Headlines for Thursday, March 18, 2010

Overturned sailboat reported off St. Petersburg Pier

Times staff 
Thursday, March 18, 2010

ST. PETERSBURG — Rescuers are on their way to investigate a report of an overturned sailboat about 1,200 yards off the Pier.

There appears to be one person in the water, authorities said. The Coast Guard and St. Petersburg Fire Rescue have both sent boats to the area.

Check tampbay.com for more updates.

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FDLE arrests 21 people in fraudulent use of food stamp money

By Jessica Vander Velde, Times Staff Writer 
Thursday, March 18, 2010
TAMPA — On Thursday, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced the arrest of 21 people accused of accepting food stamp money for items including beer, cigarettes, T-shirts and in one case oxycodone.Four of the stores that participated in this fraud are in the Tampa Bay area — three in Tampa and one in Port Richey, the FDLE said.Undercover FDLE agents were able to buy ineligible items and sometimes get cash back. In some transactions, the stores made money by swiping the government-issued Electronic Benefit Transfer card for an amount more than the purchase and keeping some of the excess cash for themselves, said FDLE special agent Jim Madden.The EBT cards work like debit cards, allowing the user to access money for approved food staples through the federal food stamp program.The agency estimates that nationwide, this type of fraud accounts for millions of dollars of misused taxpayer money. There are about 2.5 million people in the state of Florida who participate in the program, which is run through the Department of Children and Families."These benefits are intended to put food on the table for those in need," said FDLE Assistant Commissioner Ken Tucker.Before the undercover operations started in January, FDLE agents analyzed dozens of convenience stores and focused on about 30 that were doing an unusually high amount of sales using the EBT cards.At Big Daddy's Quick E Drive at 5229 S MacDill Ave. in Tampa, an undercover agent was able to buy beer, cigarettes and condoms. Wayne R. Stumbo, 46, Tabitha Z. Wood, 34, and Curtis Raymond Walker, 51, who all work at Big Daddy's, were arrested.At Hawkins and Bell's Grocery at 4020 E Osbourne Ave. in Tampa, an undercover agent was able to get about $290 in cash using an EBT card. The store kept about $300, the FDLE reported.At Checkers Mini Mart at 6521 Ridge Road in Port Richey, an undercover agent bought beer and cigarettes. Teoman Markal, 46, who works at Checkers, was arrested.At MZ Food Store at 5247 S MacDill Ave. in Tampa, an agent bought cartons of cigarettes. Mohammad Ali Abukder, 33, who works at MZ was arrested.Those arrested were charged with food stamp fraud, which is a third-degree felony.
Tampa man charged with attempted murder after break-in

By Jessica Vander Velde and Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writers 
Thursday, March 18, 2010
TAMPA — A 31-year-old Tampa man who just returned from a six-month deployment with the U.S. Army is behind bars after police said he tried to break into another man's home and shoot him, the Sheriff's Office reported.At about 4 a.m. Wednesday, Sheriff's deputies said, Corey Deandre Glover, of 1040 Andrew Aviles Circle, woke up an noticed his wife wasn't at home. He tried to call her on her cell phone, but she didn't answer, said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Debbie Carter.Glover walked outside and noticed that his wife's car was parked in front of a neighbor's house down the street. He saw his wife walk out the front door of the house, and he grabbed a 9mm handgun from the trunk of his car and walked to the door, Carter said.He broke through the vertical glass panel on the side of the door and tried to open the door, but the man who lives there, James Skinner, pushed back to keep it closed, Carter said. Glover was only able to get his arm through the front door, according to an arrest affidavit.The gun fired, but the bullet lodged in the door, the arrest affidavit states.Glover was arrested at 10:40 a.m. Wednesday on charges of attempted murder, armed burglary and criminal mischief. He was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains without bail.Follow <a href="http://twitter.com/tampabaycom">This Just In</a> on Twitter.
Chase ends in swamp with dog bite, burglary charges

By Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer 
Thursday, March 18, 2010
RUSKIN — After a police chase that ended in a swamp early Thursday morning, police arrested a 33-year-old Gibsonton man on burglary charges.At about 3:30 a.m., deputies were patrolling a Ruskin neighborhood after several burglaries were reported in the area when they saw a black Dodge Dakota backing into a driveway at 5462 Sandy Shell Drive.Deputies watched two people haul a refrigerator and stove out of the vacant home. The pair got into the Dodge truck and drove off through the side yard into woods before deputies could stop them.The driver, later identified as Mark Anthony Lockwood, jumped out of the truck and ran away. His female passenger stayed in the truck.Deputies released a police dog, which found Lockwood in a retention pond. Lockwood was treated for a dog bite at a district sheriff's office.His female passenger was taken to a hospital for injuries she received when Lockwood abruptly stopped his truck, deputies said. Deputies said they will not release her name until they can interview her and determine her involvement in the crime.Lockwood, of 4 Ohio St. in Gibsonton, was charged with burglary, grand theft, criminal mischief, and fleeing to elude arrest.Deputies said Lockwood is also charged with a March 16 burglary of a model home at 5404 Sandy Shell Drive, where they say he broke in, removed a stove and tried to remove a refrigerator.When trying to steal the refrigerator, deputies said Lockwood broke a water line, which flooded the home and caused more than $15,000 in damage.Follow <a href="http://twitter.com/tampabaycom">This Just In</a> on Twitter.
Child hospitalized after nearly drowning in Wesley Chapel

By Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer 
Thursday, March 18, 2010
WESLEY CHAPEL — A 15-month-old girl was taken to a Tampa hospital after nearly drowning Thursday morning, authorities said.Pasco County Sheriff's deputies and Fire Rescue crews arrived at 27825 Breakers Drive after getting a call at 11:07 a.m. that a child was found in a pond by the house.Deputies said the girl wandered out of the home through a sliding glass door. Deputies said the girl may have life-threatening injuries. She was taken to a nearby hospital by helicopter.Follow <a href="http://twitter.com/tampabaycom">This Just In</a> on Twitter.
Largo art teacher charged with DUI, pot possession

By Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer 
Thursday, March 18, 2010
TAMPA —A Largo elementary school art teacher was arrested Wednesday night on charges of driving under the influence, fleeing to elude arrest and possession of marijuana.A sheriff's deputy tried to pull over 55-year-old Luann K. Fernandez of 16604 Meadow Grove St. at about 8:45 p.m. for several traffic violations, according to an arrest affidavit. Fernandez is an art teacher at Southern Oak Elementary, 9101 Walsingham Road.The deputy had his lights and sirens turned on, but Fernandez wouldn't stop, instead speeding up and driving off, the affidavit states.The deputy caught up to her as she pulled into her driveway. Fernandez performed a field sobriety test, and the deputy said she showed multiple signs of impairment. Fernandez then asked to go inside her home to get a jacket, and she allowed deputies in with her. When they got inside, the deputies spotted a bottle of marijuana and confiscated it.She was freed on $3,000 bail.Follow <a href="http://twitter.com/tampabaycom">This Just In</a> on Twitter.
Wimauma man faces 10 counts of sexual battery on a child

By Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer 
Thursday, March 18, 2010
TAMPA — A Wimauma man was arrested Wednesday night on 10 charges of sexual battery on a child, police said.The U.S. Marshal's Office got a tip from Brooksville police that Javier R. Ramos-Roldan was living in the Tampa Bay area, according to a police incident report.Officers watched the home where Ramos-Roldan was apparently staying, 5412 Ruth Morris Road, and found him there at about 6:10 p.m. and arrested him.Ramos-Roldan was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he is being held without bail.Follow <a href="http://twitter.com/tampabaycom">This Just In</a> on Twitter.
Three arrested in fake ticket scheme

By Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer 
Thursday, March 18, 2010
TAMPA — Police arrested three people Tuesday on charges they sold hundreds of dollars' worth of tickets to an event that doesn't exist.The owner of Club Nouveau, 8300 N Nebraska Ave., complained to police that someone was selling tickets to a fake event set for Friday at his business, according to an incident report.Sadibo Toure said several club patrons had bought tickets and called him to find out more about the event, but he hadn't heard of it.Police set up a sting operation and arrested two women delivering $300 worth of tickets. Interviews with the women led to the arrest of the man police say organized the scheme, Antonio Miller.Miller, 36, of 11331 Blackbark Drive in Riverview was charged with organized fraud, grand theft, being a felon in possession of a weapon, possession of marijuana and being in contempt of court for not paying child support. He remains at the Hillsborough County Jail without bail.Tabitha Barnes, 19, and Shanise McCray, 18, were arrested on charges of fraud and grand theft. Barnes and McCray have since been released on bail.Follow <a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/tampabaycom">This Just In</a> on Twitter.
Police: Tattoo shop robbery was gang-related

By Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer 
Thursday, March 18, 2010
TAMPA — Police say the armed <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/tampa-tattoo-shop-robbed-after-heated-argument/1080805">robbery of a W Columbus tattoo shop</a> on Wednesday afternoon was gang-related.Eight young men were arrested following a heated argument between two gangs over a girl, said Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy. Four of the men were listed as known gang members in a police database, and four others were considered gang associates.Police responded to Forever Ink at 3115 W Columbus Drive at almost 2 p.m. after hearing that a group of armed men came in, argued with people in the shop and left. During the argument, employees and patrons in the shop not involved in the fight ran to the rear of the store for safety, according to an arrest affidavit.McElroy said people in the shop reported hearing shots fired after the armed men left, but police did not find any shell casings. No one was injured.The men took several items from the store, the affidavit states.Arrested were Dillon Trujillo, 18, Pablo Serrano, 18, Corado Diaz Jr., 18, Jorge Colon, 19, Rafael A. Martin, 19 and Richard Barreiro, 20, Eric Anthony Rivera, 18 and Pablo Serrano, 18.Follow <a href="http://twitter.com/tampabaycom">This Just In</a> on Twitter.
Two 15-year-old girls hit by teen driver in St. Petersburg

By Katie Sanders, Times Staff Writer 
Thursday, March 18, 2010
ST. PETERSBURG — Police said two 15-year-old girls walking in the road were hospitalized Thursday morning after a high school sophomore hit them from behind with his vehicle.The girls, ninth-graders at Lakewood High School, were walking west on the north side of 58th Avenue S near Eighth Street around 7 a.m.They were walking in the road because there is no sidewalk there, police said.Police said 16-year-old Tito Bell, a 10th-grader at Osceola High School, also heading west, did not see the students before his vehicle hit them, said police spokesman George Kajtsa. One of the students was thrown onto Bell's hood and into the windshield, and the other was clipped by a side mirror.Police identified the girls as Zaena I. Armstrong and Mikale Johnson.Both girls were taken to All Children's Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, police said.Bell has a restricted driving permit, according to Kajtsa, who added there was no adult in the car.Kajtsa did not have details on the car Bell was driving.Follow <a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/tampabaycom">This Just In</a> on Twitter.
Tampa police: Nine men busted gambling with dice

By Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer 
Thursday, March 18, 2010
TAMPA — Nine men were jailed after police say they were caught gambling with dice behind a building.At about 6:40 p.m. officers responded to a tip about a group of men gambling behind 604 E 24th Ave, according to an incident report.Police called a jail transport van and charged the following men with gambling: Randy Blocker, 20; Frederick Coard, 33; Quincy L. Bullock, 26; Collie Cox, 23; Ronald Thomas, 32; Corey A. Jones, 31; Charvis R. Brady, 26; Keith Mitchell, 28; and Bryan Dixon, 23.Officer recovered $1,605 and 15 grams of marijuana. Follow <a href="http://twitter.com/tampabaycom">This Just In</a> on Twitter.
Police: Bones found along I-75 were female

By Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer 
Thursday, March 18, 2010
TAMPA — One bit of the mystery surrounding the <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/medical-examiner-confirms-mysterious-bones-along-i-75-in-tampa-are-human/1080533">human bones found</a> along Interstate 75 has been solved: It was a female.After a day of scouring the site where the remains were found, about a mile north of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, detectives recovered a complete human skeleton, including a skull.The Hillsborough County medical examiner and a University of South Florida anthropology professor will reconstruct the skeleton. They say it could take months to determine the age, race, identity, cause of death and time of death.A blueberry farmer who stopped along the highway when his vehicle overheated discovered the bones Tuesday afternoon. Dan Ebbecke, a 52-year-old blueberry farmer from Hernando County, was on the phone with a AAA agent when his fellow-farmer friend, Junior Penavler, noticed a pair of sneakers with a leg bone sticking out.The bones were partially covered with brush and debris, hidden from the more than 30,000 people who drive that stretch each day."Call police," Ebbecke said he told the AAA operator. "I think there's a body here."Ebbecke said he didn't see a skull, but authorities apparently found it, saying a complete skeleton was discovered.Follow <a href="http://twitter.com/tampabaycom">This Just In</a> on Twitter.
Hillsborough County red light runners caught in the act

By Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer 
Thursday, March 18, 2010

TAMPA — The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office posted a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/hcsovideo">YouTube video</a> showing dozens of drivers running red lights.

It's part of a Red Light Enforcement Program that began Dec. 29. Cameras document red light runners, who could be slapped with a $125 fine, at the following intersections: Fletcher Avenue and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard; Sligh and Habana avenues; Brandon and Grand Regency boulevards; Bloomingdale Avenue and Bell Shoals Road; Waters Avenue and Dale Mabry Highway; and Waters Avenue and Anderson Road.

Deputies review each photo to determine if a citation is in order. Money from citation fines goes to the county's general fund.

The cameras are being used widely in Florida, including Brooksville, Kenneth City, Port Richey and Temple Terrace. But they have stirred a public debate that is playing out in the state Legislature.

The House and the Senate have bills that would allow the Department of Transportation to regulate the cameras and prohibit system operators from being paid based on the number of tickets generated.

The bills also would impose a $155 fine and determine how the money would be divided between state and local governments.

Lawmakers call the bills the "Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act," for a 30-year-old man killed in 2003 by a red light runner in Bradenton.

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Husband still in hospital, wife released after hit and run crash in St. Pete

By Kameel Stanley and Katie Sanders, Times Staff Writers 
Thursday, March 18, 2010
ST. PETERSBURG — A couple on a motorcycle were injured Wednesday after they were rear-ended by a truck, officials said.Kelly Lichtenberg, the passenger, was treated and released from Bayfront Medical Center. Her husband, James Lichtenberg, was stable and improving, hospital officials said.The accident, reported just before 6 p.m., occurred on southbound I-275 just south of the exit ramp to Ulmerton Road, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Authorities say a pickup in the same lane collided with the back of the bike. The motorcycle driver, James Lichtenberg, lost control, officials said. The Lichtenbergs were thrown onto the roadway. The truck, a maroon pickup, left the scene, officials said. The Lichtenbergs are from Chamberlain, S.D.
Hillsborough's flawed system leads to official squabbles

