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PIP changes stall in Senate, but leaders remain hopeful

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By Tia Mitchell, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Tuesday, February 28, 2012

TALLAHASSEE — Heavy lobbying by massage therapists temporarily derailed one of the major issues of the legislative session: the high level of fraud in Florida's no-fault car insurance program.

The Senate's Budget Committee on Tuesday postponed discussion on a measure to reform personal injury protection, or PIP. Debate was bogged down by a series of amendments that would have added acupuncture and massage therapy back into the array of treatments authorized under the system, but the amendments failed.

Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, who is sponsoring the legislation in the Senate, said he was against including those service providers in the PIP system but welcomed the discussion — even if it meant that a vote on the bill wasn't taken. The committee will take up the issue again during a special meeting today.

"I applaud Chairman (JD) Alexander for making sure we have enough time to hear everybody's point of view," Negron said. "So I'm very happy with how things are going."

Even if the Senate manages to come to an agreement and approve changes to PIP, it still must reach a compromise with the House. That chamber takes a different approach to fixing the system.

Reforming PIP is a critical piece of Gov. Rick Scott's 2012 legislative agenda. Scott has expressed support for the House proposal, which requires people injured in an auto accident to be treated by medical professionals within 72 hours, eliminates chiropractors from participating in PIP and limits attorney's fees. The Senate's measure tightens regulations of pain clinics, requires long-form accident reports and creates a statewide antifraud task force.

Scott said he is staying apprised of both chambers' proposals and has talked to members behind the scenes about the importance of reaching an agreement.

"We've got to create a process that works," he said. "I'm confident that both the House and the Senate, when they come together, will pass a bill that will crack down on this fraud and will be good for all Floridians."

Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, said he believes that PIP reform can be done during the regular session, but others have suggested a special session may be necessary.

Time is running out if lawmakers want to avoid being called back to Tallahassee. The regular session is scheduled to conclude March 9 and lawmakers still must use much of that time to approve a budget.

Both the House and the Senate have clear ideas of what they want to see in PIP reform, Senate President Mike Haridopolos said, which could complicate matters.

"It's always tougher to pass things in an election year," said Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island. "I'm hopeful that in the very minimum we can get the common ground passed and at a maximum we can find some common ground on tort."


For 'leapers,' waiting four years just means a bigger birthday party

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By Andrew Meacham and Richard Martin, Times Staff Writers
Tuesday, February 28, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — Casey Wilson has been looking forward to today since she can remember. The junior at Northeast High School can now claim an unusual bond with her father — a chance to be 16 together.

Her father, Dean Wilson, was born Feb. 29, 1948 — leap year. Though he has been on the planet 64 years now, the elder Wilson has had only 16 calendar birthdays, including today's.

"I think it's really awesome," said Casey, who turned 16 last April. "I've been looking forward to this for a really long time. You know how everyone says sweet 16?"

Birthdays of "leapers" — people born on Feb. 29 — have been causing consternation and amusement since 46 B.C., when the Gregorian calendar now in use was first adjusted to match the astronomical year.

The chance of being born on a day that occurs only every four years is one in 1,461.

Among those lucky, or unlucky, enough to have a Feb. 29 birthday: rapper/actor Ja Rule (36 today), actor Antonio Sabato Jr. (40), and self-help author and motivational speaker Tony Robbins (52). Departed Leap Day birthday celebrants include entertainer Dinah Shore and musician Tommy Dorsey.

Today also marks an anniversary for the city of St. Petersburg, incorporated on Feb. 29, 1892.

Local leapers say they have mostly enjoyed the unique birthday, including the never-ending jokes.

Nichole Paquette (2/29/72), a human resources worker in Tampa, recalled a 20th birthday party her friends threw for her in college — "a Winnie-the-Pooh theme with adult beverages."

St. Petersburg lawyer Watson Sinden (2/29/52) will celebrate with 15 candles on his birthday cake. "It's fun," Sinden said. "In off years, year in, year out, you try to extend it into a week. And you play on it."

Other leapers have taken Feb. 28 and March 1 — and sometimes both — to celebrate a day that doesn't exist on the calendar three years out of four.

"The calendar, I think, is the hardest part," said Kelly Smith, whose daughter, Ashleigh, was born Feb. 29, 2000. Ashleigh, a sixth-grader at Randall Middle School, doesn't ask on which day of the week her birthday will fall, though her two brothers always do about their birthdays.

"She's never denied a birthday," Smith said. "Or two. Or three."

A leap year birthday can bring headaches. Some drop-down menus on the computer still lack a Feb. 29. Other programs have had glitches — even Facebook.

In off years, according to Paquette, the social networking giant has announced her birthday on Feb. 28.

Paying for auto maintenance with a check has proved time-consuming for Michelle May-Backlund (2/29/64), since the date of birth on her driver's license has caused problems with a check-verifying service.

