Let's Bash!

SWFBUD is pleased to announce the WINNERS of the "SWFBUDdy AWARD" for
2014. These are individuals who embody the mission of SWFBUD to "Make
the Bay Areas Better for Bicycling."

From the City of Clearwater our SWFBUDdy Award Winners Chip Haynes.
Chip is a lifelong Clearwater resident. His uncle Dick Phillips owned
Clearwater Schwinn which was the Schwinn franchise in town back in the
day when many of started discovering bicycling as a lifestyle. Chip grew
up around bikes. He rode around the country on his bike back in the
70’s. He has an antique bike collection and has always championed
cycling. He is an example to all of us because he practices what he
preaches and travels by bike most everywhere and when possible. Chip has
served on the Pinellas County Bike Advisory Board. Whenever there is a
cycling cause in our area he is on it. He provides weekly road condition
reports to the city of Clearwater. He wrote a couple of books about
cycling one of which is “The Practical Cyclist.” Because of this
excellent work as a champion and an shining example of the bicycling
lifestyle for bicycling in the Bay Area, SWFBUD is proud to announce
Chip Haynes as a 2014 SWFBUDdy Winner.

Our next SWFBUDDy award winner is also from Clearwater. She is an
employee of the City of Clearwater, she has worked hard over the years
to make Clearwater the bicycle friendly city it is today. That Bay Area
Bicycle Activist is Felicia Leonard, from Clearwater Parks and
Recreation Department where she is the City’s Parks & Recreation
Administrative Support Manager. Felicia has made sure that bicycles have
a place in the City’s recreation areas and that there are safe ways for
us to ride in and around the many parks of which she is in charge. This
City of Clearwater employee has been consistent and unfailing in her
commitment and support of bicycling as both viable transportation and
recreation, making Clearwater a better place for us cyclists. Because of
this excellent work making places where the bicycling community of the
Bay Area can safely enjoy our passion for bicycles, SWFBUD is proud to
announce Felicia Leonard as a 2014 SWFBUDdy Winner.

Our next a SWFBUDdy winner come from Tampa, Assistant State Attorney
Barbara Coleman is a SWFBUDdy winner. She is a Hillsborough County
Assistant State Attorney. This wonderful person, In her career as a
prosecutor, has convicted and sent to prison many dangerous drivers who
have killed or seriously injured other motorists, pedestrians, and
bicyclists. Her skill as an advocate for the bicycling community is
prodigious.

She obtained a 7-year, 3-month prison sentence for the hit-and-run
motorist who killed bicyclist and USF cancer researcher Kayoko Ishizuka,
She obtained a 10-year prison sentence for the hit-and-run motorist who
killed bicyclist Humberto Saez, and just recently, obtained on behalf of
all Bay Area cyclistsa 13-year prison sentence for the racing motorist
who killed one our us, bicyclist and veterinarian Robert Niedbalec.
Barbara Coleman has not stopped there putting motorist who kill
bicycylists. Currently, she has upcoming cases against the second
motorist who contributed to the crash that killed Dr. Niedbalec, against
the motorist charged for the hit-and-run crash that killed bicyclist
Ivan Miller, and against the motorist charged for the hit-and-run crash
that killed bicyclist Michael Lee. SWFBUD and all bicyclists using the
roads of Hillsborough coungy appreciate her hard work, commitment, and
dedication to locking up dangerous drivers who threaten the lives and
bodies of bicyclists and everyone else who uses our public streets.
Because of this excellent work bringing Justice to the bicycling
community of the Bay Area, SWFBUD is proud to announce Assistant State
Attorney as a 2014 SWFBUDdy Winner.

Our next SWFBUDdy winner is Detective Jennifer Shelton. For so long we
have watched and experienced motorist violating 3 foot law, hitting us
with mirrors of all kinds and sizes, with trailers and driving so close
as to make us feel the presence of death. The death of bicyclist Mike
Lee is a chilling tale. Last year, on August 6, Mike Lee, 29, was riding
at 7:50 a.m. Tuesday on the right shoulder of the U.S. 92 overpass near
an off ramp for Interstate 4 and the Florida State Fairgrounds on his
way as usual to work when he was hit by a hit and run driver. The
murderer drove away from the crash and left Mike to die. Detective
Shelton was called in. There seemed to be no clues. But The
investigative team lead by Detective Shelton combed over the scene found
one and only one. A small chip of green paint. Working on tips from the
800 number tip line. She matched this small chip of pain to a section of
missing paint from the hood of a suspect’s truck and lead to the
killer’s arrest. All of this in ONE DAY later. Today that bicycle killer
was in jail awaiting prosecution. This was stunning news to the
bicycling community. When somehting like Mike Lee’s death happens on a
road with a wide bicycle lane as Tim Bustos executive Director of the
Florida Bicycling Association was quoted: “it’s inexplicable.” Because
of this excellent work bringing Justice to the bicycling community of
the Bay Area, SWFBUD is proud to announce Detective Jennifer Shelton as
a 2014 SWFBUDdy Winner.

There are individual citizens who are making the bay area a better place
for bicyclists. The next recipients of our SWFBUDdy award are Nancy and
Gary Chapin. As you know, we have had a wonderful place given to the
cyclists as a result of the Rails to Trails program. One such trail is
the Pinellas trail. Despite being provided to us by the state and
federal government, it’s like anything good, it takes work. One
organization doing that work is the Auxiliary Rangers of the Pinellas
Trail. Nancy and Gary joined the 2011 Auxiliary Rangers on the Pinellas
Trail in February 2011. To describe the amount of work Gary and Nancy
speaks to the goodness and greatness that Bicycle Advocates give to the
community. Gary spends 500 hours a year alone riding the trail and Nancy
250 hours a year also riding the trail. As Auxillary Rangers they help
people with flat tires, sweep up glass left by the decrepit vandal, and
patrol the the trail making sure suspicous activities don’t turn into a
threat to the bicyclists on the trail In 2012 they encouraged their
church, the Allendale United Methodist Church, to adopt several miles of
trail as their own to keep the trail clean and safe. In addition, Nancy
and Gary adopted their onw mile to do on their own. Think about that. A
full mile, to clean, watch over and maintain. Imagine you do that
yourself. Their dedication to bicycling and making the Bay Area has
inspired us all to do more for us to enjoy bicycling. SWFBUD Thanks Gary
and Nancy Chapin you for volunteering your time, all the help you have
given, for making the Bay Area a Better Place for Bicycling.

-- Mike Olsen of God's Pedal Power will be collecting old used bicycles and bicycle parts, or accessories, as part of his group's efforts to fix them up and give them to people in need of a bicycle. Come by and drop off your old used bike at Mike's tent.

-- The Sierra Club will have a booth telling us how wonderful our Florida environment is and how they are trying to preserve and restore it. Stop by and say hello to this nice bunch of environmental cyclists.

-- Florida Bicycle Association will be joining us at Bicycle BASH! The is our statewide advocacy group that has the wonderful Cycling Savvy program and the wonderful Bicycle Messenger newspaper. It's a group that you and your whole family can join. the FBA motto is: "Creating a Cyclist-Friendly Florida." www.floridabicycle.org. Stop by and speak with Dan Moser.

Check out the Bicycle Bash sign at Flatwoods Park!