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Pinellas school superintendent wants Scientology-tied charter school closed

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By Drew Harwell, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

DUNEDIN — A day after slamming an embattled charter school's request for a charter amendment, Pinellas school district officials said they will seek to close the Life Force Arts and Technology Academy.

Life Force could become the first charter school in Pinellas County to have its charter terminated, said school district attorney Jim Robinson.

A memo by Pinellas superintendent John Stewart, released Wednesday, urges the Pinellas County School Board to issue a notice of termination for the elementary school.

Stewart criticizes the school's curriculum, budget, school climate and discipline. He also notes that the school has been operating under its requested new name, the SMART Academy, without authorization since last month.

The Tampa Bay Times reported Sunday that school administrators forced students to learn "study technology," a teaching methodology devised by the late founder of the Church of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, and took students on a field trip to a Scientology church in Ybor City. The school also has filed for bankruptcy.

If the school board agrees to issue the notice of termination at its meeting Tuesday, Life Force leaders could request two public hearings before the board to defend their charter.

The school board, which is required by state law to monitor charter schools, has never terminated an existing charter for a school. In 2010, the board voted against renewing the contract for Life Skills Center, a failing charter school in St. Petersburg. Charter schools receive tax dollars but are operated by their own nonprofit boards of directors.

On Tuesday, Stewart and his staff recommended the school board reject Life Force's request for an amended charter, which would have extended the school's life into 2016. The school's current charter was approved in 2008 and expires next year.

Life Force board chairman Louis Muhammad declined to comment. Messages left with Hanan Islam, the president of a private company that manages the school, and school principal Lenor Johnson were not returned early Wednesday.

Contact Drew Harwell at (727) 445-4170 or dharwell@tampabay.com. Send letters to the editor at tampabay.com/letters.


Bridge work to snarl traffic on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard late Thursday, early Friday

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By Rich Shopes, Times Correspondent
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

TAMPA — Drivers who take Bruce B. Downs Boulevard might want to use an alternate route late Thursday night.

The state is erecting a temporary bridge across the road as part of the $155 million Interstate 75 widening project in north Hillsborough and south Pasco counties.

Traffic under the bridge will be narrowed to one lane in each direction.

The Department of Transportation is warning drivers to expect delays as workers slide the 320-foot span into place. A bulldozer will push the span inch by inch across the road during a three- to four-hour period, DOT spokesman John McShaffrey said Wednesday.

As the metal span, which looks like part of an overgrown Erector set, slides into place, workers below will shut down traffic.

"We're trying to warn people that if they're going to be using Bruce B. Downs out here they're going to face some delays because whenever the contractor is pushing the bridge, we won't let traffic pass underneath," McShaffrey said.

Every 15 minutes or so, after traffic has backed up on Bruce B. Downs, workers will stop pushing the bridge and allow the traffic to flow freely again, he said.

Expect traffic to narrow to one lane in each direction starting at about 10 p.m. Thursday and then shut down for 15-minute intervals starting at about midnight. Officials expect the work to be finished before Friday morning rush hour.

Workers will slide the bridge using heavy-duty rollers and then set it atop concrete footings. Once that phase is complete, large steel plates will be fastened onto the bridge and covered with asphalt.

The work is part of a larger project to replace the interstate's northbound and southbound two-lane bridges with four-lane bridges.

The temporary span is expected to open for northbound I-75 traffic in April.

Northbound I-75 traffic will then be shifted onto the temporary bridge and southbound traffic will be routed onto the old northbound bridge, McShaffrey said. That will give crews enough room to demolish the southbound bridge and erect a new span in its place.

Then, after that bridge has opened, traffic will shift again and workers will demolish the old northbound bridge. The whole process will take about two years, he said.

Bridge work to delay traffic on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard

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By Rich Shopes, Times Correspondent
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

TAMPA — Drivers who take Bruce B. Downs Boulevard might want to use an alternate route late tonight.

The state is erecting a temporary bridge across the road as part of the $95 million Interstate 75 widening project in north Hillsborough and south Pasco counties. Traffic under the bridge will be narrowed to one lane in each direction.

The Department of Transportation is warning drivers to expect delays as workers slide the 320-foot span into place. A bulldozer will push the span inch by inch above the road during a three- to four-hour period, DOT spokesman John McShaffrey said Wednesday.

As the metal span, which looks like part of an overgrown Erector set, slides into place, workers below will shut down traffic.

"We're trying to warn people that if they're going to be using Bruce B. Downs out here, they're going to face some delays because whenever the contractor is pushing the bridge, we won't let traffic pass underneath," McShaffrey said.

Every 15 minutes or so, after traffic has backed up on Bruce B. Downs, workers will stop pushing the bridge and allow the traffic to flow freely again, he said.

Expect traffic to narrow to one lane in each direction starting at about 10 p.m. today and then shut down for 15-minute intervals starting at about midnight. Officials expect the work to be finished before Friday morning's rush hour.

Workers will slide the bridge using heavy-duty rollers and then set it atop concrete footings. Once that phase is complete, large steel plates will be fastened onto the bridge and covered with asphalt.

The work is part of a larger project to replace the interstate's northbound and southbound two-lane bridges with four-lane bridges.

The temporary span is expected to open for northbound I-75 traffic in April.

Northbound I-75 traffic will then be shifted onto the temporary bridge and southbound traffic will be routed onto the old northbound bridge, McShaffrey said. That will give crews enough room to demolish the southbound bridge and erect a new span in its place.

Temple Terrace woman, 31, held knife to son's throat, deputies say

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

TAMPA — A 31-year-old woman was arrested after she held a knife to her 13-year-old son's throat and threatened to kill him, officials said.

