Home Care In Tampa, FL

Dome sweet dome.

If you’re ready for a mini road trip, Lakeland has an out-of-this-world sight to see.

Florida Southern College welcomes the public back to its restored Miller Planetarium, constructed from a design by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Planetarium was constructed between 1954 and 1958 for the Polk Science Building.

Fast-forward to 2004, when its projection system stopped functioning, and from then the Planetarium saw only limited use until restoration efforts began.

The multiphase restoration includes the building’s exterior, a new COSM projection system and a Bowen sound system.

“Reopening the Planetarium allows us to bring an important part of Florida Southern’s history back to life while creating new opportunities for our students and the community,” said Tory King, director of Tourism Operations & Visitor Experience at FSC, in a statement. “The architectural restoration brought the space back, and the new technology now allows us to return it to active educational and public use.”

Are you planning to visit the restored Planetarium? Here’s what to know before you go.

When can guests see a show at Florida Southern College’s planetarium?

Public shows will be offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays starting at 3:30 p.m.

What programs are at Florida Southern’s planetarium?

Six programs will rotate monthly through the schedule:

The shows range from 20 to 32 minutes, and the full planetarium experience is 60 to 90 minutes, including an introduction to the Wright-designed space.

How much are tickets for Florida Southern’s planetarium programs?

Tickets are $20 per person or $15 per person for families and groups of four or more.

Guests can purchase tickets here.

Are there more Frank Lloyd Wright-designed structures to see?

Yes! Florida Southern is home to 13 Wright-designed structures, the largest single-site collection of Wright architecture in the world.

The college offers tours to explore the architecture.

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Tampa’s book scene is getting a long-needed (and awaited) addition. Thee Hen House officially debuts this week, bringing a used bookstore and cafe gathering space to South Tampa.

Thee Hen House is located, appropriately, in a converted home at 3603 West Azeele Street. The whimsical new space has its soft opening this Thursday, October 4, from 10 am – 4 pm. Stay tuned to their Instagram page for details on their big grand opening party on October 17.

The ethos behind Thee Hen House is as local as it gets. Tien, the “mother hen of Thee Hen House,” dreamed of creating a community-driven space. Not only is it a community gathering spot, but it is almost fully community supported, with used books sourced directly from those in the area. Visitors are encouraged to drop off their own used books and contribute to the fun.

In addition to books, a light coffee program gives guests another excuse to linger. On your way to the store, keep an eye out for the beautiful new Jujmo mural on the wall, inspired by chickens and mahjong with South Tampa flair. It’s yet another aspect of Tien’s all-things-local ethos.

Tien’s goal is for the store to fill a missing gap in the Tampa Bay Area’s booming book scene.

“There are so many amazing indie bookstores in Tampa,” she says, “but no used book store shelving books sourced directly from our community with a bit of whimsy, lots of knitted hens, and space to cluck around. Bring a friend, donate books, browse the bookshelves, find your next great read, and don’t forget to say hi to the hens.”

Of note, Thee Hen House is cashless, and most books are around $10, “more or less,” while many are completely free. Donations can be dropped off during store hours or in their porch book bin. Learn more online.

Looking for more good reading?

TAMPA, Fla. — Airbnb is committing an initial $250 million to help move stalled housing developments forward nationwide, while partnering with the Florida Housing Coalition to support affordable housing initiatives and policy reforms across the state.

The company's new Housing Accelerator aims to unlock more than $5 billion in housing development over the next decade by addressing financing gaps and regulatory barriers that can delay construction.

In West Tampa, the Rome Yards redevelopment offers a glimpse of the type of mixed-income housing Florida leaders say is needed to address the state's housing shortage.

The project is transforming a former 18-acre city maintenance yard along the Hillsborough River into a mixed-income community. Its first phase, Gallery at Rome Yards, will include 234 affordable and workforce housing units.

The full master plan calls for approximately 954 homes, with nearly three-quarters designated as affordable or workforce housing.

"This really represents what the future of affordable housing is, both for our state, region. We need more projects like this happening," said Ashon Nesbitt, CEO of the Florida Housing Coalition.

Nesbitt said developments of this size face numerous challenges, including securing financing, navigating zoning requirements and obtaining necessary approvals.

"Development is complicated, especially at this scale," he said.

Closing the financing gap

Airbnb's Housing Accelerator is designed to help approved housing developments that are nearly fully financed but still lack the final capital needed to begin construction.

The company calls its approach "last-dollar" financing, targeting projects that might otherwise remain stalled despite having secured most of their funding.

"What we're saying with this investment is we're not going to be bystanders," said Airbnb spokesperson Kevin Munoz. "We're going to actually be a part of the housing solution alongside those that are really fighting for long, long term reform."

Florida partnership targets housing barriers

Alongside its nationwide financing commitment, Airbnb is making a separate donation to the Florida Housing Coalition to support its policy research, advocacy, training and technical assistance.

Nesbitt said the partnership will help the coalition address obstacles that prevent affordable housing projects from moving forward.

