Established in 2014, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves is a weekly airing of local and national politics, sports, lifestyles and Tampa Bay memories from a politically incorrect viewpoint.

Leading off: Taxing EV owners

The proposed Florida Senate Bill 28 makes almost too much sense. The legislation, crafted by Sen. Ed Hooper of Clearwater, calls for an annual registration fee of $200 for electric vehicles to offset lost gas tax revenues. The average driver pays just about that amount each year in gas taxes. Naysayers call the bill double taxation, saying fees are charged on electric recharging. True, but that money does not go to Florida’s critical transportation needs. In terms of needed capacity, a car is a car; in fact, EVs tend to be heavier putting more stress on transportation infrastructure. Sen. Hooper’s bill levels the playing field of who pays for the roads they use.

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

The bombshell dropped in Atlanta regarding Trump’s DA antagonist Fani Willis and her prosecutor/boyfriend Nathan Wade didn’t surprise a lot of insiders.

What’s up? According to the most recent consumer surveys, the biggest price jumps in staples include bacon, butter, coffee, cookies and rice (a 15-year high).

What’s down? The average retirement account value – approximately 11 percent since Biden took office – even with 2023’s fourth quarter surge.

Hey, cut Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin some slack. It wasn’t like Pearl Harbor happened during his recent hospitalization.

With much ado, the White House has announced a program focused on states to help curb gun violence. It’s not the states, but the liberal run cities (Chicago, Philly, even Tampa) that need attention.

Idle thought: It seems many of our current doctors are nothing more than legal drug peddlers.

The Rays’ proposed new stadium is just one of eleven new stadiums/major upgrades announced in 2023 by cities with pro franchises.

Number of the week: $816 billion, the value of goods returned by shoppers in 2022. When the 2023 numbers are in, retailers expect the total to be even higher.

He was another one of those people who never seemed to have a bad day. Col. Tom Jones, a fourth generation Salvationist, long time presence in the Clearwater Salvation Army and devoted Florida Gator, passed away last week at age 86.

We also note the passing of Frank Dame, who did so much to expand the Clearwater Marine Science Center while serving as its CEO. Frank was 76.

Born 100 years ago this week (Jan. 19) was Nicholas Colasanto, the beloved “coach” from Cheers.

Sports, media and other notes:

Talk about a double-barreled surprise. Nick Saban retires from the Tide and Pete Carroll is bumped upstairs at Seattle. That’s a total of 561 wins between the two legendary coaches.

Related: the Tide moved quickly to fill their need, hiring Washington’s Kalen DeBoer. Given his track record, the hire makes sense. On the other hand, the New England Patriots promotion of an assistant on their 4-13 team (Jerod Mayo) doesn’t.

It won’t be long – the Rays open their Spring Training schedule hosting the Braves in just over a month.

Quite a few locals have been calling for rebranding of the Rays like the St. Pete Rays in concurrence with a new stadium. They had a great and historic name at the very beginning which, mysteriously, they didn’t use – the St. Pete Saints – a name that dates back to 1908. Think of the merchandise sales alone.

Saw an article recently about 17 great locations for sandwiches in the bay area. Frankly, we would put Publix’ deli up against any of those trendy spots.

Internet rumination from the 5:05 Newsletter: Being popular on the Internet is like sitting at the cool table in a mental hospital.

Good news, bad news. Coming next month will be a new CBS series featuring the quirky character Elsbeth (Carrie Preston) from The Good Wife and The Good Fight. The bad news – the much anticipated rework of Matlock with Kathy Bates has been pushed back to the 2025 season due to the writer’s strike.

You’ve lived in Pinellas County a long time if you remember that Largo’s Ace Hardware Store was once the home of Largo Lanes.

One last thing: This year’s HOF ballot

The baseball writers will announce their selections for this year’s Hall of Fame class in a couple weeks. These are the guys who should get the nod, Colorado’s sweet swinging Todd Helton; the best left handed reliever in the game’s history, Billy Wagner who primarily toiled for Houston and the man even Willie Mays says is the best fielding center fielder ever, Andrew Jones who patrolled the outfield mainly for Atlanta. There is a trio of deserving players on the ballot for the first time, Adrian Beltre, Twins’ catcher Joe Mauer and Phils’ second baseman Chase Utley. But in our eyes, to get in on the first ballot, you have to have a resume like Clemente, Maddux or Mays.

NEXT UP: Laugh-In; Coffee badging; Closing bank branches

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