17th Annual FESTA ITALIANA
A Taste of Italy in Historic Ybor City!

April 3 -6, 2014

 

Green Fest & Sunny Spring Skies

Friends of Plant Park’s “Annual GreenFest” had a tremendous turnout of professional and weekend landscapes. Hundreds of landscaping vendors showcased there new hybrid plants, natural Florida native plants, vegetable seedling plants and great landscaping tips for all level of outdoor landscapers . The annual spring event drew thousands  to University of Tampa’s Plant Park, again did a great job of educating and selling to outdoor homeowners.

The line-up of guest speakers included Hillsborough County Extension Services plant experts and regional Master Gardeners. Included were presentations and classes by Master Landscapers; Dooryard Fruit by Jim Hark, Butterfly Gardening with Nicole Pinson, Caladium by Cynthia Glover and Rain Barrels by Lynn Barber were a few of the noted guest speakers.

The spacious UT grounds had vendors selling sharpening garden tools, worm gardens, Butterfly shrubs, water falls for backyards and the many orchid growers. The bright plant colors and the plant assortments had novice landscapers pull wagons full of trees, plants and shrubs heading to their new homes. www.friendsofplantpark.com

George Sheldon , Florida Attorney General Campaign
 

Greeting new potential voters at King Corona’s Meet & Greet in Ybor City was George Sheldon running for Florida’s top spot as Attorney General. He is off and running to compete in defeating Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Sheldon’s political career began in 1969, when he was a legislative aide for state senator and future governor Reubin Askew. Sheldon was a state representative in the Tampa area from 1974 to 1982, before running against Congressman Michael Bilirakis. Sheldon would serve in private practice until 1999, when he became Deputy Attorney General for Central Florida under Attorney General Bob Butterworth. In 2003, he assumed the post of Associate Dean at St Thomas Law School; and in 2008, Sheldon became the Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families under governor Charlie Christ. While at Florida DCF, Sheldon played a key role in relief efforts for refugees from Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. He was also recognized by a national child welfare coalition as leading the “largest transformation of an American child welfare system in recent decades, turning Florida from the national example of failure into, relatively speaking, a leader in doing child welfare right.”  Sheldon would later become the Acting Assistant Secretary for the federal  Administration for Children and Families in the United States Department of Health and Human Services from 2011 to 2013.

Talking with a group of us at the get together, stated that he is and has been in favor of Florida Equal Marriage and Gay Adoption Rights. While a member of the Florida House, he stood up against the crusading Anita Bryant shenanigans about Gay Adoption in the 1970’s.

www.georgesheldon2014.com