* “This grant will allow (the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority) to significantly reduce operational costs while expanding the Cross-Bay Ferry service, helping to grow inter city and commuter ferry service.”–U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, in announcing that the U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding a grant totaling $4.9 million To HART for the passenger ferry service.
* Hillsborough County has 35 schools on the state’s “persistently low-performing” list. No other district has more than 18.
* Five of the seven members of the Clearwater Downtown Development Board are Scientology parishioners. Good luck, DT Clearwater.
* “This has been a whispered conversation in this community for a long time. Frankly, folks have been afraid to bring it forward because there’s been a lot of pushback.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, on re-evaluating the city’s prime, 119-acre waterfront property where Albert Whitted Airport operates.