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The Daystarter: Stormy forecast for Tampa Bay; watering restrictions back in place; new DEP head denies political conflict; peering ahead to Super Bowl LV in Tampa

 
A manatee swims near the entrance to Three Sisters Springs on Kings Bay, some of many springs that feed the Crystal River in Citrus County. The Southwest Florida Water Management District is considering a proposal that would allow a decrease to the amount of fresh water flowing in the Crystal River so that water can be diverted to fuel development. Critics say similar proposals around the state could threaten Florida's environmental health. [DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times (2014)]
A manatee swims near the entrance to Three Sisters Springs on Kings Bay, some of many springs that feed the Crystal River in Citrus County. The Southwest Florida Water Management District is considering a proposal that would allow a decrease to the amount of fresh water flowing in the Crystal River so that water can be diverted to fuel development. Critics say similar proposals around the state could threaten Florida's environmental health. [DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times (2014)]
Published May 24, 2017

Catching you up on overnight happenings, and what you need to know today.

10News WTSP

The latest Tampa Bay-area radar

10News WTSP

The latest Tampa Bay-area radar

10News WTSP

Rainfall totals around the Tampa Bay area

10News WTSP

Rainfall totals around the Tampa Bay area

• A cold front will approach from the northwest, bringing with it an increased chance for scattered showers and storms late today, some of them severe, according to 10Weather WTSP. Watch for flooding in some areas.

• As you head out for your morning commute, check out our live blog for the latest traffic updates and road conditions across Tampa Bay.

• Homeowners in the Tampa Bay region will face tough new watering restrictions imposed Tuesday by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The agency commonly known as Swiftmud has limited the watering of lawns in Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties to once a week. Laura Morel has more details here

• President Donald Trump and Pope Francis, two leaders with contrasting styles and differing worldviews, met at the Vatican City, setting aside their previous clashes to broadcast a tone of peace for an audience around the globe.

• A memorial service at 8:30 this morning in Ybor City will pay tribute to the men and women of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office who have fallen in the line of duty. Visit tampabay.com later this morning for coverage.

• When it comes to getting children out of the foster care system, the non-profit group Directions for Living has one of the best records in Florida. Yet the agency is about to lose $1 million in annual funding for Project Hope, a key program that provides aid for Pinellas families whose children were taken into care because of substance abuse, domestic violence and other issues.

• Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Republican candidate for governor Adam Putnam wants state lawmakers to come back to Tallahassee in a special session to finish the work on medical marijuana that they started but didn't finish earlier this month.

• Noah Valenstein, the newly-appointed head of the Department of Environmental Protection, formed two consulting companies that have taken in nearly $1 million dollars from politicians, advocacy groups and political committees interested in influencing the Rick Scott administration or boosting the governor's political fortunes. Valenstein, who was appointed Tuesday by the governor and Cabinet after being selected by the governor as the only candidate interviewed, created and managed the two companies until he went to work for the governor in 2012.

• The Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board's interim leader told the governing board Tuesday that the troubled agency is looking for ways to climb out of its financial hole. The agency is being investigated by a grand jury and, amid that scrutiny, is facing a budget shortfall. It is relying on reserves to stay afloat. The licensing board is funded solely by license fees and contractor fines.

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• In the dispute-gone-national over a bad joke uttered by Tampa's mayor, it is instructive to recall the nickname bestowed upon him by the local military. "Swagger" was the fighter pilot call sign given Bob Buckhorn by folks at MacDill Air Force Base, on a patch for his flight suit, even — and yes, he had a flight suit. Clearly, it is a name he enjoys, Sue Carlton writes. She calls for him to show a little less swagger.

• From the Times editorial board: As St. Petersburg gets ready to drop pilings to begin construction of the new Pier, a consultant's lofty projections about the project's economic impact are not helpful. Read the editorial and today's letters to the editor at tampabay.com/opinion.

• At last, Tampa will host a Super Bowl again. It used to be that the Cigar City would host one a decade, but by the time February 2021 rolls around, it will have been 12 years since the epic showdown between the Steelers and Cardinals. Because it has been awhile, Thomas Bassinger revisits those past Super Bowls while also peering into the future.

• Alex Cobb gave up the back-to-back solo home runs in the first inning to Angels leadoff man Cameron Maybin and leading man Mike Trout that were the difference in a 4-0 Rays loss. Marc Topkin, however, says this loss and the newest concern about the Rays, goes on his mates for not doing anything to help.

• The Pure Gas store on Mile Stretch Road in Holiday has emerged as a poster child for a new Pasco County code enforcement crackdown. The effort will trigger court injunctions and nuisance lawsuits from the county more quickly than the standard practice of issuing citations and filing administrative complaints to the Pasco County Construction Enforcement Board to enforce its codes.

• Pasco County's tax roll grew by more than 5 percent in 2016, but it's a figure that likely would require local government budget writers to trim proposed spending requests. Figures released Tuesday by Property Appraiser Gary Joiner showed Pasco County's preliminary property tax roll at $24.24 billion, a $1.3 billion increase, with a little more than half of the growth, $693.5 million, attributed to new construction.

• In our "We Tried That" column see what happens when our food writer works on a food truck and finds out first-hand how owning and operating a food truck isn't easy.

• Here are the top things to do today in Tampa Bay.