By Ernest Hooper, Times Columnist 
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
An exhaustive blame game played out Wednesday as Hillsborough County commissioners grappled with whether they should fire County Administrator Pat Bean, County Attorney Renee Lee and Auditor Jim Barnes.But none of the commissioners spoke about the real problem.Commissioners directed most of their finger-pointing at Bean and Lee, with Commissioner Mark Sharpe moving to immediately terminate their contracts.Frankly, Sharpe and Commissioner Ken Hagan came across as impatient. Commissioner Kevin Beckner seemed mired in minutiae and he-said, she-said accusations.Commissioner Al Higginbotham's call for Lee to be suspended — with no immediate action to be taken against Bean and Barnes — was simply unfair.Commissioner Kevin White correctly pointed out the imbalance in Higginbotham's motion. Meanwhile, Commissioners Rose Ferlita and particularly Jim Norman rightfully delivered the reasonable tone needed to handle this situation.With a potential $720,000 in severance pay at stake, not to mention potential litigation, there can't be a rush to judgment even if County Center's day-to-day operations are being hampered. After all, that's how the board got into this situation in the first place.Much of the problem can be traced to when Beckner called for an FDLE investigation into the fact that Bean and Lee gave themselves 1 percent raises without board approval.As a matter of principle alone, they deserved a stiff reprimand for the raises, but an FDLE investigation? For an annual cost of $4,000 in a $3.5 billion budget?Really?But the investigation snowballed the poisonous relationship between Bean, Lee and Barnes, a man whose ill-conceived, poorly designed job could only serve to contribute to the dysfunction that commissioners complained about Wednesday.Ultimately, that's the real culprit in this scenario: the system.The creation of an internal auditor — essentially a pliable watchdog for a commissioner who has an ax to grind with county staff — couldn't help but result in the kind of infighting that has deteriorated relationships.Equally problematic is that the county administrator and the county attorney report directly to the commissioners instead of an intermediary supervisor.Yes, I'm talking county mayor, a proposal voters may find on the November ballot.It's the 800-pound gorilla in the room. The commissioners want to pin the problem on what they perceive as flawed performances because they don't want to own up to the fact that county government could function better if they conceded a degree of their power.The contentious relationship among Bean, Lee and Barnes needed to be remedied by an overseer who could speak authoritatively without fear of retribution from the commissioners. A supervisor who could say, The three of you better learn to get along or I'll find someone who can.A county mayor.In the end, common sense tells us it's easier for influential officials to report to one boss instead of seven. I just don't know if the commissioners will ever look in the mirror and reach that conclusion.That's all I'm saying.
As companies evolved, rebranding called for name changes

By Robert Trigaux, Times Business Columnist 
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00112/b4s_utek0318_112917a.jpg"><img title="" alt="" src="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00112/b4s_utek0318_112917a.jpg" border="0" /></a> Innovaro CEO Doug Schaedler says the new name fits the company’s current focus on innovation.
Two area companies that outgrew their original corporate missions retired their corporate names this week in favor of fresh brands they hope better reflect their new, broader goals.UTEK Corp., founded in 1997 by a University of South Florida professor and now based in Ybor City, bid adios to its old name (short for "university technology") in favor of the new corporate brand Innovaro.In Oldsmar, Network Liquidators, a business that's evolved beyond the downscale "liquidation" image of buying and reselling used equipment, has opted for the name Vology Data Systems.Now, name changes are funny things and can mean very different things to different people. One might argue, tongue partly in cheek, that Innovaro sounds more like a sleek Italian sports car than an intellectual property licensing business. Vology must not be confused with the similar-sounding Knology cable TV firm around here. And we shouldn't be led astray by the combination of "Vol" and "ology" — suggesting the study of Vols, as in the Volunteers at the University of Tennessee.In interviews, the chief executives at both companies explained that the new corporate names let them update brand images that reflect their latest corporate directions. The new names also do away with old stereotypes associated with their former monikers.Doug Schaedler, UTEK president named CEO a few months ago, says Innovaro conjures up an image of "innovation" and will fit well with the company's new pursuit of providing intellectual property and product ideas to Fortune 500 clients.The new name also simplifies what was UTEK's laundry list of variously named divisions and affiliates that had accumulated through acquisitions.Schaedler brought in Terresa Zimmerman as marketing vice president to help rebrand. UTEK found the name Innovaro among its own stable of businesses acquired over the years, which made adopting it easier and less expensive than conjuring a new name from scratch.At Network Liquidators, CEO Barry Shevlin said people were starting to scratch their heads over the old, outdated name. The company now sells refurbished telecommunications, like Cisco routers, to an increasingly mainstream customer base. Shevlin turned to the Tampa branding and advertising firm Schifino Lee to assist in finding a new name. Branding firm executive Ben Lee said a creative team sought feedback from Shevlin as to where his telecommunications products company was heading, then explored thousands of potential names.Vology emerged, Lee said, crediting company creative exec Eric Leventhal for the name, as a word that suggests both velocity and technology. Those are two key traits Shevlin wanted a new name to reinforce."The ease of spelling Vology and its pronunciation: Once people get used to it, it will be quite recognizable," Lee said.Finding new names — and compatible Web site addresses —is getting tougher as more word combinations are patented. Just ask the creators of names like Innovaro or Vology or Verizon or Altria or eBay. Contact Robert Trigaux at trigaux@sptimes.com. Read his daily blog at blogs.tampabay.com/venture.
Builder with $1.1 million contract with Workforce Alliance sold house to the agency's former chief

By Kevin Smetana and John Martin, Times Staff Writers 
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00112/a4s_workforce031810_112913a.jpg"><img title="STEPHEN J. CODDINGTON | Times" alt="STEPHEN J. CODDINGTON | Times" src="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00112/a4s_workforce031810_112913a.jpg" border="0" /></a> Anthony Sierra sold this home on the Babe Zaharias Golf Course to Renee Benton Gilmore when she was chief executive of the Workforce Alliance.
TAMPA — As chief executive of the Tampa Bay Workforce Alliance, Renee Benton Gilmore approved a lucrative contract for a local construction company whose owner later sold her a $367,540 golf course home.Workforce Alliance policies require competitive bidding for contracts exceeding $100,000. But officials at the embattled agency say they have no documents showing other proposals were sought in 2003 when the agency awarded ATA Construction Co. a contract that started at $250,000 for office renovations.By the time it expired in 2005, the contract had been modified five times, with every change signed by Gilmore.The final payout: $1.1 million.A few months later, Anthony Sierra, owner of ATA, sold the newly built home to Gilmore.Sierra told the St. Petersburg Times he did nothing wrong. But he acknowledged that "authorities" have questioned him about his business ties to Workforce Alliance officials. The contractor also said he has received a subpoena.He would not say what agency contacted him or discuss specifics about what was asked. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has confirmed it is investigating the Workforce Alliance, a publicly funded non-profit, and vendors with which it has done business.FDLE officials won't say whether Sierra or ATA are part of the investigation.Gilmore, who earned $170,000 a year as the head of an agency that provides job skills to the working poor and unemployed, quit her job last month amid accusations of lavish spending.An audit revealed that the Workforce Alliance spent $133,000 on food and refreshments during a one-year period. Many of the purchases were meals for staff, from restaurants that included The Cheesecake Factory, Wright's Gourmet House and Stonewood Grill & Tavern.The audit, conducted by the Office of Inspector General at the Agency for Workforce Innovation, concluded that much of the spending "fell short of serving a public purpose."The Workforce Alliance has an annual budget of $31.8 million — almost $9 million of it federal stimulus money. It also gets state funding.Gilmore, 52, did not return phone calls seeking comment, or respond to multiple attempts to contact her at her home. She has hired defense lawyer Barry Cohen to represent her.Cohen cautioned against jumping to conclusions before the investigation is complete.He said it would be unfair to infer that Gilmore had done something wrong by simply purchasing a house from a man who also did business with the Workforce Alliance."You can't impute a sinister motive to purely innocent conduct," Cohen said Wednesday.Cohen said FDLE officials have not contacted him or his client."This woman has got impeccable integrity," he said. "Just because they investigate something, that doesn't mean that somebody did anything wrong."Sierra told the Times he first met Gilmore when she was shopping for a house. He wouldn't be specific but said it was before ATA's initial contract with the Workforce Alliance was signed in June 2003.At some point, Gilmore asked Sierra if he did commercial work, Sierra recalled. He said one of Gilmore's staff members later contacted him about bidding on a renovation project at the agency's Florida Avenue office.In a subsequent interview with a Times reporter, Sierra retracted his account of how he met Gilmore. And he insisted he knew nothing about the agency's bidding process."I have nothing to hide,'' he said. "If someone asks me to bid, I bid."About three months after ATA's contract expired in July 2005, Sierra sold Gilmore a 2,100-square-foot house on the 14th fairway of the Babe Zaharias Golf Course in Tampa. Two months later, another contract, which eventually reached $614,000, went into effect between ATA and the Workforce Alliance.Official records show a $267,540 mortgage was used to purchase the two-story, four-bedroom home. At the time, Gilmore was already responsible for $436,000 in mortgage debt on her Temple Terrace home and a Brandon townhouse she owns with her son, according to county records.Sierra said he gave no price discounts or "kickbacks" to Gilmore."Nothing weird happened," Sierra said. "I know what (investigators) are fishing for, but none of that happened."In all, the Workforce Alliance has paid ATA more than $2 million for its services, according to the agency.The latest contract, which expires Friday, was initially for $23,000 to do more work at the Tampa career center. But it, too, was modified, with a total payout of $138,000.Although Gilmore signed ATA's first and largest contract, Workforce Alliance senior vice president Julie Sanon signed the three other agreements with ATA, all of which were advertised for bid.Sanon has been on leave since the week before Gilmore's resignation, an agency spokeswoman said. When reached by phone, Sanon declined to comment on the contracts.Gilmore is the chairwoman-elect of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Despite her resignation from the Workforce Alliance, she still intends to assume the post, said chamber president Bob Rohrlack.Gilmore started a new consulting company, The Saja Group LLC, this month, according to corporate records.Meanwhile, state Sen. Mike Fasano is working to tighten policies at all of the state's 24 workforce boards. The New Port Richey Republican is pushing for legislation that would put the workforce boards under stricter state scrutiny.Times staff writers Colleen Jenkins and Jeff Testerman contributed to this report. Kevin Smetana can be reached at ksmetana@sptimes.com or (813) 610-1650.
Bayonet Point woman rescues a champion ferret

