PLANT CITY - As expected, Republican Lawrence McClure easily won Tuesday's special election for state House District 58 to replace retired Rep. Dan Raulerson.

McClure won 54 percent of the vote to defeat Democrat Jose Vazquez, Libertarian Bryan Zemina and no-party candidate Ahmad Saadaldin. They vied to represent the Hillsborough County district that stretches from Temple Terrace east through Plant City to the county line.

"I'm humbled to have the support of the voters of District 58," McClure said in a text message. He added, "This is a great responsibility in which I will not take lightly. We have a lot of work to do to keep Florida on track."

McClure said he expects to be sworn in and take office by the start of the 2018 legislative session, which opens Jan. 9. But he'll still be a bit late to the party - House committees have been meeting since September.

Turnout was about 15 percent of the district's 91,603 registered voters, according to the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office. That's 13,938 votes cast, according to preliminary results from all 49 precincts, mail ballots and early voting.

McClure received 7,592 votes. Vazquez was second with 34 percent, or 4,715 votes. Saadaldin's 1,188 votes earned him 9 percent. Zemina had 443 votes, or 3 percent.

The 30-year-old McClure owns an environmental services business in Tampa. He said he got involved in politics partly through his dealings with government regulations and his seat on the Hillsborough County Farm Bureau.

Making his first run for public office, McClure got financial backing from the state House leadership team headed by House Speaker Richard Corcoran. McClure took stances generally in line with the House leadership.

District 58 has more registered Democrats than Republicans, 37 percent to 34 percent, but votes reliably Republican. President Donald Trump won it in 2016 by 53-43 percent, a margin greater than his narrow statewide victory, and, Mitt Romney won it by 5 points in 2012.

So by defeating Yvonne Fry in the September Republican primary, McClure paved the way for Tuesday's win.

The primary campaign was marked by an intense barrage of negative mailers against Fry, apparently paid for through a network of independent political committees affiliated with McClure's campaign manager Anthony Pedicini and a Gainesville political consultant, both with ties to GOP legislative leadership. Such committees are often used to mask the identities of those funding political campaigns.

County Democrats failed to enlist former Plant City Mayor John Dicks, who likely would have been their strongest contender for the office, as a candidate.

In the general election campaign, the county Democratic Party backed Vazquez even though it had not always done so in his previous runs for office. The final days of the campaign saw conflicts between Vazquez and the large Muslim community in Temple Terrace, much of which backed Saadaldin.

Contact William March at wemarch@gmail.com

We all know the importance of being with family and friends on Christmas. By early evening on Dec. 25, your friends on Facebook will have posted hundreds of pictures of happy gatherings, turkey dinners, and cousins they haven't seen in ages.

People have been rushing to complete work projects because no one really wants to work during this time. I can't blame them a bit.

We know, though, that in the real world a lot of people are required to punch a time clock on Christmas Day, and this is a salute to them. The world slows down for Christmas, but it doesn't shut down.

Military people here and around the world will still stand guard to make sure we are safe.

Cops will be on patrol because crime doesn't take a holiday off. Firefighters and 911 operators will be on the job, and inevitably they will be needed.

Doctors and nurses will be on duty in emergency rooms and hospitals.

Editors, press workers, and delivery folks will have to produce newspapers and get them to driveways on time. Workers at power companies will make sure the electricity is on to cook your Christmas dinner.

Hotel workers will still cater to people who need to be away from home. Pilots, flight attendants and airport workers will get last-minute travelers where they need to go - sometimes just in the nick of time.

I have first-hand knowledge of this.

During my previous life as a sports columnist, I drew the short straw one year and wound up in Cleveland covering the a mediocre Buccaneers team on Christmas Eve.

Writers didn't fly on team charters, so everyone in the traveling press corps began checking flight schedules as soon as we saw where we are going to be. A flight left around 7 p.m., barely three hours after the game would typically end. It would connect in Charlotte and get us home in time for Christmas.

The Bucs cooperated, winning 22-7 that day in 2 hours, 51 minutes - practically break-neck speed for a pro football game. There was cheering in the press box about that, for sure. The post-game interviews were quick and to the point because the players wanted to get home, too.

Everyone wrote with extra speed and we made it to the airport with time to spare.

Christmas Eve is upon us again and the Bucs have another road game. They're in Charlotte for Sunday's game. I hope everyone gets home on time.

Unfortunately, the Oakland Raiders or the people who travel with them won't have that option. The NFL scheduled them to play on Christmas night in Philadelphia.

Boo!

The National Basketball Association decided years ago that it was a good idea to schedule several games on Christmas Day. That just seems wrong.

I can be as cynical as the next guy, except maybe for Dan Ruth; he's a pro. But at the risk of going full Hallmark Channel, I wish there were one day when everyone could just shut it down, take a deep breath, and decide there are more important things than watching LeBron James play basketball.

Alas, that's how things work these days.

There is always some person in a suit who looks upon Christmas Day as a marketing opportunity and decides the pursuit of the almighty dollar trumps turkey and stuffing at grandma's house, no matter how many people have their holiday disrupted.

If you are one of those, I hope at least that you volunteered and will receive double holiday pay. But if not - especially if your job is about protecting, serving, and helping others - all I can say is thank you.

And Merry Christmas.

It used to be that the building on North Park Road in Plant City was where you bought your peppers, strawberries and tomatoes.

Now it's where your future food producers learn how to take the technology that maps your route to the market and to apply it to guiding a tractor. It's where they learn to remove obstacles in the journey from field to checkout line. And it's where they learn to tell the story behind what you eat.

The former supermarket has been transformed into a center of the science of how all that food got there. It's the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Plant City campus. Now its customers are the people who produce food so you can consume it.

Those customers asked for instruction in how you make choices in the grocery store. Starting in January, we'll provide it with the first classes in the science of how you spend your money. The UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics Department is launching a degree program in Plant City.

The program is getting started with donations of 12 billion in Hillsborough County.

To keep that economic engine running, we need people trained in, well, economics. We need others trained in geomatics, leadership and communications. A Plant City campus allows you to benefit from home-grown leaders just as our research center in Wimauma helps keep Florida-grown strawberries on your local grocery store shelves.

If that teaching and research isn't there for agriculture, then Hillsborough County land will more and more often sprout with what we call "the last crop" - more houses.

There's a dynamic young staff at the center. I met Luis Peña-Levano, the new economics lecturer, who invited me to travel with him to his native Peru. I teased Debra Barry, who trains future teachers of agriculture, that there needs to be more UF/IFAS signs to go with the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences branding at the campus. The college's dean, Elaine Turner, was there, too, though, and took Debra's side.