"A big part of that is our land use and our regulatory environment really setting the stage for more production of housing," he said.

The coalition helped advance Florida's "Yes in God's Backyard" legislation, which allows qualifying religious institutions to develop affordable housing on their property. The organization is now working to put the law into practice through workshops, technical assistance and resources for faith-based organizations interested in developing housing.

Airbnb also plans to support efforts such as the proposed Florida Starter Homes Act, aimed at reducing certain zoning restrictions and making it easier to build smaller, more affordable homes.

"We know that this is a time when costs continue to rise, and housing continues to be out of reach for a lot of everyday Floridians and everyday Americans across the country," Munoz said.

The Florida Housing Coalition says Airbnb's support will allow it to expand its work with local governments, housing developers and community organizations to translate housing legislation into new homes.

Developers interested in the nationwide financing initiative can submit proposals through Airbnb's Housing Accelerator website.

TAMPA, Fla. — A Cuban woman’s journey from childhood servitude to becoming a successful entrepreneur is at the center of a new book featured by the Tampa Bay History Center during Hispanic Heritage Month.

The history center kicked off its 2026-27 book club season with Tampa author Sylvia A. Alvarez’s “It’s Hard to Kill a Bougainvillea: From Slavery to the American Dream.” The book chronicles her mother’s remarkable life, while highlighting the generations of Cuban immigrants whose stories helped shape Tampa Bay.

“I realized her story was big and it needed to be told. It needed to give people hope,” Alvarez said.

Alvarez’s book recounts the life of her mother, known as “Chelo,” whose childhood in 1930s Havana was marked by poverty and tragedy.

According to Alvarez, Chelo was just 4 years old when she witnessed her mother’s suicide. Her father subsequently abandoned her and her sister, leaving the girls to endure years of hunger while sleeping on a mattress beneath a staircase.

When their father eventually returned, Alvarez said, he sold Chelo into servitude to a wealthy sugar cane plantation owner, where she worked as a nanny and maid.

Her opportunity for freedom came when the family traveled to New York City.

Alvarez recalled her mother describing the moment she entered New York Harbor and saw the Statue of Liberty. After learning what the monument represented, Chelo wondered whether it was a sign that she could finally escape.

One night, she filled a pillowcase with fruit and fled into the streets of New York, unable to speak English and without money.

Chelo eventually became a successful business owner, real estate developer and entrepreneur who owned a sportswear factory. Alvarez said her mother also advocated for social justice and marched with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Alvarez named her book after the bougainvillea, a flowering plant known for its resilience and ability to survive difficult conditions. For the author, it symbolizes her mother’s determination to overcome hardship and build a new life.

Alvarez’s Cuban heritage is closely connected to Tampa’s history. Her father was born in Tampa to a family involved in the cigar industry, which brought generations of immigrants between Havana, Key West and Tampa.

“The family would travel from Key West to Havana to Tampa, always following the cigar trade,” Alvarez said.

Rodney Kite-Powell, a historian at the Tampa Bay History Center, said Cuban, Spanish and Sicilian immigrants arriving in the late 1800s helped establish Tampa’s cigar industry and transformed the city’s cultural identity.

The industry helped fuel the growth of Ybor City in the 1880s and West Tampa in the 1890s.

“Those immigrants who came here beginning in the 1880s to find a new life. They really helped create a whole new culture,” Kite-Powell said.

The History Center’s Cigar City gallery documents that transformation, illustrating how immigration and industry shaped modern Tampa.

The historical connection between Tampa and Cuba remains relevant as families on both sides of the Florida Straits confront the island’s ongoing economic difficulties.

Kite-Powell said relations between the United States and Cuba changed dramatically following the Cuban Revolution, but the connections between families have endured.

For Alvarez, those changes carry personal memories.

She recalled spending childhood summers in Havana, when her grandmother would pick her up and take her to Cuba. Those visits became more difficult as relations between the two countries deteriorated.

Today, Cuba continues to experience economic hardship, including shortages of food, medicine and fuel, along with widespread power outages.

For Alvarez, preserving her mother’s story is also a way of preserving the experiences of generations whose lives have been shaped by migration and family separation.

Alvarez said her mother’s achievements helped inspire her own work helping families achieve homeownership.

She remembers being nine years old and translating for her parents as they built their first home in America.

“I saw the joy that it brought them to be able to say not just that they owned a home, but they owned a home in America,” Alvarez said.

That experience helped shape her career in affordable housing and her work with Tampa’s Housing & Education Alliance.

Her mother’s story now reaches another generation through the history center’s book club, which opened its season Sept. 17 with Alvarez leading the discussion. The free monthly program features books exploring Florida’s history, literature and culture.

For Alvarez, sharing the story during Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate both her Cuban roots and her family’s contributions to American life.

“America is a tapestry of souls,” Alvarez said. “And I’m just very proud of her, very proud of my Cuban heritage, very proud to be an American.”