1 big thing: 🚫 Florida leads the country in book bans

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Check out Tampa Bay's Hispanic heritage sites

2. 📍 Check out Tampa Bay's Hispanic heritage sites

Ybor City center. The historic district of Tampa Florida USA. 

3. The Pulp: News you can juice

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4. 🍁 Our "fall" revealed 

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☀️ Sunny, then scattered thunderstorms — 92°/75°. 

Sounds like: "Paperback Writer," The Beatles.

🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Tampa Bay members Clyde Smith and Walt Blenner!

Today's newsletter is 815 words, a 3-minute read.

🍂 Kathryn is jealous of her boyfriend's trip to Maine, where fall is well underway.

🎃 Selene is pretending she's in Maine as she sips a pumpkin cream cold brew.

 😔 Yacob is listening to Taylor Swift's "All Too Well," and staring at flannels it's too hot to wear. 

This newsletter was edited by Ross Terrell and copy edited by Azi Najafi.

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Get smarter, faster about what’s happening in your backyard with local reporter Selene San Felice.

Axios Tampa Bay

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1 big thing: 🛍️ Shop 'til you drop ... carbon emissions

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2. ♻️ Test Drive: Valhalla Resale

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3. 🌅 Taken in Tampa Bay

Happy Sunday funday! In this edition, Kathryn takes you inside the world of clothing swaps. 

This newsletter is 699 words, a 3-minute read.

🤑 Kathryn is probably online shopping. (Shhh!)

👚 Selene, a recovering Shein addict, loves thrifting at Revolve.

🤓 Yacob is reading Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises."

This newsletter was edited by Ross Terrell and copy edited by Rob Reinalda.

Florida businesses face scam risk in pandemic tax credit program

1 big thing: 💵 Businesses beware

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Tampa Bay Watch turns food waste into oyster gardens

2. 🦪 Shuck it

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3. The Pulp: News from concentrate

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A new career is waiting for you

4. Your take on Florida fall

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☔️ Rain, rain and more rain — 90°/75°.

Sounds like: "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," Blue Öyster Cult.

🧪 Situational awareness: The federal government is offering free COVID tests again as hospitalizations and deaths from the virus creep back up. Learn how to order some for your household here.

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Today's newsletter is 804 words, a 3-minute read.

🤓 Selene, Yacob and Kathryn are showing Martin from Axios Miami around to prove we're on the better side of the state. 

Editor's note: In a correction to Saturday's newsletter, Tampa (not St. Pete) led the metro in the most new apartment units built during the last three years.

This newsletter was edited by Shane Savitsky and copy edited by Azi Najafi.

How working from home has impacted Tampa Bay

1 big thing: Work from home's impact on Tampa Bay

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Stay booked and busy

Florida tries and fails to bring major gun manufacturer to the state

2. Florida's (failed) attempt to lure gun manufacturer

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3. The Pulp: A fresh squeeze of news

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4. 🫶 Remembering an icon

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Happy Friday! Thanks for sticking with us through the week. 

😎 Sunny, then isolated thunderstorms — 89°/69°. Yep, it's dipping below 70!

Sounds like: "Sweater Weather" by The Neighbourhood.

🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Tampa Bay member Jeri Schaller!

Today's newsletter is 915 words, a 3.5-minute read.

🎧👀 Selene is reading about the "Sounds Like a Cult" podcast drama.

🥹 Kathryn is feeling extra grateful to all of the journalists who have helped her along the way.

This newsletter was edited by Ross Terrell and copy edited by Azi Najafi. 

1 big thing: Report warns of a real estate "climate bubble"

On the job hunt?

How modifying your bathroom can help with fall prevention

2. 🛁 A bathroom built to last

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3. The Pulp: News from around the Bay

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4. 🎨 Artist spotlight: St. Petersburg's Kayla Heintz

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⛈️ Showers and scattered thunderstorms likely — 91°/71°.

Sounds like: "September," Earth, Wind & Fire.

🍆 Selene is watching the last season of "Sex Education."

🚫 Kathryn is not becoming an Atlanta Falcons fan, despite what her Falcons fan editor wrote in yesterday's outro (after she forgot to write her own).

