Bay Buzz Feed

Dunedin lays off fire marshal, proposes other staff reductions in 2013 budget

Keyonna Summers — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:53:06 +0000

DUNEDIN -- The city laid off its fire marshal this week, and five more staffers could lose their jobs if budget cuts in City Manager Rob DiSpirito's budget proposal are approved.

DiSpirito says the layoffs - most of them administrative support positions made obsolete by technological advances - are being recommended as part of a larger plan to ward off a projected $1.2 million shortfall next year.

The City Commission, which was to get its first glimpse of the proposed budget late today or Monday, will have final say over whether to retain five of the employees through financial maneuvering during summer budget talks.

However, the most visible layoff - of Dunedin Fire Marshal Bill McElligott - was effective immediately upon being handed down Tuesday.

DiSpirito and Fire Chief Bud Meyer said that's because one of McElligott's former job duties, fire inspection, will be absorbed by a civilian, and Meyer wanted at least six months to hire and train the new fire inspector before he retires in January.

The layoff will save an estimated $50,000, plus eliminate pension contributions.

The move has drawn fire from residents, who laud McElligott's nearly six years of service to the city. Some have questioned the sudden need for layoffs, when last year the city reduced the property tax rate and spoke of having healthy reserves.

But DiSpirito called the cut a last resort, necessary because of declining property values and a commission directive that supervisors working to balance the budget lead with "efficiencies" in lieu of raising property taxes and reducing services. City leaders want to save reserves for operational costs, he said.

DiSpirito said this was the third year that Meyer offered the fire marshal position as a potential cut. The city manager has discretion to make midyear operational decisions, so McElligott was laid off immediately.

"I held off until I ran out of alternatives," DiSpirito said, adding that this was the first major fire department cut in at least five years. "We just got to the point when we couldn't take it out of other departments. ... We really didn't want to take a firefighter off the front lines."

For more details on restructuring within the fire department and the other proposed layoffs, click here.

--Keyonna Summers, Times Staff Writer

New Hillsborough County web site features Tampa Bay Rays in rotating photo panel

Bill Varian — Wed, 30 May 2012 22:51:45 +0000

Hillsborough County's newer, slicker web site includes something a bit provocative.

The site includes a dominant photographic image that changes with each visit. We refreshed it several times and three different images came up. One features the iconic spires of the University of Tampa administrative building. Another features the University of South Florida.

And the third? The Tampa Bay Rays team store. Yes, the one in downtown Tampa that sells gear for the baseball team that plays in St. Petersburg.

Not Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Not the Tampa Bay Times Forum downtown or even Steinbrenner Field, the spring training location of the New York Yankees next to Ray Jay.

This from a county government whose elected leaders keep making googly eyes at the Rays, whose owners say they want out of Tropicana Field. That's going to go over well across the bay.

Hillsborough County to roll out new web site

Bill Varian — Wed, 30 May 2012 19:59:58 +0000

Hillsborough County government has been working for many months on a redesign of its web site that could be described politely as overdue.

The new web site goes live sometime shortly after 5 p.m. today.

The revamp is supposed to make it easier for the public to conduct business with the county and to find relevant information about the services it provides.

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Both parties scrambling candidates to challenge embattled Hillsborough County Property Appraiser

Bill Varian — Fri, 25 May 2012 00:57:21 +0000

The push is on to replace Hillsborough County Property Appraiser Rob Turner in the wake of his porn sending scandal.

Republican leaders in all wings of the party report that they are actively recruiting candidates to challenge him in the Aug. 14 primary. Democrats, too, are seeing an opportunity to mount a campaign for the seat that has been held by Turner for 16 years.

Former Democratic State Rep. Bob Henriquez, who was said to be fielding recruiting calls for another State House run, confirmed he is "seriously considering" announcing his candidacy. He said the recruiting calls have shifted in recent days amid revelations that Turner sent dozens of pornographic emails to his former human resources director then fired her as the news was about to break.

"It's disheartening and tragic what's going on with Rob," Henriquez said. "At the same time, it creates an opportunity."

There is already an announced Democrat in the race, newcomer James DeMio, a real estate broker, as well as a candidate running without party affiliation, Rob Townsend.

Republicans, meanwhile, are scrambling to come up with an alternative to Turner, who has said he has no intention of stepping down or abandoning his reelection bid. Party leaders of all stripes are increasingly denouncing Turner and saying there is no way he can remain in the race without a challenge in the primary.

"There will be a coordinated effort to find a Republican candidate to compete against Rob Turner," said Republican political consultant Anthony Pedicini. "He should really sit down and think about if he wants to put the people in his party, and the people who have supported him, through this."

Turner admitted in a recent interview with the Tampa Bay Times that he sent more than 40 emails containing graphic pornographic images or links to porn sites to his human resources director, Carolyn Filippone, from late 2007 to early 2009. In the interview, he admitted dating Filippone not long after he was first elected, in the 2001 time frame, as he was undergoing a divorce with his previous wife.

The emails were exhibits in a sexual discrimination lawsuit filed by Filippone in 2010 and dismissed in April. In the complaint, Filippone said she dated Turner much longer than he claims. She says she was banished to a Brandon satellite office and cut off from Turner and other employees in the office after his wife discovered some texts she had sent him.

Turner said the emails were part of a mutual and consensual exchange between he and Filippone and were sent during non-working hours and using personal equipment. He said most of the rest of the complaint by Filippone was false, which was his justification for firing her Monday shortly after an interview with the Times.

East county Republican Sam Rashid, a prominent fund-raiser and campaigner, was among the first heavyweights from the party to say Turner should immediately step down to end the embarrassment caused by the actions he admits. Earlier this week, though, he said he wasn't actively recruiting challengers.

That has since changed, with Rashid acknowledging he is actively looking for candidates to run.

"If we let this Republican have a free pass, then we have no business pointing fingers at any member of another party who does something like this," Rashid said. "This guy has stepped way beyond what would be a terminable offense in any other workplace."

There are two immediate challenges.

One, the start of qualifying, when candidates make their commitment to run official, is June 4 and runs until noon June 8th. So a challenger must make up his or her mind fast. Not only that, if it is someone in an existing state office, they must decide by Friday (May 25) in order to submit a post-dated resign-to-run letter that allows them to stay in their current office.

Secondly, it's too late to qualify by collecting petition signatures from registered voters. So a candidate connected to a party must come up with a $9,699 qualifying fee.

The qualifying fee won't be a problem, Rashid said. The bigger obstacle will be finding someone who can raise from $200,000 to $250,000 in donations he said will be needed to run an effective county-wide race through the general election. Rashid said he's trying to line up 20 backers who would commit to raising $5,000 apiece to support an alternative to Turner.

Rashid and Pedicini agreed that Turner will have a hard time raising money given the scandal that has engulfed him. Until now, Turner appeared to be taking his reelection somewhat for granted, having raised only $32,560, far less than most of the incumbents seeking reelection in county races this year.

"No one else is going to give him another dollar. They'd be out of their minds," said Rashid, who has been a particularly strong campaign force in eastern Hillsborough.

"From what I’ve heard in the last 48 hours, there are no Republicans who will rally to save Turner," said Pedicini, who represents the more moderate Republican Party base in Tampa. "Given what's transpired, that leaves someone in his position on an island. When you have people from all over the spectrum trying to find a replacement, that leaves no one left to support him."

The names getting tossed about include every sitting Republican commissioner, a few current legislators and a few who have been out of office for some time. Josh Burgin, the treasurer for the Hillsborough County Republican Party who has sought office a couple of times, so far unsuccessfully, has said he will have to give "serious" consideration to qualifying if a seasoned party veteran doesn't step forward.

With Hillsborough being such an important bellweather in this presidential election season, with the Republican National Convention in town in August, and with political super PACs airing brutal ads, Burgin said the party can't risk having Turner held up as an unflattering example.

"Rob Turner has lost the moral authority to lead that office," said Burgin, emphasizing that he is not speaking for the party, but for himself. "This is an embarrassment for the county. And it could become a national story."

Dunedin banking on surplus property sales for extra revenue

Keyonna Summers — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:46:27 +0000

DUNEDIN -- Nearly two dozen unused city-owned properties are almost ready to go on the market.

The Dunedin City Commission last week gave city staff the go-ahead to obtain appraisals, identify buyers and eventually bring back sale contracts for final commission approval.

City officials hope to generate revenue by returning the 22 surplus properties, ranging in size from 500 to 10,000 square feet, to the city's tax rolls.

Officials said the parcels won't be ready for sale until appraisals are complete, which will take at least another six weeks. Check out information posted on the city's website here.

--Keyonna Summers, Times Staff Writer

Sales tax lag prompts Dunedin to pare Penny capital project plans

Keyonna Summers — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:31:16 +0000

DUNEDIN -- The city is paring down its list of capital projects in hopes of warding off a projected deficit of nearly $7.8 million in expected Penny for Pinellas funds by the time the sales tax program ends in 2020.

Since 1990, the Penny program has distributed revenues from a 1-cent sales tax among cities and the county to reduce reliance on property taxes to pay for capital improvements, including roads, bridges and parks, as well as preservation land purchases.

But because of the sluggish economy, Dunedin finance director Jeff Yates said the Penny program has been generating only about $2.7 million annually for Dunedin instead of the projected $3.4 million-a trend expected to continue through at least 2015. Furthermore, he said, there's no guarantee county voters will renew the program after 2020, so it's best to start seeking alternative funding sources now.

Alternative sources to be explored this budget season include the general fund, which is an operations fund the city used before Penny for Pinellas existed; the gas tax fund; or - to the dismay of at least one commissioner, Julie Ward Bujalski - new revenue that could be generated by raising the city's property tax rate.

"We've talked before about trying to get off the Penny drug that we've all gotten used to having," Mayor Dave Eggers said during Thursday's City Commission meeting. "We're in the third decade of it and at some point, presumably, the residents of the county will say 'It's been great, we've upgraded our roads and buildings, that's what it was for and that's enough.'"