By Bridget Hall Grumet, Times Staff Writer 
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00112/pas_ferret031810_a_112907a.jpg"><img title="BRENDAN FITTERER | Times" alt="BRENDAN FITTERER | Times" src="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00112/pas_ferret031810_a_112907a.jpg" border="0" /></a> The gold plaque on Cindy’s three-level, 7-foot-tall cage attests to her many accomplishments and championships, but she got there the hard way. She was snatched from miserable conditions by owner Gail Suzanne Burlaka, top, who guided Cindy to fame, if not fortune.

BAYONET POINT — The gold plaque on Cindy's three-level 7-foot-tall cage is etched with her accomplishments: Gold Champion, Best in Show. Attached to the wire wall is a pink photo frame that says "Diva."

Cindy is a beauty queen in the ferret world. Hundreds of breeders and ferret enthusiasts bring their pampered pets to shows across the country where they compete for ribbons and bragging rights (but no cash prizes). Cindy is the color of champagne, and judges usually prefer darker critters with more striking features. But she overcomes that with a lean physique that is prized on the ferret showing circuit.

Gail Suzanne Burlaka got Cindy a year ago from a bad home. Cindy was about 51/2, a year shy of the mandatory retirement age for show ferrets, but Burlaka fixed her up and entered her in four shows near the end of the season.

"We all knew she was a quality jill," the term for female ferrets, Burlaka said.

Cindy — who competes under the show name Mischief Maker Ferret's Siena of Shamalar — won enough accolades that she's in the running for Ferret of the Year awards in two categories.

The awards will be announced Friday night at the American Ferret Association's annual banquet in York, Pa. If Cindy's score tally doesn't impress the judges, her Cinderella story might.

• • •

When Cindy was 17 weeks old, she clinched her first Best of Show for her first owner. Then she was given to a Michigan breeder who became so overrun by the multiplication of accidental offspring that Cindy spent nearly five years caged and neglected, Burlaka said.

Burlaka pleaded with the breeder for two years before finally getting Cindy last April. The ferret had mites and infections in both ears. She was developing a uterine infection. Her tail was missing patches of hair and her coat was covered in grime.

"She was a mess," said Burlaka, 70, who has been showing the ferrets for 14 years. "When we brought her home, we had to scrub her down with Dawn dishwashing detergent."

Burlaka spent about $800 on treatments and surgeries to patch Cindy up. Getting her socialized was another matter. Because she wasn't used to playing with her kind, Cindy was scared of Burlaka's six other ferrets.

"She got so upset, shaking badly, hissing, backing off into a corner, that I finally gave up," Burlaka said.

She didn't push. Ferrets can develop ulcers when they're stressed.

Instead, she gave Cindy her own space in the three-level Ferret Nation cage in the kitchen. Every night, while the other ferrets are nestled in their plexiglass sleeping pen, Cindy gets exclusive romp time in the sunroom.

In August, Cindy entered her first show in five years. She won first place in one class and second place in another at the Ferret Buckeye Bash in Columbus, Ohio, the nation's largest ferret show. After collecting ribbons and trophies in two other shows, Cindy finished her career at the Oct. 31 Dooktoberfest in Maryland.

Once again, she was Best in Show.

• • •

There's no prancing around the ring, no pet tricks at ferret shows. The judges simply hold the slinky mammals and examine their features: their teeth, their color, facial features, the length of their body.

They also look for personality and exuberance.

"If they bite the judge, that's a different story," Burlaka said. "They're out."

Burlaka, a retiree who used to work in the legal profession, can tell you everything about her ferrets: What they eat (premium ferret food mixed with kitten chow), what they get as treats (eggs and diced poultry) and what they'd really like to eat (raisins and bananas, which are unhealthy and off-limits).

Burlaka landed in the ferret world by chance but she's no stranger to the animal showing circuit. She used to breed and show Afghan hounds. Her prize pupil, Champion Shamalar Fuzzbuster, ranked No. 6 in his breed in the country in 1984. His picture appeared in the American Kennel Club book as the standard for what an Afghan Hound should look like.

But all that grooming became a burden as Burlaka grew older. As her dogs passed away, she decided not to replace them.

Then one day her vet called. Someone had abandoned a pair of ferrets at his clinic. Would Burlaka like to take them home?

She agreed, and after seeing an article in the paper about a ferret show, Burlaka entered the pair.

"I guess I never got the 'show' out of my blood," Burlaka said.

Now she has Cindy plus six: Schuyler Drew, Joshua Dean, Anya Lenore, Shara Melina, Tiffany Grace, and Aaron Marc, whom she calls Poppy. They also have golden plaques on their cages highlighting their awards. Eventually, when a ferret dies, Burlaka will place its plaque on the tablet bearing its cremains.

Burlaka, who is a member-at-large of the American Ferret Association, thinks Cindy should be a cinch for the senior ferret of the year award, given to the top-scoring critter over age 4. Cindy also has a shot at winning the altered class, which is for ferrets of all ages who have been spayed or neutered.

This will be Cindy's swan song on the ferret circuit, as she is retiring from the pageant life. Burlaka is toying with retirement, too. Her ferrets have picked up plenty of awards, and the road trips to the ferret shows are getting harder to make.

Retirement would look much like everyday life at Burlaka's home: Ferrets scampering, playing, snacking, snuggling, napping.

"I'll just enjoy them for what they are," she said.

