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Featured Story

Now Is Always The Right Time For Life

This is for whoever needs to hear this.

Today is now. Stop waiting for the right moment. Stop planning for every possibility. Stop putting off what you want.

Meh, I don’t mean go blow your entire retirement on a Viking 55-foot center console. (Although…that almost sounds reasonable.) And just to be clear, none of the things I say should ever be construed as sound financial advice. Consult your money guy. I may know one.

Back to the matter at hand. If you’ve been waiting to change careers, change schools, change locations…change your life. Stop waiting. You owe it to yourself to choose action, even if it’s messy, even if it’s imperfect. There’s no guarantee the “right time” is ever going to show up, so you might as well make now the time.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my nearly infinite 45 years (and if you don’t think that’s old, go hang around some teenagers and watch how quickly they remind you), it’s that life is short. Painfully short.

And here’s the kicker, we all deserve to spend that limited time on this rock chasing what matters most to us. Not the things we were told to care about. Not the things that look good on paper. The things that light us up, that make us feel alive, that remind us we’re not just surviving, we’re living.

So if you’ve been putting off your best life, consider this your permission slip to throw caution to the wind and pursue your happiness with toddler-like abandon. Loud, clumsy, fearless.

Because trust me, you deserve it.

Wally World is on its way to Apollo Beach

Are you okay?

If you’re reading this, it’s not exactly breaking news, Walmart is officially coming to Apollo Beach. Right across from the new Aldi on US-41, tucked in next to Mirabay. We’ve all been watching the Lego-like construction rise from the dirt, and most of us have already started to feel that slow creep of extra traffic.

But here at The Circle, we’re curious… what do you think?

👉 Pumped to have a closer option so you don’t have to trek across town?
👉 Annoyed because you’ve seen what a Walmart (and all the extra businesses that follow) do to local roads?
👉 Or maybe you don’t really care, you’re too busy lifing to worry about it?

We’ll go first. Personally, I live within walking distance of the new location, and I can’t say I’m thrilled about the traffic spike that’s coming. Honestly, I miss that open field, and the family of foxes I’d catch sneaking around at night before development chased them off.

We are big promoters of local first, so if we had to trade nature for progress, we wish it could’ve been a plaza full of local shops and small businesses. But Walmart is a steamroller. Once it’s rolling, there’s not much stopping it.

So let’s hear it from you, how do you feel about Apollo Beach’s new Walmart? Shoot us an email at [email protected] or just drop a comment below. Let’s talk through those feelings.

Southshore Story Time

Unearthed in Ruskin

Part 2: The Bones That Didn’t Belong

At first, it looked ordinary, a rib fragment, weathered by time. But further examination revealed it didn’t match the anatomy of whales, dolphins, or manatees typically found in Ruskin’s fossil beds. The structure was thicker, denser.

Theories began to swirl. Could it be from an ancient land mammal that somehow washed into the sea? Or something entirely new? As scientists pieced the fragments together, a picture started to emerge of a creature that seemed… almost too large for the shallow waters this area once was.

Locals whispered about “the Ruskin beast,” a prehistoric predator hiding in plain sight, its bones scattered under backyards and construction sites.

Things to do

What’s Washing Up on The Shore This Week

Well, That’s Not Nice

A HARTLESS MOVE

We ran a story earlier this week about flooding and the lack of forethought and planning when it came to development. And how the county is often left to pick up crumbs from whatever the city is willing to give us, which is usually nothing.

Well, keeping along that same theme, State Representative Michael Owen says he’s working on legislation that would dismantle the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) and replace it with a shiny new Tampa-only Transit Authority. Translation: “Thanks for playing, Southshore, but this bus doesn’t stop here.”

If that happens, Southshore residents who actually rely on HART to get to work, school, or anywhere beyond walking distance would be left with little more than hitchhiking, rickshaws, or befriending that one neighbor with the big white truck who always seems to be going your way.

And look, we get it, Tampa wants more control of its money, its buses, and its routes. But for those of us south of the big bridge, it feels like yet another reminder that when decisions are made downtown, Southshore’s name isn’t even in the hat. It’s like being the cousin who always gets left out of the family reunion photo.

So here’s the million-dollar question: where does that leave us? While Tampa debates how to rebrand their bus system, folks down here are still trying to figure out how to get to work without selling a kidney to Uber.

If you use HART, or if you’ve got an opinion on whether Southshore deserves its own seat at the table, we want to hear it. Shoot us an email at [email protected] or drop a comment below. Until then, maybe start practicing your thumb-out hitchhiking wave.

Southshore Spotlight

Aaron’s House

Aaron’s House provides free support groups for caregivers of loved ones living with mental illness. Founded in memory of Aaron Robinson, the nonprofit also promotes mental health awareness in Tampa Bay.

AROUND TOWN

Local Sports

Football

Lennard vs Spoto, Friday 8/29 @7:30 PM - Home

East Bay vs Hillsborough, Friday 8/29 @ 7:30 PM - Home

Sumner vs Armwood, Friday 8/29 @7:30 PM - Away

Riverview vs Riverview Sarasota, Friday 8/29, @ 7:30 PM - Home

Spoto vs Lennard, Friday 8/29, @7:30 PM - Away

News or Events you’d like to share? Email us at: [email protected] 

Until next time,

Keep It Local.