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Seaweed Blob Will Miss Tampa, Research Shows

Author Sean Roberts
Other parts of Florida will feel the effects.

At this time on Monday, we were sure that a huge seaweed blob was gonna cover our beaches and make the Bay smell like the unwashed backside of a beagle for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, there is a new forecast that seems to spare us from that stanky fate. Researchers now say that the mass of brown seaweed, otherwise known as sargassam (giggity), will almost certainly avoid our beaches. It has impacted southwest Florida, however, depositing globs of smelly seaweed on the beaches throughout the region.
The floating seaweed bloom is a natural, yearly event, but the mass is much larger than it’s ever been, measuring about 5,000 miles across. That’s about twice as wide at the entire United States. With the current scurge of red tide in the Bay area, the sargassam would have been a terrible turn of fate for Tampa, especially during spring break, as hundreds of thousands of tourists pour into the region for a week of relaxation on our pristine beaches.
The mass of brown seaweed occurs naturally every year, but this year it’s on a whole new level. Radar images captured its size rcently, with best estimates saying it would span the U.S. twice if placed end-to-end. This size of this year’s gargantuan blob is being credited to a strong supply of nutrients that the seaweed needs to grow and thrive. Light and warm water also help the mass grow, and both have been plentiful this year. While the sargassam is normally a great environment for animals, it can also create issues if it gets too dense. Sargassam can choke the other marine life out of sun and nutrients if it grows to think. The effect on fish and coral could be terrible. But for now, we have been spared.
So, instead of smelly beaches, piled high with piles of rotting sea vegetation, we will have to deal with more manageable, sporadic outbreaks of red tide. Smaller amounts of sargassam are still expected to reach our shores and may be a nuisance, but its effects on us will be minimal. Source: WFLA.com

Big Old Jet Airliner

5 Cheap Airfare Deals from Tampa for Under $200 Round Trip

It’s not a popular travel season, but if you can take some vacation days, this is a great time of year to score a flight deal. Kids are still in school so leisure travel drops off and the airlines want to fill those empty seats so they know they have to cut prices. Here are 5 cities I love to visit that you can fly round trip right now for $200 or less.

All of these flights I found by searching the dates April 5 through April 12. Midweek flights are often where you’ll find the bargains. Keep in mind too many of these airlines nickel and dime you by charging for things like a carry on bag, picking your seat or having a snack on the plane.

If you can pack light, you’ll save a lot. I found a “personal item” size bag on Amazon for $10 that let me avoid even bringing on a typical carry on size bag for short trips or visits where I can easily get my laundry done. If you’re not one who can travel light, the crazy thing is you’ll often find a check in size piece of luggage is cheaper than a carry on!

  • Atlanta for $38

    $38 roundtrip!? That’s cheaper than driving. The nonstop flight I found on Frontier leaves at 8am out of TPA and leaves Atlanta at 5:39pm. Catch opening day for the Atlanta Braves.

  • Boston for $179

    Anytime you can get an airfare under $200 to Boston, it’s a good deal. For $179 roundtrip, look for the Spirit early morning flight at 5:30am. I know I know. Super early. But that’ll give you an full day in Boston as it arrives at 8:35AM. Your return flight time will be far less painful. Take the 7:30am flight on United leaving at 7:30am. You’ll have a long layover, but it’s a fun one… take the train from Newark into New York City and get a great slice of pizza and stroll around Central Park. You’ll get back to Tampa at 6:08pm.

  • Chicago for $138

    Visiting Chicago in April isn’t the most touristy thing to do. It can still get pretty cold. But a deep dish pizza will warm you up. For just $138 roundtrip, grab the Frontier 8:10am flight out of Tampa. It connects in Atlanta. If you want to skip the layover, for $30 more take the American Airlines 6:06AM flight. You’ll have an early flight on the way back though at 6AM, but you’ll be back in Tampa by 9:30AM.

  • Las Vegas for $140

    For $140 roundtrip, you’ll have plenty of money to dump into the slot machines. Take the late night 10:47PM nonstop Frontier flight from Tampa to Sin City. When you get to Vegas at 1am, crash at the hotel… or get the party started. The 7am flight back has a stop in Atlanta for 4 hours, which stinks. But for $10 more you can get a late night nonstop flight if you’re a good sleeper on airplanes.

  • San Francisco $202

    2 trips in one! Jump on the 8:50AM Spirit flight out of TPA. Stop in Las Vegas for 10 hours and then finish your trip with Frontier landing in California at 10:50PM. On the way back you get to do it again. Take the 12:45PM Frontier flight, have fun for 13 hours in Vegas. Then jump on the Spirit red eye to Tampa. All this for $202! I know that’s $2 over the budget, but you can win that back at the tables.

Did You See Her Duet With Axl?

Sean Roberts was conceived in the Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky by two passionate, panel aligning, third shifters who had grown bored with the same ole same ole. Upon birth, he was placed in the trunk of a new Stingray and sent off to find his destiny. That destiny included several stints on radio stations across the United States. Some played punk country gospel, while others focused on Croatian death metal played backwards. After many years and many adventures, Sean wound up on The Shark, where he does shots of tequila while playing the most badass tunes ever created by humankind. He remains humble, however, never forgetting about the lean years...the street corners and dark alleys where he played songs on his car stereo for food and sex. He's on top and he's never gonna stop LIVING THE DREAM!

We dodged a bullet wih this one…

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