Ann Cosentino, Michael Penix Send A Message
July 4th, 2025
“Mr. Glazer, let’s roll up to city hall for a chat.”
Joe finds the words of a Dade City Commissioner to be neither cute nor appropriate.
Like most cities, towns and unincorporated areas across the Tampa Bay area, Dade City in east Pasco County is loaded with Buccaneers fans. However, public servant and Dade City commissioner Ann Cosentino last weekend seemed not to care about those rabid fans she represents.
“We’re an Atlanta Falcons town,” Cosentino said with a smile, per Hernando Sun reporter Pat Yasinskas. (Yes, that Pat Yasinskas, the former ESPN and Tampa Tribune beat writer, an attendee of Ira Kaufman’s birthday party last August.)
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix, a Dade City kid who later starred at Pasco and Tampa Bay Tech high schools, hosted a 300-kid youth camp on Cosentino’s turf. Penix not only paid the bill for the event, per Yasinskas, Dade City named a street after him.
It’s clear from Yasinskas that Penix plans to plant deep Bay area roots while he quarterbacks the Falcons, and it seems somebody is trying to build a base of Falcons fandom on the Bucs’ home turf.
“With most of a crowd of about 500 decked out in Falcons’ red, black and white, Dade City held a street-renaming event Saturday afternoon,” Yasinskas wrote, noting Penix told the kids the camp would be an annual event.
Joe is all for giving back and supporting kids, but the Falcons-focused part of this really stinks. Where does it stop? How many Falcons players might join Penix next year at a much bigger event?
Will he do something similar at Tampa Bay Tech, 10 miles from One Buc Palace?
Given Penix’s status and potential, Joe thinks someone at One Buc Palace should put this on their radar. And while the Bucs rarely have community relations events in Dade City, perhaps it’s time to get one on the calendar.
In the meantime, fans are welcome to send a tasteful email to the Dade City commissioner, acosentino@dadecityfl.com.
July 4th, 2025 at 3:59 pm
I mean, is it a big deal?
July 4th, 2025 at 4:06 pm
Time to get a Buccaneers camp going in Atlanta.
July 4th, 2025 at 4:28 pm
Fluck the Falcons….
Bucs need to beat them twice this year by any means necessary
July 4th, 2025 at 4:33 pm
Just pull a Joey Porter. See you at the 50 yd line. Before kickoff.
July 4th, 2025 at 4:36 pm
The Penix needs to go down. And it needs to go down hard.
July 4th, 2025 at 4:41 pm
They’re all going to look like Chumps when the Bucs D breaks Lil’ Peni.
July 4th, 2025 at 4:55 pm
I am right with you, Joe.
Not condemning giving back to his community. That’s a good thing. On the other hand, I cannot wait for the Bucs to walk all over them this season. Then we will see how Dade City sits on that. Big disappointment that Cosentino blatantly said they are a Falcons town and 500 people thought the same. Horrible optics.
July 4th, 2025 at 5:01 pm
Hey, it’s the first and probably last time Dade City’s been relevant, so let them have their Falcons. 😂
July 4th, 2025 at 5:03 pm
It is not a big deal. Penix is supposed to have fans in his hometown. I’m sure there are Bucs fans there, but family is going to go with family
July 4th, 2025 at 5:32 pm
Time to get a road in Tampa named after baker mayfield after he wins us our 3rd championship AND MVP here in Tampa BAY
July 4th, 2025 at 5:53 pm
Talk about BEGGING for it! Oofffff! I wonder how long that street sign will stay readable? I’m also wondering how long that lady will remain the mayor in that little city. It might not be as surprising as one would think that it actually influences the vote. I’d say Most pro team fans are Die Hards and don’t forget silly little insults like that in Florida…..
I won’t follow the vote of Dade city but if one of the Joe’s keeps his eye on it for an interesting story at sometime in the near future…. I wonder what her political affiliation is but not enough to track it down. It’s Easy enough to take an educated guess though.. Conservative or Anarchist? Hmm I wonder?
July 4th, 2025 at 6:01 pm
Not too surprising fom the likes of Dead City. Half of their street signs are written in crayon, so having your name emblazoned there doesn’t amount to much. Gooberville.
July 4th, 2025 at 6:18 pm
Dade City has a population of 7,500 so 500 people is 7% of their population. Penix is the most famous person from there. I’m not bothered by it. Winning against them and more importantly winning a Super Bowl will matter more. Just fuel for the fire to beat the falcons and everyone for a third trophy!
