News & Public Affairs

Publisher Of The Tampa Epoch- A Newspaper Sold By The Homeless

12/27/11 Robert Lorei

Tags: Bill Sharpe, Tampa Epoch, homeless, panhandling ban, panhandling

For two months there’s been a ban on panhandling on the streets of Tampa. But many homeless people are still out there — collecting money from passersby. The way they do it? They sell a new newspaper called “Tampa Epoch”.

Even though elected officials in the city banned panhandling, they did not ban street corner newspaper sales. We’re joined now by B...

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Tampa area food pantries face greater demand, fewer donations listen

11/23/11 Josh Holton
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Tags: Metropolitan Ministries, Occupy Tampa, Occupy Wall Street, Buy Nothing Day, homeless, Homelessness, poverty, food

Many families will be spending the Thanksgiving holiday at home with family for a traditional dinner. The Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County estimates more than 17,000 people are on the county streets without a home every night, including this holiday weekend.

With the slumping economy, many of the area’s homeles...

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Tampa Epoch street paper: giving voice to the homeless

11/04/11 Lisa Marzilli
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Tags: Tampa Epoch, Bill Sharpe, street newspaper, homeless, panhandling ban, South Tampa Community News, panhandling

Today we’re going to talk about the controversial new law that went into effect in Tampa this week and how one local businessman is trying to counter its effect on the homeless. We’re talking of course, about City of Tampa ordinance that now bans panhandling every day but Sunday, with an exception for those distributing political literature or selling newspapers. The law may make the homeless less visible, but what it does not do is offer any kind o...

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Occupy Tampa protester arrested Saturday for trespassing in the park listen

10/31/11 Josh Holton
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Tags: Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Tampa, arrests, Tampa, homeless

This weekend another protester with Occupy Tampa was arrested. Tampa Police have now arrested 12 occupiers in total. 55-year-old diabetic Christopher Villanueva was arrested at 3 in the afternoon on Saturday for trespassing in Curtis-Hixon Park. He has posted bond, and was released an hour ago. Although he used to work, he has been homeless and unemployed since an assault left him wi...

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Tampa passes partial ban on panhandling listen

10/20/11 Josh Holton
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Tags: panhandling, Homelessness, homeless, poverty, Tampa City Council, Tampa, Tampa government, Occupy Tampa

Today the Tampa City Council passed a partial ban on panhandling on street corners. After the four to one vote, street solicitation is now banned every day but Sunday. Newspaper sales are excluded from the ban. Dozens of members of the public showed up comment on the three controversial panhandling ordinances.

After years of deliberation, Tampa City Council has decided to partially ban panhandling in public right of ways. Former City Council m...

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Tampa protesters hold first overnight occupation of downtown park listen

10/10/11 Josh Holton & Seán Kinane
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Tags: Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Tampa, occupation, Tampa, homeless, fire union

Occupy Tampa protesters occupied a public location downtown all night long for the first time, moving one step closer to a 24-hour-a-day occupation in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street. But Keith Cuesta said this is just a tryout for the real deal.

"But this is the preliminary trial run of the occupation. It's almost like a beta test, you know when you're doing computer testing and stuff like that. We're seeing where the bugs are, and we're trying to work out the kinks."

Despite rainy...

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Tampa panhandling ban stalled in a City Council stalemate listen

09/23/11 Josh Holton
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Tags: panhandling, Homelessness, homeless, poverty, Tampa City Council, Tampa

Tampa City Council failed to pass a panhandling ordinance Thursday afternoon. With only 6 members voting, and Council member Charlie Miranda on leave with health issues, It's hard to tell if the three-to-three stalemate will let up any time soon.

The fate of beggars, charities, and independent newspapers hangs in the balance as Tampa's City Council failed to d...

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Tampa City Council talks about panhandling, homeless issue listen

09/08/11 Janelle Irwin
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Tags: homeless, Homelessness, panhandling, Tampa City Council

Tampa City Council continued discussions about possible street solicitation bans that would criminalize panhandling on city streets. Council member Mary Mulhern warned that doing so would be the beginning of criminalizing poverty. The council also heard comments about how to address the high number of people without homes.

Council members have been kicking around whether or not to ban ...

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Labor unions hard at work at Pinellas HOPE on Labor Day weekend listen

09/06/11 Josh Holton
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Tags: labor, labor unions, Labor Day, labor movement, homeless, Homelessness, pinellas, Pinellas Hope, Pinellas County, Pinellas Park, homeless shelter, unions

Many Americans marked Labor Day weekend as a start to the football season, a day to fire up the barbeque, and enjoy a national holiday away from work. But the holiday began to honor labor unions that fought for 8 hour work days, a minimum wage, and an end to child labor. Last Saturday the executive vice president of the labor union visited Pinellas Park, calling on local labor unions to help some of Florida’s unemployed get back to work.

Many...

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Pinellas homeless shelter gets under the skin of residents and business owners listen

07/15/11 Andrea Lypka
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Tags: Safe Harbor, homeless, Pinellas County Sheriff

Since its opening, Pinellas County’s homeless shelter, Safe Harbor has caused public outrage. The shelter’s population has been growing since St. Petersburg passed an ordinance that prohibits sleeping on sidewalks. Residents and business owners say that crime has increased and home values have gone down since the facility opened in January next to the Pinellas county jail.

Jeff Hoyt has lived in the High Point neighborhood off 49th Street for 32 years and he says his tenants feel in danger...

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