Michelle Vernice Morrison of Temple Terrace was arguing with her teenage son at about 11 p.m. Tuesday when she began to punch and hit the teen with an open hand in the face, chest and arm, deputies said.

Then, Morrison grabbed a knife and put it to her son's throat, deputies said. She told the boy she was going to kill him, deputies said.

A relative, who was in the home at the time, called 911.

Morrison has been charged with chid abuse and aggravated child abuse and is being held without bail, according to Hillsborough County records.

She has been arrested before. More than a decade ago, Morrison was charged with grand theft and driving without a valid driver's license, according to jail records.

Jury deliberates case of tow company owner accused of second-degree murder

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By Jessica Vander Velde, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

TAMPA — After deliberating for three-and-a-half hours Wednesday, jurors did not reach a verdict in the trial of Donald Montanez, the towing company owner accused of second-degree murder.

At 5 p.m. Wednesday, Hillsborough Circuit Judge William Fuente released the jury for the night. They will reconvene this morning.

Montanez shot Glen Rich on Jan. 8, 2006, as Rich tried to drive away in his just-towed car near the now-defunct Sugar Shack, an after-hours club in east Tampa.

In closing statements Wednesday morning, jurors were given two very different versions of events.

Assistant State Attorney Jay Pruner said Montanez should be convicted because he killed with a "depraved mind" during an illegal tow.

He wasn't defending himself from a car that was barreling toward him, as the defense had argued, Pruner said.

Montanez just wanted to protect the $186 he'd make on the impounded car, the attorney said.

Pruner pointed out inconsistencies in defense witnesses' testimony and said that tire tracks and debris show that Rich was turning left in an effort to avoid those in the area.

"From the moment he accelerated, he had turned his car to the left to avoid anybody," Pruner said.

But defense attorney Denis deVlaming said Montanez made a moral and legal decision to protect himself and others in the face of death, and therefore Montanez used justifiable force.

"Like it or not, when it comes to self-preservation, we're just like the animals in the jungle," deVlaming said. "We're going to try to protect ourselves and then those around us."

He added that Montanez's actions may have saved his employee Lorraine Whitehead's life.

Montanez faces seven charges, the most serious of which is second-degree murder. If convicted of that charge, he could face life in prison.

Reach Jessica Vander Velde at jvandervelde@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3433.

Deputies arrest Tampa man, 40, in child pornography investigation

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

TAMPA — Deputies charged a 40-year-old man with 11 counts of child pornography Wednesday following a month-long investigation.

Edsel Capili, 40, of Tampa is the owner of two computers, several hard drives and numerous CDs and DVDs on which detectives found files depicting children 13 years and younger engaged in sexual activities, deputies said.

Capili was arrested at his home, 20122 Weeping Laurel Place, at about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. He was booked into Orient Road Jail, where he was held in lieu of $82,500 bail.

Stay out of the water at Picnic Island, health officials warn

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

TAMPA — Waters off of Picnic Island may contain bacteria that pose a health risk to bathers, a recent sample showed.

The Hillsborough County Health Department issued a warning Wednesday after they found an unsafe concentration of enterococci bacteria in the water, officials said.

If infected by the bacteria, people can suffer numerous conditions, including urinary tract infections, inner-abdominal infections, presence of bacteria in the blood and even meningitis, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exposure also could lead to skin rashes and other infections, county health officials said.

Picnic Island is home to a dog beach. Owners should be wary of letting dogs go into the water, as it might not be good for their eyes, said Hillsborough County Health Department spokesman Steve Huard.

Finding risky levels of enterococci bacteria indicates the presence of fecal pollution that may come from storm water runoff, pets and wildlife or human sewage, health officials said.

Bathers have been asked to stay out of the water until health officials determine the bacteria level has decreased to a safe range. The Environmental Protection Agency's threshold for acceptable enterococci contamination is 104 colony-forming units per 100 millimeters of marine water.

Officials will re-sample the water Monday.

Picnic Island is one of nine sites where the health department conducts coastal water quality tests once every two weeks. This effort, known as the Healthy Beaches Monitoring Program, has been ongoing since August 2000.

Contact Marissa Lang at mlang@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3386.

Tarpon man charged with child neglect after 2-year-old found with head stuck in fence

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By Mike Brassfield, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

TARPON SPRINGS — A 2-year-old girl was found with her head stuck in a hole in a wooden privacy fence.

The fence was between the apartment complex where the girl lives, and the day care center next door. A day care employee saw the trapped child Tuesday and flagged down a police officer for help.

At the apartment complex off Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, police eventually found the toddler's father looking groggy and disheveled in a filthy, fly-ridden apartment, authorities said.

He told officers that his daughter must have left the apartment through an open sliding door, then tried to wiggle through the fence. He said the girl always wanted to play with the small kids at the nearby day care center when they went out for recess.

The father — Philip Joseph Benoit, 22, of Tarpon Springs — was arrested Tuesday on felony child neglect charges. He remained in the Pinellas County Jail on Wednesday in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Benoit, who has a lengthy criminal record, also was charged with violating his probation on a previous drug conviction.

After paramedics checked out the toddler, police said, she was placed in the custody of her mother, who had been at work during the incident.

The toddler's head had gotten stuck in the fence between two wooden slats, said Tarpon Springs police Sgt. Ed Miller, one of the officers at the scene.

"One of the slats was missing. She had her head in there and couldn't get out," Miller said. "She was actually really calm."

It happened about 11 a.m. Tuesday where a day care center on Huey Avenue backs up to an apartment complex on St. Michael's Way.

Officers had to pry one of the boards loose to free the girl. They picked her up and took her door-to-door in the apartment complex, looking for her family.