I left Plant City with confidence in farming's future in Hillsborough County. I'm also proud of how the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences has taken back a small piece of retail real estate for agricultural science.

With apologies to any shoppers who once got their groceries where our campus is now, there are plenty of places to buy food. There aren't enough places dedicated to producing future food producers.

With the help of those future economists, teachers, surveyors, and ag association leaders who come out of Plant City programs, Hillsborough County's farmers can continue to grow fruits and vegetables and turn less often to the last crop.

Jack Payne is the University of Florida's senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources and leader of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Boris A. Stern was a 19-year-old Army sergeant from Chicago when German forces came pouring westward on Dec. 16, 1944, in the snowy hell of Belgium's Ardennes Forest.

He's now 92 and living in Carrollwood and I've been lucky enough to catch up with him a couple of times since Veterans Day. As a history geek, I always think this time of year of what we now know as the Battle of the Bulge. It is a tremendous honor to share his story.

"I was right on the line when the attack first happened," Stern said, talking over the noise of the annual Veterans Day parade at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital.

Two days after the attack, he was sent to a town called Winterspelt, where he was assigned to take charge of the regimental food and ammo dumps.

"I did that during a war game in Indiana before I went overseas and got an award for it, so they sent me to Winterspelt," he said with a laugh.

That's where he was on the morning of Dec. 16 when more than 200,000 German troops and nearly 1,000 tanks launched Adolf Hitler's last-ditch effort to win the war. Stern was in the Ardennes, a 75-mile stretch of the front marked by dense woods and few roads, held by four inexperienced and battle-worn American divisions stationed there for rest and seasoning.

Stern was sleeping in the basement of a "dump hotel with my clothes on, obviously" when there were "tremendous explosions.

"We didn't have any idea of what was happening. I went up to the second floor with field glasses, looked around and saw Germans setting up mortars."

Stern said he called down to a lieutenant on the first floor and told him about the Germans.

"He called in an artillery strike and wiped them out," said Stern, who later wound up in the town of St. Vith, a key target of German forces.

"The weather was terrible. My left foot was freezing. The best way to put it is that we held them off for six days."

That holdout against superior forces helped turn the tide, Stern said.

"It gave all the other outfits a chance to get in there."

On Christmas Day, Stern was in the town of Manhay when artillery started raining down.

But they were American, not German, shells and they were falling short of their target.

Stern and three other soldiers went out after the shelling stopped looking for American bodies.

"We found a bunch. One of them was still alive."

The soldiers drove back, at times raked with German machine gun fire, and found their way to a field hospital. As they carried one survivor in, "the floor was full of blood and we were sloshing around."

Stern said that the most frightening moments of the battle came toward the end of January 1945.

Once again, the Germans were not to blame.

"I can tell you, the most scared I ever was was when we were bombed and strafed by American P-38s. I have never been so scared in my life, because there was nothing we could have done. I would later find out it was not their fault. They were given the wrong coordinates."

I asked Stern what lessons he learned from the 10 days he spent in the midst of the Battle of the Bulge.

"I learned a lot," he said. "The basic thing I learned is that if you get in a war, you win. Don't tell me what I can or cannot do. I'd still be in jail if they had the same rules back then as they have today."

I asked him to elaborate.

"We caught three Germans dressed in American uniforms trying to go through our lines in a jeep. We started asking questions. 'Where were you born?' 'What is the name of the baseball team?' 'Who is the mayor?'"

The men in the jeep had trouble answering.

"We caught them lying and shot them on the spot. I don't know if we could do it today."

There was one more takeaway, and it had to do with context.

"I found out later that we lost over 8,600 guys in 10 days, killed, wounded, captured, missing in action."

By contrast, the U.S. has lost about 7,000 troops in the 16 years since the 9/11 attacks.

"I was one of the lucky ones," Stern said.

He pulled up the left leg of his pants and pointed to a scar where he was hit by shrapnel.

"I just got a little scratch."

•••

The Pentagon last week announced the death of a soldier supporting Operation Freedom's Sentinel.

Staff Sgt. David Thomas Brabander, 24, of Anchorage, Alaska, died Dec. 11 in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, as a result of a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Alaska, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. The incident is under investigation.

There have been 2,347 U.S. troop deaths in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan; 48 U.S. troop deaths and one civilian Department of Defense employee death in support of the followup, Operation Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan; 41 troop deaths and two civilian deaths in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the fight against the Islamic State; one troop death in support of Operation Odyssey Lightning, the fight against Islamic State in Libya; one death classified as other contingency operations in the global war on terrorism; and four deaths in ongoing operations in Africa where, if they have a title, officials will not divulge it.

Contact Howard Altman at haltman@tampabay.com or (813) 225-3112. Follow @haltman

For the first time in my life, I rang in the New Year in a church.

I'm still in a bit of disbelief about how it all came about.

You see, for most of my adult life I've dropped out of New Year's Eve celebrations, unwilling to pay exorbitant prices and uninspired by party favors and paper hats.

One year, I bounced around to parties of Times readers as part of a column exercise, and at midnight I ended up at Beth Israel, the synagogue in Sun City Center. I'll never forget how those folks treated me like royalty.

For the most part, however, I've spent the last night of the year in the driveway watching neighbors shoot off firecrackers they purchased - in accordance with state law - because they needed to "frighten birds from their agricultural works and fish hatcheries."

Whatever.

Last year, my friend Jamall Anderson asked me to come hear him preach at Highland Avenue Church of Christ in Tampa on New Year's Eve. We had just co-authored a book about his life, The Best Bet, and it included tales of his teen days as a locally famous "junior preacher" at Highland Avenue. So I was excited to see him in a pulpit.

Plus, what did I have to lose? Another lackluster evening of fireworks and Ryan Secrest? I said, "Sure."

But let me note: Being Catholic, I thought he meant a New Year's Eve Vigil at 4 p.m. I later learned the service was likely to start at 10 p.m. and run past midnight.

Wait a minute. Two hours? You do know Catholic mass rarely runs more than 55 minutes.

Too late. I said I would go. No big deal because I never do anything on New Year's Eve.

After I committed, however, the weirdest thing happened. People started inviting me to have fun on New Year's Eve. First, the company asked if I could attend a Times-sponsored New Year's Eve party at the Florida Aquarium. But there would be no Aqua Eve for me.

"Sorry, I have to go to church."

