| The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater,
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| | the fort, which was decommissioned in
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| Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area,
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| | 1883. Except for two cannons now on the
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| also known as the Tampa Bay area or
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| | University of Tampa campus, all traces of
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| simply Tampa Bay after the body of water
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| | the fort are gone.
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| it surrounds, is a metropolitan area on
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| | Tampa was incorporated on January 18,
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| the Gulf coast of west-central Florida.
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| | 1849 with 185 inhabitants (excluding
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| It includes the cities of Tampa, St.
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| | military personnel stationed at Fort
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| Petersburg and Clearwater, as well as
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| | Brooke). The town's first census came in
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| numerous other small municipalities in
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| | 1850 when Tampa-Fort Brooke accounted for
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| Pasco, Hernando, Pinellas, and
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| | 974 residents. Tampa was reincorporated
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| Hillsborough counties. The population for
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| | as a town on December 15, 1855, and Judge
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| the Tampa Bay area currently stands at
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| | Joseph B. Lancaster became the first
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| 2,589,637; as of a July 4, 2005 estimate.
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| | Mayor in 1856. During the Civil War, Fort
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| It is experiencing urban sprawl and the
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| | Brooke was occupied by Confederate
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| area grows at an average of 20,000 to
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| | troops, and martial law was declared in
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| 40,000 residents every year, which is
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| | Tampa. In 1862, a Union gunboat shelled
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| about 200,000 to 400,000 every 10 years.
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| | the city during the Battle of Tampa.
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| Most of the sprawl has occurred in the
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| | Union forces took Fort Brooke in May of
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| more rural areas because of more
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| | 1864, and occupied the town for the next
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| affordable land; such areas are Lutz,
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| | year.
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| Land O' Lakes, Pasco County and Hernando
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| | Phosphate was discovered in the Bone
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| County. The West Coast of Florida, on the
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| | Valley region near Tampa in 1883. Tampa
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| Gulf of Mexico is considered a tourist
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| | is now one of the world's leading
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| destination as the weather is
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| | phosphate exporters. Henry B. Plant's
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| semi-tropical and the region contains
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| | railroad reached the town shortly
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| significant natural beauty, including
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| | thereafter, enabling the commercial
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| brilliant sunsets, exotic foliage, and
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| | fishing industry to thrive.
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| attractive scenery. The Tampa Bay area
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| | In 1885, the Tampa Board of Trade
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| contains three major public beaches.
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| | persuaded Vincente M. Ybor to move his
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| Coastal access and ports provide the
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| | cigar manufacturing operations to Tampa
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| opportunity to observe dolphins, manatees
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| | from Key West. The Ybor City district was
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| and other sea life, experience deep sea
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| | built to accommodate the factories and
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| fishing, scuba diving, and join cruises
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| | their workers. Tampa soon became a major
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| to Gulf of Mexico destinations including
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| | cigar production center. Thousands of
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| Cozumel, Key West and the Cayman Islands
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| | Italian (the majority coming from
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| Other attractions include Busch Gardens,
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| | Alessandria Della Rocca and Santo Stefano
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| The Florida Aquarium, Museum of Science &
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| | Quisquina, two small Sicilian towns which
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| Industry and Lowry Park Zoo. Long
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| | Tampa maintains strong ties with) and
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| established cities, such as Cuban
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| | Cuban immigrants came to Tampa to work at
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| flavored Ybor City, near the bay contain
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| | the factories.
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| historic architecture. Fresh seafood and
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| | In 1904, local civic association Ye
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| locally grown produce are available in
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| | Mystic Krewe "invaded" the city for the
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| many restaurants. Sports attractions
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| | first time, establishing the yearly
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| include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa
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| | Gasparilla Pirate Festival.
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| Bay Devil Rays, the Tampa Bay Lightning,
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| | Illegal bolita lotteries became very
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| and many professional quality golf
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| | popular among the Tampa working classes,
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| courses, tennis courts, and pools.