Yates' department will unveil its first draft of the proposed 2012-13 budget next week. He asked commissioners during their meeting last week for input on which projects should be earmarked for Penny funding and which ones staff should try to find alternative financing for.

Commissioners' top priorities for Penny funding, at least for now, include roads, economic development and recently-approved projects connected to ongoing city master plans.

Staff was told to return with a list of options for paying off debt as well -- namely on the Dunedin Community Center, which counts for about $3.4 million of the projected $7.8 million Penny shortfall.

More details are here and here.

Commissioners also asked staff to find other pots of money to finance items that they believe would better be absorbed into their respective city department budgets. Those include firefighter equipment purchases as well as a fence replacement, building furnishings and recreational court resurfacing requested by the parks department.

Those items are allowed in the Penny budget, Yates said, but he, Eggers and Bujalski agreed that they don't meet the intended spirit of the Penny fund.

They "are maintenance and they should not be, in my opinion, in the Penny. It's kind of nickel-and-diming it," Bujalski said. "To me, we should be doing big-dollar things in the Penny."

--Keyonna Summers, Times Staff Writer

Tampa domestic partnership registry starts June 25

Richard Danielson — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:21:59 +0000

Tampa's domestic partnership registry -- the first created in the Tampa Bay area -- will be opened for registration at 9 a.m. June 25, Mayor Bob Buckhorn announced Thursday.

"As mayor, I welcome this new opportunity to ensure that all citizens of the City of Tampa have the same basic rights and to spread our spirit of inclusiveness," Buckhorn said in a statement announcing the start. "This is a community that treats everyone with dignity. We are a city that celebrates our diversity as a strength."

To register, couples should go to the City Clerk's office on the third floor of Old City Hall, 315 E Kennedy Blvd. Registrants cannot make an appointment to register, and both partners must be present to register. The proposed registration fee is $30.

For the first two weeks, from June 25 to July 6, registration will be from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Starting July 9, registration hours will be from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Full report here.

Prominent Republican donor and campaigner calls on Turner to resign

Bill Varian — Wed, 23 May 2012 01:09:55 +0000

Republican businessman Sam Rashid, a prominent backer of political campaigns, was among the first Tuesday to urge Hillsborough County Property Rob Turner to resign after his admission he sent dozens of pornographic emails to his former human resources director. Rashid issued his call in a comment string attached to the electronic version of a Times story about Turner's pornographic emails.

Rashid confirmed in an interview that he made the comment.

“This guy would be fired in any conventional job,” said Rashid, who supported Turner’s first run for office in 1996. “If he doesn’t quit, he’ll be a complete embarrassment to his party and to local politicians in his party.”

Rashid added he’ll be disappointed if the local party doesn’t ask him to quit. Hillsborough County Republican Party Chairman Art Wood said he would like to let the situation cool before commenting, considering Turner and his wife, Donna, are friends.

Turner admitted sending former Human Resources Director Carolyn Filippone more than 40 emails including pornographic images or links and that he had previously dated the woman in a story in Tuesday's Times. The emails were exhibits in a sexual discrimination complaint Filippone filed against Turner that was dismissed last month.

Turner fired Filippone Monday after the Times interview, saying it was because her discrimination complaint included several falsehoods.

Pinellas County commissioner Neil Brickfield schedules fundraiser

Anne Lindberg — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:00:00 +0000

A fundraiser to re-elect Neil Brickfield to the Pinellas County Commission is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday (May 21) at the Island Way Grill, 20 Island Way, Clearwater. RSVP to votebrickfield@gmail.com. Among the sponsors of the event are state Rep. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, former Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard as well as Scott Sanford and Jim Millican. Sanford and Millican are firefighters who submitted a plan to the county to change the emergency medical services system to one in which firefighters take patients to the hospital.

Brickfield, 49, a Republican, is running for his second term for Seat 1, one of the three at-large seats on the commission. He is a Safety Harbor resident and served on that city's commission from 2000-2004. He is married and has three children.

He is opposed in the November election by Democrat Janet Long, 67, a former member of the state House of Representatives and of the Seminole City Council.

Brickfield's website is votebrickfield.com.

-- Anne Lindberg, Times Staff Writer

'La Setima' name change could create memorabilia

Richard Danielson — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:50:04 +0000

Tampa City Council members moved forward Thursday with the decision to change the name of the street now known as "La Sétima" to "La Séptima," but not before Council member Charlie Miranda made a proposal to reduce the cost of the change:

Offer the old signs for sale.

"I think you'll be surprised what someone will pay for an old sign," he said. "If, legally, I can be a bidder, I will bid."

Last week, the council decided to change the Spanish secondary name for Seventh Avenue, the Latin Quarter's main strip, from La Sétima to La Séptima, which supporters say is a more accurate and commonly regarded Spanish spelling for "The Seventh." Changing the street signs on about 10 blocks in Ybor City will cost an estimated $2,000.

Murman suggests RNC will draw prostitutes

Bill Varian — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:44:43 +0000

Sandra Murman probably wants a do-over on this one.

The Republican Hillsborough County commissioner asked board support for a local effort to crack down on human trafficking. She set up her sales pitch by noting that the Republican National Convention in coming to town.

"Conventions like this, they bring in large numbers of prositutes," Murman said.

Fellow commissioner Les Miller, a Democrat, gleefully ribbed her, asking if she was admitting that the RNC draws prostitutes.

"Not RNC," Murman said. "Conventions (generally) draw large numbers of prostitutes."

Les Miller wants to know if Hillsborough County can audit independent Children's Board

Bill Varian — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:37:42 +0000

Hillsborough Commissioner Les Miller asked the county attorney Wednesday for a legal opinion on whether the county can order an audit of the Children's Board.

The Children's Board of Hillsborough County has been in the spotlight recently for handing out no-bid contracts to companies with relationships with that board's employees. Scrutiny began after CEO Luanne Panacek had a friend spread holy oil around the office after a particularly contentious meeting with her board.

Miller asked acting county attorney Don Odom whether the county could conduct a management and financial audit of the agency.

The Children's Board is actually a separate government from the county's, with its own board of directors and property tax, money from which it controls. It grants money to social service groups that provide programs for children.

Commissioner Kevin Beckner, the county's appointee to the Children's Board, says he has already asked a similar question of the Clerk of the Circuit Court's office, which performs audits for the county now. He was told that the county could offer to pay for an audit, but that the Children's Board would have to accept the outside scrutiny.

Hillsborough commissioners talking baseball again

Bill Varian — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:27:07 +0000

Sorry for the cheap ploy. No, Hillsborough County commissioners were not talking about the Tampa Bay Rays, this time.

But the board did approve providing land to relocate the former home of former baseball player and manager Al Lopez so it can be turned into a baseball museum.

The house is currently located at 1210 E 12th Ave. and was acquired by the Florida Department of Transportation as part of the widening of Interstate 4.

The DOT is proposing to relocate the home at a cost approaching $100,000 to the northeast corner of 9th Avenue and 19th St., near the Ybor City Museum. The Ybor City Museum Society would take ownership and anticipates raising as much as $175,000 to restore the building and renovate it to be used as a museum.

The museum will include exhibits featuring the 11 Tampa residents who have gone on to play for Major League Baseball, from Steve Garvey to Tino Martinez and Lou Piniella. It will also celebrate past baseball teams that have been located here, such as the former minor league Tampa Smokers.

The discussion didn't pass without at least a reference to the Rays. Commissioner Kevin Beckner noted his fellow board members' flirtation with the team, offering up Hillsborough as a prospective location for a new stadium should the team finally weary of St. Petersburg.

"One thing we could start with...is a baseball museum," Beckner said. "It's not going to require a referendum. It's not going to require a budget amendment."

Backers of the initiative said they intend to apply for grants and raise private money to renovate the building and operate it as a museum.

Commissioner Ken Hagan, the biggest Rays flirt on the board, applauded Beckner's proposal.

"Anything to do with baseball, I'm instantly attracted to that," said Hagan, who played baseball in high school and college.

"I've heard that, commissioner," said Mary Alvarez, a former Tampa City Council member who is helping with the preservation effort.

"Can we put him in the museum?" asked Commissioner Sandra Murman.

Pension fund manager goes after Kevin White for early payout he collected

Bill Varian — Tue, 15 May 2012 23:34:32 +0000

Another governmental agency is trying to get money back from former Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White.

The State Board of Administration filed suit against White earlier this month seeking $68,436 he withdrew from a retirement account after leaving office in 2010.

Under Florida statutes, public employees convicted of certain crimes, including bribery, are subject to forfeiting their retirement benefits. White, 47, a Democrat, was convicted of seven federal charges in November 2011, including that he accepted bribes from tow truck drivers seeking favors while he was on the County Commission.

“Plaintiff has therefore forfeited his right to his Investment Plan funds due to his felony conviction of the crimes...committed within the course and scope of his employment with the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners,” the lawsuit reads.

In other words, the SBA, which oversees the state’s investments, including the retirement accounts of public employees, says White must return the early payout.

White is still waiting to learn when he must report to prison to begin serving a three-year sentence for his conviction on bribery and other counts.

The SBA lawsuit does not specify when White received the payout. A spokesman for the agency said he is not permitted to divulge that information. Under state law, employees who leave government service who are enrolled in the retirement plan that White was may seek a payout no sooner than three months after their departure, not including the month of that departure.

That means White would not have been eligible for the payout until March 2011, the same month two FBI agents visited his home to interview him in connection to their investigation. White was indicted the following June on 10 counts, including lying to those agents, while a jury found him guilty of seven charges.

This won’t be the first time a government has sought money back from White. His own County Commission voted to sue him to recoup some of the more than $425,000 in legal expenses the county amassed in defending White in a 2009 sexual discrimination lawsuit.

A jury in that case had found that White discriminated against a former aide by firing her for refusing his repeated sexual advances. The jury awarded the woman, Alyssa Ogden, $75,000 in damages.