Then, my friend invited me to join her and friends at the New Year's Eve Lightning game. But there would be no NYE with Kucherov, Hedman and Killorn.

"Sorry, I have to go to church."

Then, my wife declared she was tired of staying home on New Year's Eve and wanted to go out and paint the town red.

"Sorry, I have to go to church."

I may be the first husband in history who got in trouble for going to church on New Year's Eve.

Had I not been raised Catholic, I might have known what I was committing to and the tradition of "Watch Night."

Many black churches trace "Watch Night," the practice of attending church on New Year's Eve, back to the Emancipation Proclamation. President Abraham Lincoln signed the historic law granting freedom to slaves on Jan. 1, 1863, so slaves and free men gathered in church on Dec. 31, 1862, to await the change.

According to the website African American Registry, blacks have gathered in churches annually on New Year's Eve ever since, praising God for bringing them safely through another year.

It's a nice sentiment, and I have to admit I heard a number of stirring sermons last year, including the message Anderson delivered. He spoke about God's amazing love for sinners, and I felt like he kept looking at me.

Hmmm.

Minutes after midnight, however, I held no regrets about missing puck drops, posh parties and popping champagne.

Maybe I was where I was supposed to be all along.

I don't know if I'll ring in the New Year in a church this year, but you know, it's a pretty good place to reflect on the most memorable highs and lows of 2017, and prepare for the dawning of 2018.

That's all I'm saying.

As a little girl, I loved playing with my mom's Nativity set.

The Christmas story's hodgepodge cast of characters fascinated me. Every holiday, I arranged and rearranged the shepherds and wise men, Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus. I wondered what all happened that night so very long ago.

What did Mary and Joseph talk about huddled together under the Christmas star? Did the animals wake the sleeping babe?

This year, as my son and I unpacked our Nativity, I thought most about Mary. I recalled when I was pregnant with my first, feeling ready but not ready. Not only was Mary a first-time mom, she was a teenage newlywed. She must have felt frightened, laboring and walking in the night, searching for a place to stay.

Still, she walked by faith. She honored God's intentions. She believed : in miracles.

Yes, we moms can learn a lot from Mary. About strength and sacrifice. About unconditional love.

Mary's birth story is not entirely unlike all birth stories. Mary endured great pain followed by great joy. She trusted Joseph to follow God's lead. And despite unforeseen circumstances, she welcomed a child. She could have given up but instead adapted to give her baby the best start possible.

As a mother, Mary demonstrated remarkable courage. She not only carried the stress of raising a child, said child was the foretold savior. Every burp. Every cry. Every sleepless night. His well being rested in her tired hands. I cannot begin to imagine.

And Mary knew. As Jesus grew into manhood, she knew the loss to come. She didn't waver in her devotion. Weeping, she let him go.

Looking at my Nativity, I realize the Christmas story is made up of several smaller tales. Each little figurine played a different part in that magical night. Every piece matters.

This weekend the Crossing Church will present "Christmas: A Story of Promise" at it's two campuses in Tampa and Ruskin. You can experience this retelling of Nativity at 4 and 6 p.m. on Saturday (Dec. 23) at the Tampa location, 10130 Tuscany Ridge, as well as 8:45 and 10:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. on Sunday (Dec. 24). Or at the Ruskin campus, 3058 E College Ave., at 8:45 and 10:30 a.m. on Sunday (Dec. 24).

For more information, visit wearecrossing.com/christmas.

Contact Sarah Whitman at sarahrothwhitman@gmail.com.

DOVER - Nearly 30 miles separate Jesuit High School and some of East Hillsborough's most impoverished migrant communities and families, but students from the school recently bridged the divide with two special efforts.

On Dec. 17, the Jesuit service club Agmen Christi provided dozens of gifts to migrant children in the Palms of Dover community. The children have a gift list, and children/gifts are matched to members of Agmen Christi, who buy the gift, wrap it, tag it and deliver it.

On Dec. 16, the Jesuit basketball team conducted its annual gift giving. It "adopts" a migrant family, which comes to Jesuit on a Saturday before Christmas and enjoys a special pre-game event.

Guided by head coach Neal Goldman, team members receive specific gift requests. Before school, the team took a trip to Walmart to purchase all of the presents.

Coach Goldman brought the family into the locker room and, with the lights dimmed, "Jesuit Santa" (former team manager Sebastian Rivers '16) came out in his blue Santa suit and brought out a bag full of gifts for each child.

Julie Snyder with the Migrant Education Program helps coordinate all Jesuit's efforts with the migrant families, including both the Jesuit basketball team and Agmen Christi outreach events.

The Upper Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce has been recognized as one of Florida's top chambers of commerce for "outstanding achievement and dedication to the industry,'' according to a news release.

The Florida Association of Chamber Professionals (FACP) named the Upper Tampa Bay organization tops among chambers with budgets under 500,000 to $1.

"Both 2017 chamber of the year recipients have much to be proud of and have demonstrated a high caliber of service to their communities and the members that they represent," said Tammy C. Bracewell, president of FACP and former president of the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce.

FACP is a statewide organization whose mission is "Advancing excellence in chamber management" and whose vision is "Enhancing Florida's business communities by cultivating successful chamber professionals," according to the release.

This year Sacred Heart Church will partner with Le Meridien Hotel for its third annual "Witness To History Christmas Tour" at 3 p.m. on Tuesday (Dec. 26) in downtown Tampa 509 N Florida Ave.

Both of these historic structures were completed in 1905 and have been across Twiggs Street from each other for 112 years, enduring through many of Tampa's historical events.

"This year is going to be much different," said Marguerite Brennan, docent and tour coordinator

"It's the first year we're partnering with Le Meridien next door so it's a good use of both buildings, and we've done some additional research and uncovered a few facts of the donors of the main altar."

All are welcome to attend this free event including new findings of the 27-foot high Carrera marble altar, new information regarding one of the German stained glass windows, and they hope to highlight the church's connection to the Spanish American War era.

Also, like past years the docents of Sacred Heart will be dressed in 1905 period attire to go along with the theme of the tour.

The hotel will offer two tours following the presentation at the church. The by ticket only hotel tours will be limited to 40 people per tour and the admissions tickets to the hotel will be given at the church following the presentation.

Many enjoy the event and Sacred Heart Church anticipates more than 200 guests.

"It's a gift to the community" Brennan said. "The people who come always have such wonderful questions and sometimes they put us on the spot, but it always serves as a jumping point for more research."

For more information contact The Sacred Heart church at (813) 991-0223 or Le Meridien Hotel at (813) 999-8209.