📚 Yacob has finished eight books this year! He's hoping to read at least 12. 

UnidosUS, a Hispanic civil rights advocacy organization, and a dozen other groups filed a civil rights complaint against Florida, alleging the state's Medicaid redetermination process discriminates against minorities.

Why it matters: Hundreds of thousands of Floridians lost Medicaid since the state began dropping some enrollees in May after the end of a pandemic-era policy that protected coverage.

Half of those who were dropped are still eligible but were removed because of "procedural reasons," according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Details: The complaint, which is supported by the Florida Health Justice Project and the Florida Policy Institute, outlined several of the state's actions that impede eligible Latino, Black and immigrant residents from re-enrolling.

The state's Medicaid website is not accessible on smartphones, and according to the Pew Research Center, people of color are less likely than their white counterparts to own a desktop or laptop computer.

Plus: The complaint also cited a report from UnidosUS that found Spanish-speaking Floridians encountered hours of delays when reapplying for coverage via the state's call centers.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights said Medicaid call centers are particularly important to people of color, who are "less likely to have broadband and internet access."

Of note: Three Floridians, including two children, filed a lawsuit in August alleging the state illegally cut their Medicaid coverage by not providing adequate information about expiring coverage.

They allege the state's notices don't fully explain whether a person is still eligible.

What they're saying: "Florida could easily solve these problems. The state has a $20 billion budget surplus," the groups behind the complaint wrote. "A small fraction of the remainder would suffice to retain a contractor who can make the Medicaid website accessible to smartphones; to hire enough call center staff."

"These problems' persistence speaks to the state's priorities."

The other side: The Florida Department of Children and Families, which determines Medicaid eligibility, did not respond to Axios' request for comment.

Advocacy groups file civil rights complaint against Florida over Medicaid terminations

Hundreds of thousands of Floridians lost Medicaid since the state began dropping some enrollees in May.

Illustration of the state of Florida covered in bandages.

Medicaid

UnidosUS, a Hispanic civil rights advocacy organization, and a dozen other groups filed a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="civil rights complaint" data-vars-click-url="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/60/c5/5728fa594647b95ddf9d1ced060b/ocr-complaint-fl.pdf" data-vars-content-id="66d77573-c598-462f-a940-c456539e7c38" data-vars-headline="Advocacy groups file civil rights complaint against Florida over Medicaid terminations" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/60/c5/5728fa594647b95ddf9d1ced060b/ocr-complaint-fl.pdf" target="_blank">civil rights complaint</a> against Florida, alleging the state&#x27;s Medicaid redetermination process discriminates against minorities.Why it matters: Hundreds of thousands of Floridians lost Medicaid since the state began <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="dropping some enrollees" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/pro/health-care-policy/2023/06/13/biden-officials-states-medicaid" data-vars-content-id="66d77573-c598-462f-a940-c456539e7c38" data-vars-headline="Advocacy groups file civil rights complaint against Florida over Medicaid terminations" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/pro/health-care-policy/2023/06/13/biden-officials-states-medicaid" target="_self">dropping some enrollees</a> in May after the end of a pandemic-era policy that protected coverage.

News

Axios Tampa Bay, anchored by Ben Montgomery and Selene San Felice, is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard.

The University of South Florida's plan to spend $340 million on an on-campus stadium cleared its final hurdle last week, paving the way for what college officials say will be a transformational project set to open in 2026.

Driving the news: During a recent meeting, the Board of Governors, which oversees Florida's 12 public universities, unanimously approved the 35,000-seat stadium's spending plan, which allows the university to borrow up to $200 million.

Why it matters: University leaders say the facility will be easier for students to get to, help football recruitment and possibly move the Bulls into a major conference, according to the Associated Press.

Along with providing a home for the football team, it will also host the school's women's lacrosse team and provide venue space for concerts and other community events.

Catch up fast: The Bulls currently play football games at Raymond James Stadium, about 12 miles from USF's main campus in northeast Tampa. The stadium opened in 1998 as the home for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

USF games have drawn large crowds but rarely fill even half of its 75,000 seats, the AP reported. The university also has no control over concessions and parking sales.