However, a federal judge ruled Hillsborough County could not recoup legal expenses from White since jurors found the county partly liable. The jury said the county did not have adequate safeguards in place for employees of commissioners to file a discrimination claim.

In the current suit, the SBA says his bribery conviction makes him ineligible for retirement benefits.

The state has essentially two retirement benefit plans for its employees, which include employees of counties. They can enroll in a traditional pension program, paid for mostly by the county into accounts managed by the state, which guarantees them monthly payments for life in retirement life.

Many elected officials initially avoid that plan, especially now that it takes eight years to become vested and they are not guaranteed to serve that amount of time.

The alternative is the Florida Retirement System Investment Plan, which currently functions similarly to a 401-k offered by many private employers. It allowed employees choices for how they wanted their money invested.

Vesting takes only one-year and those who use the plan may opt for a lump sum payout upon retirement. Those who seek an early payout face a 10 percent penalty plus taxes if the money is not placed into another qualified retirement account.

The lawsuit said the state is not seeking to cover any employee contribution to the plan and the state spokesman said the investment program did not allow for employee contributions while White was with the county. It does seek accrued interest, collection costs and reasonable attorney’s fees.

White served four years on the County Commission, getting drubbed in his 2010 reelection bid following the sexual discrimination trial by former state legislator Les Miller, who now holds the seat. Before that White served most of a term as a Tampa City Council member. The city has a different retirement plan.

Neither White nor an attorney for the SBA returned phone calls seeking comment.

Victor Crist is a dad

Bill Varian — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:13:24 +0000

Hillsborough County Commissioner Victor Crist is a dad for the first time at age 54.

Sophia Victoria Crist was born at 7:57 a.m. Friday, about eight weeks early, at St. Joseph's Women's Hospital, where she will remain for a few weeks yet. She weighed in at 5 lbs. even and stretched 17 inches.

"Mama's home," Crist said of his wife, Angela Severino-Crist, 37. "Baby is stable and I'm looking forward to being a dad."

Norman aide signs plea agreement in tax case

Bill Varian — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:20:11 +0000

An aide to state Sen. Jim Norman has reached a plea agreement in the federal tax case against him.

Terms of the agreement between aide Ben Kelly and the U.S. Attorney’s office have not yet been disclosed. Kelly’s attorney, Todd Foster, and U.S. Attorney Robert O’Neill, said they could not provide details until the agreement is finalized. That should happen by the end of the month, both said.

Kelly faces five misdemeanor counts of failing to file tax returns from 2006 to 2010. The charges spun off from a federal investigation of the 2006 purchase by Norman’s wife of a lakefront Arkansas home with the help of $500,000 from a long-time campaign supporter of her husband’s.

Kelly was an aide to Norman, R-Tampa, for most of his 18-year tenure as a Hillsborough County commissioner, which ended in 2010. He also worked on his election campaigns and joined Norman’s staff when he was elected to the Senate that same year.

Next Tampa police spending for RNC: gas masks, communications headsets, T-shirts

Richard Danielson — Sat, 12 May 2012 19:02:58 +0000

The Tampa City Council next week will consider making three more police purchases for the Republican National Convention:

• $518,460 for 1,400 gas masks and accessories, including 20 “voice projection units.” The supplier, Dawson Associates of Lawrenceville, Ga., was the lower of two bidders. The higher bid was $798,565 from National Safety Supply of Frederick, Md.

• $225,063 for 225 tactical communications headsets, plus accessories and three days of training. This gear is different from the police radios that the city already plans to buy for the convention, but it comes with plug-in radio adapters. The manufacturer, CavCom, specializes in two-way communications gear for workers who are in noisy environments or have to use gas masks. The supplier is Safeware Inc. of Landover, Md., which already is selling the city $1.9 million in helmets, face shields, body armor and other protective gear for the convention.

• $85,580 for 17,400 short- and long-sleeved, all-cotton printed T-shirts to outfit the coalition of local and out-of-town officers working the convention. The supplier is Tampa T-Shirts, which has an existing contract to supply work clothing for the city.

Money for the purchases would come from Tampa’s $50 million federal convention security grant.

The council is scheduled to vote on this spending Thursday -- the same day it is expected to take a second and final vote on an ordinance establishing ground rules for protesters at the convention.

One of those rules is a ban on protesters carrying gas masks inside the city’s proposed “Event Zone,” which covers downtown, Ybor City and several neighboring areas. City officials say the ban is needed because if police use tear gas to clear an area, allowing demonstrators to wear gas masks could force officers to resort to even harsher methods.

But critics, including at least one council member, have questioned the ban, saying that innocent bystanders who aren’t causing trouble would be left defenseless to the use of chemical agents.

“I find it troubling that people don’t have a way to protect themselves,” said Anne O’Berry, southern regional vice president of the National Lawyers Guild, who noted that she was speaking for herself and not for the guild.

Worth a look: Creative Loafing's interviews with five activists with plans for the Republican National Convention

Richard Danielson — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:34:59 +0000

Creative Loafing is out with interviews and mini-profiles of five leading activists who plan to bring their messages to Tampa during the Republican National Convention in late August.

CL's Mitch Perry talked to Food Not Bombs co-founder Keith McHenry, Rae Abileah of Code Pink, Cheri Honkala of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, antiwar activist and blogger David Swanson and Tom Burke, who is working full-time for the Coalition for the March of the RNC in addition to serving as a spokesman for the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.

They all have a few things in common, Perry reports: All think establishing a "free speech" zone for protesters is a profoundly bad idea. All hope for better relations between protesters and Tampa police than they saw four years ago at the GOP convention in St. Paul, Minn. And after the RNC, all are headed to Charlotte, N.C. for the Democratic National Convention.

Creative Loafing also quotes several on their commitment to peaceful protest. Burke, for example, predicts Tampa police will be less busy outside the convention than they are herding drunks at Gasparilla. “I’m a father of a little girl," he said. "My wife is a scientist. We’re the kind of people you want to have."

Click here for the full story.

Dunedin, Clearwater partner to cut employee health care costs

Keyonna Summers — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:16:28 +0000

DUNEDIN -- A new partnership with Clearwater is expected to save Dunedin residents thousands of dollars in health care costs for city workers and their families.

Starting July 9, workers enrolled in Dunedin's health plan will be eligible to seek out routine medical care and generic medications at the health clinic Clearwater rolled out two years ago for its employees.

Employees aren't required to use the clinic, which doesn't offer specialist care or name-brand medications. They can still obtain drugs or see a doctor of their choosing through the city's traditional insurance plan.

But Dunedin officials are hoping most will take advantage of the new agreement, which they say will cut down costs by providing health services at a fixed cost. The clinic will emphasize preventative care in an effort to reduce the number of high-dollar claims Dunedin paid out of its self-insured medical plan last year for emergency room visits, surgeries and other serious conditions.

Dunedin anticipates saving taxpayers $86,000 to $332,000 in avoided claims during the partnership's first year.

Eligible employees and their dependents - 700 in all - are projected to save between $44,000 and $75,000 in eliminated co-pays for doctor appointments and prescriptions - an incentive officials hope will encourage them to jump aboard.

Clearwater estimates that the clinic resulted in a claims avoidance of just over $3.2 million between its July 2010 opening and December 2011, DelPrete said. Nearly 2,700 Clearwater employees, retirees and their dependents saved about $950,000 in avoided co-pays.

Similar results would be a boon for self-insured Dunedin, which essentially wiped out its fund paying out about $2.6 million in claims for employees and their families last fiscal year. Officials hope the clinic will help the city begin to build a reserve.

Under a one-year contract approved by Dunedin commissioners last week, the city will pay $305,317 to Clearwater and CareATC for administrative oversight, medical staffing and other operation costs.

Click here for the Times' full report on the new partnership. Watch Dunedin's presentation here or tune in for Clearwater's presentation on its savings during a workshop scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday.

--Keyonna Summers, Times Staff Writer

(Photo credit: iStock)

Friendship Trail Bridge backers get some time to polish their rescue plan

Bill Varian — Wed, 09 May 2012 22:21:01 +0000

A group of volunteers seeking to save and revamp the Friendship Trail Bridge have a little more time to polish their proposal.

The group, working with architects and engineers, is pitching a proposal to replace deteriorating concrete spans with lighter, narrower metal decking. Along the trail, backers are a series of inviting activity and/or gathering spots, some shaded, in an effort to turn the former 2.6 mile span of the Gandy Bridge into an above-water linear park.

They say it could cost just less than $20 million, and are pledging to raise as much as $13 million in public donations.

The group was initially slated to present the idea to Hillsborough County commissioners May 16. Now they have until June 6, after their item was postponed from the next meeting agenda. Volunteers said they'll spend those additional three weeks to meet with county staff, interested members of the public and others, to address any questions or concerns that arise.

County commissioner Mark Sharpe was on-hand for an official unveiling of the proposal Wednesday at the Hillsborough entrance to the bridge, which was fenced off in 2008 out of concern for public safety. He said the proposal is impressive.

"I like the fact that the citizens are taking the lead on this," Sharpe said.

Group poised to issue Friendship Trail Bridge rescue plan

Bill Varian — Wed, 09 May 2012 01:07:50 +0000

A group of young professionals will hold a 1:30 p.m. new conference Wednesday at the entrance to the Friendship Trail Bridge to unveil their plans to save and transform the linear park into a new regional icon. See their proposal below.

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Latest merger proposal: Combining Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough medical examiner offices

Bill Varian — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:59:11 +0000

Local leaders have been talking about ways to merge airport operations and bus services in the Tampa Bay region.

One official has even suggested trading some of Tampa’s cruise business for St. Petersburg’s pro baseball team.

Now comes a proposal to merge the business of conducting autopsies in Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties.

Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner Dr. Jon Thogmartin pitched that idea in a recent meeting with Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill, both confirmed Tuesday. Merrill said he’s giving it some consideration, even as his office is seeking applications to replace retiring Hillsborough Medical Examiner Dr. Vern Adams.

