State: Bush to promote tax cut, work with Habitat

Bush to promote tax cut, work with Habitat

By DONG-PHUONG NGUYEN

TAMPA -- President Bush will begin his visit to Tampa on Monday standing on home plate at Legends Field.

At a public rally at the baseball field, the president will tout the success of his campaign to cut income tax rates.

The gates to Legends Field will open at 4:15 p.m., with the rally scheduled to begin at 6:15.

The event is free, but a ticket is required for admission. Tickets can be picked up at Legends Field (N Dale Mabry Highway and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard); the Hillsborough Republican Party office, 4526 S Dale Mabry; and Fred's Farmers Market, 1401 W Martin Luther King.

Tuesday morning, Bush will help hammer in the exterior walls of a Habitat for Humanity house in eastern Hillsborough County to highlight National Homeownership Week. This appearance is not open to the public.

Habitat for Humanity uses volunteers and donations to build homes for the underprivileged around the world.

Bush will be the first president to assist in the building of a Habitat home in Tampa. Former President Jimmy Carter, whose volunteer work helped make Habitat into an internationally recognized organization, has never appeared on behalf of the local affiliate, according to Lew Frazar, executive director of Hillsborough County Habitat for Humanity.

"Jesus Christ is top on our list, but the president comes second," Frazar said. "Absolutely."

Bush will be accompanied by his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, and Mel Martinez, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The founder of Habitat for Humanity, Millard Fuller, also is expected to attend.

The four-bedroom home will be the 80th house built by local volunteers since 1987. A single mother and her two children and younger brother will move into the new home in about three months.

"This is a real honor for us," Frazar said of the president's visit. "We're going to make him work."