MacDill Happenings

St. Petersburg, also known as The “Sunshine City“, holds a Guinness World Record for logging the most consecutive days of sunshine – a stretch lasting 768 days that began in 1967. “St. Pete” is across Tampa Bay from MacDill AFB and about a 20-30 min commute across the Grandy Bridge depending on the time of day. From the Seascapes Beach Club on MacDill AFB you can see St Pete with Tropicana Field, the home of the Major League Baseball club the Tampa Bay Rays standing out in the St Pete skyline. The average temperature is 73.7 degrees with an average of 361 days of sunshine per year. St Pete has 244 miles of shoreline along Tampa Bay, Boca Ciega Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and intra coastal waterways. St Pete is also home to Ft. De Soto Park, one of the nation”s top ranked beaches. The city as a population of 248,232 making it the 4th largest city in Florida. There are many attractions including The Pier, Tropicana Field, Sunken Gardens, Tampa Bay Walk of Fame, Baseball Boulevard, and St. Petersburg Times Walk Through History. The average home purchase price is$239,630 for new homes & condos and $169,451 for existing homes & condos. In a city this size, there are a large varied number of neighborhoods to chose from. Downtown St Pete is very popular location to purchase a condo because of the vibrant nightlife at Baywalk and cafes and shopping opportunities. Photo is courtesy from the city of St. Petersburg.

On the northeast side of the Tampa Bay area, the City of Temple Terrace is  situated between three major interstates— I-4, I-75, and I-275.  This ideal location makes Temple Terrace conveniently located to not only the Tampa/St. Petersburg area, but also within a short driving distance to Orlando and the Sarasota beach areas.  Temple Terrace is about a 20-30 min drive to MacDill AFB depending on the time of day.  The University of South Florida is right next to Temple Terrace. City residents also have convenient access to the area’s finest medical facilities, cultural activities, sporting events, shopping, and entertainment attractions, such as the neighboring Busch Gardens Tampa Bay family adventure park.  The current population is about 23,000 contained within a city of 6.5 square miles.  Temple Terrace is unique among cities in Hillsborough County because it is one of the few municipalities with its own mayor, city council and police and fire departments.  To find more about the city, on Tuesday 11 Mar from 4pm-7pm is the 19th Annual Temple Terrace: Business Expo & Taste of the Terrace sponsored by the Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce.  It will be held at the USF Sun Dome.  There is no cost to enter the Expo.  The cost to enjoy the Taste of Terrace is $5.  You will receive a wristband that allows you to stroll through the entire Business Expo and the taste the food and receipes of 24 different restaurants.  The $5 cost is donated to local schools.  The 24 food vendors include beer, wine and speciality drinks.  Restaurants Include:

Antonio’s Pasta Grille, Edible Arrangements, Let’s Eat, Beef O’Brady’s, Emma’s Cakes,   Lupton’s Catering & Restaurant, Café Kili, Empire Winery & Distillery, Miracles & Maggie’s Tea Room, Catering by Cox, Evos at USF, Panera Bread – USF, CDB’s Pizza Italian Restaurant, Gaspar’s Patio Grill, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Cilantro Indian Cuisine,  Gator’s Dockside, Shell’s Seafood, Clubhouse Sports Grill, Guthries Fried Chicken,   Smoothie King, Coldstone Creamery, Jimmy John Gourmet Sandwiches, and  Time For Wine.

FishHawk Ranch in Lithia is a master planned community about 40 minutes from MacDill AFB. The subdivision is bordered on the east by Lithia Pinecrest Rd and on the north FishHawk Blvd.  The subdivision offers condos, townhomes, single family homes to estates with prices from $150,000 to more than a $1 million.  They have three clubhouses, four swimming pools, a children’s splash park, a waterslide, indoor and outdoor aerobics areas, tennis and basketball courts, a skate park and a theater in FishHawk Ranch.  There are 20 miles of trails that weave throughout the subdivision.  There are two strip malls anchored by grocery stores near the subdivision.  One strip mall has SweetBay grocery store and the other one has Publix grocery store, both large well established grocery chains in Florida.  There is an elementry school in the subdivison, FishHawk Creek Elementry and two nearby, Lithia Spring and Bevis Elementry.  Randall Middle School and Newsome High School are next to other and right across the street from FishHawk Ranch on FishHawk Blvd.  Within the subdivision, there is a small strip mall, Park Square town center, which is home to Park Square Cellar wine shop, Gracie’s Ice Cream Parlor, Hit the Trails running store, the Fireside Grille and a YMCA-Express. There are number of children’s sports teams around including girls softball.  The adults aren’t left out because neighborhoods within the subdivision also have an adults softball league.