What they're saying: "Bulls Nation deserves to have a stadium on USF's campus. Our time has come," USF Board of Trustees chair Will Weatherford said in a news release. "Our 50,000 students, our alumni, faculty, staff, and our greater community all deserve the benefits that come with a stadium on our campus."

The new stadium would be built in an area known as Sycamore Fields, north of the university's indoor practice facility on the east side of campus.

Yes, but: The approval comes after a state finance official expressed doubts about the efficacy of the spending plan. The state's director of bond finance, J. Ben Watkins, wrote in an August memo that the university's revenue projections for the project were "arguably ambitious."

University officials revised the plan ahead of last week's meeting, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported. Watkins said the revisions "highlight the uncertainty of future financial performance."

Should USF fail to meet the projections, the USF Foundation would have to pay the tab, or the athletics department would have to make budget cuts, per the Journal.

Plus: Some students and faculty also have concerns about the spending plan and how taking on millions of dollars in debt could impact academics down the road.

"USF is constantly gouging students for money," USF student Emilio Laporte told Axios. "So the fact that they're spending hundreds of millions of dollars for a stadium is ridiculous."

What they're saying: "I'm sure the first year that this stadium opens, it will be packed and people will be excited. But if the teams don't do as well as they hope, then will people still keep going?" said Faculty Senate vice president Brian Connolly, according to the USF Oracle. "I feel like we're getting a very optimistic sense of it, and then in the long term it can have effects on the academic side of things."

The football team has had successful seasons but has remained in the mid-level American Athletic Conference while fellow conference teams have recently moved into power five conferences — including the University of Central Florida, which plays in the Big 12.

UCF has an on-campus football stadium that seats 48,000 people that will soon undergo improvements.

By the numbers: Along with the $200 million loan, financing for the project will come from sources including USF's capital improvement trust fund and $50 million in gifts, $40 million of which has already been raised, the university said.

The day before the Board of Governors vote, Tampa General Hospital donated $25 million toward the project. Hospital CEO John Couris is a USF alumnus.

USF Bulls $340 million stadium finance plan clears final hurdle

University leaders say the facility will be easier for students to get to and help football recruitment.

A rendering showing a found football stadium along with several buildings and trees. Several green Us with bullhorns are scattered over the rendering to represent the University of South Florida's athletics logo.

A rendering of the stadium and athletics facilities. Photo: University of South Florida

College football

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="University of South Florida" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2023/06/06/usf-ai-certificate" data-vars-content-id="e41c8bc2-3d9d-4536-ab8c-0ff6a3170d40" data-vars-headline="USF Bulls $340 million stadium finance plan clears final hurdle" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2023/06/06/usf-ai-certificate" target="_self">University of South Florida</a>&#x27;s plan to spend $340 million on an on-campus stadium cleared its final hurdle last week, paving the way for what college officials say will be a transformational project set to open in 2026.Driving the news: During a recent meeting, the Board of Governors, which oversees Florida&#x27;s 12 public universities, unanimously <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="approved the 35,000-seat stadium&#x27;s spending plan" data-vars-click-url="https://www.usf.edu/news/2023/florida-board-of-governors-approves-usfs-plan-for-a-new-on-campus-stadium.aspx" data-vars-content-id="e41c8bc2-3d9d-4536-ab8c-0ff6a3170d40" data-vars-headline="USF Bulls $340 million stadium finance plan clears final hurdle" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.usf.edu/news/2023/florida-board-of-governors-approves-usfs-plan-for-a-new-on-campus-stadium.aspx" target="_blank">approved the 35,000-seat stadium&#x27;s spending plan</a>, which allows the university to borrow up to $200 million.

Sports

The National Park Service mentioned several sites in Tampa Bay in its list of landmarks that reflect American Latino heritage. 

Why it matters: These sites preserve and celebrate Latinos' cultural, historical and architectural contributions across the Tampa Bay area.

It's Hispanic Heritage Month, a great time to check them out.

Zoom in: De Soto National Memorial is named after Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto who led an expedition to Florida. The memorial includes displays of armor, weapons and other historic items.  

It's located at 75th St. NW in Bradenton. 

Tampa Bay Hotel's design is drawn from Moorish and Turkish architecture, but the massive building also played a role in the Spanish-American war.

