Lennard Clenches The State Championship

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THE SKINNY

• Early Survey Results

• Local Businesses Supporting Local Business

• Lennard Girls Flag Football

• A New Era For Cancer Research

Featured Story

You Talked, We Listened

Survey responses reveal growing frustration over development and Southshore’s changing identity

For reference, 4 days a week, this newsletter reaches more than 37,000 Southshore residents. Another 10,000 or so read or skim through our content on social media. With Southshore hovering around 300,000 residents, that means we’re reaching roughly 10% of the population here. While that’s obviously not everyone, I think it represents a pretty solid mix of the community.

So the responses from our survey the other day weren’t just random opinions floating around online. They were the voice of Southshore.

Most respondents were longtime Florida and Southshore locals. I’m talking an average of 20+ years living here, with some boasting up to 70 years in the area. Honestly, that makes us happy, because this publication was built for the people who have always called this place home.

At the same time, there was also a healthy mix of people who are newer to the area, and that matters too. Southshore is growing whether people like it or not, so giving newcomers a place to get acquainted with the community is something worth celebrating.

But what shocked us most was how similar nearly all the responses sounded. Over and over again, people asked the same question: Why do we keep building the same things? Storage facilities. Car washes. Another vague fast food chain. More apartments. More plazas that look identical to the last one. And many residents are wondering if this is really what we traded Southshore’s rural charm for.

Now, to be fair, the tension here is real. Some respondents see development as a positive thing. They want more amenities, more restaurants, more entertainment, and a more connected community that feels closer to a place like downtown Tampa. But most kept coming back to the same million-dollar question:

If the rural charm and small-town feel near a major city is what attracted people here in the first place… why are we trying so hard to turn it into the very thing people moved away from?

So what’s next with our little experiment? We’ll be reaching out to county commissioners and local leaders to continue the conversation from there. Might as well make some noise and see what happens.

Those Books Aren’t Gonna Sort Themselves

Luckily, Rising Phoenix Bookkeeping Solutions can

Seems like nowadays everybody has a small business.

From lawn care and painting all the way to rebuilding yacht engines, the entrepreneurial spirit runs strong out here in Southshore. But if you want to keep that business running smoothly, eventually you need someone who can make sense of all those charges you accidentally split between your personal and business accounts.

That’s where Rising Phoenix Bookkeeping Solutions comes in.

They make bookkeeping actually make sense, helping business owners stay focused on what they do best: running and growing their company instead of drowning in spreadsheets and receipts.

Best of all, they’re based right here at home. Locals supporting locals has always been part of what we stand for around here. So why keep searching when the best in the business is already your neighbor?

We Are The Champions!

Lennard Longhorns 2026 Class 4A Flag Football

In case you missed the news, Lennard Girls Flag Football just did a thing. Over the weekend, the girls put on an absolute show, and when the smoke and dust cleared, they stood atop the state as Class 4A Champions.

Let’s give it up for these ladies because I can personally attest that they earned every bit of it. This weekend had enough excitement for 10 highlight reels. From one-handed snags to multiple interceptions, the Longhorns were firing on all cylinders from start to finish.

Huge congratulations to the players, coaches, staff, and everyone behind the scenes who helped make this run possible.

Southshore is proud to call you our own.

Things to do

What’s Washing Up on The Shore This Week

Your Weekly What in the World

New treatments are changing how cancer is fought

For decades, progress in cancer treatment often felt slow. This year, that’s starting to change. Across multiple studies and clinical trials, researchers are reporting results that are giving doctors something they haven’t had much of in this space before. Momentum.

One of the biggest breakthroughs is coming from immunotherapy, a type of treatment that trains the body’s own immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. In a recent colorectal cancer trial, patients received a short course of immunotherapy before surgery. Nearly three years later, none of those patients had seen their cancer return. For a disease where recurrence is a constant concern, that’s a major shift.

Another area seeing long-awaited progress is pancreatic cancer. New drugs targeting a mutation known as KRAS, once considered “untreatable,” are starting to show real results. In some trials, patients are living significantly longer compared to standard treatments.

Behind all of this is an even bigger shift. Doctors are moving away from one-size-fits-all care and toward treating cancer based on its genetic makeup. Using tools like genetic sequencing and AI, treatments are becoming more personalized and more precise.

It’s not a cure. But for the first time in a long time, it feels like real progress is happening.

Southshore Spotlight

Hand in Hand

Some losses never fully go away, but no family should have to carry them alone.

Hand in Hand helps provide peer grief support for children and families navigating the loss of a loved one through the Patrick Wesley Wheeler Foundation. Their mission is centered on turning grief into connection, support, and healing for families who need it most.

Nominate your local hero by emailing us at [email protected]

We Know a Guy…or Girl

Southshore Services

Need a painter? A plumber? Someone brave enough to tackle that lightbulb orbiting 30 feet above your living room? We’ve got you. And the best part, they’re all right here in our community.

Interested in joining the list? Shoot us an email to [email protected]

“Keep it Local!”

Foodies Only

Your Restaurant

New menu items, promos, specials, events- feature them here. This is the place to tell 30,000 readers in Southshore what you've got. Only 20 spots for the year. Claim yours today.

If you’ve got a restaurant, food truck, or even a lemonade stand, it could be featured here. Email us at [email protected]

Local Sports

Got news, events, or press releases that the Southshore needs to know about? Submit them here. (We’ll do our best to add press releases in our regular rotation.) If you’re looking to run an actual ad, go here instead.

Until next time,

Keep It Local.