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| | especially in Ybor City, where many
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| The word "Tampa" is an American Indian
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| | gambling parlors sprang up. Profits from
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| word used to refer to the area when the
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| | the bolita lotteries and Prohibition-era
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| first European explorers arrived in
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| | bootlegging led to the development of
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| Florida. Its meaning, if any, has been
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| | several organized crime factions in the
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| lost to the ages, though it is sometimes
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| | city. The first boss of Tampa's organized
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| claimed to mean "sticks of fire" in the
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| | crime world was Charlie Wall, but various
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| language of the Calusa, a Native American
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| | power struggles culminated in
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| tribe. Other historians claim the name
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| | consolidation of control by Sicilian
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| refers to "The place to gather sticks".
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| | mafioso Santo Trafficante, Sr. and his
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| "Sticks of fire" may also relate to the
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| | faction in the 1950s. After his death in
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| high concentration of lightning strikes
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| | 1954 from cancer, control passed to his
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| that Tampa Bay receives every year during
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| | son Santo Trafficante, Jr., who
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| the hot and wet summer months. The name
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| | established alliances with families in
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| first appears in the "Memoir" of Hernando
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| | New York and extended his power
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| de Escalante Fontaneda (1575), the author
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| | throughout Florida and into Batista-era
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| of which had spent 17 years as a Calusa
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| | Cuba.
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| captive. He calls it "Tanpa" and
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| | The University of South Florida was
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| describes it as an important Calusa town.
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| | established in 1956, sparking development
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| Spanish conquistador Pánfilo de
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| | in northern Tampa and nearby Temple
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| Narváez was the first European
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| | Terrace.
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| known to have visited the Tampa area, on
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| | The biggest development of the city was
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| April 8, 1528. Hernando de Soto arrived a
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| | the development of New Tampa that started
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| year later to rescue the only remaining
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| | in 1988 when the city annexed a 24-square
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| living member of de Narváez's
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| | mile (mostly rural) area between I-275
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| expedition. A peace treaty was conducted
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| | and I-75. Today, the district boasts over
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| with the local Indians and a short-lived
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| | 22,000 inhabitants.
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| Spanish outpost was established, but this
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| | With the advent of air conditioning,
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| was abandoned when it became clear that
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| | thousands of new residents have arrived
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| there was no gold in the area, and that
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| | in Tampa from the northern United States.
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| the local Indians were not interested in
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| | The population continues to grow rapidly,
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| converting to Catholicism and were too
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| | and construction is proceeding rapidly on
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| skilled as warriors to easily conquer.
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| | new housing developments around Tampa.
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| When England acquired Florida in 1763,
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| | On January 5, 2002, just four months
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| the bay was named Hillsborough Bay, after
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| | after the September 11, 2001, terrorist
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| Lord Hillsborough, Secretary of State for
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| | attacks, 15-year-old amateur pilot
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| the Colonies.
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| | Charles Bishop flew a Cessna plane into
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| Spain transferred Florida to the United
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| | the 42-story Bank of America Plaza
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| States in 1821 (see Adams-Onis Treaty).
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| | building in downtown Tampa. Bishop died,
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| An Indian reservation was established in
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| | but there were no other injuries (because
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| what is now north Tampa. As part of
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| | the crash occurred on a Saturday, when
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| efforts to firmly establish United States
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| | few people were in the building). A
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| control over southern Florida, then a
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| | suicide note found in the wreckage
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| vast swampy wilderness with sparse
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| | expressed support for Osama bin Laden.
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| Seminole Indian population, a military
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| | Bishop had been taking a prescription
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| outpost ("Cantonment Brooke") was
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| | medicine for acne called Accutane that
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| established at what is now the Tampa
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| | may have had the side effect of
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| Convention Center in downtown Tampa in
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| | depression or severe psychosis. His
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| 1823 by Colonels George Mercer Brooke and
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| | family later sued Hoffman-La Roche, the
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| James Gadsden. In 1824, the post was
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| | company that makes Accutane, for $70
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| renamed Fort Brooke. It was a vital
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| | million; however, an autopsy found no
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| military asset in the Seminole Wars. The
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| | traces of the drug in the teenager's
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| village of Tampa began to grow up around
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| | system.
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