With that in mind, what if you're expecting a baby about now? Would you be more likely to embrace a Feb. 29 birth because it's fun and unique? Or avoid it because of the potential hassles?

Calls to several Tampa Bay area hospitals indicate many try to steer clear of the unique distinction.

St. Joseph's Women's Hospital in Tampa doesn't have many inductions of labor scheduled for today, "but a lot for March 1," said spokeswoman Jackie Tolley.

"It seems people are avoiding the day," she said.

As for scheduled C-sections, there are three today, just one fewer than the hospital has on an average day.

"Most of the time, when you're talking about a C-section or induction on leap day, there might be slight hesitation" from the patient, said Dr. Catherine Lynch, medical director of inpatient obstetrics and gynecology at Tampa General Hospital. "But when you present the alternative of having it a day or two later, Feb. 29 sounds like a cool day."

That was pretty much the case with Betsy Young, who was scheduled to deliver a girl today at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

Young, 37, said doctors told her last week they had only the 28th and 29th available for C-sections — and the 28th was booked.

Kara Lynn Young was due for delivery at 6 a.m. today. "I think every four years we're going to have a big celebration," the mother said.

Meanwhile, Casey Wilson is planning a surprise for her father's birthday. Father and daughter have already shared an age. For a year starting April 7, 2010, both were technically 15.

This next bubble lasts only about five weeks. April 7 is her 17th birthday, when she will overtake him in years — kind of.

"This is the turning point," Casey said. "When I turn 17, he'll never be able to catch up with me again."

Andrew Meacham can be reached at ameacham@tampabay.com or (727) 892-2248. Richard Martin can be reached at rmartin@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3322.

Redistricting is creating rifts in the state's non-partisan high court

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By Mary Ellen Klas, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Tuesday, February 28, 2012

TALLAHASSEE — As the Florida Supreme Court opens redistricting arguments Wednesday over the Legislature's proposed redistricting maps, recent deliberations of the normally subdued court have signaled an internal feud over how to handle the issue.

Two of the court's conservative justices, Charles Canady and Ricky Polston, appear to want to limit the courts review while the court's two liberals, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince, appear to want them to dig deeper. In the middle are the swing votes, Justices Fred Lewis, Jorge Labarga and James E.C. Perry.

In the last two weeks, Pariente and Quince have teamed up with two of the moderate judges to demand that legislators turn over their addresses as the non-partisan court is weighing into the once-a-decade partisan battle. Meanwhile, Canady and Polston have also aligned themselves with moderates to block a request from a coalition of voters groups who asked to submit a new version of their proposed map and stopped the Florida Democratic Party from admitting testimony from an expert witness.

"We're in uncharted waters,'' said Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, the chairman of the House's redistricting committee. The new amendments, he said, are "giving the court the opportunity to look at it in a different way."

The court will hear oral arguments in the case on Wednesday and, if the last two weeks are any indication, the panel could be prepared with some feisty questions.

The Florida Constitution requires the court to review the maps for the House and Senate districts drawn by lawmakers every 10 years as part of the redistricting process but, in the past, the review has been limited. This time, the court must determine how well the maps comply with the anti-gerrymandering Fair District standards approved by voters in 2010.

The Florida Democratic Party, along with the League of Women Voters, The National Council of La Raza and Florida Common Cause, have asked the court to reject the maps drawn by the Republican-controlled Legislature and order lawmakers to start over. Instead, they said, legislators should create maps more reflective of the voter split in the state — in which Democrats outnumber Republicans by 580,000 voters.

But, unlike 2002, when the court did a very limited review of the maps, the judges this year appear divided over how deep to dig.

Last week, four of the seven justices ordered the Legislature to submit addresses of incumbent lawmakers as part of its record. The ruling by Justices Pariente, Quince, Labarga and Perry concluded that the addresses were necessary in order to evaluate whether the maps were drawn to protect incumbents.

Canady, the chief justice and himself a former Republican legislator, dissented. He argued that reviewing legislative addresses "is inconsistent with the limited nature of the review proceeding we are required to conduct under'' the Florida Constitution. He cited the 2002 review by the court, which described the high court's role as "extremely limited."

The next day, when the coalition of voter groups, led by the League of Women Voters, asked the court to amend its proposed map that it submitted to the court, Labarga and Lewis joined Canady and Polston and the court refused the group's request.

This time, Pariente dissented saying the map was needed to better evaluate the Legislature's plan. She concluded that the court had an obligation to go beyond the review they have conducted before.

The fight is not only over whether the court will go beyond a surface review and where legislators live but the depth of its role. Pariente, who is close friends with Fair Districts chairwoman Ellen Friedin, argues that the new amendments are a game changer.