Benoit answered his door "with a disheveled and groggy appearance," according to an arrest affidavit. "The defendant did not seem shocked the child exited the home," the report added.

Police said the toddler was dirty, with messy hair and multiple bites and sores on her legs. In the apartment, dirty dishes were piled in the sink, swarming with flies. Counters were covered with clutter and filth. Dirty diapers, ashes and cigarette butts littered the floor, and trash was strewn throughout the home.

"Furthermore," police Officer Anthony DiGiorgio wrote in the affidavit, "I walked into another swarm of flies in the child's bedroom and did not observe a blanket for the child's bed."

Police picked up the girl's mother at work. Miller said the parents began cleaning up the apartment while police were there. A social worker and child protection investigator will follow up on the situation in the home, Miller said.

This was Benoit's seventh arrest since 2008, according to Pinellas County court records. He has previously been arrested on charges of child abuse; drug trafficking; possessing marijuana, Xanax and oxycodone; assault; felon in possession of a firearm; throwing a deadly missile at a building; violating his probation; and failing to appear in court. Benoit's 2008 child abuse arrest occurred before his 2-year-old daughter was born.

Mike Brassfield can be reached at mbrassfield@tampabay.com.


'Monkees' star Davy Jones dies in Florida

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By Sean Daly, Times Pop Music Critic
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

As the Monkees were to the Beatles — a silly, enduring knockoff made for post-British Invasion America — Davy Jones was to Paul McCartney, the Cute One 2.0, a wee faux Fab who made Marcia Brady swoon and lie.

Jones, 66, died in southeastern Florida in a Martin County hospital Wednesday after suffering a massive heart attack. The singer had a home in Indiantown and bred horses nearby. A testament to the band's lasting popularity — not to mention a songbook that's underrated and a sitcom still in syndication 40-plus years later — the Monkees sold out Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall in June 2011.

With Jones' passing, three Monkees remain in the group that has sold more than 65 million records worldwide: Peter Tork (the shy one), Micky Dolenz (the goofy one) and Michael Nesmith (the one whose mom invented Liquid Paper). Nesmith hasn't toured with the band in years, so Jones' passing could put the Monkees' future in jeopardy.

It all started a few years after Beatlemania swept U.S. shores, when American filmmakers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider whipped up a TV-ready quartet for American kiddos. Jones was the lone Brit in the slapstick-strong group, a saucer-eyed, brown-haired theater cutie from Manchester, England.

The sitcom The Monkees ran 1966-68 on CBS and was dumb fun, with herky-jerky editing, pun-heavy humor, lots of screaming girls and a couple of songs an episode, which drove further sales and tours. If you're thinking Glee and American Idol right now, you're absolutely right. The Monkees also spawned scores of other TV-made bands and musicians — The Partridge Family, Josie and the Pussycats, even The Brady Bunch in later years — with musicianship being far less important than looks and marketing.

Although Dolenz was the lead vocalist on most of the Monkees' biggest hits — Pleasant Valley Sunday, Last Train to Clarksville — Jones was the group's top singer and, more importantly, best defense when critics took cynical shots at the group's thin musical chops (even though their live tour opener was once Jimi Hendrix). Jones most famously cooed the lead puppy-dog vocals on No. 1 hit Daydream Believer.

In a 2008 top-25 list on Yahoo, Jones was voted the No. 1 teen idol of all time. A good reason for that was his now pop-culturally iconic cameo on a 1971 Brady Bunch episode titled "Getting Davy Jones," in which oldest Brady girl Marcia lies about getting the Monkees to play the school dance. A happy ending ensues, of course, but not without good lessons learned and Jones singing Girl ("Girl, look what you've done to me...")

On Wednesday, both Tork and Dolenz released statements remembering Jones. On his Facebook fan page, Tork said he'll miss his longtime friend and fellow-adventurer, bidding "Adios, to the Manchester Cowboy." Dolenz said he was in a state of shock: "He was the brother I never had and this leaves a gigantic hole in my heart."

In a 2011 interview, Jones talked about his health. "I feel good, you know? If you feel good and you're really interested in whatever it is you're doing, age doesn't matter," he told AARP. "Life is very interesting, if you want it to be interesting."

Information from Times wires and staff was used in this report. Sean Daly can be reached at sdaly@tampabay.com. Follow @seandalypoplife on Twitter.

'Monkees' star Davy Jones dies in Florida

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By Sean Daly, Times Pop Music Critic
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

As the Monkees were to the Beatles — a silly, enduring knockoff made for post-British Invasion America — Davy Jones was to Paul McCartney, the Cute One 2.0, a wee faux Fab who made Marcia Brady swoon and lie.

Jones, 66, died in southeastern Florida in a Martin County hospital Wednesday after suffering a massive heart attack. The singer had a home in Indian­town and bred horses nearby. A testament to the band's lasting popularity — not to mention a songbook that's underrated and a sitcom still in syndication 40-plus years later — the Monkees sold out Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall in June 2011.

With Jones' passing, three Monkees remain in the group that has sold more than 65 million records worldwide: Peter Tork (the shy one), Micky Dolenz (the goofy one) and Michael Nesmith (the one whose mom invented Liquid Paper). Nesmith hasn't toured with the band in years, so Jones' passing could put the Monkees' future in jeopardy.

It all started a few years after Beatlemania swept U.S. shores, when American filmmakers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider whipped up a TV-ready quartet for American kiddos. Jones was the lone Brit in the slapstick-strong group, a saucer-eyed, brown-haired theater cutie from Manchester, England.

