Category: Local News
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“Team effort” made Cpl. Frank R. Gross Memorial Bridge a reality
For years, Craig and Toni Gross have been fixtures in Oldsmar and the Tampa Bay community, promoting veteran and military family causes after their son, US Army Cpl. Frank R. Gross, was killed in action in Afghanistan on July 16, 2011. Despite some noted public spats with Oldsmar officials and members of the city’s Veterans…
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Oldsmar says farewell to retiring fire Chief Dean O’Nale
Dozens of friends, family members and colleagues packed the Oldsmar Fire Rescue headquarters last week to say farewell to retiring Chief Dean O’Nale. O’Nale, who’s been with the department since 1993 and was named chief in 2011, is moving with his wife, Michelle, to Cripple Creek, Co., where he will head up the town’s small…
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Oldsmar City Council nixes downtown townhome development
For nearly a year, Oldsmar officials have been working with Tony Tanico, a Palm Harbor developer who wanted to build a 50-unit town home complex next to the Oldsmar Public Library on St. Petersburg Drive. The proposal went through several iterations featuring many contentious discussions about everything from the lower-than-expected-sale price of the four-acre parcel…
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Oldsmar disc golf course hosts first professional tournament
Nearly a year after the grand opening of Oldsmar’s Disc Golf Course at Sheffield Park, the 8,600-foot course hosted its first professionally sanctioned event over the weekend. The inaugural ‘Gold Rush’ tournament took place at the park, located at 1923 Cutty Bay Ct., on Saturday, June 9, and Sunday, June 10, with 40 pros and…
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Oldsmar names 2018 photo contest winners
Oldsmar officials recently revealed the three winners of the city’s 2018 “Show Us Your Oldsmar!” photo contest. Oldsmar Mayor Doug Bevis announced the official winners during the Tuesday, June 5, City Council Meeting and presented their cash rewards and framed copies of the winners submission. The three winners of the 2018 contest are as follows:…
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Craft breweries could be coming to Oldsmar
The craft beer industry is one of the fastest growing markets in the state of Florida, with a reported 397 percent increase in craft breweries in the Sunshine State over the last six years. And while not every city is as craft brew-happy as Dunedin, which features seven breweries within a mile of each other downtown, research…
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OCC split over changes to St Pete Drive town home development
The Oldsmar City Council recently cast a split vote over a request to amend the development agreement for a proposed town home community on St. Petersburg Drive. Developer Tony Tanico of Oldsmar Towns LLC. previously asked for an extension of the agreement that called for a 50-unit, Mediterranean style development on a vacant four-acre lot adjacent…
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Empower Adventures to consolidate zipline operations at Mobbly Bayou Preserve
Empower Adventures of Tampa Bay opened the first zipline adventure park in the Tampa Bay area at Oldsmar’s Mobbly Bayou Preserve in June 2016, followed by the nearby aerial obstacle course a few months later. But for the past two years, the company has leased an office space on State Street to handle the day-to-day…
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Young Oldsmar photographer making her mark
Many teens today love taking photos, typically of the cell-phone-selfie variety. But some, like 15-year-old Maria Ilardi of Oldsmar, prefer to snap shots the “old fashioned” way—by using a high-tech DSLR camera. Ilardi, a sophomore at Clearwater Central Catholic High School, said she has been taking photos of her surroundings “her whole life,” and she…
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Dan Saracki named 2018 Home Rule Hero Award winner by Florida League of Cities
Oldsmar City Council member Dan Saracki was recently named a 2018 Home Rule Hero Award winner by the Florida League of Cities, continuing a streak of being recognized for his commitment to local government. Saracki, who was automatically reelected to a second three-year term in March 2016, helped Oldsmar win the 2017 City Spirit Award for…