Happy Birthday, New Tampa Patch!

What a difference a year makes.

If this website were a baby, it would be crawling easily, saying "ma-ma" and "da-da" and walking with some help, I would imagine. It might even be testing some boundaries.

This past week marked New Tampa Patch’s first birthday. It’s hard for me to believe, but this time last year I was collecting stories for the website launch, hiring freelancers and — having lived in New Tampa about 8 months at the time — still trying to figure out what issues matter most to the community (and how we ended up with so many mediocre chain restaurants!).

Regional editors made the website live on May 31, 2011, following a countdown over the phone (If I remember correctly, someone didn’t flip the switch correctly the first time so there actually were two countdowns). It sounds trite, but I remember feeling like a proud papa that day.

It’s been an interesting 12 months for sure. Here’s a look back at some memorable posts, in no particular order.

1. We found out that we have a repeat world champion arm wrestler in the community. Who knew? , a New Tampa firefighter and a mountain of a man with 22-inch guns, defended his title back in the fall.

2. Freedom High School had a scare last August when expelled student Jared Cano was arrested for . Authorities had said they found a diary with "very specific" and "minute-by-minute" details for wreaking havoc. Commerce Park Boulevard was a media circus for a few days.

3. We also had some news of the weird. .

4. . A neighbor had accidentally left his car running in an adjoining garage overnight. But her friends rallied and started a petition to change state laws regarding carbon monoxide detectors. The simple $20 device wold have saved her life.

5. Residents living near Highwoods Preserve Parkway and Brinegar Circle banded together to fight back against a charter school proposed for their neighborhood.

6. We’ve written about lots of local business owners, but  stands out for me because it is a prime example of someone creating something good out of a rough situation. The owner's determination to tackle her son’s food allergies turned into a new career for the former CPA.

As New Tampa Patch enters its next year of life, I just want to remind you that this site is all about you. Seriously.

We've built Patch so that you have plenty of opportunities to comment on stories, share your opinions, post photos and announcements and add events to the community calendar. We hope that our site will strengthen the community, but we can't do it without you!

So please continue to join us as we enter our next year. And Happy Birthday to us! 

--John (john.majeski@patch.com)