The sitcom The Monkees ran 1966-68 on CBS and was dumb fun, with herky-jerky editing, pun-heavy humor, lots of screaming girls and a couple of songs an episode, which drove further sales and tours. If you're thinking Glee and American Idol right now, you're absolutely right. The Monkees also spawned scores of other TV-made bands and musicians — The Partridge Family, Josie and the Pussycats, even The Brady Bunch in later years — with musicianship being far less important than looks and marketing.

Although Dolenz was the lead vocalist on most of the Monkees' biggest hits — Pleasant Valley Sunday, Last Train to Clarksville — Jones was the group's top singer and, more importantly, best defense when critics took cynical shots at the group's thin musical chops (even though their live tour opener was once Jimi Hendrix). Jones most famously cooed the lead puppy-dog vocals on No. 1 hit Daydream Believer.

In a 2008 top-25 list on Yahoo, Jones was voted the No. 1 teen idol of all time. A good reason for that was his now pop-culturally iconic cameo on a 1971 Brady Bunch episode titled "Getting Davy Jones," in which oldest Brady girl Marcia lies about getting the Monkees to play the school dance. A happy ending ensues, of course, but not without good lessons learned and Jones singing Girl ("Girl, look what you've done to me ...").

On Wednesday, both Tork and Dolenz released statements remembering Jones. On his Facebook fan page, Tork said he'll miss his longtime friend and fellow-adventurer, bidding "Adios, to the Manchester Cowboy." Dolenz said he was in shock: "He was the brother I never had and this leaves a gigantic hole in my heart."

In a 2011 interview, Jones spoke of his health. "I feel good, you know? If you feel good and you're really interested in whatever it is you're doing, age doesn't matter," he told AARP. "Life is very interesting, if you want it to be interesting."

Information from Times wires and staff was used in this report. Sean Daly can be reached at sdaly@tampabay.com. Follow @seandalypoplife on Twitter.

Bill would allow school employees to share sick leave with co-workers in need

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By Jeffrey S. Solochek, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

BAYONET POINT — Three years ago, Bayonet Point Middle School teacher Connie Duffy was ailing and out of sick leave. She kept coming to work, even as Stage 4 cancer pummeled her body, because she couldn't afford to go without a paycheck.

"There are a lot of people who would have shared their (sick leave) time with Connie, if it were allowed," principal Mike Asbell recalled. "But it wasn't legal."

Florida lawmakers took a big step toward changing that policy on Wednesday.

The state Senate unanimously approved a bill that would permit school districts to allow employees to share their unused sick days with any district employee they choose. The state House unanimously supported the identical measure earlier in February.

If Gov. Rick Scott signs the legislation into law, district employees would no longer be limited to sharing their leave with family members also in the system, or to a general sick leave bank that workers could apply to. It would take effect on July 1.

Nadine Rife, a retired Bayonet Point Middle teacher, praised the decision.

"I think that's wonderful," said Rife, who worked with Duffy and had wanted to donate some of her accrued sick time to her friend. "Connie went through so much. There were a whole bunch of us willing to give her our sick days. It was just a shame that we couldn't."

She lamented that the measure comes too late for Duffy, who passed away in 2010. But Rife was pleased to know that the option might exist for others in need.

"Some things are priceless," said Rife, who as a teacher in Virginia donated 10 days to a friend who needed time off after his sister had committed suicide. "I think it's wonderful that they are doing this."

Joanne Giglio, another of Duffy's friends and co-workers, said she hoped Scott will sign the bill into law.

"Applying for the sick leave bank easily could be humiliating, almost akin to begging," said Giglio, a Bayonet Point Middle teacher.

She remembered Duffy having to get her doctors to write that she was "terminal" in order to tap into the district leave bank. "That wasn't even a word she was using to describe herself. She was still fighting the fight."

Giglio liked the idea that it would be easier for school employees to help each other.

Pasco County school teachers receive 11 sick days per year, on average. They have been allowed to put one day each year into the district sick leave bank, which is controlled by a board of employees who contribute.

The district supported the proposed law change as it went through committees, spokeswoman Summer Romagnoli said, and will look for ways to make it happen if signed into statute.

"It just provides more options for our employees," Romagnoli said, noting that the district frequently gets requests from employees wishing to contribute their leave to non-relatives.

The bill (HB 285) was filed by Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, and Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Wellington, after a Martin County teacher struggled to get time off to spend with her husband, who was recovering from a brain injury in North Carolina. Harrell told the Stuart News when she submitted the bill that it should be easier for school district employees to help individual coworkers.

Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at jsolochek@tampabay.com, (813) 909-4614 or on Twitter @jeffsolochek. For more education news, visit the Gradebook at tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook.

U.S. Postal Service will retain St. Petersburg's postmark, officials say

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By Emily Nipps and Kameel Stanley, Times Staff Writers
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — After pressure from local business and political leaders, the U.S. Postal Service announced Wednesday that it will not be removing the "Saint Petersburg" name from the postmark on outgoing mail.

The Postal Service announced last week it would close the main St. Petersburg mail processing center this year and route outgoing mail through the Tampa center instead.

Spokeswoman Enola Rice said then that the postmark would lose any reference to St. Petersburg and would be replaced by "Tampa" or something else to reflect the region. She said residents could still request the local postmark at post office counters.

But city officials said that violated an agreement reached years ago to keep the St. Petersburg name in the postmark, which currently reads "Tampa FL 335 Saint Petersburg FL."

Local leaders quickly mounted a campaign against the proposed move. U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young said he faxed a letter on Tuesday to the Postmaster General asking him to retain the St. Petersburg postmark.

"The letter said, 'Hey, you made a commitment,'" Young said Wednesday evening. "I expect you to keep it."

The postal service issued a news release Wednesday afternoon saying the postmark will remain the same — even after mail processing operations move from St. Petersburg to Tampa sometime after May.

It was unclear Wednesday just how at risk the St. Petersburg postmark was.

