All Entries in the "News & History" Category
Existing Verizon customers get FREE HotSpot access
Verizon FiOS customers in the Tampa area now have yet another perk. Any customers who has Up-to-25/15 Mbps or faster connection or HSI customers with a 3MBps or 7.1MBps connection can connect to any of the new Verizon Wi-Fi hot spots at no additional charge.
The new WiFi service is not limited to new customers, but is also available to existing FiOS Internet customers with up-to-20 Mbps or faster packages and existing HSI customers who have either an up-to-3 Mbps or 7.1 Mbps package.
Verizon continues to enhance its broadband service capabilities for consumers to offer competitive advantages over rival communication providers.
Since the beginning of the year, Verizon has introduced faster downstream and unprecedented upstream speeds for its all-fiber-optic FiOS Internet service; expanded the reach of its digital subscriber line-based Verizon High Speed Internet (HSI) service; and started offering mini netbook computers to customers as part of select bundle promotions.
And starting today, the company will expand Internet connection capabilities for millions of Verizon broadband customers by providing them free access to thousands of Wi-Fi connections across the U.S., reflecting the company’s sharp focus on developing and deploying broadband and entertainment services.
“Wherever they go – across town or across the country — Internet users today want the freedom and flexibility of staying connected online whenever they want,” said Mike Ritter, Chief Marketing Officer for Verizon Telecom. “In addition to providing in-home broadband networks and the nation’s most reliable 3G wireless network, we’re now offering even more connections with fast, free Wi-Fi that customers can use in their local communities and when traveling across the country.”
Free Verizon Wi-Fi hotspot locations include hotels, airports, restaurants, coffee shops, retailers, convention centers and public locations across the U.S.
A partial list of hot spots in the Tampa Bay Area include:
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s (Cafe / Restaurant)
5025 E Fowler Ave
Tampa,Florida 33614
Grand Suites (Hotel)
11310 North 30th Street
Tampa,Florida 33612
TPA – Tampa International Airport (Airport)
5507 W Spruce St
Tampa,Florida 33607
Camden Preserve Apts. (Other Public Areas)
6501 South Westshore
Tampa,Florida 33616
Intercontinental Hotel – Tampa (Hotel)
4860 West Kennedy Blvd
Tampa,Florida 33609
Barnes & Noble (Bookstore)
11802 N. Dale Mabry Highway
Tampa,Florida 33618
Barnes & Noble (Bookstore)
213 N Dale Mabry
Tampa,Florida 33609
STARBUCKS 10065 (Cafe / Restaurant)
3619 W GANDY BLVD
Tampa,Florida 33611
STARBUCKS 13687 (Cafe / Restaurant)
13650 WALSINGHAM RD
Tampa,Florida 33774
STARBUCKS 14316 (Cafe / Restaurant)
1600 W KENNEDY BLVD
Tampa,Florida 33606
STARBUCKS 8295 (Cafe / Restaurant)
711 S HOWARD AVE
Tampa,Florida 33606
STARBUCKS 8299 (Cafe / Restaurant)
5006 E FOWLER AVE
Tampa,Florida 33617
STARBUCKS 8312 (Cafe / Restaurant)
1510 N WESTSHORE BLVD
Tampa,Florida 33607
STARBUCKS 8324 (Cafe / Restaurant)
1600 E 8TH AVE
Tampa,Florida 33605
STARBUCKS 8384 (Cafe / Restaurant)
225 WESTSHORE PLZ
Tampa,Florida 33609
STARBUCKS 8428 (Cafe / Restaurant)
118 S WESTSHORE BLVD
Tampa,Florida 33609
STARBUCKS 8438 (Cafe / Restaurant)
2223 WESTSHORE BOULEVARD
Tampa,Florida 33607
STARBUCKS 8456 (Cafe / Restaurant)
17502 BRUCE B DOWNS BLVD
Tampa,Florida 33647
STARBUCKS 8485 (Cafe / Restaurant)
401 S DALE MABRY HWY
Tampa,Florida 33609
STARBUCKS 8514 (Cafe / Restaurant)
8229 PARKEDGE DR
Tampa,Florida 33637
STARBUCKS 8538 (Cafe / Restaurant)
3400 W BAY TO BAY BLVD
Tampa,Florida 33629
STARBUCKS 9737 (Cafe / Restaurant)
502 E HILLSBOROUGH AVE
Tampa,Florida 33604
Econo Lodge – Tampa (FL470)* (Hotel)
1701 E. Busch Blvd.
Tampa,Florida 33612
Sleep Inn – Tampa FL (FL078) (Hotel)
12282 Morris Bridge Rd
Tampa,Florida 33637
Tampa Airport Marriott (Hotel)
Tampa International Airport
Tampa,Florida 33607
Tampa Waterside Marriott (Hotel)
700 South Florida Ave
Tampa,Florida 33602
For a complete list of hot spot locations, visit www.verizon.net/hotspots.
