Storm Prep Gets Real

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The Red Cross Just Dropped the Bag 💰 (In a Good Way)

No, it’s not a scam text from a long-lost prince. The Red Cross actually just handed Florida a $1.5 million grant to help local nonprofits beef up their storm response game. Translation: when the wind howls and the water rises, more boots will be on the ground and fewer people will be left scrambling.

It’s all part of making sure that Community Development Corporations (yep, those real behind-the-scenes heroes) have what they need to step in before FEMA even finds Florida on the map.

It’s smart, it’s local, and it means next time a storm rolls through, the cavalry might actually show up before the shingles start flying.

Stay ready, Southshore. 🌀

Riverview Daycare Drop-Off… Turned Drop-Out 😳

Parents in Riverview got hit with the worst kind of surprise this week, an abrupt email announcing their daycare was shutting down for good. No warning, no transition, just a “we're closed, good luck.”

Let’s be honest: finding daycare on short notice is like trying to get concert tickets to Beyoncé, or Taylor Swift 😄 ... in a hurricane... with dial-up internet.

The sudden closure left working parents scrambling for answers and backup plans, and asking how something like this can happen with zero notice. Hillsborough County is looking into it, but for now, it’s another reminder of how fragile the childcare system can be.

So if you're a parent in Southshore, hug your sitter, bake your daycare teacher cookies, and maybe start a backup plan… just in case. 🍼😬

Things to do

What’s Washing Up on The Shore This Week

Southshore Story Time

Wimauma: The Town That Wouldn’t Die

Part 3: The Fine Print In The Promises

Then came the cavalry, nonprofits in button-ups, wielding buzzwords and big promises: “revitalization,” “innovation,” “equity.” They offered new homes, better schools, money that sounded too good to be true. Because it was. Somewhere in the 8-point font were clauses that scared the hell out of locals. A woman named Marisol found one that quietly handed over family farmland to an outside group. She went missing before she could raise the alarm. Her trailer was empty. No note. Just a post-it on her fridge that read:
“Don’t let them bury this place.”

Ruskin's Getting a Sewer Upgrade... and You Can Weigh In 🚽

If you live in Ruskin and have strong feelings about sewage (don’t we all?), now’s your chance to speak up. Hillsborough County is planning to acquire land for a new vacuum lift station—aka a key part of the sewer system that keeps things flowing where they should (and not where they shouldn’t 😬).

Locals can review the plans and give feedback before any pipes get laid or dirt gets moved. It’s one of those behind-the-scenes projects that only gets attention when something goes wrong, so it’s kind of nice to be looped in early for once.

Because let’s face it: nobody wants to be downstream from bad planning.

🗓️ Public comment is open now. Ruskin folks, go make your voices (not your toilets) heard.

CLICK HERE

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Until next time,

Keep It Local.