Obama is coming to Hillsborough Community College on Friday. My 23 year old daughter is going with me, as she was able to rush after work to join me in line for tickets. We are both excited for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the President in a venue of approximately 3,000 people! (Her boss is also a Dem and he is happy to let her off work early on Friday - how cool is that?)
As a reward, when I got home I learned - and I expect him to mention this a time or two on Friday - that he has awarded Tampa with an $11 million grant to complete a 20+ year dream to complete the Riverwalk project along the Hillsborough River from Tampa Bay into downtown Tampa and eventually extend all the way to the Seminole Heights area. It is a vision which, when completed, will rival San Antonio's Riverwalk area and provide an economic boon for many years to come. Best of all, Rick Scott and the Florida legislature can't do a damn thing about it. Perfect timing too, less than three months before the start of the RNC on Riverwalk's doorstep!
This is a brilliant stroke by the administration, which I think will pay off on election day and give the administration an end around the state Rs obstruction of any meaningful economic stimulus. Rep. Kathy Castor and Sen. Nelson reportedly were instrumental in pushing for this grant, and I expect to see them on stage with the President on Friday.
I will try to update with some pictures of the event - I would guess well over 1,000 people showed up at the Riverview office for tickets, which is very encouraging as this is a pretty conservative area of the county - also, I overheard a volunteer say there was nearly a riot by seniors who showed up in Sarasota mistakenly thinking they were handing out tickets. We feel very fortunate that we were able to score this very hard to come by ticket!
Tampa receives $11 million grant to complete Riverwalk