"The voters of Florida, through the state Constitution, have bestowed upon the Supreme Court of Florida a weighty obligation to determine the validity of the Legislature's joint resolution of legislative apportionment once every 10 years,'' Pariente wrote. "Unlike in decades past, this year, the Court has been called upon to, for the first time, interpret and apply a new constitutional amendment."

On Tuesday, the court divided again; this time over a ruling to reject a request by the Democratic Party to admit expert testimony that cast a negative light on the House and Senate maps. Lewis and Perry joined Canady and Polston to oppose it.

The testimony Democrats attempted to submit was from their legal and statistical expert, Harvard University Professor Stephen Ansolabehere.

He outlined the imbalance of the Senate and House maps by detailing the number of districts in which Republicans outnumber Democrats.

Ansolabehere also alleged that the Senate map unevenly distributes the population, putting too many people into the African-American districts and an average of 6,500 more people into the five Hispanic districts while it underpopulates white, non-Hispanic districts. The expert did not find the same deviations in the House map.

The court has until March 9 to reject or approve the Legislature's maps. If it orders lawmakers to redo their plans, the governor will have five days to call a special two-week session at which time they must take up redistricting again and are prohibited from including anything else on that session's agenda.

Mary Ellen Klas can be reached at meklas@miamiherald.com.

New Hillsborough economic development director once held similar job with St. Petersburg

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By Bill Varian, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 28, 2012

TAMPA — Hillsborough County on Tuesday announced the hiring of a new economic development director who once held a similar job with the city of St. Petersburg.

Ron Barton most recently was executive director of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission. He held that job from 2005 until he was sacked in August as part of a larger housecleaning by that city's mayor, Alvin Brown.

In a memo to department directors and economic development employees, Hillsborough County chief financial officer Bonnie Wise said Barton was responsible in Jacksonville for efforts that led to $514 million in capital investment from the private sector and the creation of 6,400 jobs.

The Florida Times-Union had reported that his departure was anticipated after the mayor there ordered a review of economic development efforts. Barton was hired by former Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton.

Before Jacksonville, Barton worked for four years as St. Petersburg's director of economic development and property management under former Mayor Rick Baker. He was credited with several development projects, particularly in the city's struggling Midtown area.

He was the city's lead negotiator in bringing Progress Energy's Pinellas County headquarters to downtown. And he helped lure a Sweetbay Supermarket to the area south of Central Avenue, the first chain grocery store in the heart of Midtown.

He also helped structure some of the city's largest real estate projects, including renovations at the Manhattan Casino and redevelopment of the former Maas Brothers property.

When he left, he cited a desire to spend more time with family and plans to start a consulting business, but was hired in Jacksonville later that year.

Barton, 55, was a partner with what was then KPMG Peat Marwick before joining the city. He starts Monday for Hillsborough County government. His salary was not immediately available.

New Hillsborough economic development director had similar job in St. Petersburg

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By Bill Varian, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 28, 2012

TAMPA — Hillsborough County on Tuesday announced the hiring of a new economic development director who once held a similar job with the city of St. Petersburg.

Ron Barton most recently was executive director of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission. He held that job from 2005 until he was sacked in August as part of a larger housecleaning by that city's mayor, Alvin Brown.

In a memo to department directors and economic development employees, Hillsborough County chief financial officer Bonnie Wise said Barton was responsible in Jacksonville for efforts that led to $514 million in capital investment from the private sector and the creation of 6,400 jobs.

The Florida Times-Union had reported that his departure was anticipated after the mayor there ordered a review of economic development efforts. Barton was hired by former Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton.

Before Jacksonville, Barton worked for four years as St. Petersburg's director of economic development and property management under former Mayor Rick Baker. He was credited with several development projects, particularly in the city's struggling Midtown area.

He was the city's lead negotiator in bringing Progress Energy's Pinellas County headquarters to downtown. And he helped lure a Sweetbay Supermarket to the area south of Central Avenue, the first chain grocery store in the heart of Midtown.

He also helped structure some of the city's largest real estate projects, including renovations at the Manhattan Casino and redevelopment of the former Maas Brothers property.

When he left, he cited a desire to spend more time with family and plans to start a consulting business, but was hired in Jacksonville later that year.

Barton, 55, was a partner with what was then KPMG Peat Marwick before joining the city. He starts Monday for Hillsborough County government. His salary was not immediately available.

After complaints, Hillsborough schools to limit outside speakers

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By Marlene Sokol, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 28, 2012

TAMPA — In a move that responds to complaints about an Islamic organization, the Hillsborough County School District took a first step Tuesday toward regulating outside speakers in the classroom.

A brief set of guidelines offered by superintendent MaryEllen Elia asks teachers to look for speakers recommended by the district, consult with their principals and refrain from invitations to advocacy organizations.

The School Board will hold a workshop to discuss the issue in more detail, on a day not yet determined. Until then, a majority of board members agreed that Elia's guidelines can stand.