After the failure of the idea in 2015, there may be another move to enlarge the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners.

This time, however, there may be motives beyond increasing minority representation: Some Republicans apparently view expansion as a way to delay or prevent Democrats from gaining a board majority.

Two commissioners, Democrat Les Miller and Republican Stacy White, both said last week they've heard talk of changing the board, currently made up of three commissioners elected countywide and four elected from within districts.

Miller led a 2015 move to increase the number of district members. He hoped for a nine-member, all-district board. "But I was told that would be dead on arrival," he said.

Instead, he proposed a five-district, two-countywide plan. It was rejected by the county's Charter Review Board, which makes proposals for county charter changes every five years.

"I've heard some rumblings that at least one commissioner wants to bring up a plan" to go on the 2018 ballot, Miller said, and he would favor the idea again.

White said he's heard of a push "by the typical political players" for a nine-member board.

"I'm going to start doing my homework on it after the holidays in case it comes up," White said.

There's currently no Hispanic commissioner, and Miller is the only black commissioner. His District 3 has the biggest proportion of black and Hispanic voter shares, at 36 percent each.

Racial minorities usually need about 40 percent of a district for a good chance of electing a candidate, said Democratic political activist Patrick Manteiga, who has advocated for an enlarged board.

Manteiga said that's not just to elect a Hispanic commissioner, but to "create a greater chance for diversity of all kinds, economic, demographic and otherwise."

Meanwhile, Democrats, hoping for a political surge next year, believe they have a good chance of winning a third seat, "or if we're lucky and blessed, a 4-3 majority," Miller said.

Miller said the commissioner he has heard might bring up the idea is Republican Sandy Murman, who employs political consultant Anthony Pedicini - also said by insiders to have been discussing the idea. Murman couldn't be reached for comment; Pedicini wouldn't comment.

White said he's not interested in the partisan implications, only whether the proposal improves representation.

Former GOP chairman seeks limit on attack ads

Following negative campaigning in the state House District 58 primary, former county GOP Chairman Art Wood of Plant City is mounting an effort to have the local party adopt a measure combatting attack ads in primaries.

The county party executive board authorized him to form a committee to consider it and possibly propose new party rules, Wood said.

In the primary, Wood backed Yvonne Fry, subject of attack mailers by independent political committees. They operated separately from the campaign of her opponent, winner Lawrence McClure, but had links to his campaign staff.

Wood said he'd like to see action by the state party to apply statewide, not just in Hillsborough County, and would favor new state laws regulating independent committees, which have become a common tool for negative campaigning.

"I know that probably won't fly, but we've got to start somewhere," he said.

Conservative Sam Rashid leans toward Todd Marks

East Hillsborough conservative political activist Sam Rashid, long considered a county political kingmaker, is leaning toward backing Todd Marks in next year's District 1 county commission race.

Marks hasn't said he's running but has held meetings with groups of potential backers, including a one-on-one with Rashid, and said he's had good reactions.

Rashid said he's satisfied with Marks' conservative ideology, but wants to see a campaign plan before he decides.

Republican Aakash Patel, a first-time candidate, has already filed and raised substantial cash.

Term-limited Democratic state Rep. Janet Cruz has also filed, and Democrats consider the race their best shot at gaining a third county board seat.

Colton Curry is Jackie Toledo's new assistant

Colton Curry, who's considered running for a couple of East Hillsborough state House seats, is taking a job as Tallahassee legislative assistant for Rep. Jackie Toledo.

That doesn't mean that Curry, son of veteran conservative political activist Clif Curry, is abandoning his political aspirations. Legislative assistant jobs are a common first step toward a legislative career.

"I wanted to get up there and get some more experience," Curry said.

Contact William March at wemarch@gmail.com

TAMPA - If you've got some room on your gift list this year, consider buying gifts for teenagers in need.

Local charities say they're experiencing a shortage of gifts for young people ages 13 to 17.

Metropolitan Ministries spokeswoman Ariel Gibbs said the shortage was discovered during an inventory check for the organization's annual Holiday Tent, where more than 11,000 children are registered to receive 22,000 toys and gifts.

There also aren't enough gifts for girls ages 3 to 12.

To remedy that, officials are calling on the community to help stock shelves over the next few days, Gibbs said.

"We know this community is strong," she said. "They're giving people. We all just come together for one cause and that's to help our neighbors."

Headphones, sports equipment, watches, and beauty items make for great gifts for teens, Gibbs said.

Early learning toys and dolls are popular with young girls, she said.

"Whatever you would give your child, that's exactly what we're looking for," Gibbs said.

Teens also like gift cards for activities, like going to the movies or playing at entertainment centers, said Miracles Outreach operations manager Sonja Jordan.

Jordan said the group home for teen girls who are victims of human trafficking also is in need of unopened packages of underwear and socks and hygiene products.

Teens sometimes are left without gifts because it can be easier to shop for young boys and girls, she said.

"Most people want to buy for them," she said.

Family Promise of Greater Brandon currently has a healthy supply of toys and diapers, but additional donations are welcome, said case manager Kim Baker.

The nonprofit, which helps homeless families obtain permanent housing, is experiencing a shortage of gas cards and bus pass donations, she said.

Still, clients will have what they need most, she said.

"We have enough so that at least no one will go without," she said.

Contact Kenya Woodard at hillsnews@tampabay.com.

.HOLIDAY HELPING

Metropolitan Ministries: Send or drop off donations at 905 Governor St., in Tampa (at the intersection of Nebraska Avenue and Cass Street) or give online at metromin.org. Also, shop the online store at metromin.org/ourholidaystore.

Miracles Outreach: Send or drop off donations to 5718 N. 56th St., in Tampa or give online at miraclesoutreach.org.

Family Promise of Greater Brandon: Send or drop donations off at 121 Carver St., in Brandon or donate online at familypromisebrandon.org.

Holiday Giving Tree: Hillsborough County's Aging Services department needs volunteers to sort and deliver items collected for homebound seniors through its Holiday Giving Tree program. Contact Veronica Maxwell at maxwellv@HCFLGov.net or call (813) 853-2017.

Feeding the Less Fortunate: Women Helping Others of Tampa Bay will gather at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Borrell Park, 808 E 26th Ave. Sign up to help serve, donate a dish, toiletry or clothing at goo.gl/8qDE3Q.

Trinity Cafe: The cafe that serves the homeless and food insecure notes that its volunteer rolls are particularly light from Jan. 1 moving forward. Visit trinitycafe.org.