NOVA 535 to Give Away a $50,000 “Dream Wedding”!
On Sunday, August 9th 2009 at their first annual Bridal Gala, NOVA 535 will be holding filmed interviews for brides who are interested in winning a free “Dream Wedding” valued at over $50,000. The decision will be made by August 31, 2009. Applicants will be screened by film producer Tony Armer and must agree to be filmed for an upcoming documentary on the bridal process. The winner’s “Dream Wedding” ceremony must be held at NOVA 535 on Sunday January 31st, 2010.
Everyone attending the bridal show should RSVP by e-mailing Kdem0827@aol.com. All brides interested in winning the ‘Dream Wedding” must fill out a “Dream Wedding” application and also sign-in at the Bridal Gala between NOON and 2:00 pm. Although NOVA 535 will have the applications available the day of the gala, brides interested in entering the “Dream Wedding” contest are strongly encouraged to fill out the application in advance. The “Dream Wedding” PDF application can be downloaded and printed out by clicking here.
ALL BRIDES MUST BE PRESENT ON AUGUST 9th 2009 WITH ALL PAPERWORK 100% COMPLETED, PRINTED OUT, SIGNED AND PHYSICALLY HANDED IN BY 2 PM SHARP IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE GRAND PRIZE.
All brides must also bring a copy of their valid driver’s license for a customary background check that will be run if they are selected as a finalist.
All brides must be at least 21 years of age and legally able to marry in the USA.
Admission to the Bridal Gala is $2 and will include booths by Tampa Bay’s top professional fashion and formal wear retailers, entertainers, elegant printers, hair and make-up artists, florists, event planners, photographers, caterers, bakers, tent & rental companies and much more.
Billy Mays found dead in his Tampa home
If you ever needed proof that the world is an unjust place, here’s a bit for you.
Billy Mays, the marketing genius/pitchman behind Oxyclean, MightyPutty and a number of other direct-sell products is dead. He was found this morning in his Westchase home by his wife.
There were no signs of a break-in, and investigators do not suspect foul play. The coroner’s office expects to have an autopsy done by Monday afternoon.
Mays’ wife, Deborah Mays, says the family doesn’t expect to make any public statements and asked for privacy. Mays was also featured on the reality TV show “Pitchmen” on the Discovery Channel, which followed Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their marketing jobs.
The injustice? Vince “Sham Wow” Offer/Shlomi still lives.
Like Jimmy John’s sandwiches? They’re only $1 tomorrow in St. Pete.
If you’re like me, you most likely love Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches. Fresh meats, amazing bread and a fun atmosphere make JJ’s the place I always like to eat when I have a few extra bucks in my pocket. They’re normally not cheap at $5-7 per sandwich, but tomorrow at the St. Pete location from 11AM to 3PM, sandwiches are $1 each.
The location for your $1 sandwich is:
Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches
1410 66th St N, St Petersburg
(727) 344-0100
LocalShops1: Hyperlocal shopping for the Tampa Bay Area
One of the things I’ve always found interesting about the web is how easy it is to get to powerful databases of information. What I’ve always found annoying is trying to find that information specific to a region.
For us Tampa Bay residents (and those in the surrounding counties of Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota), you may find some help in the hyper local shopping site, LocalShops1.com. They are committed to promoting locally owned, independent shops. The mission of this site is to be a place where shoppers and business owners can come to network, on social and business levels to exchange ideas, post sales, become involved in the community. Out in the “real world,” they plan lots of fun community events, charity fundraisers and store parties.
About to celebrate their 1st anniversary, Local Shops is focused on highlighting high quality businesses in and around Tampa. This site does what other yellow-pages style sites do, but in a cleaner format and each business is hand selected and reviewed for inclusion instead of an across the board inclusion that many directories do. Signing up is FREE, and can be done here:
http://www.local-shops-1.com/LocalShops1/membership-options.html
There’s lots of good news coming out of this organization. They recently began embarking on a $250,000 advertising campaign with the Tampa Tribune, WFLA, tbo.com, Tampa Bay Magazine, Tampa Bay Business Journal and Genesis radio stations 1040 and 820. They are in the midst of a complete redesign of the website to make it easier to use. In August, they are launching “1Card”, the ultimate discount card for local business.
Tampa Bay gets it’s chance to be on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
Ever want to be on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Tampa Bay residents, this is your chance.