Thogmartin said the two jurisdictions are obviously close. His investigators sometimes cross Hillsborough to get to parts of Pasco from Pinellas. So why not take a look at it while there’s a pending vacancy.

“It wouldn’t be harmful to just explore if that’s feasible,” Thogmartin said. “I appreciate them listening to the idea. I think they’re being very progressive and smart.”

Merrill, and the county commissioners to whom he reports, have made looking for ways to consolidate with other governments a priority. He has collapsed departments within county government but also is collaborating with the city of Tampa on purchasing contracts, including a major computer operating system.

He said he’s open to the idea teaming up for autopsies. At the same time, he said he will likely consider it with skepticism.

Merrill has undertaken major overhauls of several county departments. Some have been with the aim of making their structure more sensible and efficient, others because of personnel or other issues.

The medical examiner’s office has been one area with which he has not had to tinker.

“Thankfully that’s one area I haven’t had to worry about,” Merrill said. “I think we have to be very careful before shifting to something like this.”

One wrinkle is that both medical examiners’ offices are structured somewhat differently.

Generally, the governor’s appoints medical examiners to three-year terms based on recommendations from an oversight panel, the Medical Examiner Commission. Most represent multiple counties in districts that for the most part are the same as the judicial circuits they serve.

Hillsborough is an exception. It is one of four districts made up of one county that has a home rule charter and has the option of hiring its own medical examiner.

As a result, Thogmartin is a gubernatorial appointee who is a private contract employee whose costs are paid by Pinellas and Pasco counties. Adams is a department head of the county, a full-fledged government employee, with government benefits

Merrill says he plans to ask Adams his thoughts on Thogmartin’s idea. In a phone interview Tuesday, Adams, who is retiring after 21 years, said it’s entirely up to Merrill.

“I won’t be here,” he said.

In a briefing memo to commissioners Monday on Hillsborough’s distinctive history of selecting its own medical examiner, he said both systems have their pros and cons. Hillsborough’s gives local government more oversight and a sense of continuity for employees who would report to the medical examiner.

Commissioners reached echoed Merrill’s first-blush response — a willingness to consider the idea, but with care.

“We want to be very cautious that we don’t break something that doesn’t need fixed,” said Commissioner Victor Crist.

Thogmartin said the concept has been used in other districts in Florida. A merger possibility is made easier here because Hillsborough County has the ability to hire who it sees fit, including the guy across the bay.

While he says he hasn’t done a detailed analysis, he would expect that a merger would result in savings for each county.

“If it doesn’t save money, to me it’s not feasible,” he said.

Hillsborough hires new animal services director with low-kill experience

Bill Varian — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:33:55 +0000

Hillsborough County on Friday announced the hiring of a new Animal Services Department director from Austin, Texas, who has experience in dramatically lowering the number of dogs and cats euthanized each year in that community's public shelter.

The hiring of Ian Hallett, deputy chief animal services officer for the city of Austin and Travis County, comes as commissioners discuss ways to make Hillsborough County's animal shelter a no-kill center, or at least low-kill. Hallett is a native of Riverview and will start June 18.

In a letter to County Administrator Mike Merrill thanking him for the job, Hallett said the Austin shelter he helps supervise has seen a dramatic decline in the number of animals killed each year. When he started there as a volunteer seven years ago, he said the save rate was less than 40 percent. Today, it stands at 90 percent, a goal local animal rights group are urging Hillsborough County to set.

While Hillsborough County has reduced the raw number of animals euthanized by 52 percent since 2005, some 65 percent of animals that end up there are killed, Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Ken Hagan said recently. He is pushing for Hillsborough County to more aggressively shrink that kill rate.

Attached is the memo announcing his hiring and his letter to Merrill.

Downloadable files
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Local sign laws threaten PSTA bus shelter funding

Keyonna Summers — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:39:53 +0000

DUNEDIN -- Bus shelter ads create visual clutter, critics say. They sometimes contain questionable images. And come May 2013, they'll be gone, at least in this city. Dunedin commissioners have banned ads on bus shelters.

That's probably not what the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority board expected when, hoping to preserve a longtime advertising contract with Clear Channel, it asked Pinellas city leaders to consider amending their sign codes to allow ads on the shelters.

Since 1995, Clear Channel has built and maintained bus shelters in exchange for advertising space, but only two Pinellas cities - Clearwater and Pinellas Park - allow the signs under current codes. (Clear Channel also has about a dozen shelters each in Largo and Dunedin that were grandfathered in when those cities later banned bus shelter ads.)

Clear Channel also paid PSTA $1,000 per shelter each year until January, when the PSTA board accepted Clear Channel's request to instead pay the transit authority 35 percent of its gross advertising revenue.

Clear Channel is having difficulty selling ads because of a slow advertising market. With 62 shelters to date, the company also said local sign laws have blocked it from fulfilling a contract requirement to put up a minimum of 117 shelters around the county.

Dunedin's decision worries PSTA, which stands to lose the contract and thousands of dollars in annual funding if other cities follow suit.

Pinellas County Commissioner Susan Latvala said at a recent PSTA board meeting that the only way to keep the contract is to expand advertising. She noted the disparity in shelters for bus riders.

"In the unincorporated area ... (you have) a little bench sitting in the hot sun or the rain and people are sitting there waiting for the bus. Then you get to another area where they've got these nice shelters," she said. "There's a great disparity. If we're going to move forward in this county with improving and expanding our transit system, we've got to have accommodations for our passengers."

In banning the ads, Dunedin officials cited a desire to preserve the city's beauty, especially in residential neighborhoods. They also were dismayed about the lack of control over ad content.

But Dunedin officials were most worried that allowing more shelter ads will create a "slippery slope" towards billboards. More details about the decision are here and here.

PSTA staffers are already exploring alternatives to the agreement with Clear Channel.

Executive director Brad Miller recommended that PSTA try to forge a partnership with Hillsborough Area Regional Transit, so the two bus systems could market ad space as a regional package rather than by county. He believes the system would get more revenue that way.

PSTA has shelters at 712 of its bus stops, including those owned by Clear Channel. The transit authority uses a combination of federal, state and local funding and grants to finance its other shelters, which cost anywhere from $2,000 to $15,000.

Dunedin is willing to partner if needed.

--Keyonna Summers, Times Staff Writer

Victor Crist has a curious baseball trade proposal

Bill Varian — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:50:09 +0000

Tampa has a port with a bridge in front of it that blocks the latest mega-cruise ships from entering.

St. Petersburg has a professional baseball team that wants to look on the other side of the bay for a new stadium location.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Victor Crist is tossing out a novel, if somewhat quixotic-sounding idea: How about a trade?

Maybe Tampa, its port, or the Hillsborough County could somehow assist in developing a new cruise ship port on the other side of the Sunshine Skyway bridge, potentially to the benefit of Pinellas County. It could be built to accommodate large ships, keeping the cruise business humming or even expanding in the Tampa Bay region.

In exchange, the city of St. Petersburg should let the Tampa Bay Rays look at stadium options in Hillsborough, warding against another major regional asset leaving.

“That’s how we should be talking,” Crist said in an interview Thursday. “What do we have that you can grow and improve and what do you have that we could grow and improve, instead of hoarding.”

Crist said he has talked to officials in other counties about ideas for greater collaboration in the port business, as a member of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. He acknowledged he has not talked to Pinellas or St. Petersburg officials about baseball.

Since he has been on the County Commission, Crist, a former state legislator, has repeatedly talked about the need for greater regional cooperation. The Port of Tampa has been his recurring case in point.

The port is increasingly facing land constraints that restrict how much it can expand commercial and industrial business. So he says officials with the port should be reaching out to the Port of Manatee, which has room to grow, to see if there are ways the two can team up.

Before joining the commission, Crist said he was aware that the cruise ship industry was evolving to larger ships that the now mid-size ones that account for the bulk of the Port of Tampa’s business. The larger ships can’t make it beneath the Skyway. So why not expand the port to the other side of the bridge?

“The bottom line is the bigger ships are where the industry is moving toward,” Crist said. “Or smaller boutique ships.”

While a big ship port, possibly near Egmont Key or the Skyway, may not directly benefit the city of St. Petersburg, which built Tropicana Field to lure the Rays, Crist says the port could help that city develop a boutique cruise business. He said boutique cruise lines generally make more picturesque waterfront cities their ports of call and Tampa doesn’t seem to attract them.

A St. Peterburg boutique cruise port might, perhaps at the site of the soon-to-be redeveloped Pier.

Crist said he introduced a list of 12 areas where there are opportunities for greater regional cooperation before the planning council about 7 weeks ago. Port concerns topped the list and a task force convened two weeks ago to look at that and other issues. Pro sports franchises were further down the list.

Commissioners want to turn USF area into "innovation destination"

Bill Varian — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:24:56 +0000

Hillsborough County wants to make a greater push at turning the area around the University of South Florida into an economic development hub.

County commissioners directed their administrator Wednesday to craft a framework to make it happen. That likely will involve forming some form of task force consisting of people from groups with interests in the area — from the university and nearby hospitals to neighborhoods and Busch Gardens.

But commissioners also discussed ideas for what is tentatively getting called “innovation destination” that could include creating a special taxing district or even a separate authority or alliance to oversee efforts.

Commissioner Mark Sharpe in recent months has been promoting the idea of creating an “innovation city” centered in the USF area. He has been working with university and hospital officials to, in essence, create a brand that could be used to entice greater private-sector investment in the area by promoting what is already there.

A group calling itself the Innovation Alliance, including representatives from USF, Florida Hospital, Busch Gardens and H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute has been holding similar discussions for about a year.

On Wednesday, Commissioner Victor Crist brought the topic forward, then expanded it. He said future discussions should involve surrounding neighborhoods, many of which are blighted, such as the area west of USF commonly called Suitcase City because of the transient nature of its residents.

But Crist said the effort said it should go beyond those areas immediately around the university to take in more far flung neighborhoods, such as Sulphur Springs and Tampa Palms.