Rice on Wednesday said when the Postal Service made its national announcements about distribution center closures last week, officials "hadn't gotten to the postmark part of it yet."

"We have reviewed the postmark after the Feb. 23 announcement and it will remain as it presently reads," she said.

Former Mayor Rick Baker said the removal of St. Petersburg would have violated an agreement reached between the city and the postal service in 2007 to keep the name on the postmark. Current Mayor Bill Foster also said the postmaster had promised him the same thing a few months ago during a conversation about the closure of the processing center.

That galvanized city leaders to lobby for St. Petersburg staying on the postmark.

Ed Montanari, a local pilot and former city council candidate, on Monday called a meeting of other movers and shakers — including Baker and representatives from the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Leadership St. Petersburg.

The group's strategy was simple: Put pressure on postal officials to keep the existing postmark, Montanari said.

"If all of a sudden your name is wiped out, whether it's on a postmark or an interstate sign, you lose your brand," Montanari said.

Word spread and people from several community groups were asked to contact the postal service and Young's office.

Montanari said Baker called him Wednesday afternoon to say that the group's efforts had paid off.

"It's exciting for us," he said. "It may not seem like it's a big deal, but ... having St. Petersburg on a stamp, it's just another way to market our community."

Baker said it is possible present postal officials were just unaware of the previous promise to city leaders.

"I think that's what happened — that they became aware that this commitment had already been made," said Baker. "I think they made the right decision."

Tampa man pleads guilty to sex trafficking of minors

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Times Staff
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

TAMPA — A Tampa man pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to four counts of sex trafficking of minors.

Eric Antwan "Santana" Bell, 37, faces a minimum of 10 years in prison, five years of supervised release and must forfeit an assault rifle, handgun, digital camera, SD memory cards and five computers, according to the plea agreement.

Bell was arrested in New Jersey in September 2011 because he fled when a warrant was issued for his arrest in Hillsborough County.

In the plea agreement, Bell admits taking in at least four teenaged girls, having sex with them, photographing them naked and in sexual situations, advertising their services on websites and collecting all the proceeds from their prostitution.

A woman whom prosecutors said helped Bell prostitute the teens, Neang Prom, is on house arrest in Bradenton as prosecutors prepare for trial.

In gripes against Florida banks, one institution in galaxy of its own

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By Jeff Harrington, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

As Florida's largest bank, Bank of America, not surprisingly, draws more statewide complaints to regulators than any other financial institution.

But when it comes to number of complaints based on market share, Space Coast Credit Union is in a galaxy of its own.

With 48 complaints last year, Melbourne-based Space Coast Credit Union had nearly three times more complaints based on size than anywhere else, according to an annual statewide analysis by Miami economist and bank consultant Ken Thomas. Ranking second-highest based on both market share and overall complaints was JPMorgan Chase.

Thomas, who crunches complaints filed with the Florida Division of Financial Institutions, credited the gradual economic recovery for overall complaints falling slightly, from 1,379 in 2010 to 1,231 last year. Bank of America's complaint tally fell sharply to 168, down from 227 the year prior.

Another switch: the most common complaint used to revolve around mortgages (30 percent of all complaints in 2010). Last year, the new No. 1 complaint concerned account balance disclosures (28 percent).

-- Jeff Harrington, Times Staff Writer

Based on size, complaint rate at small credit union worst in Florida

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By Jeff Harrington, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

As Florida's largest bank, Bank of America, not surprisingly, draws more statewide complaints to regulators than any other financial institution.

But when it comes to number of complaints based on market share, Space Coast Credit Union is in a galaxy of its own.

With 48 complaints last year, Melbourne-based Space Coast Credit Union had nearly three times as many complaints based on size than any other institution, according to an annual statewide analysis by Miami economist and bank consultant Ken Thomas. Ranking second highest based on both market share and overall complaints was JPMorgan Chase.

Thomas, who crunches complaints filed with the Florida Division of Financial Institutions, credited the gradual economic recovery for overall complaints falling slightly, from 1,379 in 2010 to 1,231 last year. Bank of America's complaint tally fell sharply to 168, down from 227 the prior year.

Another switch: The most common complaint used to revolve around mortgages (30 percent of all complaints in 2010). Last year, the new No. 1 complaint concerned account balance disclosures (28 percent).


Dinosaur World's expansion of prehistoric proportions

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By Susan Thurston, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

PLANT CITY — Dinosaurs are still extinct, but the look of Dinosaur World is brand new.

The attraction on Wednesday opened a 12-acre expansion that includes a new museum, gift shop, playground area and lifelike dinosaurs that move.

The nearly $4-million project is the largest ever for the 13-year-old park founded by Swedish businessman Christer Svennson. Visitors who enjoyed the Florida kitsch experience before have considerably more to try out.

"We've always loved it because it's clean and shady, but this is incredible,'' said Angie Brunson, who attended opening day with her children Brodie, 5, and Bailey, 3. "The gift shop is so tempting.''

The park kept the 1-mile dinosaur walk through lush Florida landscape but revamped everything else, from the parking lot to the fossil dig. It upped ticket prices about $2 — to $14.95 for adults, $11.95 for children 3 to 12 and $12.95 for seniors.

The changes start at the front gate, where five dinosaurs perched on a new archway greet guests. Visitors buy tickets at a new, 5,000-square-foot gift shop that sells everything from dinosaur toys and T-shirts to snow globes to polished stones.

The gift shop opens to a grassy courtyard with 25-foot-tall dinosaurs, two playgrounds and a covered picnic area with more than 20 tables. Moms will be happy to see the park bought several new tire swings. They were a hit in the old playground, and you don't see groupings of them around town.