July 4th, 2025 at 6:23 pm
I don’t know much. But I know we finished 2 games in front of the Falcons last year. And they beat us. Twice! We finished 2 games in front because we were the better team. From Jason Licht to the 53rd player on our roster (go Shep!) we will be playing opening night with an extremely nuanced focus. Some would call it a boulder on our shoulder. The Proverbial “A point to prove”. I’m thinking it’s gonna be a Welcome to the NFL moment for Mr. Penix. Unveiling our new defense that night. Offensive playmakers Egbuka and Tez premiering that night. I’m thinking Dade City will be rethinking that street renaming. They might have to rename it “Buccaneer Blvd.”
July 4th, 2025 at 6:33 pm
Fork the Fowlclowns.
July 4th, 2025 at 6:46 pm
Typical politician, sucking up to the highest bidder. Personally, I’m more insulted when visiting teams take over the House that Licht built.
July 4th, 2025 at 6:56 pm
I didn’t know Dade City is in Florida, I thought it was in northern Guam
July 4th, 2025 at 7:11 pm
Use this as bulletin board material for the season opener.
Back in the day the Bucs had a dude named Rick Odioso, who handled some PR matters for the Bucs, for example, he arramged for Leroy Selmon to speak at a youth football banquet I attended when I was in 8th grade in Temple Terrace back in the late ’70s when the Bucs went from eorst to first. Perhaps the Bucs should do some more of this type of community outreach including Pasco and along the whole Gulf Coast. With so many transplants in this region who cheer for other teams, the Bucs might convert a few fans along the way.
July 4th, 2025 at 8:03 pm
Penix will be out of the league in 3-5 years. Who cares.
July 4th, 2025 at 8:46 pm
So very glad when stories like this go away for actual football news. I get that you have to keep content coming. God knows even Florio is scraping the bottom of the barrel right now. But even you guys have to be sick of this stuff. How many days to go?
1) Joe would write this anytime of year.
2) Joe only writes about what Joe finds interesting.
3) Nothing bad would happen around here if Joe didn’t “keep content coming” for a day or two.
4> Thank you for your patronage!–Joe
July 4th, 2025 at 8:50 pm
Joe they can cheer for a losing team if they want, Bucs D coming out swinging going to sack Penix 3 times and have 2INTs .
July 4th, 2025 at 9:26 pm
I’m still stuck on the fact that Dade City actually has a mayor. Is this a vounteer job one does while their real job is telecommuting from home scheduling for Hilton?
I’m impressed (or is that depressed?) that somebody loves Dade City enough to do this voluntarily, but not a bit surprised this same person is willing to put the word PENIX on a street sign.
Falcons -> team Penix -> Dade City … all kinda fits.
July 4th, 2025 at 9:30 pm
And yet Louis obviously comes back to ‘ol JBF to read up on things, but then complains when there’s actual things to read…I would say unbelievable, but…yeah.
Keep ‘em coming Joe!!
July 4th, 2025 at 11:14 pm
The street name will be defaced and the X will be replaced with an S
July 4th, 2025 at 11:22 pm
Dade City Pirates. how can it be a Falcons town when the high is about Buccaneers?
July 4th, 2025 at 11:31 pm
We certainly can’t form a possy because a popular NFL quarterback was raised in Dade City. I mean, I love the Buc’s (admittedly, maybe a bit much of a fan) and I can’t see see being an ass b cause someone made it big from a small area. Just thinking, prior to Pinox Jr the last time Dade City Florida made the news was in the 1990’s for having the highest population of incest relationships in the United States. Check your history, I don’t talk shi* just to hear words……… Sorry Dade City, but factual history is simply uncomfortable facts…..
How can we, as decent folks, begrudge Penix or his community for his success? Should the young man quit his job for Atlanta and beg the Buc’s for a back up QB or 3rd QB spot? Give up his starting job because he was chosen as 1 out of 32 (& top 32 out of 7.5 billion) people in the world who can do his job and it just so happens the Beccaneers didn’t get him. As such we should ostersihze his home town?
I rarely disagree with Joe but this one borders close to being a bit too Karen[ish]/(Carion-ish?)…..
Go Buc’s
#Baker/Evans@12×1,000.