If Florida, a Learner’s License can obtained at 15 yrs old.  There are requirements that must be meet in order to get the Learner’s Licentse:

You must provide :
*One primary and one secondary form of identification, which must be original or certified,
*Social Security Number, if issued Chapter 322, Florida Statutes, requires the
 Department to collect social security numbers for the issuance of driver license
 and identification cards.
*Proof that you completed a Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education course
 (check your local yellow pages under ‘Driving Instruction’ for a location near
 you) or a license from any state, country, or jurisdiction, and
*Parental Consent Form, which must be signed in the presence of a driver license
 examiner or notarized if parent or guardian will not be present (form is located at
 http://www.flhsmv.gov/html/forms.html). If you are under 18 and are not married
 one parent or legal guardian must sign your license application. Step-parents may
 not sign unless they have legally adopted you.
 You are required to take:
*A Written Test covering the following areas from the Florida Driver Handbook:
 Road Rules – 20 multiple choice questions about traffic laws – must have 15
 correct answers to pass.
 Road Signs – 20 multiple choice questions about road signs – must have 15
 correct answers to pass.
*Vision Test using an eye machine. To pass, you must have 20/40 (or better) vision
 in each and both eyes, with or without corrective lenses.
*Hearing Test

With your Learner’s License, you may:
Only drive during daylight hours during the first three months and until 10 p.m.
thereafter, always with a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old and occupies
the front passenger seat.

A graduated Operator’s License can be given to 16 and 17 year old drivers with the following restrictions on driving times and with the following requirements: 

To earn an operator’s license, you must be at least 16 years old AND have held a learner’s license for at least one year without any traffic convictions.
You must provide:
*A Florida Learner’s License or a license from another jurisdiction.
*Parent or guardian certification that you have at least 50 hours of behind the
 wheel driving experience, of which 10 hours must be at night.
 You are required to take:
*Driving test and perform certain driving maneuvers. Please refer to the Florida
 Driver Handbook for specifics or present a waiver from an accepted driver
 education course.
With your Operator’s License, you may:
*16 years old – only drive between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., unless accompanied by a
 licensed driver who is at least 21 years old and occupies the front passenger seat,
 or you are traveling to or from work.
*17 years old – only drive between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m., unless accompanied by a
 licensed driver who is at least 21 years old and occupies the front passenger seat,
 or you are traveling to or from work.

When you’re ready to get that license make sure that setup an appointment so that you don’t have to wait in a long line.

Brandon is an affordable housing alternative from many people who work at MacDill AFB.  Brandon is about a 30 minute drive from MacDill AFB.  The LeRoy Selmon Expressway runs from Brandon to Tampa and can cut 10 to 15 minutes off your commute during rush hour.  Make sure you buy a SunPass transponder it’ll save you .25 cents at each toll booth. Also, instead of waiting to pay at the toll booth with a SunPass transponder, you can go through the automated pay lane and save yourself some time.  Brandon has all the amenities that anyone would need.  The Westfield Shoppingtown is one of the largest malls in the Tampa area.  It not only a shopping destination but also a great place for dinner with the Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen and Sam Selzer’s Steakhouse along with a host of other restaurants.   A great local jazz club is Dela’s After Dark with its initimate setting and delicious food for dinner.  There is a large variety of housing available.  From single family homes to condos to townhouses, there something for every budget.  The local community is very supportive of military families with many establishments offering military discounts.  In Brandon there is the MacDill AFB Branch Medical Clinic across the street from the AMC 20 Brandon Regency movie theater  so that military families don’t have to drive onto MacDill AFB for medical appointments.  Make sure ask to go to the branch clinic in Brandon when you register at Tricare.  A great source of information about Brandon can be found at the Brandon Chamber of Commerce website.  There are some great neighborhoods in the Brandon area: FishHawk Ranch, Bloomingdale, Providence Lakes, and Brentwood Hills.  Towns near Brandon include Seffner, Riverview, Lithia and Apollo Beach.