For one, any discussion to promote economic development in the area should include people who live nearby. And what happens in those neighborhoods affects residents in surrounding areas.

Further, Crist said, because so many of the neighborhoods in question have concentrations of poor people, redevelopment might better attract federal grant money.

“Today, we have opened the door and invited the community and neighborhoods in,” Crist said afterward.

Crist, a former state legislator, has made redevelopment of the university area a focal point of his career. Indeed, there has been several studies and proposals to transform the area through the years.

County Administrator Mike Merrill said he believes the current sagging economic climate is more likely to produce something that bears fruit.

“Out of crisis, comes opportunity,” he said.

He was given 45 days to come up with an action plan.

Hillsborough commissioners to pursue lower kill rates at animal shelter

Bill Varian — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:34:26 +0000

Hillsborough commissioners told their administrator Wednesday to come up with a strategy for killing fewer dogs and cats at the county’s shelter.

The move came a little more than a week after County Administrator Mike Merrill announced a shakeup within the county’s Animal Services Department. The shakeup included the abrupt retirement of the department’s director of operations.

At the time, Merrill said he wanted to see the county get more aggressive in reducing the number of animals euthanized at the shelter. Wednesday’s 6-0 vote, with Commissioner Les Miller absent, formalizes that.

The changes within the department have prompted applause but also protests from some animal activists and members of a panel that advises the county on animal issues. Commission Chairman Ken Hagan, who initiated the board’s discussion, said he is not advocating for Hillsborough County to adopt a no-kill policy, as some other shelters around the country have.

But he said he believes Hillsborough can do a better job even as it makes gains in reducing the number of animals killed each year.

Since 2005, the county has reduced the number of animals euthanized at its shelter by 52 percent, to less than 14,000 dogs and cats last year. But the county still kills 65 percent of the animals that end up at its shelter.

“To me, that is unacceptable,” Hagan said .

Some animals inevitably will still need to get put down because they are sick or are dangerous, Hagan said.

As part of the analysis, Merrill and his staff were asked to present the financial implications of a more aggressive approach. Would it require more space as animals are sheltered longer, and more employees to watch them?

“I think it’s important to lower the kill rate,” said Commissioner Al Higginbotham. “I am concerned about, do we have the space? Do we have the staff?”

Animal Services is one the departments at the county that has faced sharp financial cuts due to declining tax revenue in recent years. The department no longer traps nuisance feral cats, for instance or picks up road kill.

Under the proposal, Merrill said his staff will work closely with the county’s volunteer Animal Advisory Committee. That panel’s meetings will also get broadcast on the county’s television station, as the issue is expected to draw strong community interest .

Merrill said he expects to announce a new director for the department in coming days.

In other action:

Commissioners agreed to give the non-profit group Mental Health Care Inc. $2.1 million to purchase and rehab a 24-unit apartment building near the University of South Florida. The building will be converted into living quarters for the chronically homeless, in an effort to stabilize their lives and get them services they may need, such as mental health care. The so-called “housing first” initiative is intended as a pilot program and was championed by Commissioner Sandra Murman and a homelessness task force she got created.

Brandes won't rule out run for state senate

Michael Van Sickler — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:44:34 +0000

ST. PETERSBURG -- Jeff Brandes keeps on keeping on, despite speculation (which he is not discouraging) that he might switch gears for a state senate run.

On Wednesday, the state representative gave Bay Buzz a sneak peek at an ad produced by the Victory Group for his campaign for reelection in the newly drawn District 68 seat that covers an eastern portion of Pinellas County that includes Pinellas Park and northern parts of St. Petersburg.

But is the 36-year-old Iraq war veteran considering a run instead for the newly drawn Senate District 22, where longtime Republican lawmaker Jim Frishe intends to run?

"We're taking a serious look at the senate seat," Brandes said, noting that he has until the June 8 filing deadline to decide.

His house district, formerly known as 52, has typically been a competitive one. Brandes won it for the first time in 2010 as part of the tea party wave that washed out Democratic incumbents like Bill Heller. The new house district picked up conservative bastions like Feather Sound in redistricting, but it's still considered a toss-up in a close election year.

"It's equally competitive as my previous district," Brandes said.

So until he decides, he says he's focused on winning reelection against Democrat Dwight Dudley and Matthew Weidner, an independent.

The new 30-second ad, titled "Innovator", shows Brandes driving around Tampa Bay with his 3 1/2-year-old daughter strapped safely in the backseat.

He stresses that he'll come up with innovative solutions to Tampa Bay's transportation problems. He touts driverless cars as a new idea that would help. They are being designed now by Google, which is lobbying state houses across the United States to allow for their use when they finally get developed. This past session, Brandes sponsored a bill that became law that would require the state to study and establish the standards for the safe operation of autonomous cars and produce a report by Feb. 1, 2014.

"It'll make driving easier and our roads safer," Brandes says from a behind the wheel of a car that's obviously not on autopilot. "And it'll create jobs for Florida." (Though perhaps not if you're a trucker or a cabbie).

His daughter adds, "Cool daddy."

Brandes smiles and says, "Very cool."

All very positive stuff.

But the ad undermines the premise that Brandes is an authority on transportation issues.

The autopilot cars are a few years away. Even Brandes says they won't hit area roads until eight to 12 years from now. And when they do, it's not clear what impact, if any, they will have on the overall transportation network.

Meanwhile, Brandes has been a virulent critic of light rail plans in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties at a time when cities like Charlotte, Austin, Denver and Seattle have launched and expanded new lines.

While he calls the driverless cars a 21st century solution, he dismisses light rail as a 19th century solution. But this ad doesn't mention Brandes' view on providing more immediate solutions that would affect Tampa Bay's transportation network today. Bus rapid transit? Toll roads? More roads? Brandes doesn't say in the ad.

The ad comes a month after Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad told the Tampa Bay Times that he favors turning the Howard Frankland Bridge into a toll bridge when it's rebuilt 10 years from now.

If so, that would have a tremendous impact on the region's transportation flow. Yet the ad gives no indication as to what Brandes thinks of this idea.

The ad does do one thing on the subject of the Howard Frankland.

It misspells it: Howard Franklin.

When Bay Buzz informed Brandes about this, he said he'd would get it fixed.

Minutes later, he sent this version of the ad.

How did Brandes, a St. Pete native, get the spelling wrong of the landmark bridge?

"We Googled it," Brandes said. "It showed up that way."

-- Michael Van Sickler, Times Staff Writer

Republican National Convention rolls out blog

Richard Danielson — Tue, 01 May 2012 19:10:08 +0000

The Republican National Convention on Tuesday took the wraps off its chatty new blog, Conventional Wisdom.

Convention organizers said the blog will make use of video and graphics and will focus on events both in Tampa Bay and around the country as delegates and GOP officials get ready to come to Tampa for the Aug. 27-30 convention. Convention spokesman James Davis said he hoped readers would send in their own questions and suggestions so that "we can peel back the curtain of the convention in a way that's educational, interesting and fun."

"Creating an interesting and useful blog is just one way of communicating with people across the country," convention CEO William Harris said. "It's part of our larger plan to open the convention and make it accessible to as many people as possible using cutting-edge technology and interactive social media."

Dunedin to roll out mandatory curbside recycling program by October

Keyonna Summers — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:21:23 +0000

DUNEDIN -- Commissioners last week gave city staff the green light to push forward with plans to transition to once-weekly trash pickup by 2014.

To get things moving, the city in October will roll out a free recycling program to allow residents to see for themselves how a recycling bin reduces their trash can volume.

The goal of a weekly trash pickup is to reduce costs for things like fuel, worker's compensation and truck maintenance, as well as to help Pinellas County preserve its landfill, which is anticipated to reach capacity in approximately 2080.

Citywide curbside recycling is "something our residents have been asking for for many years," said Dunedin sustainability coordinator Valerie Brown. "We're finally able to give it to them."

For the last seven years, recycling in Dunedin has been voluntary. Residents pay $2.79 a month plus a $5 one-time fee for an 18-gallon recycling bin, deterring many residents who feel the fees 'punish them for doing the right thing,' Brown said. The 2,000 participating households are responsible for separating items themselves.

Under the new program, each of the city's 13,000 residential trash customers will receive a 65-gallon recycling bin with wheels to accompany their 90-gallon trash barrel. The cost will be rolled into the $17.10 flat fee residents pay each month for trash and bulk pickup.

An expanded list of accepted recyclables includes all colors of glass, cardboard, milk and juice cartons, and almost all types of plastic containers. All recyclable items can be dropped into one bin and don't have to be sorted by the resident.

The city will spend the first year developing a residential pickup schedule and evaluating whether the cost savings are enough to keep the recycling free. Read more details here.

The news came days before Waste Services of Florida Inc. told St. Petersburg officials that it won't renew its voluntary curbside recycling contract when it expires in October because of slow sales. St. Petersburg approved the contract in 2010, and WSI had signed up only a third of the 24,000 customers it had hoped to attract.

Once Dunedin starts its program, St. Petersburg will be the only of Pinellas County's 24 municipalities not yet offering a mandatory citywide curbside recycling program.

--Keyonna Summers, Times Staff Writer

All atwitter over Ken Welch's tweets

Anne Lindberg — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The flap began at Tuesday's (April 24) meeting of the Pinellas County Commission when board members were confronted by a standing room only crowd that mostly opposed a change to development rules in the downtown Palm Harbor historical district. Since then the fuss has extended to a flurry of emails between angry constituents and political opponents and commissioner Ken Welch.

At Tuesday's meeting, those opposing the change had no trouble expressing anger and disdain for Pinellas commissioners when asking that they reject the proposal to allow transfers of development rights in the Palm Harbor district. The opponents argued, among other things, that the change was unconstitutional and would deprive them of private property rights. Some also alleged that the change was part of a plot by the United Nations to take over property and the government. Some of those people referred to Agenda 21, a UN action plan having to do with sustainability that it has urged member nations to adopt at both the national and local levels.

