Florida’s Marriage Amendment Petition Drive
All across Florida people with petitions in hand are hitting the streets, bars, group meetings and neighborhoods having registered voters sign the new Florida Marriage Constitutional Amendment petition by the Equal Marriage Florida…
DISHING WITH MARK AND CARRIE
Niece of the Week: Mackenzie
Mackenzie has one of biggest smiles you will ever see! Not only is she beautiful, she is also engaged to Corey. Together they make a great couple. Visit Mackenzie at Hamburger Mary’s Tampa.
“You Can Not Make This Up”
Sam “Sammy” Joseph Campisi
1956 – 2013
This week our good friend Sammy passed away after a long illness. We met Sammy at the very first GaYBOR District Coalition meeting at 714 Bar in 2007. Immediately we became good friends. Sammy lived on the second floor above JJ’s Cafe on 7th Avenue & 16th Street in Ybor City. Jokingly, we nicknamed him Sammy Camp-Easy. He was a very good storyteller and liked to talk about his family, daughter, Italy, Cuba and the Tampa Bay gay scene. He was a good friend and fellow Italian Club member to our late photographer friend, Rex Maniscalco.
One day Sammy invited us to go to the Italian Cemetery for a guided tour by him. He was such a great story teller so we asked if we could film him. Sammy said, “Of course!” The cemetery was taken care of with manicuring hands. The cemetery even has an annual picnic! The pictures on the tops of the tombstones said so much and are quite unique. The history lesson that Sammy narrated was and is very much a historical documentary. The names and the people he was related to were some of the interesting facts he instilled…what business they had…what town in Sicily they came from! Everyone in Sammy’s life was relation. Uncle, aunt or cousin!
We were told a story many years ago about a young soldier seen in the cemetery by some women cleaning and pruning the cemetery. He was dressed very smart in uniform. The lady was helped up by the young Italian boy and she asked who his family was. When she turned around, he just disappeared! We were told that the young soldier ghost had been spotted and was greeted a number of times by different people at the cemetery.
The short historical documentary was posted on YouTube with information on how to help fund the Tampa Italian Society.
Then a couple days later, we received an upset letter from a gentleman from the Italian Club. We told Sammy that we didn’t realize that we had done something wrong. In full Sammy style he said, “Who wrote you? I most likely know whoever it was! Don’t worry, I will take care of it.”
The next day Sammy said, “I called my mother and she called his mother and everything is OK now!”
LOL and RIP dear friend, Sammy!
Florida’s Marriage Amendment Petition Drive
All across Florida people with petitions in hand are hitting the streets, bars, group meetings and neighborhoods having registered voters sign the new Florida Marriage Constitutional Amendment petition by the Equal Marriage Florida group headquartered in Miami.
The lead organizers have petition collectors in all 67 Florida counties on a drive to collect the needed 650,000 signatures. After the collection they can present to the Secretary of State to amend the Florida constitution in Florida’s Article 1, Section 27, for the changed language on the ballot, in the 2014 general election.
The petition form ballot title is: Defining marriage in Florida as a union of two persons and protecting freedom of religion.
PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION! GET INVOLVED! GET MOTIVATED!