Times correspondent Jesse Brock contributed to this report.
New Port Richey approves alcohol sale at some library events

By Drew Harwell, Times Staff Writer 
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
NEW PORT RICHEY — The contentious campaign to sell alcohol at public events got an extra push Tuesday night when the City Council approved its sale at an unusual spot: the local library.The council's vote makes the Main Street library the newest place for residents to buy beer or wine during up to three special events a year. In November, the city voted to allow alcohol sales at limited events at Sims Park and Orange Lake Park, on top of the pocket park at Cavalaire Square.Tuesday's vote drew renewed criticism from some residents, who said the sales could spoil the family-friendly feel of downtown festivities. Pointing to a 2000 referendum in which about two-thirds of voters rejected the alcohol sales, some asked why the city continued to allow new drinking spots against residents' wishes."My question is: Where will this end?" resident Walter Casson wrote in a letter to the council. "Is the City Recreation Complex next? … What about the new public works compound? Would that make a good place for a Holiday Party?"Event organizers and supporters, however, call the sales a financial success.The Cotee River Bike Fest sold about $22,000 in beer in October, according to the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce. Sales in Sims Park during last year's Chasco Fiesta brought in $8,000. And three Greater New Port Richey Main Street events — the Cotee River Seafood Festival, the Main Street Blast and A Night in the Tropics — yielded a total of more than $12,000 in beer and wine profits.Hoping to raise cash after closing time, the library's advisory board asked for a similar approval that would allow them to sell alcohol at soirees like book readings or author signings, said former board president and council member-elect Bob Langford. "I don't understand how we could possibly be hurting by offering wine and cheese, or wine and chocolate-dipped strawberries," Langford said. "The idea that people would be coming to the library to get drunk is beyond my wildest imagination."Still, the ordinance sets some limits to the libations on city-owned property. The city can allow beer or wine at a maximum of eight events a year, excluding up to three from the library. Organizers must pay for security to patrol the gates and monitor alcohol-free zones like playgrounds. And special events with alcohol will, unlike dry events, need an extra step of approval from the City Council.The council on Tuesday approved the measure unanimously, although council member Judy DeBella Thomas was out sick.Council member Bob Consalvo, who voted against the sales in previous meetings, said police officers have seen no alcohol-related problems in the two years since the sales began.In fact, officers are finding they have less to watch for now that visitors can drink legally, Mayor Scott McPherson said. He sees the alcohol as a big potential boom for the library's ailing budget, not a slippery slope into drunken debauchery."They're talking about having some wine and cheese and a poetry reading, for crying out loud," he said. "I don't think you're going to have gangsters coming to a poetry reading." Drew Harwell can be reached at dharwell@sptimes.com or (727) 869-6244.
Probation violation sends man to prison 13 years after crash that killed wife

By Molly Moorhead, Times Staff Writer 
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
DADE CITY — When Donald Hancock drove drunk in 1996 and caused the crash that killed his wife, he was spared prison time because it was an isolated incident for which he showed remorse.For almost 13 years, he lived quietly on probation.But last fall Hancock was arrested on another drunken driving charge, and on Wednesday a judge decided his chances had run out.Circuit Judge Pat Siracusa found that the new DUI charge violated Hancock's probation and sentenced him to 12 years in prison.The sentence falls under state sentencing guidelines from his original arrest, though, meaning Hancock will probably serve less than half that time.The 46-year-old showed little reaction when the sentence was announced, but earlier he wept into his hands as his family members spoke of how he has not been able to forgive himself for the 3 a.m. crash on Oct. 5, 1996.He and Irene Hancock had been married for seven years and lived in Spring Hill. They both worked at the Cracker Barrel in Wesley Chapel. On State Road 52, near Bellamy Brothers Boulevard, their 1991 Geo Prizm ran off the road and flipped. Mrs. Hancock was ejected and the car landed on top of her. She was pronounced dead at the scene.Two months later, Donald Hancock was charged in her death. The Florida Highway Patrol said his blood alcohol level was 0.25, more than three times the level at which Florida law presumes a driver is impaired. A few months later, he pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter and received 15 years probation. He could have been given that much time in prison, but Irene Hancock's family told the judge her husband deserved a second chance. Family members on Wednesday described how he worked seven days a week in restaurant jobs. His niece said he helps her care for her disabled child.But police said that on Nov. 14 he was out again at 3 a.m., driving on U.S. 19 near Floramar Terrace in Holiday. Officer Chris Denton pulled him over for failing to stop before making a U-turn at a flashing red light. Denton said Hancock's eyes were glassy, his speech was slurred and his breath smelled like alcohol.In a video of his field sobriety exercises, shown in court Wednesday, Hancock sometimes swayed and stumbled but completed most of the tests successfully. He refused to give a breath sample. He went to trial on the DUI charge last month and was found not guilty.But that still left the question of whether that charge was a violation of his probation, which requires a lower standard of proof.In criminal court, prosecutors must prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. In a violation of probation, they need only show a preponderance of the evidence.In arguing for mercy, Hancock's mother, Linda Raines, said her son still calls her crying with guilt."He can't forgive himself," Raines said. "He's tried but he just can't."Siracusa said he took that into account."I have no doubt that you have remorse for this still," the judge said, "but I can't find that this was an isolated incident."Molly Moorhead can be moorhead@sptimes.com or (727) 869-6245.
2 fraud arrests expected in Hernando-Pasco work training grants case

By Lisa Buie, Times Staff Writer 
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Two people will face fraud charges stemming from an investigation into training grants administered by the Pasco Hernando regional work force board, a state official said.Authorities have not released the names of the two people, but said they worked for a company owned by the former work force board chairman, Steve Jensen.An e-mail forwarded from the head of the state work force agency to state Sen. Mike Fasano said the two face charges of conducting an organized scheme to defraud, a first-degree felony."Arrests Coming in the Pasco Hernando Case," was the subject line of the e-mail sent from the office of Cynthia Lorenzo, director of the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation. The e-mail said the warrants were issued Tuesday and arrests could come possibly Wednesday.Mike Morrison, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the agency handling the investigation, said late Wednesday that no arrests had been made and that the case remained active.The company that was involved in the investigation was Optima Technologies, a Port Richey company owned by Jensen, who until last June served as chairman of the Pasco Hernando Jobs and Education Partnership, commonly known as the work force board.Jensen resigned from the board shortly after details of the investigation became public. Optima HVAC and Axon Technologies, which make parts for laser printers, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December.The companies were at the heart of a controversy over a work force board program, paid for with federal money, that allows businesses to split the cost of training with the government.A June report from the state Office of Inspector General, prompted by a whistle-blower's complaint, found that Lee Ellzey, then-president of the Pasco Hernando Jobs and Education Partnership, approved $123,000 in in-house training costs for Jensen's Optima HVAC and Axon Technologies even after lower-level staff denied the application. As work force board chairman, Jensen was Ellzey's boss. After the report became public, Ellzey was fired and his senior vice president, Terry Williams, resigned.The rate for the training came to about $3,844 an hour, which was "extraordinarily high and deviated from established practice," the 48-page report said.Ellzey has said he had not seen a breakdown of the costs, but it was not unusual for such lump sums to be paid for some training programs.The payments were never actually made to the trainer, Jim Egan, a man one staffer described as Optima's "sometimes president," the report said. It said Egan was listed on the application as an outside consultant. The rules allow for outside trainers to be paid at higher rates. In-house staffers conducting training are supposed to receive half the hourly rate they make at work, with the company paying the other half.Investigators who questioned Jensen about the program said he didn't know how much money was being paid to Egan. He said one of his employees, Sam Callaghan, handled the applications."Sam (Callaghan) pretty much is on auto-pilot with that," Jensen told investigators, according to the report.Egan never spoke with investigators in person due to scheduling conflicts, the report said.A review of his invoice listed James Egan Consulting Services. However, that entity was not listed with the Florida Division of Corporations. The address was the same as Optima Technologies. A phone number listed was for a company reached, Superior Solid Surfaces, which specialized in countertops, the report said. The owner said he did not know a James or Jim Egan.Callaghan never responded to the investigators' request for an interview, the report said.A separate grant application for training listed the trainer as a Ralph Newman of Orlando, but the address provided belonged to another Optima office in Orlando. Jensen told investigators that Newman was the company's groundskeeper.Lisa Buie can be reached at buie@sptimes.com or (813) 909-4604.
Fired Hernando County public works director wants hearing to clear his name