They did so over strong objections from member April Griffin, who said it was not Elia's place to draft policy. What's more, she said, a policy against advocacy groups would exclude many organizations including the PTA and the NAACP, not to mention groups that are regulars at the Great American Teach-In.

The discussion followed more than an hour of audience comments Tuesday — as well as earlier complaints — about the suitability of visits to classrooms from the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Unlike the last two board meetings, when only speakers opposed to CAIR took to the lectern, Tuesday's crowd included Muslim-Americans and civil rights activists who defended CAIR and its executive director, Hassan Shibly.

"These are the kinds of people I would select as my neighbors, as my babysitters and as my friends," said Lois Price, a mother of two schoolteachers and a member of Friends of Human Rights, a Tampa organization.

Added Ghazi Ahmed, who lived in Yemen and Detroit before settling in Tampa: "I have three kids and they're going to grow up here. We have to work together, not attack each other."

Those opposed to CAIR were equally passionate. Some said they had nothing against Muslims, but said the group itself has links to terrorism — something Shibly has consistently denied.

Teacher Kelly Clem-Rickon, who was raised in the Mormon faith, wore red, the color of the anti-CAIR faction. She said she would be open to presentations from any religion, but not CAIR.

Others objected to any speaker who might favor Islamic sharia law. "I do not have hate in my heart," said Christina Latchford, a military mother. "But I do recognize an ideology that is damaging, and I wouldn't subject my children to it."

The controversy began late last year after Shibly, a lawyer and an imam, spoke at an advanced placement world history class at Steinbrenner High School.

It was not the first time the history teacher had invited members of his and other religious organizations. But it caught the notice of conservative activists.

Addressing the board as one of the final speakers, Shibly said he was astounded at so much misinformation about his organization. "I feel that I have to prove the world isn't flat," he said.

Terry Kemple, of the anti-CAIR Education Coalition, said he thought Elia's plan was a step in the right direction, but preferred something to more directly address the issue of what he called terrorist sympathizers in the classroom.

Shibly said he was disappointed by the move — not necessarily because of the guidelines, but because he said they were motivated by xenophobia. Of the people who spoke against CAIR, he said, "They're not going to be happy with anyone."

Marlene Sokol can be reached at (813) 226-3356 or sokol@tampabay.com.

No. 16 Florida Gators lose second straight game, 77-67 at Vanderbilt Commodores

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Times wires
Tuesday, February 28, 2012

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — John Jenkins hit six 3-pointers and finished with 22 points, and Vanderbilt beat No. 16 Florida 77-67 on Tuesday night to clinch a first-round bye in the Southeastern Conference tournament.

The Commodores (21-9, 10-5) outshot the nation's top 3-point shooting team behind Jenkins, who easily topped his average of 3.9 3-pointers by hitting his first five. They are tied with Florida for second in the SEC with one game left in the regular season.

Vanderbilt, which snapped a four-game losing streak to the Gators, can finish no worse than third going into its finale Saturday at Tennessee. Jeffery Taylor added 18 points and Festus Ezeli had 11.

Bradley Beal scored 16, Erving Walker 15 and Kenny Boynton 11 for Florida (22-8, 10-5), which has lost two straight. The Gators, who lost to Georgia on Saturday, still can finish second by themselves but have a tall mountain to climb: They have to beat No. 1 Kentucky at home on Sunday.

Still, coach Billy Donovan said he was pleased with how his team battled.

"I was much more pleased, much prouder of our basketball team," Donovan said. "I walked off the floor against Georgia in Athens and I was really bothered. I walked off the floor (Tuesday) disappointed we lost, but proud of the way we competed."

The Commodores got off to an emotional start minutes after honoring seven seniors, four of them starters including Taylor and Ezeli, whose parents made the 20-hour flight from Nigeria to watch. They led for the first 30 minutes until Casey Prather dunked on a fast break to give the Gators their first lead, 50-49 with 10:32 left.

The teams swapped the lead on the next five possessions, and Florida last led on a 3-pointer by Erik Murphy.

Taylor answered with a 3 from the left corner with 9:48 left, and Vanderbilt never trailed again even though the Gators didn't go away easily.

They twice got within a point, the last time on Beal's 3-pointer with 5:41 left. Taylor hit his fourth 3, then Vandy made 12 of 14 free throws over the final 5:04.

Police: Tampa man, 30, fired gunshots along Hillsborough Ave, outside strip club

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By Marissa Lang, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

TAMPA — A 30-year-old man was arrested Wednesday morning after he was seen firing gunshots up and down Hillsborough Avenue and outside the entrance to a strip club, police said.

David Lealan Henderson, 30, was shooting a gun in the area of W Hillsborough Avenue and N Matanzas Avenue just after 12:30 a.m., police said. But by the time officers arrived, he had fled in a green 1998 Ford Mustang, officials said.

