The resurgence of Coconut Grove

Once upon a distant time, the village center of old Coconut Grove was so anything-goes mellow that a blind man — folk-rock star Jose Feliciano, to be specific — could pedal a bicycle a short way down the street without fear of running into anything. That was long ago, during a near-mythical age when hippies,…

Hillsborough gets tough on blighted properties

TAMPA — Many Hillsborough County neighborhoods continue to be victimized by illegal dumping, overgrown lots and dilapidated houses. When conditions like these persist, experts say, crime proliferates and a general sense of hopelessness overcomes a community. Hillsborough’s Code Enforcement Department is launching new initiatives aimed at attacking blighted conditions quickly before they worsen. Assistant County…

Documentary unravels Ybor cigar history

Ybor City’s cigar industry origins are the subject of A Legacy of Smoke, a documentary short making its Tampa premiere 4 p.m. Sunday at the appropriately historic Tampa Theatre. This one-time-only screening is sponsored by El Centro Español de Tampa, billed as Tampa’s oldest ethnic social club, incorporated in 1891. A Legacy of Smoke chronicles…