By Barbara Behrendt, Times Staff Writer 
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
BROOKSVILLE — Fired in January for poor job performance and a string of delayed and over-budget projects on his watch, former Hernando public works director Charles Mixson now wants to salvage his reputation.Mixson has hired attorney Bruce Snow to represent him and has asked the county for a post-termination, or name clearing, hearing."He has asked for this in order to have his side of the story heard,'' Snow said Wednesday. "There are always two sides to a story.''Hernando County has no set policy for handling a post-termination or name clearing hearing and requests for such hearings are rare, human resources director Cheryl Marsden said."We are still reviewing the letter and will be responding to Mr. Snow at the appropriate time,'' assistant county attorney Jon Jouben said.When Mixson, who worked at the pleasure of the county administrator, left county employ, he was earning an annual salary of $116,792 and received additional benefits valued at $32,298.He had worked for Hernando County since July 1986 and was county engineer in addition to public works director.Mixson's evaluations going back more than 10 years contain numerous references to performance problems. When County Administrator David Hamilton fired Mixson, he extensively documented Mixson's missteps as well as the scathing warnings he had given Mixson over just the last year and a half.Hamilton noted that Mixson had been told his job was in jeopardy and that he must get the Hernando Beach Channel dredging project started or be fired. He even suspended him without pay at one point to drive the message home.Mixson's numerous disciplines were for issues including workers under his supervision collecting commissions from vendors used by the county; failing to follow through with disciplining of employees; and one notable instance in which county workers were allowed to trade valuable county-owned fill dirt for pizza and other gifts.In a more recent incident, Mixson was trying to move a project forward quickly before losing some federal stimulus monies. He tried to persuade Marsden, an assistant county attorney and the county's risk manager, into hiring a contractor without insurance to do an archaeological survey.He said there wasn't any danger because the surveyor would not actually get out of his car and walk along the road, just drive around."You do not get it,'' he told Marsden in an e-mail. "It's about time, not about thoroughness.''Another of Mixson's projects was the soil testing and cleanup of the polluted site of the old public works compound in south Brooksville. A dozen years have passed and the costs have risen from a contracted $77,000 to more than $2 million, and the cleanup has yet to begin.Yet, several months ago, Mixson brought the County Commission a request for another increase in the consultant's contract, even though Hamilton had ordered that future work would have to be bid.But it was the delays and cost overruns in the high-profile Hernando Beach Channel dredging project that finally did in Mixson.State environmental regulators found problems that the county's consultant had not reported showed mistakes by the project's contractor and consultant and insufficient oversight by Mixson's office.Mixson, however, sought even more money for the consultant.He argued that changes in the plans for seagrass mitigation required by the state necessitated more work by the consultant. And he took issue with some of Hamilton's conclusions about his oversight on the project.Hamilton saw it another way."It has become apparent that instead of critically examining requests for change orders, you instead have become an advocate and spokesperson for the contractors,'' he wrote in his memo firing Mixson."You represent the county, not its contractors. Your uncritical acceptance of change order requests have cost the county millions of dollars without providing the county with any commensurate benefits.''Since the county has no policy on such hearings and case law doesn't set up how they are conducted, Snow said he expected that the procedure will be discussed between himself and the county.County staff will be discussing the issue further later this week and the letter will appear on Tuesday's county commission agenda as correspondence to note.Mixson did not return a call seeking comment.Barbara Behrendt can be reached at behrendt@sptimes.com or (352) 848-1434.
Former Tarpon Springs city commissioner, 3 others accused in $1M securities fraud

Times staff 
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00112/npnsuspect031810_112897a.jpg"><img title="" alt="" src="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00112/npnsuspect031810_112897a.jpg" border="0" /></a> Police released this image of the robbery suspect.

Tarpon Springs

Ex-city official accused in $1M securities fraud

A former Tarpon Springs city commissioner and three other men have been arrested, accused of defrauding investors of more than $1 million.

Fred W. "Bill" Howard, 62, a developer who served as a Tarpon Springs commissioner from 1978 to 1981, was arrested around 2 p.m. Tuesday at his home by Tarpon Springs police on a Florida Department of Law Enforcement warrant, according to an arrest report. Also arrested were Gerald Gonzalez, 45, of St. Petersburg, Clifford F. Bagnell, 55, of New Port Richey, and Charles K. Byington, 48, of Miami.

The investigation revealed that the men issued and sold 24-month promissory notes to 20 Florida residents through BBG Investments LLC and BBG Rick Management Inc. between September 2004 and August 2005, according to the FDLE. All four men were charged with securities fraud, a first-degree felony, and 12 counts of sales of an unregistered security, third-degree felonies. Howard, Gonzalez and Bagnell were also charged with 12 counts of sales of security by an unregistered dealer.

All are being held without bail.

CLEARWATER

Man is sought in bank robbery

Police are investigating bank robbery at a Fifth Third Bank on Wednesday. Clearwater police said a man walked into the bank at 1150 Cleveland St. about 10 a.m., handed a note to the teller demanding money and left with an undisclosed amount of cash. The man implied he had a weapon, said police spokeswoman Beth Watts. The man is described as white with a pale complexion, in his 20s, about 5 feet 9 to 5 feet 10, 160 to 170 pounds with a thin build and a goatee. He has a teardrop tattoo next to his right eye. He also had adhesive bandages on the right side of his neck, which detectives suspect may have been used to cover a tattoo. The man was last seen wearing a black knit hat, a gold Ecko T-shirt, a black leather jacket and blue jeans. Police ask anyone who can identify the man or who has information about this crime to call the Clearwater Police Department Tip Line at (727) 562-4422. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.

Largo

Man accused of sex with minor

Authorities have arrested a 19-year-old man they say had sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl. Zachary Tarver, of 8927 Fairweather Drive, was arrested on a charge of lewd and lascivious battery. Tarver had a sexual encounter with the girl about 11:35 a.m. Wednesday at his home, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Detectives say Tarver and the girl met recently at Astro's Gate Roller Skating Rink. The two began texting each other, and hatched a plan to have the girl skip school Wednesday. But when the girl's friends found out about the plan, they alerted a school resource officer. Tarver remained in the Pinellas County Jail on Wednesday afternoon in lieu of $10,000 bail.
Tampa tattoo shop robbed after heated argument

By Robbyn Mitchell, Times Staff Writer 
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
TAMPA — Six young men were charged with armed robbery Wednesday after shots were fired inside a tattoo shop on W Columbus Drive.Tampa police were called to 3115 W Columbus Drive at 1:55 p.m. for reports that a group of armed men came in and argued with people in the shop. The argument escalated and shots were fired but no one was injured, police said. Officers searched for two vehicles and found cars matching the witnesses' description a short time later on Himes Avenue at Hillsborough Avenue.Arrested were Dillon Trujillo, 18, Pablo Serrano, 18, Corado Diaz Jr., 18, Jorge Colon, 19, Rafael A. Martin, 19 and Richard Barreiro, 20, police said. Two books of tattoo artwork were taken, police said.
Money tossed in Pasco bank robbery recovered

 
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00112/titomorell_112895a.jpg"><img title="" alt="" src="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00112/titomorell_112895a.jpg" border="0" /></a> Tito Morell

LAND O'LAKES — All of the money tossed out of a bank robber's getaway car has been recovered, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

Tito Morell, 34, took $7,889 when he robbed a Wachovia bank in Hudson on Tuesday afternoon, authorities said. He then led deputies on an 80- to 90-mph chase east on State Road 52 and stopped on U.S. 41, the Sheriff's Office said.

With a gun to his head and his tires shot out by deputies, Morell kept authorities in a standoff for six hours, shutting down a large portion of U.S. 41 and stranding hundreds of residents who couldn't get home.