No Strings Attached: The grassroots effort that shows love to Tampa Bay residents in need by distributing clothing and toiletries every year on Christmas mornings and could use a hand. Visit nosacares.org.

TAMPA - Inside a nondescript conference room at Tampa General Hospital on Dec. 7, the face of global health was changing.

Sixteen physicians from the cities of Lanzhou and Guigang, China, surrounded by American snacks and coffee mugs bearing the University of South Florida Health logo, took notes from a PowerPoint slideshow about leadership written in Chinese and English.

Dr. John Sinnott, chairman of USF Internal Medicine, paused between sentences to allow a translator to speak.

"Your hospital should be constantly measuring infections in hospital rooms and always improving," he said. "Do you understand?"

The presentation was one of many given throughout the year by Sinnott's Leadership Enhancement and Development program, or LEAD, which partners Tampa General with USF Health to bring the knowledge of senior American hospital administrators to medical centers in developing countries like China, Thailand and Panama.

"Chinese hospitals do not have CEOs with master's degrees, so as physicians they really don't have access to leadership skills," said Dr. Lynette Menezes, USF Health International's assistant vice president and assistant dean of USF Medicine International.

"Many of the doctors who have come here and trained with us are now leading their hospitals as vice presidents or department chairs."

The LEAD program was created in 2000, when Sinnott and Menezes traveled to India to train more than 150 physicians to better manage the HIV epidemic that was sweeping the country at that time, bringing some of the doctors back to the U.S. to learn prevention and treatment strategies.

In 2009, doctors from the city of Lanzhou, which had embarked on a project to expand its medical infrastructure, visited Tampa General and liked what they saw enough to sign an official agreement.

One year later, the first group of hospital administrators arrived in Tampa to learn how to run their new centers.

Over the last four years, Lanzhou has built nine 2,000-bed hospitals, and the LEAD program has brought prestige in global medicine to both Tampa General and USF Health.

USF President Judy Genshaft has accompanied Sinnott on several trips. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn went on one of 2016's trips to help establish an official sister-city relationship between Lanzhou and Tampa.

"Diseases don't know borders anymore," Sinnott said. "My doctors here need to know what's happening, for example, in India, and Indian doctors need to know what's happening here. And these doctors go home and talk about what a wonderful hospital Tampa General is."

Sinnott estimated that the visiting doctors' hotel stays, which they pay for in addition to their income-based tuition for the program, accounts for about 9,000 nights into Tampa's economy.

The doctors now visiting stay at the new West Wing Boutique Hotel on Fowler Avenue, where they like to swim after a long day of learning and enjoy shopping and dinner on their own at local restaurants. One of them is Hong Kong House, which they said has "awesome" food.

"Tampa is a very beautiful city, near the sea," said Dr. Nan Wang, a cardiologist who has been to the United States once before to study at Emory University in Atlanta. "The weather is very comfortable!"

Menezes said that about 50 percent of the doctors who participate in LEAD are women, and most are between the ages of 30 and 40 - demonstrating a gradual shift to a new generation of hospital leaders.

"I know the U.S. is getting better at this, because we see a lot more females in our medical schools," she said. "But I feel from my visits to China that there is a lot more gender equality when it comes to women in leadership roles."

Sinnott said he uses "a fair amount" of his own money for program expenses, and Menezes spends her evenings and weekends making the dozens of phone calls required to keep a global health initiative running. The physicians don't earn extra pay for running the LEAD program.

"One of the most satisfying things to me is to do something for someone with no expectation that you would ever be paid back for it," said Sinnott. "You're just doing it for altruistic reasons, and that is really why people go into medicine."

Contact Libby Baldwin at lbaldwin@tampabay.com. Follow her at @LibBaldwin

The Tampa Bay Times' 12th annual Holiday Hopes campaign brought an array of stories to our readers.

Over the past five weeks, we learned of Joselynn Colon's perseverance through a troubled childhood and Carol Piller's challenge to care for her child with learning disabilities.

We discovered the struggle of Jose De Jesus Sierra and Sheila Reyes, who relocated to Tampa after Hurricane Maria wrecked their home in Puerto Rico, and we cheered for Jonathan Black and his family as they endure Jonathan's battle with cancer.

Here's how our readers responded to these stories and lent hope during the holidays.

•••

A handmade red and white Santa Claus stocking and decorative holiday table cloth reflect the kindness of Times readers for the Reyes family.

Among the family's request after relocating from storm-ravaged Puerto Rico was a sewing machine so Reyes could continue making costumes and outfits. She went right to work after a reader personally dropped off a sewing machine.

Having to share a two-bedroom mobile home with other relatives, the family of five also sought toys for their kids and, with any luck, a home that would provide more room than the cramped conditions they endure.

They received hundreds of dollars in gift cards for Wal-Mart and Publix. People also sent bags of toys, baby supplies, food and even wine through Course of Action PR, a local nonprofit. The father got job offers and is now working at a job installing floors.

Someone else offered them a rent-free guest house, and another person donated a bunch of furniture to put in the guest house. The guest house is too small for them at 600 square feet. But A local realtor offered to help them buy a house with zero closing costs when they're ready.

•••

Carol Piller and her husband, Wayne, struggle with medical bills for their 13-year-old son, Nicholas, who has cerebral palsy and other health problems, and supplement their meals with food from pantries, including Feeding Tampa Bay. Piller developed a tumor on her leg that, though benign, caused considerable nerve damage that forced Piller to give up her job as a teacher's aide.

Doctors have said that aquatic therapy would help strengthen Nicholas' weak muscles, so Piller's Holiday Hopes request was for a pool.

Working through Feeding Tampa Bay, one reader offered to let Nicholas use her pool, but Piller said the distance was too great to be practicable. Another reader is willing to donate an above-ground pool, but the Homeowner's Association in Piller's neighborhood prohibits them.

She said she and her husband planned to appeal to the HOA president for an exception to the rules. And two other readers donated cash; one sent 1,000.

"It is a nice surprise,'' Piller said, who said she planned to thank all who made offers to help.

•••

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office detention deputy Jonathan Black sought prayers for his recent diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, and awareness of carbon monoxide poison that took the life of his daughter Emily in December of 2015.

Since the article published, they've received at least an additional 18,660 raised in donations which is 93 percent of their 18,660 has been raised by 183 people in the last three weeks.

Jonathan recently received a port placement that went well and has started his chemotherapy treatments.