Just before 1:30 a.m. Henderson shot his gun about five times near W Hillsborough Avenue and N Lincoln Avenue and then parked his car behind Hush Gentlemen's Club, 3260 W Hillsborough Ave., police said.

Shortly after he went into the club, Henderson was kicked out for "creating a disturbance," police said.

He got back into his car, drove up to the front door of the club, yelled at club security and then waved a pistol in the air, firing two shots, police said.

Across the street, Tampa Police officer Deveka Myles was writing reports when she heard the gunfire.

She got into her cruiser and drove behind the Mustang as Henderson fled, police said. As she tailed him, Henderson threw the gun out the window of his car, police said.

Myles pulled the Mustang over in the 5100 block of N Matanzas Avenue, picked up the pistol and arrested Henderson.

He has been charged with discharging a firearm in public, reckless display of a firearm and driving with a suspended license.


Police: Tampa man fired gunshots along Hillsborough Ave., outside strip club

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By Marissa Lang, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

TAMPA — A 30-year-old man was arrested Wednesday morning after he was seen firing gunshots up and down Hillsborough Avenue and outside the entrance to a strip club, police said.

David Lealan Henderson was shooting a gun in the area of W Hillsborough Avenue and N Matanzas Avenue just after 12:30 a.m., police said. But by the time officers arrived, he had fled in a green 1998 Ford Mustang, officials said.

Just before 1:30 a.m. Henderson shot his gun about five times near W Hillsborough Avenue and N Lincoln Avenue and then parked his car behind Hush Gentlemen's Club, 3260 W Hillsborough Ave., police said.

Shortly after he went into the club, Henderson was kicked out for "creating a disturbance," police said.

He got back into his car, drove up to the front door of the club, yelled at club security and then waved a pistol in the air, firing two shots, police said.

Across the street, Tampa police Officer Deveka Myles was writing reports when she heard the gunfire.

She got into her cruiser and drove behind the Mustang as Henderson fled, police said. As she tailed him, Henderson threw the gun out the window of his car, police said.

Myles pulled the Mustang over in the 5100 block of N Matanzas Avenue, picked up the pistol and arrested Henderson.

He has been charged with discharging a firearm in public, reckless display of a firearm and driving with a suspended license.

Capitol Buzz: 5 things to watch today in Tallahassee

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By Kathleen McGrory, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Here's what we're watching on Day 51 of the 2012 Legislature:

• The Capitol should be awash in orange and green; it's FAMU day in the Legislature. Wednesday is also seersucker day, so expect to see some stylish — and summery — suits.

• While negotiations over the budget continue, the House will take up a proposal from Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, to outlaw Internet cafes, which often operate video slot machines. Attorney General Pam Bondi is backing the proposal, but opponents say it would lead to the loss of 13,000 jobs statewide.

•The lower chamber will also consider a bill that would allow parents to make sweeping changes at low-performing schools. In some cases, parents could even opt to have the school converted into a charter school. The bill, known as the Parent Empowerment Act, has the support of former Gov. Jeb Bush and nationally known school reformer Michelle Rhee. But it has met opposition from Florida parent groups, including the statewide Parent Teacher Association. Also on deck in the House on Wednesday: a wide-ranging abortion bill that lays out restrictions on third-trimester abortions, requires owners of new clinics to be doctors and imposes a 24-hour waiting period. The proposal comes from Rep. Rep. Rachel Burgin, R-Brandon.

•Over in the Senate, lawmakers will cast a final vote on a bill that would allow ads on state greenways and trails. The revenue would support bicycle safety programs and efforts to beautify the trails. The bill has found support from Democrats and Republicans, though some lawmakers oppose cluttering the great outdoors with signs. The sponsors have promised any signs would be discreet.

Early childhood education advocates will hold a press conference to oppose a pair of House bills that they say could "dismantle much of Florida's early learning system." The groups are, however, supporting SB 1974 by Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, which they consider the best of the early childhood education overhaul bills.

What should we talk about tomorrow? Tweet to us @PoliticsTBTimes

Foggy morning commute to start a clear, hot day across Tampa Bay

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By Marissa Lang, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

A blanket of dense fog was expected to move in over the Tampa Bay area Wednesday morning, cutting visibility to dangerously low levels during the morning commute, forecasters said.

Motorists were advised to take it slow and use low beam lights when navigating the fog, which could decrease visibility to a quarter of a mile or less in some areas, according to the National Weather Service.

The NWS issued an advisory to 15 counties along Florida's west coast, from north of Citrus County to Fort Meyers. The fog is expected to persist until about 9 a.m.

But the Tampa Bay area was forecast to see a dry, sunny day with near-record high temperatures once the fog burned off,, said Bay News 9 meteorologist Juli Marquez.

