In Sarasota, once dubbed by homeless advocates the meanest city in America, it could soon be illegal to sit or lie on some downtown sidewalks.

Driving the news: After downtown business owners complained about aggressive begging, Sarasota city commissioners voted unanimously Monday night to pass an ordinance that would criminalize sitting or lying down in certain areas.

• The ordinance applies to Main Street from west of Washington Boulevard to U.S. 41, and along Palm Avenue, between Ringling Boulevard and Cocoanut Avenue, from 10am to midnight.
• For the ordinance to take effect, commissioners must approve it once more after a public hearing, per the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Yes, but: The ordinance exempts sitting for permitted events like parades, sitting and lying down for medical emergencies, sitting to eat at sidewalk cafés, waiting for a bus and sitting in a wheelchair or motorized vehicle.

• Also exempt: babies in baby strollers, thank goodness.

Of note: One exemption and possible loophole is for "expressive activity," interpreted as: "A person sitting or lying down while engaged in expressive activity protected by the First Amendment when accompanied by incidents of speech such as signs or literature explaining expressive activity."

• "The vagrants may well learn you just put up a little sign saying 'Vagrancy is free speech' and they find the loophole," one citizen told the commission.

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You could be neighbors with a billionaire.

Make sure you know these seven Tampa Bay residents on Forbes's "Richest in 2022" list, just in case you run into them in Publix.

Todd Christopher, a Clearwater-based entrepreneur who sold his hair care products company, Vogue International, to Johnson & Johnson in 2016.

• Reported net worth: $3 billion

Edward DeBartolo Jr., chairman and CEO of DeBartolo Holdings in Tampa and owner of a property development and investment firm, as well as the former owner of the San Francisco 49ers.

• Reported net worth: $2.7 billion

Kenneth Feld & family of Sarasota, owner of Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Disney on Ice, Monster Jam and other shows.

• Reported net worth: $2.3 billion

Thomas James, of St. Petersburg, inherited and grew his fortune through Raymond James, which his father started in 1962. He stepped down as Raymond James' chairman in 2017, after 40 years of service.

• Reported net worth: $2.1 billion

Keep reading: The full list

• After holding 40 meetings, hundreds of members of more than a dozen religious institutions identified criminal justice reform and more affordable housing as Manatee County's most pressing issues. (Bradenton Herald)
• FWC has tagged ten largemouth bass in 10 Florida freshwater lakes, and each fisherman who takes a tag and reports the fish's weight will win $6,000 in gift cards and a chance to win $10,000 cash. (FWC)
• New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he wants to "steal" Florida companies that oppose the newly passed law known as "Don't Say Gay." (Florida Politics)

Quote du jour

"He was sort of a secret millionaire. You wouldn't think he had two pennies to rub together. He had, in his closet, I think five pieces of clothing. His furniture was tattered. I had no idea, really."

American craft brewers rebounded from the pandemic with 8% annual growth and 24.8 million barrels of beer in 2021, new data shows.

Why it matters: Tampa Bay has the most local craft breweries in Florida, with 99 brewers contributing to the state's $3.1 billion industry.

• CANarchy in Tampa was No. 7 in the nation's top 50 producing craft brewing companies last year.

State of beer: The craft beer increase easily exceeded the overall beer market, which grew by 1% in 2021, as taprooms and brewpubs returned to life, per a report released Tuesday by the Brewers Association, the Boulder-based trade group.

• 9,069 breweries were operating at the end of the year, and openings exceeded closures nearly fourfold.

What they're saying: Bart Watson, the association's chief economist, expects craft beer production to exceed pre-pandemic levels this year, but not all breweries will recover.

• "Even with a bounce-back year, many breweries are still struggling," he told reporters during a media briefing. "2022 is going to be a make-or-break year for many breweries.

Of note: Women making local craft beer told the Tampa Bay Times last year that, in the industry's male-dominated culture, colleagues and customers often don't see them as equals. Some detail instances of sexual harassment and misconduct.

Go deeper

Jeff and Penny Vinik have pledged $5 million toward a football stadium at the University of South Florida, the university announced yesterday.

Why it matters: The pledge matches a donation from longtime USF backers Carol and Frank Morsani, the two largest donations so far, and could go a long way toward convincing reluctant donors to chip in.

State of play: A new stadium, at the Sycamore Fields site on the east side of the Tampa campus, could cost up to $400 million and may only happen with major donations from the school's wealthiest alumni.

• USF, founded in 1956, has played home games at the Bucs' stadium since the football program debuted in 1997.

What they're saying: "I have been following the stadium developments, including the site selection, with great interest," Jeff Vinik, owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning and co-developer of Water Street Tampa, said in a statement.

• "The gift from the Morsanis inspired Penny's and my investment, and the best part is this chapter of the story is just beginning."

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