If are moving to MacDill AFB, then there a few things you ‘ll want to know about the City of Tampa.  The City of Tampa is the largest city in Hillsborough County, is the county seat and is the third most populous city in Florida.  The 2006 census had Tampa with a population of 332,888 people.  When people refer to the Tampa Bay area, they mean Tampa, and the cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater.  Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida, approximately 200 miles northwest of Miami, 180 southwest of Jacksonville, and 20 miles northeast of St. Petersburg.  Orlando with all the tourist attractions including Disney World, Sea World and Universal Studios is about 60 mlies away straight east on Interstate 4.  You don’t have to travel far from home for fun with Busch Gardens amusement park on the north side of the city.  St. Petersburg is home to the Tampa Bay Rays, they just changed their name this past winter from the Devil Rays to just the Rays.  Tampa is the home of the Tampa Bay Lighting, a competitive National Hockey League team who won the Stanley Cup in 2004 and who has a very large loyal following.  They play in the St. Pete Times Forum in the Channelside District in Tampa.  Remember you can purchase discount tickets to the amusement parks and sporting events in the Tampa area at the MacDill AFB ITT in the Exchange Mall.  The weather in Tampa is normally humid from mid-May to early Oct.  This coincides with the wet season here from late May to Sept where the rain averages a little over 6 inches a month.  If you’re coming in from a cold climate, you find you won’t need a jacket here except maybe during December and January.  Short pants is the standard outfit around here. 

The Plant City Strawberry Festival opened on Thursday and runs until 9 Mar.  The Strawberry Festival is a local tradition that first opened in 1930.  This Sunday come watch Country superstar Alan Jackson!  Come enjoy the strawberry pies, strawberries and ice cream, strawberry jam and don’t forget about all the other food at the Midway!  Of course there are plenty of rides on the Midway and also plenty of free exhibits.  It easy to find in Plant City right off of I-4.  There are plenty of places to park.  Admission at the gate is $10 for ages 13 and above and $4 for ages 12-6. Children 5 and younger are admitted free with a paying adult.

This weekends schedule:

saturday, March 1 — kids’ day

Kids thru high school admitted free all day, with rides reduced

10:00 a.m.               Gates Open – Midway Opens

All Day                       Poultry and Rabbit Shows……………………………………………………………..Poultry & Rabbit Tent

12:00 noon              Dairy Show Showmanship…………………………………………………..TECO Livestock Arena

2:00 p.m.                  Dairy Show……………………………………………………………………………TECO Livestock Arena

3:30 p.m.                  Jeff & Sheri Easter/The Isaacs…………………….. Southern Chevy Dealers stage

7:30 p.m.                   MercyMe……………………………………………………….. Southern Chevy Dealers stage

sunday, March 2 — family day

10:00 a.m.               Gates Open – Midway Opens

All Day                       Poultry and Rabbit Shows…………………………………………………………….Poultry & Rabbit Tent

11:30 a.m.                 Adult Showmanship (Dairy)……………………………………………………TECO Livestock Arena

12:00 p.m.               Pee Wee Showmanship (Dairy)………………………………………………TECO Livestock Arena

12:30 p.m.                Dairy Costume Ball………………………………………………………………….TECO Livestock Arena

2:00  p.m.                 Youth Ornamental Horticulture Plant Sale…………………………………………….Plant Show Tent

3:30 p.m.                  Chris Cagle……………………………………………………… Southern Chevy Dealers stage

3:45 p.m. til 4:45  p.m.          Registration for Baby Contest Entrants (Hillsborough County Babies Only) Outside Sweetbay Supermarket Tent….Sweetbay Supermarket  Showcase Tent

5:00 p.m. til 7:00 p.m.           Baby Contest: Decorated Diaper Contest; Baby Features  Contest; Diaper Derby  -  sponsored by Island One Resorts - (Hillsborough County Babies Only)……………Sweetbay Supermarket Showcase Tent

7:30 p.m.                     Alan Jackson…………………………………………………… Southern Chevy Dealers stage