The mercury was expected to climb into the mid 80s throughout the region Wednesday, threatening to overtake record highs of 83 in Tampa, set in 1948, and 81 in St. Petersburg, set in 1976.

Foggy morning commute starts a clear, hot day across Tampa Bay

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By Marissa Lang, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

A blanket of dense fog was expected to move in over the Tampa Bay area Wednesday morning, cutting visibility to dangerously low levels during the morning commute, forecasters said.

Motorists were advised to take it slow and use their low beams when navigating the fog, which could decrease visibility to a quarter of a mile or less in some areas, according to the National Weather Service.

The NWS issued an advisory to 15 counties along Florida's west coast, from north of Citrus County to Fort Myers. The fog is expected to persist until about 9 a.m.

But the Tampa Bay area was forecast to see a dry, sunny day with near-record temperatures once the fog burned off, said Bay News 9 meteorologist Juli Marquez.

The mercury was expected to climb into the mid 80s throughout the region Wednesday, threatening to overtake record highs of 83 in Tampa, set in 1948, and 81 in St. Petersburg, set in 1976.

Suspicious blaze hits vacant two-story St. Petersburg home

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By Danny Valentine, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — Fire crews were investigating a suspicious fire that burned through a vacant and boarded-up two-story home Wednesday morning.

No one was injured.

The fire happened around 4:30 a.m. at 1045 25th St. N, according to St. Petersburg Fire Rescue reports.

Fire crews arrived and found smoke coming out of the second-floor windows.

It took 17 minutes to put out the blaze.

Fire investigator Mike Medley called the fire suspicious, possibly arson.

Damage to the home is estimated at $20,000.

Deputies: Suspects ripped doors from electronics store to steal TVs

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By Marissa Lang, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

BRANDON — Deputies responded to a CompUSA store early Wednesday after three men ripped the store's doors off their hinges using a stolen car and nabbed a television, officials sad.

The men, who were not immediately identified, remained at large.

Deputies arrived at the store at 11211 Causeway Boulevard just after 5:30 a.m. and found a Nissan Maxima with what appeared to be chains attached to the shop's front door. The doors had been ripped from their frames, causing an estimated $25,000 in damage.

Once inside, the men took a flat screen television, deputies said. They then fled in another vehicle, leaving the stolen car behind.

Deputies were in the process of obtaining the store's surveillance video late Wednesday morning.

Man arrested in string of Pinellas County coin laundry robberies

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By Danny Valentine, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — Police arrested a 37-year-old man they say is responsible for a string of coin laundry burglaries across Pinellas County.

Vernon Allen McCartney, who is transient, was arrested Thursday in Clearwater while trying to burglarize a coin laundry, police said.

He also is suspected in seven burglaries in St. Petersburg and has been charged in five other cases.

McCartney faces six burglary charges, two charges of petit theft and a charge of possession of burglary tools, possession of crack cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal mischief.

He was being held at the Pinellas County Jail on Wednesday in lieu of $37,555 bail.


Justices seek input on how to handle new redistricting rules

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By Mary Ellen Klas, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

TALLAHASSEE — Faced with writing a precedent-sitting ruling that could shape the state's political lines for decades, the Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday aggressively grilled lawyers representing Democrats and Republicans, asking them how to interpret the state's new redistricting rules.

"We need help,'' said Justice Barbara Pariente, who dominated questioning during the three-hour hearing on the Legislature's reapportionment plans.

The court has until March 9 to decide if the maps comply with the Fair Districts anti-gerrymandering standards approved by voters in 2010. It has three options:

• Send the maps back to the Legislature to try again.

• Validate the maps as compliant.

• Validate the maps, but acknowledge that a lawsuit could be brought through the trial court to sort out flaws.

"You are the ultimate authority,'' said Jon Mills, a University of Florida law professor and former House speaker arguing for the Florida Democratic Party. The Legislature's interpretation "may be interesting but your interpretation is binding."

The new rules establish three landmark standards that legislators must follow when they do the once-a-decade redistricting process. They prohibit lawmakers from intentionally protecting incumbents and political parties; require them to preserve minority voting rights; and, order them to draw compact districts where possible.

But the new standards don't offer the court any guidance as to how to define those concepts, and the court was clearly divided over how far it should go.

"How can we possibly second-guess the Legislature,'' asked Chief Justice Charles Canady, a former state legislator and congressman who made it clear he wants the court to take a very limited review of the maps.

GrayRobinson lawyer George Meros, a lawyer from the GrayRobinson firm representing the House, responded that the complex nature of the issues involved made it "virtually impossible" for the court to consider without detailed evidentiary review.

"This is an incredibly difficult balancing of standards that takes thousands of hours to do," Meros said. He urged the court to leave disputes over interpretations of the new constitutional standards to a trial court, where evidence and witnesses could be cross examined.