But the real vitriole was unleashed after the first vote on the measure passed 5-1 with Norm Roche being the lone vote against the proposal.

Early in the debate over the second vote, Welch, who was chairing the meeting, threatened to clear the room if a man in the audience did not stop shouting.

Marg Baker, a Republican running for state House Seat 48, said the commissioners who voted in favor of the change had "goofball things in your head" and urged them to "study Agenda 21 for Dummies."

"I am very, very upset with you people," Baker said. "Take a lesson from Norm. Just listen to him. The man knows what he is doing. ... You don't understand TDRs are a Pandora's box. .... We're going to have huge, new poison bug in our county. This is disgusting, disgusting."

Palm Harbor resident Attilio Corbo was especially scathing.

"I think you guys are a friggin' farce," Corbo said. He told Commissioner Neil Brickfield, "You really are a phony."

Then, he said, "How much money did you people get on the side? Tell me. ... Don't go giving me that look of disgust. I don't trust any of you people. You're dishonest. You don't listen to us. You're phonies."

Welch started to defend the commission, but Corbo interrupted.

Welch: "You are done. Let me finish."

When Corbo continued, Welch asked, "Are you capable of letting the other side speak? Are you? ... You can take a seat. You're done, your time is up."

"It's very easy for folks to come up here and make accusations," Welch said. "I know for a fact it's not true (that commissioners accepted money). We need to keep our discussion somewhat civil."

Shortly after, Welch was seen updating his Twitter and Facebook accounts. His Tweet said: "Pinellas Commission meeting comments from Tea Pary members: 'social justice=socialism,' green initiatives=communism, Agenda 21, etc."

The next day, an anonymous email was sent to the Tampa Bay Times, among others: “Check it out! Oh my! who was speaking at 10:21 p.m. on 4.24.12 at the BOCC meeting regarding the Palm Harbor TDR at that time? Talk about ultimate disrespect! I (was) shocked! Not surprised, just shocked! After Mr. Welch's mini speech on respect to someone who lost their temper too - he demanded respect and didn't give it himself.....hypocrisy? Makes for a really good story, folks!"

That sparked an email from John Burgess of St. Petersburg who scolded Welch for tweeting during a meeting and demanded a public apology.

Welch responded with his own email:

"Mr. Burgess, your 'understanding' of tweeting doesn't align with the facts in this case, nor the way that I utilize the tool. I tweet summaries of nearly all of my meetings, as I did near the end of this meeting, and my tweets are well received by the public. They appreciate being informed of what is being discussed at their government meetings.

"If you review the screenshot which was on the (curiously) anonymous email, you'll see my Tweet, and the responses. They are all time stamped, and you'll see that there was no two way discussion during the meeting.

"As for disrespect, I suggest you view the video of our meeting, then assess who the disrespectful parties were. I chaired a 9 hour meeting, and accommodated every request, from requests to speak in a specific order, to admitting a late video request, and granting additional time to speakers. Even my political opponents have thanked me for the way the I conduct our meetings as Chair. I will continue to conduct our meetings in this manner.

"Those are the facts sir. I will continue to inform my constituents on the proceedings in their government meetings. There will be no apology.

"Regards.

"KT"

-- Anne Lindberg, Times Staff Writer

'Stand your ground' law safe in Pinellas County

Michael Van Sickler — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:11:47 +0000

Don't expect a push to repeal the so-called "stand your ground" law to come from Pinellas County.

Nine of the county's state lawmakers were put on the spot at Wednesday's Tiger Bay luncheon at the St. Petersburg Marriott Clearwater.

St. Petersburg City Council member Wengay Newton asked, in light of the February shooting death of Trayvon Martin, do lawmakers plan on repealing the so-called "stand your ground" law that passed in 2005 and could be used in the defense of George Zimmerman?

Despite reams of evidence to the contrary, most of the lawmakers said the law doesn't apply in the case.

"The media has done a horrible job in reporting this," said Rep. Jim Frishe, R-St. Petersburg. "The law doesn't come close to applying."

"I don't think 'stand your ground' applied in this situation," said Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg. "A person should be able to defend themselves."

Rep. Peter Nehr, R-Palm Harbor, Rep. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, Rep. Larry Ahern, R-St. Petersburg, Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater agreed with Rouson and Frishe.

Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Seminole, who's leaving the Legislature because of term limits, and Rep. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, said they support the law and wouldn't repeal it.

Only Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg, said he opposes the law. But he announced Monday he's leaving the Legislature.

Among other tough questions: Do you read the bills you vote on? (Mostly.) Who was a bigger train wreck, Johnnie Byrd as Speaker of the state house or Mike Haridopolos as senate president? (Byrd in a landslide). Does Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, have the votes to lock up the senate presidency in 2016? ("Chances are good," Latvala said.)

-- Michael Van Sickler, Times Staff Writer

St. Petersburg Council Chair Leslie Curran said she will fill leadership void left by Foster

Michael Van Sickler — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:11:31 +0000

ST. PETERSBURG -- Council Chair Leslie Curran objected to the characterization that she wasn't providing leadership on the issue of finding new revenue for next year's budget, which has an estimated shortfall of $13 million.

While Mayor Bill Foster has yet to endorse a new source, Curran said she will support either an increase in the property tax rate or a flat fee of between $5 and $10 month on properties in the city to pay for fire service.

"We can't afford to go another year without doing it," Curran said Wednesday. "We need to step up and do the right thing."

The budget was just another example where Foster has ceded the issue of what to do to the council, Curran said.

"Foster is almost a non-entity," Curran said, who says she is undecided on whether she will challenge him for reelection next year. "But I think it's obvious that council will have to decide what to do because he won't."

She said Foster followed the council's lead on the major issues that have confronted the city since he took office in 2010. She named the panhandling ordinance, the homeless issue, and extending bar hours until 3 a.m. as examples of how Foster defers to council.

"Like every other major decision that has been made, his comment on it is 'Whatever council wants,'" Curran said. "So if he wants council to run this city, we'll run this city."

Foster has opposed a proprety tax rate increase and fire fee in the past. This year, he has conceded that the city does need a new revenue source, but has yet to identify which one he would support. In March, he told the council that if they want a new funding source, it's up to them to identify it.

But at a budget workshop last week, Foster said he would make a recommendation. He said he didn't want to do it before today's budget summitt at J.W. Cate Center on 22nd Ave. N at 6 p.m., which he said is meant as an opportunity to listen to residents.

-- Michael Van Sickler, Times Staff Writer

AT&T is RNC's official wireless provider

Richard Danielson — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:15:47 +0000

And for today's "official RNC such-and-such," we bring you AT&T, which will serve as the convention's official wireless provider.

We told you earlier this month about how wireless providers AT&T and Verizon are making multimillion-dollar upgrades in the area around the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa Convention Center and hotels.

AT&T will go further, providing additional voice and data communication services, in addition to facilitating a text-messaging campaign that allows users to receive breaking news alerts about the August event.

To sign up for the alerts, which will include convention speakers and a schedule of daily events, text "convention" to 99000.

Previously announced infrastructure improvements include what's known as DAS technology, or distributed antenna system. Such setups consist of a series of small antennas that are placed throughout a venue, then networked to increase capacity and coverage. It's like having a series of miniature cell towers throughout the building, each servicing small areas of the venue. These systems carry voice, 3G and 4G LTE data.

"If you drop a call on an AT&T network in August, I will be shocked," Tampa Bay Host Committee president Ken Jones told a business group in February. He said the company was putting $20 million into infrastructure upgrades, and "when AT&T goes home after the event, all that network improvement stays here."

-- Kim Wilmath and Richard Danielson

Broad BB gun ban looks likely in Dunedin

Keyonna Summers — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:00:24 +0000

DUNEDIN -- A victory seems likely for wildlife activists, courtesy of commissioners who gave preliminary approval Thursday night to a new measure banning BB guns not just in city parks but on all public property.

If the ordinance is approved after a second public hearing and final vote May 3, violators could face hundreds of dollars in daily code enforcement or court fines.

The issue was raised this winter by residents who complained that a group of older teens used a pellet gun to kill two Muscovy ducks at Lake Paloma, potentially endangering homes and other wildlife in the western Dunedin neighborhood north of downtown.

Sheriff's deputies said their hands were tied because Muscovies are considered an unprotected nuisance species and no laws against firing air guns existed. (More details here.) The shooters had said they intended to eat the birds.

Dunedin's public safety committee recommended adding BB gun language to city codes. Saying they didn't want to outlaw target practice on private property, the group proposed the ban for city parks only.

In voting 5-0 Thursday to ban BB guns from public property, commissioners generally agreed that the weapons should be allowed on private property.

The proposal, though, met initial resistance from Mayor Dave Eggers and Commissioner David Carson, who worried that regulating BB guns at all was an overreaction to an isolated incident.

Instead, Eggers wondered if they could outlaw hunting, which he said doesn't fit the city's character.

Echoing comments by Carson, who grew up in a hunting community, Eggers said: "For me it's not about the BB guns. It's about parents teaching their kids right and not shooting ducks."

Commissioner Julie Ward Bujalski countered that she wants to be consistent with state firearms laws and prevent tragedy before it happens. She, Commissioner Julie Scales and Vice Mayor Ron Barnette supported expanding the BB gun ban beyond city parks to all public roads and right-of-ways.

"When it happens and someone gets hurt, it's going to be a problem and then people will say why didn't you have something on the books," she said.

The law would expand on one that already bars anyone other than a person in a city-supervised program, such as archery at summer camp, from firing a slingshot, bow, sling or "similar device" within city limits.

Noting that the November duck shootings actually involved a pellet gun, Bujalski asked why pellet guns weren't included in the proposed ordinance amendment.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office doesn't consider a pellet gun a firearm, but City Attorney Tom Trask said his extensive research didn't turn up any case law clarifying pellet guns' classification.

He said he erred on the side of caution and left out pellet guns to avoid conflict with a new state law that threatens county and city officials with fines and removal from office if they attempt to enforce local gun ordinances. He said seeking a Florida attorney general's opinion wouldn't help because it would involve similar research and simply include a nonbinding interpretation by another lawyer.