The highlight of the expansion is the 22,000-square-foot Prehistoric Museum, clearly visible from Interstate 4. The museum displays authentic dinosaur artifacts, from a triceratops toe to a spinosaurus tooth. Large posters educate visitors on dino-facts.

Another change is the museum's five animatronic dinosaurs that move and roar. Lowry Park Zoo had similar creatures in a temporary exhibit last year, but they were larger and outdoors. The ones at Dinosaur World can still be scary to toddlers but are a huge hit among older kids, especially watchers of Nick Jr.'s Dino Dan.

The park moved and expanded the popular fossil dig and increased its herd of dinosaurs from 150 to about 200. It kept the movie cave and the boneyard area for uncovering skeletal remains hidden in the sand.

Eventually, the attraction wants to add a mammoth exhibit in the old playground area and convert the former gift shop into exhibit space.

ALF reform may be in jeopardy

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By Brittany Alana Davis and Michael Sallah, Times/Herald Staff Writers
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

TALLAHASSEE — After years of people dying of abuse in Florida's assisted living facilities, lawmakers this year unveiled some of the toughest legislation in the nation to protect residents and punish the worst abusers.

But with just about a week left in the legislative session, major proposals to shut down dangerous homes, investigate deaths and dramatically raise credentials of caregivers will now require the Senate's most powerful leaders to save it. The 60-day session ends next Friday.

A Senate bill hailed by advocates as one of the most comprehensive in a generation was never heard in the overbooked budget subcommittee on Tuesday — a decision that can lead to the death sentence. Two other ALF reform bills also stalled.

With committee hearings now ended, efforts to bring the bills to a vote will require top lawmakers leaders to step in and steer it to the floor for final passage.

"It would certainly be disappointing if the Senate were to fail and not get something useful passed out of this session," said Larry Polivka, who is leading a governor's task force investigating problems in ALFs. "Why not at least complete what they have developed at this point?"

The impasse comes after a year of scrutiny of the state's troubled ALF industry that began in May with a Miami Herald series showing dozens of people dying of abuse and neglect in facilities — nearly once a month since 2002 — but regulators failed to close the homes.

Months later, a legislative inquiry and a Miami-Dade grand jury found troubling problems in oversight of an industry that now houses more seniors and people with mental illness than any other institution in Florida.

Sen. Rene Garcia, a Republican from Hialeah whose district includes some of the most heavily fined ALFs in Miami-Dade, insists his proposal, SB 1884, still has the leadership support to move the reforms forward.

"Absolutely the bill is not dead. It's not dead at all," Garcia said. "There's a lot of work that has been put into this bill on both sides. I feel fairly safe this will be heard on the floor."

On Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Rick Scott repeated his position that protecting frail elders is a top priority, although he did not directly answer a question on whether he'd push House and Senate leaders to pass the bills.

"We have got to make sure we take care of the citizens that end up being in our assisted living facilities, we have to make sure they get taken care of with respect," he said. "It is significant."

While the reforms are vulnerable to defeat, there are several possible routes for lawmakers to get the bills to a vote.

For example, the Senate could drop its own version and take up the House bill, which resident advocate Brian Lee says goes easier on the industry and forfeits some of the key protections.

Alternatively, powerful Rules Chairman Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, could ensure one or all of the Senate proposals get a full hearing.

"It's moving," Thrasher said. "It's got to go through the process, but we've got plenty of time to deal with it so I think we will."

The sponsor in the House, Eddy Gonzalez, R-Hialeah Gardens, says he and Garcia are negotiating to hammer out differences on their bills, which still vary in their training requirements for ALF workers and the severity of penalties for caretakers caught abusing or neglecting residents to death.

While the House bill would slap a $10,000 fine on homes that cause a resident's death, the Senate version is tougher, stripping state regulators of the power to cut deals with homes in egregious death cases and immediately removing their licenses.

Additionally, a Senate bill gives residents the right to appeal when they're thrown out of an ALF, while the House does not.

When people experience problems in ALFs, they often don't complain because they're afraid of being booted from the homes, said resident advocate and former long-term care ombudsman, Brian Lee. "The House bill is half the bill of what the Senate's proposal was," he said.

House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, said he's going to let the process play out, but does not plan to throw his weight behind making sure the reforms pass.

The reforms have sparked major differences between advocates for ALF residents and industry leaders, who have lobbied for years to remove what they call onerous regulations.

Patricia Lange, executive director for the Florida Assisted Living Association, said she hopes to see something pass that punishes the bad actors without hurting those facilities that follow the rules.

"We believe there has always been adequate regulation in place . . . enforcement has always been the issue," she said. "If you look at AHCA's (the Agency for Health Care Administration) record in the past year, you'll see they've been doing that."

But a Herald investigation found that despite the agency taking harsher action on bad homes — closing more than a dozen since the newspaper series in May — AHCA still continues to provide millions in state dollars to facilities where investigators have turned up abuse and neglect deaths.

5 things we've learned in the Republican presidential primary campaign

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By Alex Leary and Adam C. Smith, Times Staff Writers
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Mitt Romney's victories in Arizona and Michigan put him back in the lead position for Super Tuesday and the slow, sometimes painful march toward the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Though much attention was paid to Michigan, Romney's commanding win in Arizona came with the winner-take-all prize of 29 delegates and bragging rights in a conservative state.

But challenges remain as the busy March primary season begins, and they were apparent as the results from Tuesday became clearer. Romney won the popular vote in Michigan, but he and Santorum split the 30 delegates there. A tie is how Santorum cast it Wednesday, eager to avoid another situation like the Iowa caucuses where Romney was prematurely declared the winner.