Lawyers for the Republicans, including the House, Senate and Attorney General Pam Bondi, had asked the court to follow the procedure used in 2002 when the court looked at the maps and approved them. But lawyers for the Democratic Party, the League of Women Voters, the National Council of La Raza and Common Cause of Florida argued that the court had an obligation to delve deeper this time in order to decide if the Legislature followed the new rules.

Three of the seven justices seemed ready to do that. Justices Pariente and Peggy Quince suggested that new amendments elevate the court's burden beyond the role they had in previous redistricting years. Justice Fred Lewis suggested that the court had an obligation to define the new standards.

A limited review "would defeat the intent of the voters,'' Pariente said. "It's not fair to the citizens. It's not fair to the potential candidates and it's not fair to the process," she said.

Pariente suggested the court must not only determine if the Legislature appropriately applied the new standards but must define the standards, such as compactness and retrogression — the legal standard used by the U.S. Justice Department to determine if a minority group is worse off because of redistricting.

But Meros countered that developing those definitions would be a "virtually impossible task" since some of the standards are inconsistent with one another. He urged the court to let the definitions emerge "on an incremental basis" as legal challenges against redistricting maps wind their way through the courts for years to come.

The justices also asked lawyers how each of the maps treated compactness of districts, whether legislators considered how the minority districts might perform and whether minorities were unfairly packed or fairly consolidated. They even discussed the Senate's numbering system, in which the chamber's leaders attempted to extend the terms for lawmakers who faced term limits.

"I really appreciate the way the House went about the drawing of this map,'' said Pariente, one of several backhanded compliments offered to the House, in stark contrast to the Senate. She said that the House not only adhered to the new standards but, "unlike the Senate," also understood the Justice Department guidelines for protecting minority voting districts.

"If we were to find that the Senate map has problems, is invalid, but the House challengers have not met their burden … is that separable?'' Pariente asked.

Paul Smith, lawyer for the coalition of voting groups, said the court could approve one and reject the other, and the Legislature would have to revamp the defective one.

If the court orders the Legislature to rewrite one or both maps, the governor must call a special session devoted exclusively to redistricting within five days.

Tampa Bay Rays' season opener sold out

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By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

The Tampa Bay Rays have sold out their April 6 opener against the New York Yankees.

The Rays said only scattered single tickets remain.

It is believed to be the third earliest they have done so.

"It's nice to know, it's heartening that we sold out Opening Day in February,'' principal owner Stuart Sternberg said. "Thank God for the 29th.''

Boy's denial of thefts interrupted by ringing cellphones

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By John Woodrow Cox, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

RIDGE MANOR — Mary and Richard Ranieri left their car unlocked Tuesday afternoon at a relative's house on Chestnut Ridge Road and someone stole their cellphones.

Fortunately for them, one was an iPhone, with a GPS tracking device.

With a computer, a family member tracked the iPhone to a home a block away on Boxtree Court.

A deputy went to the house and spoke to a man who said his grandson, a 12-year-old, had come home around the time when the phones were stolen.

The deputy questioned the child, whom the Times is not naming because he is a juvenile.

The boy adamantly denied stealing anything.

Then, someone called the iPhone.

A ring blared from the boy's closet.

So, he told deputies he had taken the iPhone, but the other missing phone, a BlackBerry, the boy insisted, he did not steal.

Then, someone called the BlackBerry.

A ring blared from the boy's shoe, which was also stuffed inside the closet.

The deputy arrested the boy on a burglary charge, a report said.

He was taken to the Hernando County Detention Center before being released to his parents.

John Woodrow Cox can be reached at (352) 848-1432 or jcox@tampabay.com.

'Spring Breakers' to start filming in Sarasota

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By Steve Persall, Times Movie Critic
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Filming begins Monday on Spring Breakers, but like some real-life spring breakers, the movie is taking a detour before reaching St. Pete Beach.

Writer-director Harmony Korine (Kids, Gummo) is expected to spend five days shooting at Sarasota's Ringling College of Art and Design, according to Christine Meeker-Lange, the college's director of marketing and communications.

Korine will film scenes with former Disney starlets Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson of TV's Pretty Little Liars and Glee's Heather Morris, playing students planning a road trip leading to trouble with a drug and arms dealer.

That criminal role belongs to Oscar nominee James Franco (127 Hours), who will skip Sarasota and join the production later in St. Pete Beach.

Spring Breakers' starting date in St. Pete Beach is unclear. However, it is logical that the production will move there over next weekend, with cameras rolling as soon as March 12 at an as-yet undisclosed location.

During a recent interview promoting Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Hudgens, 23, discussed filming Spring Breakers in Florida:

"I'm finally going to be able to have my college spring break experience," she told inquirer.net.

