2014 SWFBUDdy Award Winners For Tampa Bay

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.

Florida Bicycle Association, God's Pedal Power, Sierra Club Coming to the Bicycle Bash April 6!

-- 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!

And the Bicycle Bash poster is up at Randy Myhre's Oliver's bike shop in New Tampa.

Thank You Hillsborough County For The Bicycle Bash Supplies

SWFBUD wants to thank Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation for its continued support of the Bicycle Bash festival by providing tents, tables and chairs for the 2014 Bicycle Bash on April 6 at 10 AM. Specifically, Jason Gilson and Kevin Church have been very helpful and kind to provide the resources to help make the Bicycle bash the premier bike advocacy event in Florida! Cheers to Hillsborough County!

Scenes From The Last Bicycle Bash!

Come April 6 at 10AM and enjoy bicycling in Tampa Bay!

Sign Up For A Bicycle Bash Table

The Bicycle Bash is open to everyone who loves bicycling in Tampa bay!

To sign up for a table for your bicycle or community group, call SWFBUD at 813-388-0673 and talk to one of the Board of Directors and she/he will hook you up.

We LOVE community and we love our bicyclists.

The MORE the merrier at SWFBUD Bike BASH 2014!

Bicycle Bash List Of Events

The Bicycle Bash is fast approaching and here is your list of activities for the April 6 Bash at 10AM at Cotanchobee Park.

10 am -- Start of Bicycle Bash
10:30am -- Group stretch
11am -- Best New Thing
1:00 noon -- SWFBUDDY Awards
2 pm -- Kids bikes along Riverwalk
3 pm -- Free gear raffle
4 pm -- Bike Bash ends

Bicycle Bash -- April 6 at Cotanchobee Park Behind the Forum in Downtown Tampa

Cicrcle the date! It's Bicycle Bash time again.

April 6 at 10 AM at beautiful Contanchobee Park behind the Forum next to the Tampa Bay History Museum.

Tampa BayCycle Is Now A SWFBUD Member

Tampa BayCycle is now adding its strong bicycle advocacy voice to SWFBUD's efforts to make the Tampa Bay area more friendly for bicyclists. SWFBUD is proud to report that Tampa BayCycle is a SWFBUD member.

Look for Tampa BayCycle at the upcoming Bicycle Bash festival on April 6 at 10AM at Cotanchobee Park behind the Forum in downtown Tampa.

Bicycle Bash is April 6 in Downtown Tampa

SWFBUD is re-born!

It is now South West Florida Bicyclists United With Dealers and it's also bringing the Bicycle Bash festival to you on April 6 at Cotanchobee Park, the beautiful waterfront park behind the Forum and next to the Tampa Bay History Museum.

Get involved with growing bicycling in Tampa Bay!

Contact J. Steele Olmstead at floridabicyclelaw@jsteelelaw.com