Morell's father and brother were brought to the scene to help the negotiator talk Morell into giving up.

At nearly 9 p.m., the standoff ended and Morell — who has served two stints in prison totaling nearly seven years — was arrested. He was taken into mandatory mental health custody because he was suicidal, said Kevin Doll, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office.

Morell, of Sun City Center, is charged with robbery with a deadly weapon.
North Pinellas History: Army Corps studies Lake Tarpon flooding in 1960

 
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00112/npnhist031810_112894a.jpg"><img title="Courtesy of North Pinellas Historical Society" alt="Courtesy of North Pinellas Historical Society" src="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00112/npnhist031810_112894a.jpg" border="0" /></a> Circa post world war II: Fish nets dry at the Ozona Fish House.
TARPON SPRINGS — Hope that help might be forthcoming to control the water level at Lake Tarpon was given to lake area residents when it was revealed that a survey of the condition had been made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.For the second time in six months, residents around Lake Tarpon have been harassed by flood conditions.Recent rainfall caused a recurrence of last September's problem, when the water rose and flooded streets and homes around the lake.Tom Parsley of St. Petersburg, owner of a development on the lake, asked for help from the office of Sen. George Smathers. An engineer from Jacksonville made the survey.Parsley said the study was made to estimate the damage and the number of persons affected by the high water.For the past several days, many residents have used boats to get from the highway to their homes, but none have been forced to leave their homes.Several fish camp owners, who keep records of the lake's water level, said the level this weekend was the highest ever recorded and was at least 10 inches above last summer's high.Bill Benhart, owner of Lake Tarpon's Marina, said the lake was at a low level before the rain started, but within days had risen 54 inches.After last summer's rain, a group of lakefront property owners petitioned officials for help to prevent floods.It was pointed out then by residents that the lake's water level is a year-round problem that becomes acute when there is heavy rain. A spokesman for the group said the high water in the lake restricts the natural drainage of the surrounding land, thus causing water damage to streets and septic tanks.March 27, 1942Scrap material sought in salvage driveCLEARWATER — Mayor George R. Seavy issued a proclamation urging all Clearwater residents to cooperate in the "Unified Salvage for Victory" program.Previous efforts will be expanded to make available for war use all materials the Clearwater area can provide.Collection centers for scrap metal, old rubber and rags have been established at the Parker Paper company, 921 Lakeview Ave., and at the Gulf service station, Cleveland Street and Osceola Avenue. Boy Scouts will collect waste paper.The program is under the supervision of the upper Pinellas County Defense Council, of which R.R. Orcutt is chairman for the Clearwater area.Materials wanted include waste paper, old newspapers, wrapping paper, cartons and boxes, paper bags, magazines, advertising material and old rags. Also wanted is clothing, especially shirts and underwear, draperies, mattresses, pillows, flour and sugar bags, carpets and burlap bags. Everything made of metal, except tin cans, is valuable to war industries.March 7, 1924Tampa druggists open in OldsmarOLDSMAR — Harry E. Prettyman of Oldsmar has announced that negotiations have been completed with McKelvey and Williams, Tampa druggists, to open an up-to-date store on the corner of Park Boulevard and State Street in the very near future.McKelvey and Williams have been in Tampa for a number of years, and, according to Mr. Prettyman, have been studying Oldsmar's growth for the past year with the idea of locating there should the town's promised development go through. The new drug firm will carry a full line of fresh drugs and other accessories of the modern day pharmacy.G.W Bishop, who for a number of years has occupied the present location of the drugstore, has moved his dry goods line to a new location adjoining the Swanson Grocery Co., about one block east.
Former Pasco counsel Ben Harrill dies at 56

By Jodie Tillman, Times Staff Writer 
Wednesday, March 17, 2010

NEW PORT RICHEY — Back in 1978, a recent University of Florida law school graduate named Ben Harrill landed a job at the Pasco County Attorney's Office.

"He appeared to be bright, the kind of guy who would do a good job," said Gerald Figurski, then the top county attorney who hired him.

Harrill did not disappoint him. Just six years later, he became chief county attorney, earning a reputation as a steady hand during one of the most dynamic periods of growth in Pasco history.

And when Harrill left to go into private practice, his reputation did not waver.

"He had extremely high ethical and moral values," said County Administrator John Gallagher. "And he kept them."

Harrill died Tuesday night (March 16, 2010) after suffering a heart attack just days earlier, his second in two weeks. He was 56.

Harrill, who joined Figurski in private practice in 1991, had become one of Pasco's best-known land use attorneys.

Most recently, he played a role in some of the largest projects to come before Pasco commissioners, including the proposed T. Rowe Price project in Land O'Lakes, Pasadena Hills in east Pasco and SunWest Harbourtowne in Aripeka.

To the commissioners he routinely faced each month, Harrill was an affable straight shooter, a gentleman.

"He was a first-class guy," said Commissioner Ann Hildebrand. "He brought such a great perspective. He knew land use, he knew county government, and I think that's why he was so successful."

And when he was county attorney, the private attorneys he faced had similar recollections.

"He was a gentleman, reasonable. You couldn't ask for a better guy in that position," said longtime attorney Steve Booth. "If Ben told you something, you could take it to the bank."

And in both government and private practice, Harrill earned a reputation as a hard worker.

"We joked about it on more than one occasion," said Figurski. "We worked so hard because we were both fleeing poverty."

Harrill grew up in Clearwater. His father was a charter boat operator and his mother a secretary. He married his Clearwater High School sweetheart, Jo Ellen, in 1974, and they had two sons.

Pasco County was going through sharp growing pains when Harrill first came on board, shortly before Gallagher took the helm in 1982.

Through $350 million in bonds, the county built a garbage incinerator, a regional sewer system and a network of parks and libraries. He and Gallagher were credited with playing hardball when it came time to build the incinerator; their negotiations ended up shaving $13 million from the original price.

Gallagher and Harrill announced the price tag at a commission meeting, and one commissioner suggested the pair get three extra vacation days for their effort.

Later, as they left the meeting, Harrill joked to Gallagher: "I wonder what we'd have to do for a week?"

After he entered private practice, Harrill remained active in county affairs, serving on a number of committees that help drive policy. Even as a developers' attorney, Harrill was the point person on the committee that recommended establishing a program to buy and protect environmentally sensitive land.

Figurski said he and his partner had a long-established pattern and routine at their Holiday office. First in would make the coffee. One of them might swing in the other's office to see what he thought about a case. They had coffee and lunch and talked about their children and sports.

And both Figurski and Gallagher used the word "brother" to describe their relationship to Harrill.

"To me, Ben was an exemplary expression of what it means to be a counselor of the highest order," said Figurski. "I'm so torn, ripped, by the fact that he's gone. I'm not sure I can ever find anybody to replace him as a partner."

Harrill is survived by his wife, Jo Ellen, of New Port Richey, and sons, Joseph and James, who live in the Orlando area. Funeral arrangements were pending Wednesday.