"If Romney was able to outspend us by as large a margin as he did in his home state ... I don't know how you look at this as anything but a strong showing for Rick Santorum and somewhat of a disaster for Mitt Romney," said John Brabender, the campaign's senior adviser.

Whatever the case, Tuesday hammered home how different the landscape has become since the Jan. 31 primary in Florida, where it once appeared Romney would seal the deal. Here are five things we've learned since then:

1) Romney's problem is real but not fatal.

Romney spared himself a calamity by winning Michigan. But only three points separated him and Santorum in a state Romney was born in, raised in, and had better organization. The struggle was another reminder that Romney suffers from an energy deficit among the Republican electorate.

Exit polls show Santorum, who made a big push on social issues, captured voters who strongly identified as conservatives. A long battle can make a candidate stronger (witness the 2008 Democratic primary). In this case, though, it's only weakened Romney. But his faults are not fatal.

Like he did in Florida after a humiliating loss to Newt Gingrich in South Carolina, Romney demonstrated in Michigan that he can win when it counts. He blunted the Santorum surge and quieted, for now, concerns among the GOP.

2) Super Tuesday won't settle this race.

Romney was supposed to have effectively wrapped up the nomination by now, spending his energy on President Barack Obama with a united GOP behind him. Exit polls have generally shown voters agree he is best to take on Obama, but Romney is going to have to work harder. Super Tuesday, when 10 states vote and award more than 400 delegates, will not likely settle the race.

Santorum is doing well in delegate-rich Ohio and is ahead in Tennessee. The favorite in Georgia is hometown son Gingrich. Oklahoma is another battleground. Romney should win in Virginia, where only he and Ron Paul are on the ballot, as well as Massachusetts and Vermont.

But 1,144 delegates are needed to secure the nomination and even by exceeding expectations on Super Tuesday, Romney has to keep going. His campaign recently acknowledged this, saying the race will extend to at least mid May.

3) Santorum blew his big chance.

Santorum began the month looking like a conservative white knight. Then he opened his mouth. He fumbled his answers in the last debate and made himself look like a Washington insider. Then he produced some head-shaking detours. Santorum blasted Obama's call for more young people to attend college, saying he was a "snob." He said John F. Kennedy's 1960 speech on the separation of church and state made him want to "throw up." Santorum's support among women also fell with his strident talk on birth control. Santorum is still in the game, but he blew his big opportunity.

4) Romney, the rich guy, needs money.

During an otherwise strong election night speech in Michigan, Romney made an appeal for TV viewers to visit his website and contribute money. From anyone else, it would be unremarkable. But from Romney, it showed the protracted delegate fight and challenges from an array of rivals have taken a toll.

Romney never built the strong grassroots network needed to pull waves of small dollar donations, instead relying on wealthy donors. And of his donors, 66 percent have reached the maximum $2,500 for the primary according to the Campaign Finance Institute compared with 18 percent for Santorum and 17 percent for Gingrich. The Romney campaign told the Wall Street Journal that it was seeing an infusion of fresh cash from donors who had planned to wait until the general election or those worried about Santorum becoming the nominee. Romney continues to outraise the competition but his burn rate has grown considerably. In January, he raised $6.5 million but spent $18.8 million.

5) Paul and Gingrich are distractions.

Paul and Gingrich, who did not compete in Arizona or Michigan, increasingly look like afterthoughts, albeit ones that can cause trouble.

Gingrich is banking on Georgia, but even if he wins his home state, he's still got a hard argument to make that he's a viable contender. By sticking in the race he has the effect of helping Romney, taking away some votes that would go to Santorum. Paul has not yet to win a contest but pledges to continue. Still, his resolve does nothing to change the narrative that the race is down to Romney vs. Santorum.

From vodka bars to art museums, GOP has convention party sites lined up

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By Jodie Tillman, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

TAMPA — Looking to throw a big party during the Republican National Convention? Consider the official venue list, which came out this week.

It's got something for the upper crust: Tampa Yacht and Country Club, for instance.

Something for the artsy: St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts.

Something for, say, the electro-dance fan seeking $2 PBR tall boys: Czar Vodka Bar and Nightclub in Ybor City.

It's even got a bowling alley, a hookah lounge, and a comedy club.

Republican convention organizers will market the list of 73 Tampa Bay venues to delegations, associations, media organizations and others looking to book parties for late August, convention spokesman James Davis said.

"We kind of try to play matchmaker a little bit," Davis said.

To be on the list, the venues agree to hold off on making any deals on their own and wait for the RNC to match them up with potential clients. The venues and party organizers later negotiate deals. The convention is Aug. 27-30 in Tampa.

Davis acknowledged some places on the list may not be the first to come to mind when thinking of Republican conventioneers. But he predicted they will fare well.

"We have a diverse party," he said. "You kind of a need a smattering of venues."

Maryann Ferenc, who serves on the local host committee, is the co-owner of Mise En Place and also holds the food service contract at Tampa Museum of Art. Both of those are on the venue list.

She said she expects convention organizers will do a good job of matchmaking — maybe high-tech companies would reserve party space at the Tampa Museum or an entertainment company looking for a concentration of clubs might look in Ybor.

She said her partner is starting to get a little nervous about waiting to hear about their date. "That's the hard part," she said, with a laugh. (At some point this spring, the venues can start making their own deals if the RNC hasn't come through with clients, she said.)

The owners of Gaspar's Grotto in Ybor, a pirate-themed restaurant and bar, were approached by local organizers, said co-owner Shere Schiller.

She said Gaspar's has a reputation for hosting big events. It seats 250 in the restaurant and also has a 6,600-square-foot patio. She added that she thinks the pirate theme will help, too, for those seeking a Tampa experience.

"We have an indigenous theme to Tampa Bay," she said.

