Politics

Tampa City Council got its first look today at an ordinance that would outlaw loud car stereos.

It may soon be illegal for Tampa drivers to blast their music, or any other kind of sound, loud enough to be heard clearly from 50 feet away. That's the width of a professional basketball court.

Politicians take positions on issues all of the time. It's part of their job.

And while reasonable people might say that times change, so positions can change, too -- well, politics is not always reasonable.

When a politician changes a position, their opponents are more than likely going to claim they "flip-flopped."

So, holding politicians to the same standards they hold each other, PolitiFact Florida is citing some notable flip-flops this week.

State lawmakers wrapped up the session less than two weeks ago and many have taken to the public circuit explaining their votes.

Eight members of the Pinellas County Legislative Delegation convened Tuesday to face questions from the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club.

With a few exceptions, the state senators and representatives from both the Republican and Democrat sides of the aisle praised the bipartisanship mood of the 2013 session.

Developers are looking to build a 36-story apartment building  in downtown Tampa, at the intersection of Tyler and Cass streets. The Tampa City Council will vote tonight on selling the lot - the first formal step toward the high-rise.

The 400-foot-tall apartment building would be built on one acre, with the Straz Center for the Performing Arts to its north and the John F. Germany Public Library to its east.