The U.S. military made the hotel a headquarter for Army leaders planning a campaign against Spanish forces in Cuba, per NPS. 

El Centro Español de Tampa is a large red brick building in Tampa's Ybor City Historic District. Established in the late 19th century, it served as a social club for Spanish immigrants.

Between the lines: Many sites listed by NPS are connected to Spanish colonial history. But in recent years the agency has added landmarks about the Latino experience in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Flashback: An Axios review last year of public monuments and historic sites in the U.S. found few honoring Latinas outside of religious figures like La Virgen de Guadalupe or Virgen de la Divina Providencia.

Yes, but: Now, the park service lists more sites connected to civil rights than in the past, and the agency is exploring how to save landmarks linked to Black and Latino civil rights.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to include the accurate address of El Centro Español de Tampa's historic location.

If you're looking for a way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, check out these sites.

Ybor City. Photo: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Hispanic and Latino Americans

The National Park Service mentioned several sites in Tampa Bay in its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="list of landmarks" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/19/hispanic-heritage-month-latino-historic-sites" data-vars-content-id="ea29393e-5811-4659-b78f-3ba34fffded5" data-vars-headline="Check out Tampa Bay&#x27;s Hispanic heritage sites" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/19/hispanic-heritage-month-latino-historic-sites" target="_self">list of landmarks</a> that reflect American Latino heritage. Why it matters: These sites preserve and celebrate Latinos&#x27; cultural, historical and architectural contributions across the Tampa Bay area.

Things to Do

When the Alabama Crimson Tide come to town Saturday to play USF, it will truly be David versus Goliath — sorry, coach Alex Golesh.

Zoom in: It's been 20 years since the Bulls last faced off against Alabama. The Crimson Tide won that 2003 game 40-17.

Since then, the Crimson Tide has hired Nick Saban and won six national championships, posting a winning record every year since 2007. 

Meanwhile, the Bulls are being led by their 8th different permanent or interim head coach since 2003 and haven't finished with a winning record since 2018.

Why it matters: The game is on track to yield one of USF's most well-attended home games in program history, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

What they're saying: "I think our guys are aware of who we're playing,'' Golesh said earlier this week. "I think they know who's favored to win. In terms of environment, it should be a really cool game."

"Those guys know how to win. They know how to work," he added. "Where do we measure up there? We've got to strap up, line up against another man and go at it for three-and-a-half hours, whacking heads."

The other side: Photos of the University of Alabama serving alligator ahead of the game surfaced on social media.

Yes, but: As one user noted, the team seems to have gotten their mascots crossed. "I guess it's cheaper than serving them brisket and steak," an account associated with the Bulls posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

How to watch: Kickoff is at 3:30pm on ABC. 

USF Bulls set to take on Alabama Crimson Tide for first time in 20 years

The game is on track to yield one of USF's most well-attended home games in program history.

 A football adorned with the South Florida Bulls logo sits on a crate on the sidelines.

Football

When the Alabama Crimson Tide come to town Saturday <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="to play USF" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2023/09/12/usf-bulls-stadium-finance-plan-approval" data-vars-content-id="f2f1c71a-6434-448e-88e8-3227bc58fc8e" data-vars-headline="USF Bulls set to take on Alabama Crimson Tide for first time in 20 years" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2023/09/12/usf-bulls-stadium-finance-plan-approval" target="_self">to play USF</a>, it will truly be David versus Goliath — <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="sorry, coach Alex Golesh" data-vars-click-url="https://gousfbulls.com/news/2023/9/12/football-bulls-take-on-tide-saturday-in-front-of-a-full-stadium-and-national-audience-on-abc" data-vars-content-id="f2f1c71a-6434-448e-88e8-3227bc58fc8e" data-vars-headline="USF Bulls set to take on Alabama Crimson Tide for first time in 20 years" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://gousfbulls.com/news/2023/9/12/football-bulls-take-on-tide-saturday-in-front-of-a-full-stadium-and-national-audience-on-abc" target="_blank">sorry, coach Alex Golesh</a>.Zoom in: It&#x27;s been 20 years since the Bulls last faced off against Alabama. The Crimson Tide won that 2003 game 40-17.