•••

Joselynn Colon is a student at Starting Right, Now, a program for homeless teens. The 19-year-old Hillsborough Community College sought clothes befitting her pursuit of working as a paramedic, as well as winter wear and a phone.

Starting Right, Now director Vicki Sokolik said email inquiries offering to help have poured in since Colon's story about enduring human sex trafficking as a child was first published Nov. 26.

Colon also got a chance to meet with officials from Americare Ambulance, a connection she believes will pay off in the future.

Times staff writer Ernest Hooper, Libby Baldwin, Philip Morgan and Monique Welch contributed to this report.

Mark Saunders led his first Christmas Eve service at Bay Life Church in Brandon 13 years ago. Though the world has changed a bit, the message never will, says Saunders, 48. Whatever divides people, Jesus remains the hope for mankind.

Saunders recently spoke with Tampa Bay Times religion columnist Sarah Whitman about his Christmas message, the lack of peace in the world today and why a certain cereal is among his holiday traditions.

What does the Christmas season mean to you?

Christmas is the beginning of the redemption season. It is a celebration of the birth of Christ, who needed to be born so he could die and we could be forgiven.

What sermon themes do you focus on this time of year?

I am preaching a series right now on what the Angel sang, glory to God in the highest. That is the theme of the season, that God be praised in the highest. Jesus came as the giver of peace to mankind through belief. He offered us connection to God in our own lives, God's grace and favor.

In America, 2017 was a bit of a rough year. What are your thoughts? How can people hold onto hope?

I agree things are not peaceful. There is a lot of anxiety in our world today. The Greek word for anxiety means torn apart or separated, divided. There is a lot of division in our country along political and even racial lines. Jesus came to be the unifier. That's what peace is. That's what gives me hope. Despite our differences and division, if we Christians do it right, God will bring us peace.

What are your Christmas traditions?

Stockings by the fire. Christmas trees. Gifts. All those things. When our children were little they used to act out the Christmas story reading from the Bible and our dog would be the sheep. We've always emphasized Christmas is more about giving than receiving. It's about God's gift to us. Oh, and since age 7, I've eaten a bowl of Froot Loops every Christmas morning. That's my tradition. When I was a kid my family always followed a very sensible diet because we had limited resources. My father's checks from the church weren't very much so to get to eat sugared cereal was huge. It was like a gift to splurge and eat Fruit Loops instead of the Cheerios from the bag.

Your children are now grown. Do they still partake in the Froot Loops?

Heck yeah. We passed that one on.

For some families, gathering together can be stressful? What advice can you offer for keeping the peace among kin?

You are responsible to people but not for people. You can't control what other people do but you can control how you react. Love those who don't love you. Choose peace regardless if the people around you choose peace. Focus on gifts you've already received in life, on family and faith. The rest is just extra. Keep the main thing in mind. Jesus. That's the main thing. Then the stress, it will float away.

For those grieving or alone this season, what comfort do you offer?

We try as a church to be a family to those without family.

What do you have planned for Christmas Eve services?

I'll be talking about God's favor. We have those little flashlight candles. It's going to be pretty cool.

Christmas Eve is on Sunday this year? Does that make your life easier as a pastor?

Jesus is worth the fuss, so we're happy to do it, whenever the event falls.

What are your New Year's resolutions? For the church? For yourself?

We try to live by resolve all year long, to put the priorities of God first. Bay Life is on a mission to share the good news of Jesus Christ and put God first. My personal resolutions are to continue to love my wife and kids. Also, to be a Christian first and pastor second, to put my faith before my job.

Sunday Conversation is edited for brevity and clarity. Contact Sarah Whitman at sarahrothwhitman@gmail.com

PLANT CITY - When Plant City resident Jeraldine Williams walked through the halls of the School of Journalism at the University of Florida in 1963, she wasn't just bringing a new mind to the table. She single-handedly revolutionized the program.

Williams was the only African American student to have ever passed through those doors, forever integrating the college. At 17 years old she began crafting a legacy, planting seeds in a garden that will blossom for decades to come.

Williams was honored last month at the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists' annual Griot Drum Awards-&-Scholarship Banquet for her revolutionary life.

"At age 17, I walked where angels feared to tread," Williams said at the banquet. "When I walked on that campus there were 2,000 acres. There were 14,000 white students. There were 14 black students and I was the only one in journalism. Frightening."

Williams' father proved to be a driving force and pushed her to graduation day. She said he worked so hard to keep her in school and the immense pride he had in his daughter kept her from ever giving up, despite the trials she underwent to pursue her degree.

While on campus she was asked if she grew up in the ghetto, and one girl stared at her for a long period of time before finally asking where her extra bone was that allowed black people to run so fast.

Her fellow students decided the best way to handle the integration was to put Williams through social isolation. For four years, every white student on campus acted as if she did not exist.

They did not speak to her. They did not acknowledge her. Williams said she always walked through campus on guard, that she knew all it would take was one person to react violently for things to quickly lose control. She carried that sense of vulnerability around with her for the entirety of her education.

For four years, she was alone. But when graduation day arrived, she walked across that stage knowing she could handle anything thrown at her, that she could survive and prosper regardless of the obstacles in her path.

While at UF, she joined the Alligator student newspaper and began a rivalry with a fellow journalist to compete for the Hearst Awards. Once again, she came out on top.

During her senior year at UF, Williams became the first African American to win on the national level of the William Randolph Hearst Writing Competition. She received a silver medallion and a check from U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey and William Randolph Hearst Jr. for placing second nationwide. In 2014, the Hearst Foundation featured her during its 50-year anniversary.

Her whirlwind career began at the St. Petersburg Times, where she worked as a general assignment reporter. Then she pursued a masters of business administration at Atlanta University, since renamed Clark Atlanta University, so she could have the traditional "black college experience."

By 1972 she was the first black and first female manager in the Hillsborough Savings and Loan industry. Then she pursued a law degree at Florida State University. Though she never studied for the LSAT, she passed with flying colors and was accepted.

"I was living a life of leadership, of role modeling, of dispelling untruths, of establishing horizons," Williams said. "I felt a sense of duty to walk through those doors that were beginning to open for me, to pave the way for others to follow."

Soon after, she became the owner and publisher of the Capitol Outlook weekly newspaper in Tallahassee and opened her own law practice. She ended up in the hospital because she was overworked. When the doctor told her she had to slow down she smiled and nodded, then found an inner reserve of energy and continued right where she left off. She would not be left behind.

A political revolution was beginning an ocean away and Williams packed her bags to watch history unfold in South Africa with the election of Nelson Mandela.