Though some venues are going out on their own and trying to broker deals, Schiller said she thinks the official RNC stamp will help her attract business.

"We're going to be busy from morning to evening," she said.

Hattrick's Tavern, a sports bar in downtown Tampa that can hold 300 for receptions, made the list, too.

General manager David Mangione said Hattrick's was also approached by the RNC's Committee on Arrangements.

"We felt it was a safeguard for us to be part of the venue (list) rather than try to go out on our own and facilitate private parties," he said. "We felt they'd give us the best possibility to reach the best number of people."

The list may introduce local Republicans to new places, too, particularly those who have never sipped a $5 Socialist Martini at Czar's "People's Party" on a Saturday night.

"Um, no," Hillsborough GOP chairman Art Wood said when asked if he'd heard of Czar and a handful of other locations. "I guess you're going to find out I'm not a night owl."

Thomas King, the 27-year-old treasurer of the Tampa bay Young Republicans, had a different response.

"Czar?" he said. "Cool."

King said he expects young Republicans will flood Ybor and South Tampa bars and nightclubs.

County Commissioner Al Higginbotham, a Republican, said he figures the list is diverse enough to accommodate the mix of people who'll flood Tampa in August.

"Republicans come in all shapes, sizes and ages," said Higginbotham, who also hadn't heard of a number of the night spots but does set his cell phone ringtone to Foo Fighters songs.

Reach Jodie Tillman at jtillman@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3374.

The man in a Progress Energy uniform was actually a Pinellas detective looking for marijuana

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By Curtis Krueger, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Times Staff Writer

A Pinellas Sheriff's detective says that in an effort to seek out home-grown marijuana, he donned a Progress Energy uniform as a "ruse" and then entered a homeowner's property without a search warrant.

The deputy's comments came in a formal interview with an attorney representing people charged with growing marijuana.

When the Tampa Bay Times showed the interview transcript to Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, he quickly disavowed the tactic.

"I was appalled by it," Gualtieri said Wednesday. "I think it's wrong. It's not what we should have been doing at all." He said he did not know of the incident until contacted this week by the Times.

Gualtieri said on Wednesday he instituted a new policy preventing deputies from using corporate uniforms without permission from their own supervisors and "express written permission of that corporate entity."

While wearing the uniform, Detective Paul Giovannoni found no evidence of marijuana and the resident of the home was not charged with any crime.

But the revelation follows others about tactics the Sheriff's Office used while investigating "grow houses," and conducting surveillance on the Simply Hydroponics shop in Largo. The Sheriff's Office used a camera outside the store, which has since been removed, to gather information on customers. In one of the investigations, a deputy was suspended for five days for mishandling evidence.

Attorney John Trevena, who conducted the interview of the detective, called a deposition, called it "indicative of problems with the narcotics unit at the Sheriff's Office that go beyond just this trespassing incident. ... It is apparent now that this is a rogue unit and there needs to be an outside agency to investigate."

A law professor who reviewed the deposition at the request of the Times, Bruce Jacob of the Stetson University College of Law, said "that's obviously an illegal tactic to pretend that you work for Progress Energy to get on someone's property."

Generally speaking, police officers need a search warrant to enter someone's property without their permission.

In the transcript, Giovannoni said, "I did attempt, one time, to make contact with a gentleman, I did have a Progress Energy shirt on, and he led me to the rear of his property —- actually he led me to the side of his property, and that was it."

When Trevena asked him why, the detective said "It was just as a ruse, in an attempt to see if —- if he didn't let me back there, to see if I smelled marijuana."

Giovannoni said he didn't think he actually called himself a Progress Energy employee, but said the resident probably assumed he was one.

Giovannoni acknowledged he had not sought a search warrant. Early in the interview he denied using a uniform in this way, but he brought it up himself later, saying he had forgotten it.

The sheriff said he spoke to the detective's supervisors about the incident on Wednesday, and provided this account:

Gualtieri said Giovannoni never intended to go to the resident's back or side yard. But Giovannoni did intend to get the resident to open his front door, in hopes of glimpsing or smelling marijuana plants inside.

But Gualtieri said the homeowner began asking about problems he was having with his power usage, and went around the house to the meter. So Giovannoni went along, essentially caught in his own ruse.

But even going to the front door in a phony uniform wasn't proper, Gualtieri said. If he had been in a deputy's uniform, the resident could have decided whether to open the door. This way, he didn't know he was opening his door to law enforcement.

Gualtieri called it "contrary to good policing and respecting individual rights and it's wrong." If the detective had smelled marijuana and used that information to get a search warrant, "I don't think it would pass constitutional muster," said Gualtieri, who also is a lawyer.

That sounds a different note than another sheriff's employee who gave a sworn interview with Trevena, Cpl. Michael Sciarrino. Asked about the uniform, Sciarrino said, "I don't think that that's improper because Progress Energy would have the right to go up to their own meter during normal business hours to do it, so that's where I was falling under the assumption that he would be able to do that."

Although Gualtieri criticized the tactic, he was less quick to criticize his detective. "He's a young detective who I think thought he was just being creative," Gualtieri said. "I put more responsibility with the supervision." He said he wanted to think about whether to discipline anyone.

Giovannoni said in his deposition that he got the uniform from a Progress Energy employee.

Progress Energy spokeswoman Suzanne Grant called this "an isolated case of an employee acting alone without approval or authority," and contrary to policy. She said Progress Energy "doesn't permit or support anyone, including law enforcement, to pose as employees." She said customers can call the utility's customer service numbers to confirm an employee's identity.

She said the worker who supplied the uniform no longer works for Progress Energy, but declined to say more.

Times Staff Writer Curtis Krueger can be reached at ckrueger@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8232.

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