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THE SKINNY

• Emergency Flight Service

• Monday Money Minute

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Featured Story

Escape From…Florida?

Would you pay for a guaranteed hurricane evacuation flight?

For many Florida families, hurricane season brings the same stressful question every year: Should we leave? And if we do, how? A new Florida company believes it has an answer.

PriorityEvac is offering a membership program that guarantees evacuation flights out of Tampa International Airport and Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport before a major hurricane makes landfall. Instead of scrambling to find a commercial flight or spending hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-75, members have a reserved seat waiting if the service is activated.

Here's how it works. For $1,250 per person, per year, members receive coverage for up to two hurricane evacuations during the season. The company monitors storms using National Hurricane Center forecasts and predetermined activation criteria. When those thresholds are met, members are notified and flown aboard pre-contracted Airbus A320 aircraft to Atlanta before conditions make flying unsafe. From there, members are responsible for arranging their own hotel, onward travel, and return trip home after the storm has passed. Small pets can be added for an additional fee, and the company says there are no surge prices or activation fees once you're a member.

For the right family, it's easy to understand the appeal. Anyone who lived through Hurricanes Helene, Milton, Ian, or Irma remembers the chaos. Roads became gridlocked. Flights sold out. Prices skyrocketed. Some families spent 12 to 20 hours trying to drive out of the state. If you have young children, elderly parents, medical needs, mobility challenges, or simply want the peace of mind of knowing you have a guaranteed way out, this could be money well spent. In many ways, it's no different than paying for flood insurance, a whole-home generator, or hurricane shutters. You're paying for preparedness before you actually need it.

In fact, you could even argue there are benefits beyond the individual family. If more people evacuate early by air instead of waiting until the last minute to drive, that's fewer vehicles clogging evacuation routes and one less family competing for limited hotel rooms, rental cars, and airline seats. But the service also raises a much bigger conversation. Natural disasters don't affect all of us equally.

Families with financial means often have more choices. They can leave earlier, absorb the cost of hotels, work remotely, or pay for services like this. Meanwhile, many others struggle to afford gas, take unpaid time off work, find pet-friendly accommodations, or leave at all. That's not a criticism of PriorityEvac. The company didn't create that reality. If there's a market for guaranteed evacuation, there's nothing inherently wrong with offering it.

Still, I couldn't help but think of movies like Greenland, where disaster strikes and a select group of people gets "the call" while everyone else is left hoping for the best.

Obviously, this isn't the same thing. Anyone can purchase a membership before hurricane season. But it creates similar optics. There's something that feels a little unsettling about guaranteed evacuation becoming another service you can buy, even if the company is providing a legitimate solution to a real problem.

It's also important to remember that this isn't the only way to evacuate. Public shelters, county transportation programs for eligible residents, staying with friends or family inland, driving to safer areas, and traditional commercial flights all remain available. This is simply another option, one aimed at people willing to pay for certainty before a storm ever forms.

As Southshore continues to grow, conversations like this are only going to become more common. Preparing for hurricanes has always been about planning ahead. This just adds another layer to that planning. So what do you think?

Monday Money Minute

Stop Trying to Get Rich. Try to Get Free.

For most people, the goal is to "get rich." But what if that's the wrong goal?

Think about it for a moment. Most people don't actually dream about having millions of dollars sitting in a bank account. What they really want is what that money represents. They want the freedom to spend more time with their family, travel when they want, retire on their own terms, or walk away from a job they no longer enjoy. In other words, they're not really chasing wealth. They're chasing freedom.

Here's a simple exercise. Instead of asking yourself how much money you need to become rich, ask yourself this: How much money would I need each month to cover every one of my bills without having to work? That number is your freedom number.

For some people, it might be $4,000 a month. For others, it might be $8,000 or more. Whatever your number is, it gives you something much more meaningful than an arbitrary net worth to work toward. It gives you a target that directly impacts your quality of life.

Once you know that number, your financial decisions begin to change. Instead of wondering how to get rich as quickly as possible, you start asking better questions. Should I invest more? Should I pay down debt? Should I start a side business? Should I spend a little less today so I can buy more freedom tomorrow? That's a much healthier way to think about money.

The truth is, wealth isn't just measured by the size of your bank account. It's measured by the number of choices you have. The less you depend on a paycheck to maintain your lifestyle, the more freedom you've created for yourself. Getting rich is a dream for many people. Getting free is a goal almost everyone can start working toward today.

Things to do

What’s Washing Up on The Shore This Week

It’s School. Not a Pajama Party.

Hillsborough County's new dress code is drawing praise from some parents and criticism from others as a petition challenging the rules gains momentum

Just days before students return to class, Hillsborough County’s updated dress code is already generating plenty of discussion, and a petition calling on the district to reconsider some of the new rules is gaining support.

Among the changes for the upcoming school year:

• Pajamas are no longer allowed at school.

• Shorts, skirts, and dresses must extend to at least mid-thigh when standing.

• Leggings and spandex must be covered by clothing that reaches mid-thigh.

• Face and head coverings are prohibited except for religious or approved medical reasons.

• Jewelry with spikes is no longer permitted.

District leaders say the changes were made after meeting with middle and high school students. The updated policy also says the rules should be enforced consistently and should not vary based on a student’s body type, size, race, ethnicity, disability, or other protected characteristics.

Not everyone is on board. Some parents support the changes, saying schools should have clear expectations that keep students focused on learning and reduce distractions in the classroom. Others argue that some of the rules go too far, could force families to replace clothing, or may disproportionately affect female students. Those concerns have helped fuel the growing petition asking the district to revisit parts of the policy.

Most parents probably agree that students shouldn’t be showing up to class in pajamas. Beyond that, opinions begin to split.

Southshore Spotlight

A League of Their Own

Baseball is for everyone, and A League of Their Own Riverview is proving it. The nonprofit provides adults with unique abilities the chance to enjoy America's pastime in a fun, supportive, and inclusive environment where confidence, friendships, and community take center stage.

If you're looking for a meaningful way to give back, the organization's Tampa league is currently recruiting volunteers for its upcoming fall season. Whether you're helping on the field, coaching, announcing games, or simply cheering players on, you'll be making a lasting impact while creating unforgettable memories. You can find more information here.

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 hanging 30 feet above your living room? We've got you. And the best part? They're all right here in our community. Click the link above to find your next Southshore professional because we know a guy...or gal. And now you do too.

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 40,000 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.