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THE SKINNY

• A Little AI Confusion

• The Great Southshore Getaway

• Saved By The Bell

• Back 2 School

Featured Story

Well That Escalated Quickly

We Wondered How Self-Driving Cars Would Fare in Florida. Now We Know.

Wednesday, we talked about Tesla's new Robotaxi service coming to Tampa. If you follow us on Facebook, I even shared my experience letting my Tesla do most of the driving over the past three years. It seems the robots have already decided to make things interesting.

Less than a day after the service launched, a Tesla Robotaxi was caught on video driving the wrong way down a one-way street in downtown Tampa before stopping and correcting itself. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but it wasn't exactly the kind of first impression you'd hope for.

Apparently it didn't take potholes, distracted drivers, construction zones, or a Florida afternoon thunderstorm to confuse the Robotaxi. Just a one-way street. You can see the video here.

To be fair, this technology is still in its early rollout, and that's exactly why these limited launches happen. Manufacturers expect to uncover issues and improve the system before expanding to more cities. Still, if you're thinking about booking a Robotaxi this weekend... maybe let it learn the difference between "Do Not Enter" and "Welcome" first. 😅

🚢 The Great Southshore Getaway Is Here! 🌴

Win a $1,000 Royal Caribbean Cruise Vacation!

Your next vacation could be on us.

One lucky Southshore Circle reader will win a $1,000 Royal Caribbean Gift Card! Our friends at LLT Destinations will personally help the winner plan the perfect getaway and take care of the details so all that's left to do is enjoy the trip.

Complete These 3 Steps to Enter

✅ Complete the giveaway registration Form

✅ Subscribe to The Southshore Circle Newsletter

✅ Follow The Southshore Circle on Facebook

Earn Bonus Entries

⭐ +5 for every friend you refer who subscribes to the newsletter

⭐ +5 for opening every Southshore Circle newsletter during the giveaway

⭐ +2 for sharing this post on Facebook

⭐ +2 for following The Southshore Circle on Instagram

⭐ +2 for following The Southshore Circle on TikTok

⭐ +2 for following The Southshore Circle on X (formerly Twitter)

⭐ +1 for commenting on the post on Facebook

⭐ +1 for reacting to the post on Facebook

Every point you earn becomes one entry into the random drawing. The more points you earn, the better your chances, but the winner will be selected completely at random.

📅 Entries close August 25, 2026 🎉 Winner announced August 28, 2026

🎟️ Ready to enter? Claim your first entry Here

Good luck, Southshore! We can't wait to send one lucky reader on vacation. 🚢☀️

📚 Are We Bringing the '80s Back?

Screen time is out. Cursive is back. And now Hillsborough schools are giving midterms the axe.

First it was less screen time for younger students. Then came the return of cursive writing. Now Hillsborough County Public Schools is making another old-school move by eliminating 82 district semester exams starting this school year.

District leaders say the change will reduce unnecessary testing and give teachers more time to actually teach. State-required exams aren't going anywhere, but many district-created midterms are getting the axe.

It's a noticeable shift from the past several years, when classrooms leaned heavily on technology, online learning, and frequent testing. Now, the district appears to be moving back toward more traditional classroom practices.

So what do you think, Southshore? 👍 Less screen time, cursive writing, and fewer midterms... are schools heading in the right direction? Or should they be preparing students for a more digital future instead?

Things to do

What’s Washing Up on The Shore This Week

💰 Florida's Back-to-School Tax Holiday

Florida's Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday is underway with savings on school essentials through August 20. ⭐

If you've been putting off your back-to-school shopping, now's the time to grab those supply lists. Florida's Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday is officially underway and runs through August 20, giving families a chance to save before students head back to class.

Here's what's tax-free:

🎒 Clothing, shoes, backpacks, and certain accessories $100 or less per item

✏️ School supplies $50 or less per item

🧩 Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles $30 or less per item

💻 Personal computers and qualifying computer accessories $1,500 or less for personal or home use

A few things don't qualify, including jewelry, watches, briefcases, suitcases, cell phones, video game consoles, and clothing that exceeds the price limits. If you're planning to do some back-to-school shopping anyway, it's a good chance to save a few dollars while checking those lists off.

Southshore Spotlight

Military Family Support

Military Family Support has been helping veterans, active-duty service members, and their families since 1992. Based right here in Sun City Center, the nonprofit provides career grants, college scholarships, support for organizations serving military families, JROTC leadership awards, and funding for programs that assist veterans facing challenges like homelessness and PTSD. To date, the organization has awarded more than $1.5 million in scholarships while continuing to invest in those who have sacrificed for our country.

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.