The FDA approved a new round of COVID-19 vaccines this week. But a recent survey suggests Floridians' choice to get the booster shot will likely be divided along party lines.

Why it matters: The survey, conducted by the University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University, comes as infections across the state and the nation ticked up in recent weeks.

Earlier research also found Republicans experienced a "significantly higher" rate of excess deaths than Democrats in Florida, citing "well-documented" differences in vaccination attitudes.  

Zoom in: Researchers conducted a statewide survey among Florida residents in August to gauge perspectives on several health policy topics, notably those linked to misinformation surrounding vaccines. 

They found that Republicans were more likely than Democrats to express "some degree of belief" in false statements taken from the CDC's public guidance on vaccine-related misinformation. 

50% of Republicans said they believe that COVID-19 vaccines can make you sick — and nearly 70% believe that getting sick with COVID-19 provides better immunity than getting vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Democrats were significantly more willing to receive boosters and less likely to believe vaccine-related misinformation. 

What they're saying: "We've seen this from day one," Stephen Neely, an associate professor at the University of South Florida and one of the survey's authors, told Axios. "We hoped it would get better. But it hasn't."

"Those early days got people in a mindset that this was a political issue," he said. "And so they look to political thought leaders for cues, and we've never really gotten past that."

The big picture: Throughout the pandemic, Gov. Ron DeSantis railed against mitigation efforts intended to curb the spread of the virus. In a recent news release, he boasted that Florida "led the nation in bucking the CDC." 

"We did not and will not allow the dystopian visions of paranoid hypochondriacs to control our health policies," DeSantis said. He's also falsely claimed boosters could increase one's chance of contracting the virus. 

Aubrey Jewett, a University of Central Florida political science professor and longtime Florida politics observer, told Axios that DeSantis' leadership "impacted the way a lot of Republicans feel about the virus."

The governor's messaging really "resonates and influences a lot of Republican voters," he said.

Of note: The survey featured 600 respondents of various educational backgrounds, party affiliations, ages, races and genders to create a "representative sample" of the state.

Florida Republicans more likely to believe vaccine misinformation, less likely to get boosters

50% of Republicans said they believe that COVID-19 vaccines can make you sick.

Illustration of a scale on top of a syringe

COVID-19 vaccines

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="FDA approved" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/11/fda-approves-updated-covid-19-vaccines" data-vars-content-id="f6d1ec49-d175-40e4-aa86-cf7504292043" data-vars-headline="Florida Republicans more likely to believe vaccine misinformation, less likely to get boosters" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/11/fda-approves-updated-covid-19-vaccines" target="_self">FDA approved</a> a new round of COVID-19 vaccines this week. But a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="recent survey" data-vars-click-url="https://www.usf.edu/arts-sciences/departments/public-affairs/documents/news-items/spa-florida-public-health-policy-survey-results-2023.pdf" data-vars-content-id="f6d1ec49-d175-40e4-aa86-cf7504292043" data-vars-headline="Florida Republicans more likely to believe vaccine misinformation, less likely to get boosters" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.usf.edu/arts-sciences/departments/public-affairs/documents/news-items/spa-florida-public-health-policy-survey-results-2023.pdf" target="_blank">recent survey</a> suggests Floridians&#x27; choice to get the booster shot will likely be divided along party lines.Why it matters: The survey, conducted by the University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University, comes as infections across the state and the nation <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ticked up in recent weeks" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/01/covid-cases-uptick-summer-2023-new-variant" data-vars-content-id="f6d1ec49-d175-40e4-aa86-cf7504292043" data-vars-headline="Florida Republicans more likely to believe vaccine misinformation, less likely to get boosters" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/01/covid-cases-uptick-summer-2023-new-variant" target="_self">ticked up in recent weeks</a>.

Yacob Reyes

Stories

Check out Tampa Bay's Hispanic heritage sites

Advocacy groups file civil rights complaint against Florida over Medicaid terminations

USF Bulls set to take on Alabama Crimson Tide for first time in 20 years

Florida Republicans more likely to believe vaccine misinformation, less likely to get boosters

USF Bulls $340 million stadium finance plan clears final hurdle

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