She became a writer for Ebony - South Africa and joined an organization that helped educate people on how to vote, as it was the first time in the country's history people of all races were allowed to vote.

A plethora of unique and awe-inspiring experiences have filled Williams' years, ranging from meeting world leaders to going on exclusive nocturnal safaris. She is in the process now of capturing each moment in an autobiography, which she hopes to publish soon.

Through it all, the one memory that stands above all others was winning the Hearst award all those years ago at UF. That moment set her on a path of success, one she hopes will inspire others to reach for greatness.

"Leaving Tampa was my graduation, entering UF was my commencement into an integrated society," Williams said. "I felt rewarded for having chosen, as a child, to take the path that I took. I felt a sense of success in that I have made a meaningful contribution."

Contact Breanne Williams at bwilliams@plantcityobserver.com.

TAMPA - There will be multiple events leading up to the New Year's Day Outback Bowl game between the Michigan Wolverines and South Carolina Gamecocks.

Bowl staff and city officials will greet the teams as they arrive at their hotels on Tuesday (Dec. 26). On Wednesday (Dec. 27), the players will participate in Players Night at Splitsville, 615 Channelside Drive. Attendees can enjoy an evening of fun and games and watch the teams compete off the field in a bowling match up. Doors open to the public at 7:15 p.m.

Both teams will enjoy an outing at Busch Gardens, 10165 N McKinley Drive, with their fans for the attractions and festivities on Thursday (Dec. 28).

Catch the Gamecocks and the Wolverines at the Tampa Bay Lightning game on Friday (Dec. 29) at Amalie Arena, 401 Channelside Drive. Both teams will be hosted by the Lightning for the game. To order tickets, call (813) 301-6600 or visit ticketmater.com.

The Battle of the Bands will take place on Sunday (Dec. 31) with both bands squaring off at Busch Gardens. Admission to the park is required with times to be announced. Later that day, the Outback Bowl kicks off the New Years Eve celebrations with a parade and pep rally in Ybor City.

The parade will feature floats and about 20 marching bands including the two college bands. The pep rally features another Battle of the Bands performance and cheerleaders from both universities. This is a free family friendly event. The parade starts at 5:30 p.m. and runs along Seventh Avenue. Attendees should not bring coolers, glass containers or open alcohol on the streets.

Attendees over the age of 21 can also celebrate New Years Eve at Aqua Eve at the Florida Aquarium, 701 Channelside Drive. Enjoy live music, complementary food, beer and wine along with a champagne toast. All Aquarium exhibits will be open. Cash bar will be available. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (813) 273-4000 or visit flaquarium.org.

For more information about the Outback Bowl and events going on before game day, visit outbackbowl.com.

Ever since the city of Tampa was incorporated in 1855 during the first term of Mayor Dick Greco, our little hamlet has evolved and morphed and redefined itself.

And it continues to do so to this day.

When I first arrived here in 1973, Tampa was a gritty, bump and a beer, blue collar place. Indeed, what is now considered tony Harbor Island real estate in those old days was merely a scraggly spit of a landfill called Seddon Island. Who knew it had such potential, or even cared?

It often has taken Tampa a little while to figure out its potential. Part of its charm, I suppose.

But 2017 certainly saw the city awaken to a potentially brighter future, thanks to Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, who finds himself in the unique position of literally remaking Tampa's core downtown area.

Vinik's $3 billion investment in transforming some 50-plus acres in the heart of the city into a commercial, retail and residential development is virtually unprecedented. Not since the Chicago fire perhaps has a urban core been almost completely redeveloped. Vinik prefers the name Water Street Tampa. But that's no fun. I still like Upper Vinikvalia, or perhaps Greater Vinik Estates. But it's his money.

Everyone on this side of the bay got all excited when the Tampa Bay Rays received permission from St. Petersburg to look around for a new home to play baseball. And they got even more lathered up when Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan announced that new spot may be a locale in Ybor City abutting the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway.

It still might happen. But now that all the frothing has subsided a bit, two questions remain: A) where do the scores of Rays fans park and B) who is going to pay for what could be a new ballpark estimated to cost between 800 million? Details. Details.

When the late entertainer Ethel Merman wrote her memoir, the chapter on her marriage to the actor Ernest Borgnine was a simple blank page. The same might be said about Tampa's 2017 progress on public transportation. Another year of - nothing, except yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah. Oh, we did have a brief flirtation with a cross-bay ferry. It was very lovely. But it's not coming back. Let's move on.

Once again the Tampa Bay area dodged a windy bullet when Hurricane Irma shifted course a bit and spared the region a direct hit. Still, the storm was a reminder of just how vulnerable we can be.

Tampa became the focus of national attention as a serial killer stalked his victims in Seminole Heights. The tragic event also served a stressful trial by fire for then acting Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan, who came across as an accessible, self-effacing determined leader. It was a performance that rightly earned him the full-time job.

Elsewhere, though, the Tampa Fire Department fell victim to its own self-inflicted embarrassment when former firefighter Tanja Vidovic successfully prevailed in a federal lawsuit that claimed she had been sexually harassed on the job. It was a legal action that never should have made it to trial and only exposed a fire department loaded with good-old-boy sexists in its leadership ranks. Not one of Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn's - who failed to clean up the TFD, or settle with Vidovic - finer moments.

Buckhorn still has well over a year in office before he is term-limited in 2019. But already the chess pieces of succession are moving around the board. City Councilman Mike Suarez, who has been humming Hail To The Mayor for the past seven years is expected to run. Former Police Chief Jane Castor seems all but assured of jumping in, too. And there are a few other folks with all the name recognition of Millard Fillmore's vice president (he had none) who delude themselves into thinking they can be mayor.

Then there is philanthropist and gray eminence David Straz, a wealthy captain of industry, who is noodling around a possible mayoral bid. Just why a fabulously affluent man in his 70s would want to be mayor is a mystery.

But whatever the answer, it sure ought to make 2018 worth sticking around for to see what happens next.

TAMPA - As people take stock of their new holiday gifts, the folks at U.S. Special Operations Command are waiting to see if anyone will check items off their list of whiz-bang commando gear.

SOCom's latest wish list is focused on optics, long-range facial recognition, drugs and technologies to improve the brain, and propaganda.

The request mentions no specific adversaries, but among the technologies sought are pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods of enhancing commando cognitive abilities, gear that will allow snipers to positively identify targets at and beyond the effective range of sniper rounds, and drones that can drop Wi-Fi systems and other tools behind lines to spread information.