In an email Friday to the mayor and city clerk, Barbara Walker of the Clearwater Audubon Society asked the city to also consider including a ban on blow darts and dart guns, which she said were used early last week to shoot Muscovy ducks and common gallinules (a protected species) just 660 feet away from a bald eagle's nest at Virginia Street and Oakwood Drive.

She also recommended that the city follow Belleair Beach's recent ban on feeding wildlife, which she said attracts a nuisance and harbors ill will toward the animals.

"Unfortunately, I don't believe any of these shootings ...had anything to do with people hunting for food," Walker wrote. "When animals are shot in this fashion it is typically plain old cruelty."

Watch video and read documents from Thursday's Dunedin City Commission meeting here.

--Keyonna Summers, Times Staff Writer

RNC names Microsoft 'official innovation provider'

Richard Danielson — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:00:55 +0000

In another effort to ensure top-notch technology at the Republican National Convention, organizers on Thursday announced that Microsoft will be the "official innovation provider" of the Aug 27-30 event.

That means the company will provide "a host of pioneering Microsoft solutions," including video communication technology through Skype and services through Microsoft Office programs.

"Technology is changing the way we plan and conduct conventions," said convention chief executive officer William Harris, who has helped manage three conventions. "We are working with Microsoft to identify new ways to improve the convention experience for not only attendees in Tampa, but interested individuals across the country."

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

Former Pinellas Park mayor asks county commisstion to step in to keep Rays in Pinellas

Anne Lindberg — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:00:00 +0000

PINELLAS PARK -- Bill Mischler may have retired last month as mayor of this city but he's not fading into the sunset. He sent Pinellas County commissioners an email Monday titled "Need to step up to the plate." The "plate" is the silent standoff between St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Rays over the team's future home.

Mischler's email was sent just two days before the Hillsborough County Commission voted to have their attorney tell them if it's legal for them to talk to the Rays while the contract governing the team's commitment to St. Petersburg and Tropicana Field is in effect. Commissioners said they want to keep the Rays in the region.

Mischler wants to keep them in Pinellas -- especially in mid-county, which just happens to be where Pinellas Park is located:

"Dear Commissioners,

"I believe it is time for the County Commission to intervene with keeping the Tampa Bay Rays in Pinellas County.

"With all due respect to the city of St. Petersburg, every day that goes by, without talks going on between both parties, is another day of losing them.

"This is not only a St. Pete issue, it is a county issue. We all support the team one way or another. The county and St. Pete officials need to sit down together and develop a strategy to keep the team here.

"There are parcels large enough in mid-county to move them there but it will not happen if we don't take the first step.

"Respectfully,

"Bill Mischler"

-- Anne Lindberg, Times Staff Writer

Hillsborough Commissioners ask attorney to advise them on talking with the Rays

Bill Varian — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:15:19 +0000

Hillsborough County commissioners Wednesday asked their attorney to tell them, effectively, if they can dance with St. Petersburg’s date.

Commissioners voted 6-1 to ask Interim County Attorney Don Odom to review the contract that governs the Tampa Bay Rays’ commitment to the city of St. Petersburg and Tropicana Field. They want to know whether they can talk to team owners about how long they intend to keep playing there and to see what can be done to ensure the Rays stay in the region.

Or would such an entreaty amount to "tortious interference" in someone else’s business dealings, as St. Petersburg officials have said? A form of meddling St. Petersburg City Attorney John Wolfe has said would leave the meddlers "individually" liable for monetary damages?

"I do not believe the agreement prevents discussion with the Rays about their future," said Ken Hagan, who initiated the question.

Hagan said he’s reviewed the agreement. But he’s not a lawyer, so he wants one to advise him. He gave no timeline but expressed frustration that since he first made overtures about the team two years ago, there’s been little movement.

Rays owners have said repeatedly they cannot continue playing at Tropicana Field through the end of their contract with St. Petersburg, which is 2027. A business coalition that studied the issue suggested the team might be better off in Tampa, closer to more people and potential corporate supporters.

St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster has said the team is bound by its contract, period, and others should butt out. And Wolfe, his city’s attorney, has had this pithy response to people who have talked of courting the team to Hillsborough County: "More defendants."

Hillsborough Commissioner Al Higginbotham, the lone vote against consulting his county’s attorney, said he thinks his fellow board members are "walking on thin ice." He then offered his own adaptation of an analogy first uttered by Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and co-opted and twisted by others since.

"If we’re going to be the boyfriend that breaks up the marriage, I’m not going to take part in that," Higginbotham said. "Because (the husband) could have a big fist and a very strong arm."

Other commissioners also expressed caution as well, while supporting Hagan’s request to get information, a tradition the board has generally honored. They said they want to make sure that if the attorney says county officials can talk with the Rays that any subsequent talks are just that, not negotiations.

Commissioner Victor Crist said the county would be wise to engage representatives of other governments, and possibly the private sector, to take part. And beyond the legal questions, Commissioner Kevin Beckner said he wants to make sure his fellow board members don’t stir up animosity from Hillsborough’s neighbors.

Commissioners generally said they agreed professional baseball is a regional asset that has an economic benefit across Tampa Bay. Any discussions should be framed that way, they said.

"I think everybody realizes the economic impact, and we want the Rays to stay here," Beckner said. "But this does need to be a regional effort and we need to make sure we’re not coming in as the 800-lb. gorilla trying to disrupt current negotiations."

Hillsborough County commits $2 million to USF heart institute

Bill Varian — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:16:13 +0000

Hoping to help make Tampa a hotbed for genomics research, Hillsborough County commissioners awarded up to $2 million for a new heart institute at the University of South Florida Wednesday.

The vote came a day after Gov. Rick Scott approved giving USF $6.9 million in state tax money toward the initial design of the USF Health Heart Institute. USF officials are hoping for another $42 million in state money next year toward construction of 100,000-square-foot center employing at least 56 people making an average $76,000 annually.

Commissioners hope that, combined with other genomics and medical labs and hospitals, the heart institute will help create spinoff jobs and build the region's reputation as a hub for the biosciences.

"I think you'll see this be an economic engine," said Dr. Les Miller, chair of the department of cardiovascular sciences at USF Health.

USF Health officials have said the Heart Institute will seek to amass a database of blood samples from heart patients and study their genomics with a goal of developing personalized care to patients based on their genetic traits. A top priority is developing drug and other treatment programs that can be put to commercial use, not just building a database.

The concept is similar to the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute's M2Gen collaboration with drug giant Merck & Co. and now other drug companies, with its collection of tumor samples. In fact, the Heart Institute will use the M2Gen labs near USF to store the blood it collects.

USF Health is partnering with Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute, which is located at Florida Hospital Tampa. They will collaborate on research and clinical trials. Additionally, the American College of Cardiology, a professional association of sorts for heart doctors, will collaborate to conduct the first trial linking genomic screening with its database of millions of patients with heart disease.

"It's great to see that we're leading the nation, if not the world, in cancer research," said Commissioner Mark Sharpe, who has been the board's leading advocate for the incentive deal. "I believe this is going to allow us to take that step, for a very modest investment, in cardiovascular research and make Tampa Bay, once again, an engine for the entire state of Florida."

USF officials say the Heart Institute ultimately will amount to a $77 million investment from the state, university and county. Under the school's agreement with the county, USF Health would get $1 million from county reserves the first year, and $250,000 in each of the following four years provided it meets benchmarks for progress on construction, hiring, development of a plan for commercialization and other terms.

The agreement also have what is commonly referred to as a "clawback" provision that would require USF Health to repay a portion of what it is given if it doesn't meet its targets during the next 10 years. The amount of the refund declines from 100 percent the first year by 5 percent increments in the years that follow.

"We believe we articulate a very specific performance requirement for this program," said county Economic Development Director Ron Barton, "but also protections to the taxpayer."

Hillsborough County Commission recognizes USF president with good government award

Bill Varian — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:19:21 +0000

Interesting timing, this.

Fresh off her battle with the legislature and state Sen. J.D. Alexander, University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft picked up a special recognition Wednesday.

Hillsborough County commissioners presented Genshaft with their annual Ellsworth G. Simmons Good Government Award, though the legislative battle was not mentioned as the official justification. Instead, Chairman Ken Hagan talked about the university's growth, the distinctions that USF has picked up nationally and the school's importance to the region as an economic engine.

However, some of the other commissioners alluded to the past legislative session. That's the one where Alexander succeeded in winning support to split off USF's Lakeland campus as a separate university and threatened to dramatically cut the funding for its other campuses.

"I think it is so timely that you receive this award now because, as the public watched and as the state watched what was moving forward through the state legislature, I think you're a shining example to show how and individual can stand up and promote good government versus bad politics," said Commissioner Kevin Beckner.

Genshaft didn't allude to the past legislative session, instead just saying that she was honored to pick up one of the County Commission's highest honors.

"I'm accused of bleeding green and gold and I'm here because I love the community," Genshaft said. "It is our responsibility at the University of South Florida to make a difference for the whole Tampa Bay region, and that's what we're privileged to do."

Ken Welch qualifies to run for fourth term on Pinellas County commission

Anne Lindberg — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:00:00 +0000

ST. PETERSBURG - Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch has gathered the 1,513 signed petitions required to qualify for the November election.

Welch said he was pleased to have gotten the signatures so quickly.

“It’s important that Pinellas county residents have a voice in this process, and I’m honored that so many residents of this county have shown their support for my re-election campaign," he said. "I’m proud to serve my hometown and am looking forward to the next few months of this campaign.”

Welch, a Democrat. has served on the represented Pinellas County’s District 7 since 2000. He is facing opposition from fellow Democrat Maria L. Scruggs and Republican William "Buck" Walz.

District 7 encompasses most of St. Petersburg, Lealman, Gulfport, South Pasadena, Kenneth City, and parts of Pinellas Park.