Jodie Tillman can be reached at jtillman@sptimes.com or (727) 869-6247.
If Florida Legislature gives nod, Oldsmar will be ready for red light cameras

By Rodney Thrash, Times Staff Writer 
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
OLDSMAR — As the courts and state legislators duke it out over red light cameras, the push to mount the devices at some of the city's most dangerous intersections is gaining steam.Oldsmar City Council members Tuesday night asked the city attorney to draw up a contract with the Scottsdale, Ariz., company that runs red light camera programs in Kenneth City, South Pasadena and 51 other Florida municipalities. They also asked him to draft an ordinance that would make running red lights a violation of Oldsmar's city code.The 5-0 vote came after American Traffic Solutions presented results from an eight-day study of traffic patterns on some of the city's roadways. That study found that 106 motorists went left, turned right or just gunned it when lights were red at eight intersections. More than half of those violations occurred at one intersection, southbound Forest Lakes Boulevard and Tampa Road. Footage captured 56 cars barreling through red lights at that location, one of five intersections American Traffic Solutions thinks could benefit from surveillance devices.Proponents and opponents have long debated the effectiveness of red light cameras. They've offered studies that show a reduction in crashes and ones that show no change. A study in Virginia found an increase in crashes. That back-and-forth has reached Tallahassee, where dueling bills could either expand the use of the cameras or ban them.Rep. Ron Reagan, R-Bradenton, said cameras give law enforcement an additional tool to save lives and is sponsoring the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act, named after a 30-year-old Bradenton man who was killed by a red light runner.The sponsor of a competing bill, Rep. Robert Schenck, R-Spring Hill, said he does not believe it is right for cash-strapped governments to use cameras as a means to increase revenue under the guise of public safety.Meanwhile, a Miami-Dade judge ruled that Aventura overstepped state law when it used cameras to fine red light runners."At this point," Oldsmar city manager Bruce Haddock said, "the contract would probably say 'is dependent upon authorization from the state of Florida.' "Haddock said the contract would probably be brought to the council in late April or early May. The legislative session ends April 30."If the Legislature changes (its) mind, and goes with Schenck's bill, no harm lost," Mayor Jim Ronecker said."Other than time invested," Haddock said, "we don't have a program if the legislature doesn't authorize it."Tuesday's meeting was the first since the March 9 citywide election.Voters handed Ronecker three more years, returned former council member Janice Miller to the dais after a one-year absence and added a new face, businesswoman Linda Norris. The newly elected board elevated Doug Bevis from council member to vice mayor.For one city official, Tuesday's council meeting was her last.Lisa Lene, who has administered oaths, taken minutes at City Council meetings and supervised city elections for nearly 13 years, is leaving. Lene's husband has been offered a position in Missouri and her last day as city clerk will be April 2. Assistant city clerk Kathy Horvath will replace Lene on an interim basis until the position is filled.Rodney Thrash can be reached at rthrash@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4167.
After six years, Petersen will say farewell to Clearwater City Council

By Lorri Helfand and Mike Brassfield, Times Staff Writers 
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00112/npnpetersen031810_112891a.jpg"><img title="JIM DAMASKE | Times" alt="JIM DAMASKE | Times" src="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00112/npnpetersen031810_112891a.jpg" border="0" /></a> Carlen Petersen makes a point during budget discussions at a City Council workshop Tuesday morning. Leaving the City Council because of term limits, she plans to continue her advocacy for the homeless and to continue other volunteer ventures.

CLEARWATER — She wasn't sitting on the dais this week, but Carlen Petersen made sure city leaders knew how she felt about next year's budget. From a seat off to the side, she told them it would be a mistake to strip away parks, recreation and libraries at a time when people need them most.

"I think you all know where I come from, having listened to me the last few years," said Petersen, who has served on the City Council for six years.

At tonight's council meeting, her peers will formally bid her farewell. Petersen, 55, known for her intellect and advocacy, is stepping down because of term limits.

"She has always been very passionate about the homeless and a lot of the social needs out there," said Mayor Frank Hibbard. "She was somewhat the social conscience for the council."

"She has a true passion for the community, with a particular emphasis on the underserved and less advantaged," said City Manager Bill Horne.

One of two Democrats on the five-member nonpartisan City Council, she sometimes disagreed with her more conservative peers.

Vice Mayor Paul Gibson clashed with her on issues such as what to do about the homeless or how much money to spend on parks and recreation.

"That doesn't mean I don't like her," Gibson said. "She's a nice person. We just have very different points of view."

Her departure also means that there are no women on the five member City Council.

Council member John Doran said her exit will leave a void.

"Carlen is a wife and a mother and definitely brought something special to the council," Doran said. "I'm afraid we're going to have to stretch to have that perspective."

Petersen admitted she was disappointed about the lack of women on the council.

"I think having men and women on any board or any council brings a nice balance to discussions and you come out with an answer that might appeal to more people," she said.

Before she was elected, she served four year's on the city's Community Development Board, an appointed citizen panel that makes decisions on development projects.

"That's 10 years basically of public service. She's been an important part of both of those groups," Doran said.

Council member George Cretekos said he was impressed with her dedication to the arts and her efforts to develop local tourism.

Petersen said she'll miss seeing the concrete changes her decisions make in the community and all of the people she has interacted with at City Hall and on other government boards.

She's is chairwoman of Pinellas County's Homeless Leadership Network, a group of elected officials, community leaders and housing representatives who are working to end homelessness. And she plans to continue that role in the community volunteer slot.

Petersen was born in New York. She lived in Belgium from the time she was 8 until she returned to the states for college in the early 1970s. Her father was an executive for Ford Motor Co. and ITT Corp. Her mother had a master's degree in social work.

Petersen earned her bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and her law degree from DePaul University. She worked several years for the city of Chicago as an attorney before moving to Clearwater about 25 years ago.

She and her husband, Grant, have three sons in their 20s. The two younger ones are in college at Oxford in England and at Northwestern in Chicago. The oldest is working in Minneapolis. She plans to spend more time visiting them, now.

Before serving on the City Council, volunteering was a big part of her life. She served on the YWCA of Tampa Bay's board of directors and the YWCA's National Coordinating Board. She was also active in the Junior League of Clearwater-Dunedin and other groups.

With more time on her hands, she wants to get involved with not-for-profits again. A lot of them are having problems with the ongoing economic crunch, she said.

"I'm not going away," Petersen said. "I'll still be very involved in the community."
After much debate, ballot wording for Hillsborough transit tax wins approval

By Bill Varian, Times Staff Writer 
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
TAMPA — There is now ballot language for a proposed transit tax referendum in Hillsborough County.After months of debate, county commissioners on Wednesday approved the wording for a proposed November referendum asking voters if they support raising the sales tax by a penny to pay for local commuter rail, expanded bus service and road work. It passed 5-2, with Commissioners Jim Norman and Al Higginbotham voting no."I would say this was good movement forward today," said Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, a leading advocate for a rail system who was sitting in the audience.Meanwhile, a group backing the initiative filed elections paperwork this week forming a political action committee, Moving Hillsborough Forward. The group is led by Gary Sasso, chairman of the economic booster group Tampa Bay Partnership."We can no longer afford to do nothing," Sasso said. "We need this comprehensive transportation plan to attract new businesses to Hillsborough to keep and multiply jobs."Commissioners still must give final approval to an ordinance to formally place the measure on the ballot. Any approval would have to take place following a public hearing, which commissioners are now hoping to hold sometime in mid or late April.And there are other details to be worked out.Commissioners must approve a formal list of roadwork they intend to perform with the portion of the tax proceeds that would go toward traditional transportation fixes. An advisory panel working with the board is nearing consensus, particularly on the slate of road work for southern and eastern Hillsborough, which has been the subject of some contention.They also must approve an agreement between Hillsborough County, its three cities and the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit authority, which would run the rail and bus system. That's where many of the fine details of what will be done with the sales tax money will be spelled out, such as providing assurances that a rail system will be able to hook up with rail systems developed in surrounding counties.The ballot language includes several key components that Commissioner Rose Ferlita had insisted on getting in recent weeks.The most critical, Ferlita said, was including wording that spells out that 75 percent of the sales tax proceeds would go toward transit, and the remaining 25 percent toward roads. Ferlita, who says she supports the rail referendum, said the wording was necessary to assure voters that future politicians won't try to change the split without seeking their approval.Ferlita also pressed to have language spelling out that voters are being asked to approve a new tax toward the beginning of the ballot question."People need to know what they're agreeing to do," Ferlita said. "I think it's important to be honest with the public."Bill Varian can be reached at (813) 226-3387 or varian@sptimes.com.

The St. Petersburg Times

Headlines for Thursday, March 18, 2010