Category: History in the Making

Category: History in the Making

Tampa Bay Hosts 'Convention Without Walls'

Photo by Dorian Photography

The first Republican National Convention was held in 1856 in Philadelphia. The party had been formed two years earlier in response to the increasing importance of the slavery issue and the party’s opposition to the expansion of slavery. Through the years, the process has changed from a closed caucus system to today’s national convention in which states select delegates with the input of the people.

This will be the first time that Tampa Bay has hosted a Republican National Convention but the third time that the “Grand Old Party” convened in Florida. The conventions of 1968 and 1972 that nominated Richard M. Nixon both were held in
Miami Beach.

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RNC Delegations to Stay at Area Hotels

“Life’s a Beach!” More than half of the delegations that will be attending the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa this year will be staying in some of the most popular hotels and resorts “On the Sunrise Side of Tampa Bay.” They will make our destination their destination!

The Pinellas Beaches will host a total of 29 of the 56 delegations that will travel to the Tampa Bay area to participate in the Convention that will be held August 27 to 30 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in downtown Tampa, according to the RNC Committee on Arrangements. This committee was responsible for reserving 16,000 rooms at about 100 hotels in the Tampa Bay area. Official delegations from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories will be staying at 36 hotels. (Several hotels will house more than one delegation.)

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Fort DeSoto Park A Great Place To Celebrate The Pinellas Centennial

Courtesy of Pinellas County

A visit to Fort De Soto County Park is a great way to celebrate the Pinellas County Centennial year—and a fun way for the entire family to enjoy one of Pinellas County’s most beautiful parks. The park’s North Beach was honored as America’s Best Beach by Dr. Beach in 2005, and recent renovations to the historic Fort De Soto make it even more inviting today. Located north of St. Petersburg, the park is easy to find and enjoy.

History in the Making Pinellas County Celebrates Centennial

Downtown Dunedin: Photo Courtesy of Dunedin Historical Society and Museum

As Pinellas County celebrates its 100th anniversary, many of today’s residents do not know very much about how it came to be. The area on the west side of Tampa Bay became its own governmental entity on January 1, 1912, but its history spans a millennium prior to that date.

The name “Pinellas,” is derived from the Spanish words – Punta Pinal, meaning “Point of Pines.” The area occupied by the county today stretches over 280 square miles with 24 cities – and is 38 miles long and 15 miles wide with 587 miles of shoreline.  While Pinellas is Florida’s second smallest county in land mass, it also is the most densely populated county in Florida with around 3,000 people per square mile. Its population of 947,052 people makes it the sixth most populated county in Florida and 41st in the entire United States.

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Centennial Celebration Spans Entire Year

Downtown Safety Harbor: Photo Courtesy of Dunedin Historical Society and Museum

Pinellas County’s celebration of its 100th Anniversary is only just beginning. While New Year’s Day in 2012 was the 100-year mark for the official breakaway from Hillsborough County, the entire year is being set aside to celebrate the event. John Morroni, recently elected Chair of the County Commission, commemorated the occasion last summer with a symbolic “tug-of-war” with a Hillsborough commissioner on the Courtney Campbell Causeway.

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