-- Anne Lindberg, Times Staff Writer

Hagan to seek legal opinion on whether he can chat with Tampa Bay Rays about team's future in the region

Bill Varian — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:54:39 +0000

Ken Hagan says the stadium lease agreement between the city of St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Rays doesn't prevent another government from engaging in talks with the team about its future in the region.

But to be sure, the Hillsborough County Commission chairman will ask permission from his fellow board members to have their attorney research the issue and report back. He'll make the request during the commission's regular meeting Wednesday.

Hagan says he informed St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster of his intentions during a meeting Monday. He would only say the discussion was "cordial," as per an agreement between the two to keep the substance of their conversation between them.

"I'm not an attorney," Hagan said. "That's why I want the county attorney to look into it and come back with the do's and don't. It's been stated that you cannot have any discussion. I do not believe the use agreement states that."

Hagan said from his reading, it's clear it would be problematic for other governments or private players to enter into negotiations with the team about relocating.

But he said he doesn't believe it prevents someone from talking to the team about ways to ensure the Rays remain in the region.

The Rays play at Tropicana Field near downtown St. Petersburg under an agreement that binds the team to the stadium until 2027. Team owners have said the Trop is not suitable for a major league baseball franchise and that they don't want to remain there through the remainder of the agreement. They want permission to look elsewhere, including Hillsborough County.

A private business group looked at the team's arrangement and concluded it needed a new stadium, ranking locations in Hillsborough among those that make better sense. Such an arena would be more centrally located to the region's population clusters and would likely enjoy more corporate support, the report from the ABC Coalition said.

That was more than two years ago, with little action since. Hagan has said that each year that goes by, the more leverage the team gains. The fewer years on the agreement, the less penalty the team likely would face to leave early.

"We've got to break this logjam one way or the other," Hagan said. "I don't believe that status quo is an option."

Foster has consistently said he expects the Rays to uphold their obligation under the lease. And a lawyer for the city has suggested that other governments or private interests who interfere with that agreement risk a lawsuit from the city.

Foster did not immediately return a call for comment.

Dunedin affordable homes plan a go

Keyonna Summers — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:31:14 +0000

DUNEDIN -- An affordable housing project aimed at promoting home ownership is finally back on track, five years after the sagging economy brought planning for the project to a halt.

Pending the approval of permits, developers hope to break ground on the 25 environmentally friendly townhomes in July.

The mixed-income development, dubbed the Lorraine Leland project, will be built on the northeast and southeast corners of Douglas Avenue and Lorraine Leland Street, on 2.95 acres formerly occupied by Highlander Village, a Dunedin Housing Authority public housing complex that closed in 2002.

The housing authority, city of Dunedin and Pinellas County's Housing Finance Authority partnered on the project in 2007, expecting to break ground the following year.

Unfortunately, officials say, that was right around the same time that the economy soured and home mortgage lending dried up.

"There was no financing for potential buyers, and without buyers, it doesn't make sense to build it and just let it sit," said Sam Moore, director of projects for Planet Green Group, the Largo development firm that will build and sell the units.

Now, the market appears to be improving, officials say. That, coupled with a possible change in the way the land is designated, should make it easier for buyers to secure financing.

"We have not done an affordable housing project with this kind of (environmentally friendly) system before, so we're excited about this being the first," said Frank Bowman, housing development manager of Pinellas County's Department of Community Development.

Planners hope the project, intended for low- to moderate-income buyers, will breathe new life into the traditionally low-income neighborhood south of Dunedin's Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, and spur other development throughout the area.

The townhomes, ranging from 1,100 to 1,300 square feet, will not be public housing, and no government subsidy will be available. Rather, buyers will own the $120,000 to $160,000 units, leaving them responsible for mortgage payments and maintenance. Target purchasers include local hospital employees, teachers, government employees or service workers who don't earn enough to afford market prices for homes in Pinellas County.

A distinctive feature, planners said, is that the homes will be green-certified, setting them apart from others currently on the market. Planet Green Group's design will combine solar panels and other low-cost technology to produce Net Zero efficiency, meaning little to no electric bills for tenants.

"They're new, they're unique, and folks who are going to be interested in buying these are the growing number of folks who are aware of green building features and the energy efficiency of those properties," Bowman said, adding that the project fits in nicely with Habitat for Humanity's Shady Grove townhomes, another green affordable housing development under construction nearby on land also formerly occupied by Highlander Village.

"So we think now is the time to move forward with the project," said Bowman, "and generate what we hope will be 25 very, very happy homeowners."

And just in case the economy hasn't stabilized by the time Planet Green units are ready to sell, the county says it will work with the company to remove a financing roadblock created when the housing authority donated the land to Pinellas County's community land trust.

The land trust arrangement keeps prices low for buyers, Bowman said, because the price of the land under the units isn't included in the purchase price. Buyers own the units and can sell them if they want, but the land beneath them remains in the trust, ensuring that it continues to be used for affordable housing in the future.

However, banks in recent years have "inexplicably" hesitated to lend money for homes included in land trusts even though, according to Bowman, the homeowners typically have lower foreclosure default rates.

"We just can't hold up this project anymore," Bowman said. "To move this project forward, we're willing to pull it out of the land trust if mortgages are not available."

-- Keyonna Summers, Times Staff Writer

Foursquare scavenger hunt to boost Mayor Bob Buckhorn's plan for downtown Tampa

Richard Danielson — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:36:32 +0000

Heads up, Foursquare fans.

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn will kick off a Foursquare scavenger hunt at 2:30 p.m. today at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and will later proclaim the winner the "Foursquare Mayor of Tampa."

The event, which begins on the Riverwalk at the park, is partly to recognize April 16 as "Foursquare Day," which was founded in Tampa by Nathan Bonilla-Warford in 2010.

Buckhorn also will use the event to introduce a city initiative that integrates the social networking site's geographic check-ins with the city's new effort to engage residents, neighborhoods and business owners to help write a master plan for downtown Tampa.

The project, known as InVision Tampa, is meant to come up with design guidelines, amenities and connections between downtown and areas like Ybor City, the Channel District, Tampa Heights and North Hyde Park. Its study area goes from downtown to Ybor City on the east, Armenia Avenue on the west, and north along Nebraska Avenue to Hillsborough Avenue.

Participants in the Foursquare scavenger hunt will be given a clue that will lead them to other clues at downtown attractions and businesses. The city also will tweet clues from its Twitter account, @CityofTampa. Participants can work as individuals or teams.

Buckhorn, who uses a lot of social media to tout the city and his programs, has embraced Foursquare as a way to promote local Tampa businesses. Last year, he launched a Foursquare page of his own that includes lists of and tips about some of his favorite Tampa spots.

Next Republican National Convention security expenditure: Temporary fences

Richard Danielson — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 15:36:23 +0000

The Tampa City Council will be asked Thursday to approve spending $290,000 on temporary fencing for the Republican National Convention. The fences, made by Premier Global Production Co. of Nashville, were used at both national political conventions four years ago. A police memo says the barrier "will be critical in the protection of city and county buildings," though it doesn't say which buildings would be fenced, and also will protect officers assigned to guard those buildings. Funds for the purchase would come from Tampa's $50 million federal grant for convention security. The company's quote to the city said the amount of fencing to be supplied will be determined after a site visit. It also gives a price of $29 a foot. At that rate, $290,000 would cover up to 10,000 feet, or almost two miles of fence.

USF Student Government and Tampa City Council to host town hall meeting

Richard Danielson — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:50:10 +0000

Considering that less than one half of one percent of registered University of South Florida student voters cast ballots in the last city election, this event seems like a pretty good idea.

On Tuesday night, USF's Student Government and Tampa's City Council will together hold a town hall forum in the Marshall Student Center. Discussion topics will include economic development, job opportunities for graduates, and ways to get involved in local government, according to a USF news release. The event is free and open to the public, and it starts at 5:30 p.m.

-- Kim Wilmath

Pat Frank will seek another term as Hillsborough clerk of the circuit court

Bill Varian — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:59:00 +0000

Ending months of speculation, Hillsborough County Clerk of the Circuit Court Pat Frank confirmed she filed the paperwork necessary an hour ago to begin campaigning for another term. Frank is one of the few Democrats in countywide office in Hillsborough and a veteran of a host of elected offices, from the school board and county commission to the state legislature. This should quiet the rumored salivating by several prospective suitors for the job. Frank, 82, said after going through heart surgery in October and breaking a couple of pelvic bones recently, she's ready for another four years. "I feel great," Frank said. "I'm back in shape and ready to go."

Pat Frank will seek another term as Hillsborough clerk of the circuit court

Bill Varian — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:52:48 +0000

In case you missed it in the print edition earlier this month, Johnnie Byrd running for judge

Bill Varian — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:23:48 +0000

This appeared in print editions of the Times April 3 (the day after he announced). We're heartened to hear that some people think it doesn't matter unless it appears in Bay Buzz, or one of our other blogs, as well. So, by popular demand, here it is:

Former Florida House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, who says he's just a country lawyer from Plant City and not a politician anymore, announced his candidacy Monday for a 13th Judicial Circuit judgeship. Byrd will run for the Group 14 seat held by Hillsborough Circuit Judge Mark Wolfe, who was appointed to the bench 12 years ago by former Gov. Jeb Bush. Byrd made no criticism of Wolfe, but said he would be a better-prepared judge than any other candidate. In 2004, Byrd ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Bob Graham, but said he has no more interest in partisan politics. "My life's work is as a country lawyer."

Hillsborough County Medical Examiner retiring

Bill Varian — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:39:12 +0000

Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill informed commissioners Thursday that long-standing Medical Examiner, Dr. Vernard Adams, is retiring at the end of June. The memo from Merrill says Adams has been chief medical examiner for 21 years and, given other retirement announcements over the past year, is currently the longest-serving department director. One little tidbit: He has overseen 26,000 autopsies, performing 3,900 personally. The memo is attached below. The county will begin recruiting for his replacement immediately.

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