The Political Whore

As is the practice of most media, the final weeks of the year are the time to reflect on the news that was and try to make some sense out of it. Alex Pickett and I are working on our Top 10 list together but would love some feedback from you.

Here (in, as they say, no particular order) is our full list of important stories from Tampa Bay and Florida this year, from which we hope to choose 10. Did we miss anything? And which ones are the most important for 2008.

• Mayor Pam Iorio pushes for a 2010 referendum on light rail in Tampa
• Kevin Beckner beats Brian Blair
• A relative tries to blackmail Don Wallace
• Florida Democratic delegate brouhaha
• The ginormous Confederate battle flag over Tampa
• Mel Martinez announces Senate retirement
• Charlie Crist woo’ed as vice president
• The Without Walls church scandal/divorce for the pastors White
• Obama carries Florida
• Democrats make few other gains in 2008 elections
• The year of the youth vote
• The collapse of the Tampa Tribune
• Statewide media layoffs
• Rachel Burgin makes the Florida House at 26
• BayWalk problems/foreclosure
• The rise of GaYbor
• The recession and job losses
• Government budget cuts/school closings
• Floridians put gay-marriage prohibition into the Constitution
• Florida Hometown Democracy fails to reach ballot
• Hillsborough County Mayor plan fails to reach ballot
• Charlie Crist marries
• South Florida Congressman Tim Mahoney diddles and gets caught
• The Today Show broadcasts from UT as part of campaign coverage
• Brett Favre is coming to the Tampa Bay Bucs! Oh, sorry, he’s not.
• The tomato-salmonella scare/hype
• Hulk Hogan’s family troubles: divorce and jail
• Tierra Verde properties annexed by St. Petersburg over residents’ objections
• Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom’s questionable ethics as he gets a second job
• Florida’s sub rosa mortgage fraud industry
• St Pete hosts CNN-YouTube Republican presidential debate
• Buddy Johnson botches the November Hillsborough elections
• Early voting swamps Florida precincts/Pinellas supervisor limits locations
• Barack Obama’s second appearance in Tampa Bay draws 10,000 to Ice Palace
• The ACORN accusations/voter registration fraud brouhaha
• Local activists arrested at RNC in Minneapolis/St. Paul
• Creative Loafing files for Chapter 11
• Moral Courage Award named for pro-development power broker/past recipient returns her award
• Tampa Bay Rays make it to the World Series
• Rays try (and fail) for a new waterfront ballpark
• CSX Rail deal fails
• Pinellas chooses a new school superintendent
• Lowry Park Zoo’s CEO gets into trouble for private deals, resigns
• Hillsborough botches busing for students at start of year
• Sami al-Arian released on bail but not deported
• Hillsborough Commissioner Kevin White linked to swindler, sued for sexual harassment
• Drill baby drill; the debate over offshore drilling for oil
• $4 a gallon gasoline cripples economy, forces conservation
• Tampa Bay Water reservoir has big-ass cracks (as opposed to big ass cracks)

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