"But it's not the instant spring break my character kind of had planned. It turns a bit violent, and extremely wild, but it's a fun ride. Kind of a spin on how you see guys in college getting crazy, and you finally get to see girls do their crazy rampage as well."

Meeker-Lange said exteriors will be filmed on campus, in addition to scenes in student residences and a laundry room.

"We don't have the details of who is shooting when," Meeker-Lange said Wednesday. "I think that's purposeful and I appreciate that. We want them to have the best experience possible."

That means increased security around the college, which will be closed for its own spring break. "A lot of our students will be gone," Meeker-Lange said. "The timing couldn't be more perfect. However, as you can imagine, students may hang around because of (the filming)."

After all, filmmakers are what dozens of Ringling students are studying to be.

Ringling's digital filmmaking program already ranks among the worlds finest, according to a 2011 survey in Hollywood Reporter. Nineteen graduates including co-director Brandon Oldenburg worked on The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, that Sunday won an Academy Award for best animated short.

Several current Ringling students are expected to get involved with Spring Breakers, as production interns, extras and possibly building props and set

"We've had small shoots here — TV programs, commercial shoots, magazine photo shoots," said Meeker-Lange. "In this case, it just kind of takes it the next step. ... Everyone is very excited and interested in being kind of a fly on the wall to watch it take place."

Steve Persall can be reached at persall@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8365.

Steinberg's resignation may open door for first openly gay lawmaker in Tallahassee

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By Marc Caputo, Miami Herald
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Miami Beach's gay community is buzzing with talk that, for the first time in Florida history, an openly gay state legislator could win office and sit in the state House.

The promise of a first-ever gay lawmaker became a real possibility last week when Rep. Richard Steinberg resigned Friday amid a scandal involving unwelcome sex-text messages he sent a married female federal prosecutor.

At the same time, the Legislature has signed off on new legislative maps that rejigger the boundaries of Steinberg's District 106, which has all of the gay "mecca" of Miami Beach, said C.J. Ortuño, executive director of SAVE Dade.

The new district is among the most liberal and Democratic in the state.

"We have never had the opportunity that this new district presents for the LGBT community," said Ortuño, using the shorthand for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. "We are going to be contacting people in the community," he said, "planting the seed and watch for a reaction."

Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Gongora, who is openly gay, said he may run for Steinberg's seat.

"It would be a historic moment for the state of Florida and an important step towards breaking down the glass ceiling in regards to LGBT candidates," he said.

Gongora said he is also thinking about running for Miami Beach mayor in 2013, when the current term-limited mayor must step down. He's waiting for Gov. Rick Scott to set a special election date to replace Steinberg, but both political parties seem in no rush to fill his seat. The primary could take place along with the others in the state on Aug. 14.

Gongora isn't the only Miami Beach commissioner interested in the newly reconfigured district.

Commissioner Jonah Wolfson said Wednesday he is filing papers to run for Steinberg's seat.

If both commissioners run, that would create a political free-for-all in Miami Beach due to Florida's resign-to-run law.

Ortuño said SAVE Dade, which raises about $300,000 annually from donors, has about 50,000 members and gay-community contacts — about 10,000 of whom live in Miami Beach.

Meantime, an openly gay activist from the Orlando area, Joe Saunders, has filed to run as a Democrat for House District 49 in Central Florida. An openly gay Wilton Manors Republican, Scott Herman, has filed to oppose incumbent Democratic Rep. Gwendolyn Clark-Reed.

Paradoxically, an openly gay lawmaker who advocates for the LGBT community could also help conservatives because gay issues can be divisive in the Democratic caucus. One of the bases of the Democratic party, African-Americans, have a tendency to oppose such issues as gay marriage. In 2008, for instance, Florida exit polls showed that black voters were the most-supportive of a constitutional gay-marriage ban.

"There can be some division here," said Bill Bunkley, head lobbyist and chief executive officer of the conservative Florida Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, which is connected to the Florida Baptist Convention.

"What I've seen in the African-American community is that many of their representatives practice their faith," he said, "and aren't inclined to be supportive of homosexual issues and that lifestyle."

But another conservative activist, David Caton with the Florida Family Association, said he detects an increasing amount of support for some gay issues, such as the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell and the granting of some civil-rights protections to gays.

"It's not just the African-American community or among Democrats that we're seeing this kind of support," Caton said. "Even among Republicans who oppose changing the definition of marriage, there's more of a tolerance for gays in the military or changing discrimination law."

Ortuño acknowledged that there could be some discomfort with a gay legislator who advocates for equality. He said Florida's civil rights law, for instance, doesn't protect employees, bank customers or renters from discrimination based on their sexual orientation.

"It's not the worst thing to remind people of both parties that this is a human rights issue,' Ortuño said.

Miami Herald reporters David Smiley and Steve Rothaus contributed to this report.

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