This Friday, June 19th, producers from the show will be at the St. Pete Times Forum, auditioning potential players.
Auditions will run from 7 A.M. to 11 A.M. You will take a test (of 40 questions) and submit to an interview with a producer. A small portion of those who enter will be chosen for the show (approximately 10%), but anyone over 18 years of age can enter.
Restaurant.com has Tampa food gift certificates for 80% off right now
People ask me all the time how I can afford to eat out constantly for the reviews I do. I use restaurant.com when they offer 80% off on gift certificates. Basically, for $2, you can get a $25 gift certificate. For $4, a $50 gift certificate. It’s a pretty sweet deal.
Here’s a list of every restaurant offering a certificate in the Tampa Bay area:
http://www.restaurant.com/rdc_site.net/listings.aspx?StateID=&zip=33605&x=0&y=0
You can change the zip code and range (5 miles, 10 miles, etc.) to suit your needs.
When making a purchase, put in promo code “PRESENT”. This will trigger your 80% off. This is only good for a limited time, so stock up on certificates and use them for the next year.
Digital TV Conversion is in one week, Tampa Bay!
It’s been prolonged time and time again, but it’s finally upon us.
A week from today, Tampa Bay goes digital television. No more rabbit ears. No more 2 channel black and white sets.
If you have cable or satellite, you’re fine. If you don’t, you’re about to be left in the dark.
Want to know more? See the government’s digital TV conversion website:
https://www.dtv2009.gov/FAQ.aspx
HART Board Approves Service Changes, Receives Updates on New Starts Project
June 1, 2009 – Tampa, Florida – At Monday’s meeting of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority’s Board of Directors, the Board voted to approve proposed service changes that will take place in July and November. The Board also received an update on community meetings and status of the planning work on the Hillsborough County New Starts project.
Service Changes Approved
The Board voted to approve changes in HART bus service that will streamline operations over the summer and increase service on one of HART’s busiest routes in the fall. Among the changes is a reorganization of service in the Ruskin and Wimauma areas into HART’s first “flex” route, a reservation-based service that picks up passengers from any location within a given zone and transports them to another point in the same zone. The new SouthShore flex route will be a model for future such service in other parts of the county.
In addition, savings from the elimination of some of HART’s less productive services will allow the agency to increase weekday frequency on Route 6 (56th Street) during peak morning and afternoon service hours from 30 minutes to 20 minutes. Route 6 is HART’s second busiest, with ridership of more than 71,000 in April.
100 Meetings; AA Process Continues
HART reported that in the months of May and June, the agency completed or has planned a total of 100 meetings in the community to educate residents and gain input from them on the New Starts mobility initiative. Meetings include a “listening tour” hosted by the county’s Transportation Task Force, and other meetings and events scheduled with various community organizations around the county.
Plans are also moving forward on the Alternatives Analysis (AA), a study that determines the best way to meet the transit demand in an area, whether through rail, bus, or some other form of transit. The AA is required in seeking federal funding for transit projects. HART reported that it has issued a Request for Proposals for a consultant to perform the AA, and has received several responses. Once a contract is awarded, the firm would complete the work by March for submission to the Federal Transit Authority. If approved, the project would then move to the next step, preliminary engineering.
1st Place Engineering: Best Auto Repair place I’ve found
I really have to hand it to Jeff Lloyd, the owner of 1st Place Engineering (4011 21st Avenue East #111, Tampa FL 33605, 813-333-1100). Part custom fabrication shop, part auto repair facility, this place is great.
When I came to them last week, I had two broken Miatas, not a lot of money and even less hope. One car was fixed up right away so my wife could get back to work. The second one required a whole engine transplant, but was still done in only 4 days.
When other shops quoted me thousands of dollars and several weeks, Jeff worked day and night to get my work done in less time than I could ever have imagined. The car runs great and the repair cost was very reasonable. I can’t thank Jeff enough.
What impresses me most about Jeff is how honest and helpful he is. Mechanics have always been known as shifty and deceptive, but I got none of that from Jeff. From the very beginning, he gave me optimistic expectations and fulfilled them. When a supplier gave him a bad part, he took care of it quickly. His ability to over deliver really was exception.
While auto repair is one facet of his business. Jeff also does a lot of race-specific engineering. He made an all wheel drive Ford Contour. He’s putting a new school Ford 4 cylinder engine in a Triumph convertible. He’s in the process of doing a complete rebuild and upgrade of a Mazda RX-7. I don’t think there’s anything this guy can’t do in terms of custom fabrication.
So, if you have a car in disrepair and need support, I’d highly recommend Jeff’s shop. I’ll be taking all of my cars back there from now on.