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  • Issue #668: Quiet Atlantic Eyes Late-Start Record, USF Launches $500M Uptown Landing, Florida Targets AI Crime, TSA Opens Gates, Bucs Lock Up Baker

Issue #668: Quiet Atlantic Eyes Late-Start Record, USF Launches $500M Uptown Landing, Florida Targets AI Crime, TSA Opens Gates, Bucs Lock Up Baker

9/9/2026

Author

Ted Grellner
09 Sep

GOOD MORNING

Without being able to produce images for this newsletter edition, I was able to squeeze in an extra story or two. Let me know if you preferred the extra story or having pictures w/stories.

Dr Ted
USAF Retired

 
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In this issue of NewTampa | WesleyChapel Local Pulse

Our Event Calendar - (Please post events of interest to our NT|WC Live Events Calendar) - Sorry - Out of Order

— Where Are the Hurricanes? Atlantic Could Set a New Record for Late Start

Local News

— USF Breaks Ground on Nearly $500 Million Uptown Landing Development

OMG!

— Florida AG Proposes Criminal Penalties for AI Companies When Chatbots Facilitate Crimes

Of Interest

— New TSA Program Lets PreCheck Members Visit Airport Gates Without a Plane Ticket

Sports

— Baker Mayfield, Bucs Agree to Blockbuster Three-Year, $165 Million Extension

Where Are the Hurricanes? Atlantic Could Set a New Record for Late Start

The Atlantic hurricane season remains unusually quiet as it approaches its climatological peak, with forecasters watching to see whether the basin could set a notable record.

FOX 13 Meteorologist Jim Weber reports that no tropical development is expected during the next seven days, with Saharan dust and strong wind shear associated with El Niño helping suppress storm formation.

The quiet stretch is particularly unusual for early September, traditionally one of the busiest periods of Atlantic hurricane season. According to historical records, Sept. 11 is the latest date during the satellite era that the season’s first Atlantic hurricane has formed.

If the Atlantic reaches that date without producing a hurricane, the existing record could be broken.

Despite the lack of activity, hurricane season continues through Nov. 30, leaving plenty of time for conditions to change. The current lull therefore does not eliminate the possibility of significant tropical activity later in the season.

USF Breaks Ground on Nearly $500 Million Uptown Landing Development

The University of South Florida has broken ground on Uptown Landing USF, a nearly $500 million mixed-use development that will transform the former Claw golf course north of Fletcher Avenue in Tampa.

The first phase, expected to open by fall 2028, will redevelop about 27 acres with 700 student housing beds, 150 apartments, four to six restaurants, retail space, green areas and a 150-room hotel and conference center.

Plans also include a roughly 350,000-square-foot Translational Research Institute, designed to accommodate about 100 NIH-funded researchers and approximately 1,000 additional researchers.

Private development is expected to cost about $270 million, while the research facility is estimated at $225 million. Hillsborough County has committed $24 million for related infrastructure and public-safety improvements.

The project will sit near USF’s new $348 million football stadium and is intended to create a new gateway connecting the university with the surrounding Tampa community.

Florida AG Proposes Criminal Penalties for AI Companies When Chatbots Facilitate Crimes

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is proposing legislation that could impose criminal penalties on AI companies when their chatbots facilitate criminal activity, part of a broader push for accountability as artificial intelligence becomes more widespread.

Announced Tuesday in Tampa, the developing framework could include substantial fines, payments to victims, court-ordered monitoring and possible business suspensions following a conviction. Uthmeier said the proposal is still being developed with lawmakers and is not intended to ban AI.

The announcement comes as Uthmeier’s office continues a criminal investigation and civil lawsuit involving OpenAI and ChatGPT. The state previously announced both actions separately.

Officials also raised concerns about AI-generated medical advice, scams, voice cloning and malware. Uthmeier said Florida needs a stronger legal framework as AI advances, while emphasizing that the technology can provide significant benefits when used responsibly.

An astonishing fact about AI-enabled crime that is not commonly known:

A single employee was once the only real person on an entire business video conference. In a 2024 Hong Kong fraud case, criminals used AI deepfakes to impersonate the company’s CFO and several other colleagues simultaneously. Convinced by the familiar faces and voices, the employee made 15 transfers totaling about $25.6 million.

What makes this especially relevant now is the scale of AI-enabled crime. The FBI says that in 2025 alone, its Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 22,000 complaints involving AI, with reported losses exceeding $893 million.

The surprising lesson: seeing and hearing someone you know on a live-looking video call is no longer reliable proof that the person is actually there. The FBI recommends independently contacting the supposed sender or caller through a known number when authenticity matters.

New TSA Program Lets PreCheck Members Visit Airport Gates Without a Plane Ticket

The Transportation Security Administration has launched Gateside by TSA PreCheck, a new program allowing eligible PreCheck members to pass through security and enter airport gate areas without an airline ticket.

The service is free, but visitors must apply online one to three days before their planned airport visit. Approved passes are valid for one calendar day and permit re-entry that day.

The program is currently offered at 13 airports nationwide, including Los Angeles International, Dallas-Fort Worth International, Harry Reid International in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City International.

Approved visitors present identification and can use TSA PreCheck screening lanes, although Touchless ID lanes are excluded. Unlike traditional airline-issued gate passes, which require standard security screening, Gateside gives eligible visitors access to PreCheck lanes.

The program could make it easier to accompany departing loved ones or greet arriving family and friends directly at their gates.

Baker Mayfield, Bucs Agree to Blockbuster Three-Year, $165 Million Extension

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have secured their starting quarterback for the foreseeable future, agreeing to a three-year, $165 million contract extension with Baker Mayfield, according to NFL and ESPN insider Adam Schefter.

The agreement ends a contentious summer of negotiations. Mayfield had made clear that he wanted a new deal completed before playing the final year of his existing contract, putting added pressure on both sides to reach an agreement.

Mayfield, 31, is entering his fourth season with Tampa Bay after rebuilding his career with the Buccaneers. During his time with the team, he has compiled a 27-24 regular-season record and a 1-2 playoff record.

The extension gives Tampa Bay long-term stability at quarterback and keeps Mayfield at the center of the franchise’s plans. After months of uncertainty surrounding his future, the Buccaneers now head into the season with their quarterback situation firmly settled.

Tampa Bay’s Best Live Music

Aug
Source:

Things to do Around Pasco this weekend:
Sept
Source:
Things to do Around
Tampa & WC
9/3- 9/9
Source:
tampabaybeacons.com

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