Who's behind mysterious Deveron Gibbons site?

ST. PETERSBURG -- An anonymous blogger has begun an anti-Deveron Gibbons for mayor campaign on the Web.

What's Wrong with Deveron? links to newspaper stories and campaign material referencing Gibbons from 2004 to present. The author goes by the name Keepin' It Real. 

Bay Buzz had our Web staff do some snooping. They said the posts seem intentionally backdated, but found no evidence that the blog is more than a few days old.

Gibbons did not return a request for comment. Mayoral hopefuls Scott Wagman and Jamie Bennett said they did not know who was behind the blog.

"I don't know who it is but it certainly looks like someone spent a lot of time on it," said Bennett.

Are you Keepin' It Real? We'd be interested in hearing from you.

Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

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Comments

[KeepinItReal]

Do I have a "Born to Lose" tattoo stuck on my forehead? Why would I reveal who I am, when the entire city power structure is behind Deveron's campaign? What part of anonymous don't you all understand?

That said, I will continue to report on the comings-and-goings of Mr. Gibbons. Although my site is new, I have been planning this for some time. I was just waiting for Devron to jump into the race.

I implore the paper to do a better job of reporting on him. HE WORKS FOR A LOAN SHARK!!! What corporation would be worse for him to represent. other than the adult business industry?

And how is it that Deveron's momma received assistance with affordable housing yet he owns a 800,000 dollar home?

This is just one of the many questions you all should be asking about him.

Until then, I will be keeping it real!

KeepinItReal keeps it "real dirty" on that new blog with a collection of posts that are simply weird and/or irrelevant.

For example, a link to a study about the military and payday lending is dated in March of 2005. It so happens that Congress in 2006 limited interest rates on payday loans to members of the military. As a result, the industry no longer offers payday loans to military service members.

For a more recent and relevant look at the effects of banning payday loans, check out a New York Federal Reserve study dated Feb. 2008. It looks at the impact on consumers in Georgia and North Carolina, which banned payday loans a couple years ago. Hint: bounced checks skyrocketed and more people filed for Ch. 7 bankruptcy. What a compassionate public policy. http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/staff_reports/sr309.pdf

My favorite post at KeepinItReal's blog is the one headlined: "Deveron Gibbons Wants Probe into Death of Teen by Deputy." How does that add up to something wrong with Deveron?

It's just weird.

[Hammer]

I'll tell you who it is, but it will cost you... HUGE!

How about people come forward if you are NOT "Keepin It Real." Then we have an election cycle parlor game finding out who it is by elimination.

A Pinellas election IS a parlor game.

[dumpster dan]

Amscot is a cancer thats preys on the plight of the poor,Deveron Gibbons is unfit for office and should be run out of town for the good of our community

Leave Brittany alone!

Call it citizen journalism, reporting free from fear of advertisers or an uncensored collection of facts-what ever it is, Keepin' it Real is doing a real public service.

Keepin' it Real is doing what the fourth estate is supposed to do, but what for some reason, the SP Times refuses to do.

No, Keepin It Real is slamming the only black candidate in this race and it is distasteful. It's not even satire that is playful, witty, or biting. It's just mean. And the time involved to pull this off is just a little creepy-vendetta like. Whoever is behind it is going to be known for being a very small, sad person. And I'm not even a Deveron supporter!

[voxy]

I ain't keepin it real but in real life I try to. Anonymity is protected by the CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

ASK DAVID GEE UNDISUTED SHERIFF OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY.

Can hardly wait for THAT no confidence vote.

Keepin it real, come on by.
Don't let anyone bother you AT ALL. The bloggers at tampa blog do their best to run you out of town if you don't put their uniform on. They play like it's all cool and all but then you see that they are just the parts of a boy/girl choir.
Pay them no attention.
Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth. ...
And, now you probably have a lawsuit against anyone who snooped on you ergo disregarding your constitutionally PROTECTED right to constitutional free speech.
Read em and weep.

Keep the pressure on.
Keep making noise.
Watch em fold.

[voxy]

ooopsie, my bad I'm in a hurry.

Protecting your CONSTITUTIONALLY protected right to ANONYMOUS FREE SPEECH.

What's fishy is how a 34 year old loan shark could expect to be elected mayor of a major US city. I mean, there must be something weird behind that. Im not a big Baker fan, and I wouldn't trust him not to pave over any undeveloped land if we had some, but given that's not really an issue in St. Pete, I don't think any of these candidates could walk in his shoes. He's done a great job financially keeping us out of the red, and won quite a few progressive awards for St. Pete. I just can imagine his successor... a loan shark???

[Spartacus]

I AM KeepinItReal!

[voxy]

hey keepin it real, they probably want you to post here so they can track your IP #. ghost it.

Don't forget that the anti-Deveron blog can track who visits it also.

[Patriot Act, Part Deux]

Trust me… the SPT has been tracking IP’s since this began. And as required, they turn the info over to “interested parties”. You can indeed post anonymously, but they have a reasonably fair shot at determining who you are.

[voxy]

heh well no one HERE CARES.

And, so there's another lawsuit.

LMAO.

You canNOT interfere with the rights of people to have FREE SPEECH. You can only TRY.
I done been to st pete and met the head nazi. lmao

[wtfareyousaying]

To the poster from January 07, 2009 at 09:10 PM -- you said:

"Keepin It Real is slamming the only black candidate in this race and it is distasteful. "

So, it's about Devron's race? um... no. It's about the VP of a predatory lender running for mayor.

What happened to the idea of a man being judged by the content of his character rather than the color of his skin?

what about the fact that Deveron is running for mayor and reapplying for the pinellas housing authority why is he doing all of this when there is controversy about the st pete housing authority doing all of those joint ventures when deveron buddies always get no bid contracts serve as brokers or get to build new projects why has he not been investigated.

i know for a fact that gibbons has asked people with business before the board to give him money for votes or he would shut the project down is that what they call pay to play

[Pee Wee]

Who is Deveron Gibbon’s biological father?

Does Deveron Gibbon’s biological father live in St. Petersburg?

Does Deveron Gibbons have the same surname as his biological father?

Does Deveron Gibbons have an open communication with his biological father?

What is Deveron Gibbon’s biological father's opinion of Deveron being a candidate for the mayor of St. Petersburg?