Tampa Bail Bonds

Tampa is one of Florida’s oldest and most popular cities. The city is located in Hillsborough County on the west coast along the Gulf of Mexico and is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metro Area. Although the city struggled financially for several years after the Civil War, by 1883 the area began seeing a turn around when they began producing and shipping out a mineral used to create fertilizers called vital and the industry is still thriving today.

The Beginning of Ybor City Cigars

Ybor City, located northeast of downtown Tampa, was founded by the Cigar manufacturing industry in 1885. Gavino Gutierrez initiated the discovery of the land a year earlier when he traveled a long and difficult journey to the area from New York City and mostly by stagecoach on dirt roads because (at that time) the rail road did not reach that far south. Gutierrez had gravitated to the Tampa area in search of guava trees for his employer, a fruit packing and canning firm.

After his Tampa discovery, Gutierrez learned that the South Florida Railroad was in the process of extending across the state. So, he then traveled to Key West to inform his friend, Vincente Martinez Ybor of the promising opportunities awaiting in the Tampa area. Ybor owned a successful cigar manufacturing company in Key West but had been in search of a more affordable location. Ybor was intrigued by the news and quickly contacted another smart businessman in the cigar industry based out of New York, Ignacio Haya. Eventually, cigars also helped to turn the Tampa area into a financially prosperous region.

History of Organized Crime in Tampa, FL

As the cigar industry prospered the Tampa area, it also drew in with it troubles almost immediately. And by the late 1920’s, Ybor City was a prime spot for organized crime. It started with an illegal lottery called Bolita and quickly became a large success with the direction of Charlie Wall, known as many nicknames, including ‘The Dean of the Underworld’, ‘The White Shadow’ and to the media, ‘The Black Sheep’. Wall led a local mob family called Anglo.   The Tampa Mafia was  also responsible for bootlegging during the prohibition, prostitution, drug sales, and other clever crimes. The Italian mob eventually found its way to Tampa and took over organized crime in the area. Wall had supposedly left the life of crime for almost two decades before he was found murdered.

Today, you can learn more about the history of Ybor City by spending some time in Tampa’s National Historic Landmark District.

24 Hour Bail Bonds

No one wants to get that call that someone they care about has been arrested. But when that time comes, it’s important to contact an experienced, reliable and licensed bondsman to bail them out fast.

Bail Bonds Now has been providing bail bonds services in Tampa and throughout Florida since 2012. Our bail agents are highly professional, and we make our clients priority one. By visiting our website, you have access to an easy, online bail bond application that allows you to post a bond and make a payment anywhere and at any time. Simply text or call a bond agent at (813)-800-9999 to receive an access code.