total SAT score of 2400. Countryside High's average 2012 SAT score was 1510. Here's a look at the five top-ranked high schools in Tampa Bay: See the full list and search the rankings in Tampa Bay Business Journal's report.

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Pinellas Mystery Monkey Making Move to Dade City

Tampa Bay’s elusive celebrity will soon call the Wild Things zoo home.

One of Tampa Bay’s most notorious fugitives is making the move to Pasco County. Cornelius, the rhesus macaque who eluded capture for years while making headlines throughout Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties, is anticipated to arrive at Dade City’s Wild Things zoo on Monday, according to TBO.com. The little macaque’s antics earned him plenty of press – both good and bad. There were sightings of him in Clearwater and St. Petersburg during his years on the run. The little critter, believed to have been cast out of a colony in Silver Springs, was also accused of biting a woman during his lengthy life on the lam in Pinellas County. The Mystery Monkey, who was renamed Cornelius after a character in “The Planet of the Apes,” earned such a…

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Chick-fil-A, Children's Cancer Center Need 'Fuel for Families'

Drop off gift cards to any Clearwater area Chick-fil-A restaurant during the month of November.

The Tampa Bay area’s 38 Chick-fil-A locations are serving as collection points for “Fuel for Families.” Partnering with the Children’s Cancer Center, the fast-food chain is accepting gift cards for food and gas to benefit the families of children who are undergoing medical treatments. “Many Tampa Bay families carry large financial burdens that result from battles with child cancer, rare blood disorders, and other life-threatening illnesses,” Jane Melton, area marketing director for Tampa Bay Chick-fil-A Restaurants, said in a news release. Gift cards, collected through the end of November, can be dropped off at the drive-thru or inside the restaurants. Chick-fil-A’s 5K Fall Stampede race in September resulted in a $43,000 donation to the …

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Romney Visits Central Pasco Saturday

Gov. Mitt Romney is expected to appear at Land O’ Lakes High School around 7 p.m. Oct. 27.

Tampa Bay area residents who want a chance to see former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney before the election are in luck. The Romney campaign has announced it will make a stop in Central Pasco County's Land O' Lakes this Saturday. According to Romney's campaign, he and and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio will both appear at Land O’ Lakes High School, 20325 Gator Ln., at 7 pm. Saturday for a rally. Doors open at 5 p.m. for area residents who have a ticket. Few other details about the event are available at this time. To RSVP for a free ticket, visit the Romney website. Stay with Patch for details as they develop.

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Tropical Storm Sandy Could Bring Breezy, Cooler Weather to Clearwater

The system isn't expected to have major direct impacts on Tampa Bay’s weather, but the indirect effects have forecasters anticipating the season’s mildest weather yet.

The formation of a tropical storm south of Florida isn’t typically good news for the Tampa Bay area. In Tropical Storm Sandy’s case, however, forecasters at the National Weather Service’s Ruskin office say Clearwater might be in for some positive impacts. The storm, which is currently located south of Jamaica, could bring breezy conditions to the Bay area this weekend. While some rain, “rough boating conditions” and a slight increase in temperatures are also possible over the weekend, meteorologist Jon Jelsema says what’s in store next week is worth waiting for. If Sandy stays on her current path, she’ll cross over Jamaica and Cuba as a hurricane and then pass by the Bahamas and eastern Florida Friday and over the weekend as a tropical …

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Downpours Likely Through Wednesday

Heavy rain and some thunderstorms are forecast for the entire Tampa Bay area.

Clearwater residents hoping to enjoy a little outdoor time over the next few days might be out of luck. The National Weather Service’s Ruskin office is calling for a strong likelihood of rain through Wednesday night. “(There’s) deep moisture that’s going to be brought in through our area,” said Michael Lewis, a weather service meteorologist. “Intermittent showers and thunderstorms (are likely).” The chances for rain are about 50 percent throughout the rest of today, Oct. 2, and into the evening hours tonight. Tomorrow’s daytime forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of rain in most parts of the Bay area. Those chances drop to about 40 percent on Wednesday night and into Thursday. Things should start to clear up a little from there, Lewis …

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What's Tampa Bay Saying?

Presidential Campaign Visits: Exciting or a Nuisance?

Love 'em or hate 'em, the candidates' visits to the Tampa Bay area probably won't stop anytime soon. What do you think of politicians coming to your town?

With Florida a battleground state – and Tampa Bay considered key to the presidential election – campaigning has been nonstop in 2012. The showdowns started with the Florida Primary in January, when Republican presidential hopefuls started descending on Tampa Bay. They intensified when the Republican National Convention came to town last month, with GOP nominee Gov. Mitt Romney and his crew bringing major buzz and more than a little disruption to downtown Tampa. Things heated up again recently, as President Barack Obama stopped in Seminole, Ann Romney came to Largo and Paul Ryan, Romney's VP pick, visited Oldsmar Saturday. Campaign visits: Love 'em or hate 'em, but don't expect them to end anytime soon. No, with Florida a critical state in …

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What Are RNC Visitors Saying About Tampa Bay?

Visitors in town for the 2012 Republican National Convention share their impressions of the Tampa Bay area.

As Patch covers the local impact of the 2012 Republican National Convention, we're asking visitors we encounter what they think of our Tampa Bay community. If you're visiting Tampa for the RNC, please feel free to share photos and memories of your Tampa experience with our local residents by clicking the "Upload Photos and Videos" button above!

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