Interested parties have until Jan. 12 to submit their ideas. More information is available by contacting tech_exp@socom.mil or at (813) 826-4646.

SOCom, with headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, spends billions of dollars every year on goods and services for Navy SEALs, Army Delta Force, Green Berets and Rangers, Marine Raiders and Air Force commandos.

A major part of the command's mission is developing new gear. To help meet that goal, it solicits ideas and hosts technical experimentation events so innovators can get their ideas into the hands of the people who will use them.

The latest request for information seeks candidates from research and development organizations, private industry and academia interested in showcasing their ideas at the SOCom Technical Experimentation Event to be held from March 26 to March 30 at the Camp Atterbury-Muscatatuck Center for Complex Operations in Indiana.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, commandos have been at the forefront of U.S. military operations. But with such a heavy load, the force of nearly 70,000 is strained.

To help offset that, SOCom is seeking ways to make the human body function more effectively through what is known as neuroenhancement and neuromodulation technologies. The command also is seeking medical therapies for the nervous system to help restore function, relieve pain and control symptoms.

SOCom also is looking to expand the tools available to commandos.

One objective is to track high-value targets - enemy leaders or other important people such as al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden, killed in a 2011 Navy SEAL raid.

So the command is seeking long-range facial identification technology that can work in areas with poor or no communications. The technology would match potential targets against a watch list, allow the user to edit the watch list, and correct for turbulence and other conditions for ranges greater than 500 meters.

Commandos also are responsible for what the military calls military information support operations, or psychological operations, including what's better known as propaganda.

Toward this end, SOCom is seeking drones that can enter heavily defended airspace or terrain to disseminate information on the battlefield. The command is looking for drones that can make precision leaflet drops, carry and place Wi-Fi transponders and broadcast equipment anywhere on the globe it's needed.

SOCom is seeking other capabilities as well, like true-color night vision equipment that will eventually replace the eerie green glowing images now in use, and technologies that will improve the abilities of troops that call in airstrikes - called Joint Terminal Attack Controllers - to find and point out targets.

Contact Howard Altman at haltman@tampabay.com or (813) 225-3112. Follow @haltman.

As 2017 ended, Hillsborough County Democrats were energized and optimistic that big wins are coming, and Republicans were worried.

But so far, there's not much tangible evidence either way.

Will the anti-Trump backlash produce a "blue wave" of Democratic candidates, votes and wins in 2018?

So far, it's mostly speculation, based on elections in other counties or other states, demonstrations at town hall meetings and social media buzz.

"Florida is just not predictable," said University of South Florida political analyst Susan MacManus.

The beginning of the year saw Democrats in shock over Donald Trump's election, but local Republicans also saw a problem.

Hillary Clinton had won the county by seven points, even while Trump narrowly won the state - the first time in decades the county had voted against a Republican winner.

Demographic changes are turning Hillsborough blue, said MacManus, who's politically neutral.

"Younger voters are becoming a bigger part of the electorate, along with more Hispanics, particularly Puerto Ricans, moving in," and urbanization is accelerating the trend, she said.

As Trump took office, signs of a grassroots backlash began to appear locally and nationwide.

Republican congress members became reluctant to hold town hall meetings in Tampa as Democrats crowded in, asking hostile questions about Republican attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Individuals who hadn't been involved in politics started joining online groups linked to the Indivisible movement, a grassroots lobbying effort opposing Trump and repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

Downtown lawyer Erin Aebel, who formerly only made campaign contributions, formed a group named Surly Feminists for the Revolution, calling Trump's election "a slap in the face."

Melissa Gallagher, an apolitical Tampa working mother, formed an Indivisible-linked Facebook group, then used it to organize a "town hall meeting" for Republican Sen. Marco Rubio in his absence, emphasizing his refusal to hold one.

Others got involved in the Democratic Party.

County Chairman Ione Townsend boasts 270 precinct representatives, up from 134 last year, even though the numbers usually drop after presidential elections, and has unprecedented attendance at party meetings.

County Republicans, meanwhile, dropped from around 250 to about 190 now, said Chairman Deborah Tamargo, and are having some of the same kinds of divisiveness problems that used to plague Democrats.

Democrats were energized this summer when the GOP county commission majority, reluctant to anger their conservative base, couldn't decide how to respond to demands to remove a Confederate monument at the county office building.

They awkwardly reversed themselves when prominent Democratic lawyer Tom Scarritt raised money to pay for its removal, giving Democrats a public relations victory.

Democrats rode another wave of elation in November when St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, a Democrat, unexpectedly held off a challenge from Republican former mayor Rick Baker.

It's a non-partisan office across the bay, but both Hillsborough parties got involved. Tampa Democrats did fundraising and phone banking for Kriseman.

"I think it's real," MacManus said of the Democratic resurgence. "A big proof is the energy and numbers of new people showing up at county party meetings."

Even Republican stalwarts are worried.

East Hillsborough conservative Sam Rashid, an influential force in county elections, said he's not sure Republicans can win a countywide commissioner's race next year.

"There's going to be a Democratic turnout that's energized," he said. "A countywide race is going to be a nightmare. Look at what happened in Alabama," where Democrat Doug Jones beat Republican Roy Moore in what should have been an easy GOP win.

But will that energy translate into candidates challenging incumbent Republicans with a chance of success?

On that, MacManus demurred.

"This is a mid-term," she said, less advantageous for Democrats than presidential years. "If things get better for Trump, putting all your eggs in the anti-Trump basket won't work."

So far, concrete signs are few.

Of the three Republican congressmen representing Hillsborough - Gus Bilirakis, Vern Buchanan and Dennis Ross - none appears threatened by any of the several Democrats filed against them.

Democrats have high hopes that term-limited state Rep. Janet Cruz will nab the District 1 county commission seat Commissioner Sandy Murman plans to vacate in 2018, boosting their commission minority from 2-5 to 3-4.

Murman plans to resign to run for a countywide seat.

But so far, the Democrats challenging her and three other GOP incumbents - Victor Crist, Ken Hagan and Stacy White - look like underdogs.

Democrats hope for strong challenges to three Tampa Republican state legislators - Sen. Dana Young and Reps. Shawn Harrison and Jackie Toledo.

Bob Buesing, who lost to Young last year, probably will run again, but Democrats have sought an alternative, and so far, no one has filed against Harrison or Toledo.

Half a dozen other local GOP legislators in less-vulnerable districts have no Democratic challengers or comparative unknowns.

A wave of candidate announcements is likely after Jan. 1.