Fire districts raise concerns about county EMS plan

The Pinellas County Commission will decide Tuesday whether to revise service standards for response to 911 medical calls. One result: The 19 fire districts in Pinellas that get money from a countywide property tax may lose paramedics and rescue trucks.

Even some fire chiefs say there is duplication and waste in the current system and that changes must be made in this poor financial climate. But that doesn't mean chiefs are happy seeing the standards change, a move that's taking place before the county renegotiates contracts with the districts.

Though the county projects only modest increases in response times in a handful of areas, some chiefs question the numbers and are preparing their own analysis.

"You don't cut and not have an impact," said St. Petersburg fire Chief James Large.

Don't expect this issue to go away, contract negotiations won't be swift and the devil will be in the details. Elected officials, city managers and fire chiefs will all be making their voices heard.

Will Van Sant, Times Staff Writer

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Will Michaels won't run for St. Pete City Council

ST. PETERSBURG -- Neighborhood leader Will Michaels is out of the City Council race.

Michaels, vice president of the Council of Neighborhood Associations, said he has decided against running for the District 5 seat occupied by Jamie Bennett, who is resigning to run for mayor.

"After careful consideration I have decided that this is not a good fit for me at this time," Michaels wrote in an e-mail to supporters this week. "I will continue to participate in voluntary community activities such as CONA, the Bahama Shores Neighborhood Association, Saint Petersburg Preservation, the Woodson Museum, and the St. Petersburg Museum of History. These are also very important community institutions that deserve support. Again, thank you so much for your encouragement. I appreciate it very much."

Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

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Hillsborough commissioners want more info on light rail

Bringing light rail to Hills­borough County may be a top priority for Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and many other civic leaders. But Hillsborough County commissioners took several tense moments Wednesday to remind everyone just who holds the keys to Iorio's mass transit dreams.

It's the County Commission that must decide whether to ask voters in 2010 if using tax money to build a rail system is acceptable.

"You guys have been meeting for two years, and now you're coming to us?" Commissioner Rose Ferlita observed.

The topic came up during a budget workshop at which commissioners discussed future construction projects. That's when Commissioner Mark Sharpe mentioned the possible mass transit referendum in 2010.

Ferlita seized on Sharpe's use of the word "we." As in, we've been meeting, we've heard presentations, we've brought in experts. Just who is this secret "we committee," and why is it only now deigning to include the county? Ferlita wanted to know.

"After two years, the 'we committee' has decided to do something," Ferlita said. "After two years you're going to tell us we have to come together with this 'we committee.' "

Read the full story here.

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New rules for third party voter registration groups to take effect

Starting Thursday, voter registration groups throughout the Tampa Bay area and across the state will have to register with the Florida Division of Elections. It's a provision of state law that's been on the books since 2006, but a recently lifted court injunction kept it from taking effect.

The rule applies to political parties, churches, schools, civic organizations, nonprofit and issue advocacy groups - the whole laundry list of players in the voter registration game.

There's no penalty for not registering. However, fines capped at $1,000 a year will be levied against organizations that fail to relay applications to an elections office in a timely way.

Jennifer Krell Davis, spokeswoman for the Department of State, said that in the last presidential cycle, groups involved in registration generally sought to comply with the law, but her office had no power to punish those who did not.

No longer.

Voters "are basically entrusting their right to vote to a third party," Krell said. "There felt like there needed to be some enforcement to protect that right."

Will Van Sant, Times staff writer

U.S. Rep. Pence to keynote Pinellas Lincoln Day Dinner

The Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee will host U.S. Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana at its upcoming Lincoln Day Dinner. Pence, who was elected to Congress in 2000, is chairman of the House Republican Conference. He'll deliver the keynote address.

The dinner will be held at the Hilton Carillon Park in St. Petersburg on Saturday. The event gets under way at 6 p.m. You can get more details here.

Will Van Sant, Times staff writer

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Carey Baker to raise cash in Tampa

U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, the featured speaker at the Hillsborough GOP's Lincoln Day Dinner on Friday, isn't the only candidate in the 2010 race for Florida's commissioner of agriculture and consumer services scheduled to be in Tampa this week.

Florida Sen. Carey Baker, a Republican from Eustis who's also running for the post, will be at Rigatoni's on Kennedy Boulevard on Thursday for a fundraiser that begins at 5:30 p.m. Rigatoni's is owned by Rick Barcena, who made his first foray into politics in 2007 with a failed bid for the Tampa City Council.

Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer

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Workshop offers primer on running for office

Some Tampa Bay Democratic consultants are offering a $65 workshop, “Walk Before You Run -– A Primer on Running for Political Office," that might interest folks mulling a political campaign. It's being organized by Common Language, Think Big! and PlanningWorks. It will be Saturday, March 28, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Studio @620 in St. Petersburg.

Confirmed speakers include Kevin Beckner, Hillsborough County Commissioner; Mary Mulhern, Tampa City Councilwoman; Rep. Bill Heller; Alison Morano, Pasco County DEC chair; Patricia Kemp, Hillsborough County DEC chair; Ken Quinnell, Florida Progressive Coalition; and Mark Ferrulo, executive director of Progress Florida.

Registration information is here.

"It’s been our experience that most people have a lot of unreal expectations when it comes to running for office. They don’t really understand what they’re getting themselves and their families into," said Larry Biddle, owner and principal of PlanningWorks. "This workshop will enlighten potential candidates about the realities of running for office, like asking people for money and building a support system of volunteers."

Times Staff Writer

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Putnam featured at Hillsborough GOP fundraiser

U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, who's running to become Florida's agriculture commissioner, is the guest speaker at the Hillsborough County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Pepin Hospitality Center, 4121 N. 50th Street. Tickets are $100 for REC members and $125 for non-members. For information, go to www.hcrp.org.

Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer

Jamie Bennett: Mayor Baker needs to speak up on BayWalk

ST. PETERSBURG-- City Council member Jamie Bennett said today much of the uncertainty surrounding BayWalk can be chalked up to Mayor Rick Baker's low-key approach to discussing the faltering downtown attraction.

"In his last year he needs to be out there communicating, just like the police chief," said Bennett, referring to the council's recent demand that Police Chief Chuck Harmon show his face in public more. "He's the mayor."

Bennett, who is running for mayor, said he told Baker recently that he needs to be more vocal during his last year in office. If this were Baker's first year in office, Bennett said, the mayor would probably have held numerous public discussions on BayWalk.

"The city is doing things about BayWalk that the residents should know about," Bennett said.

Baker could not immediately be reached for comment.

Bennett, who has been labeled Baker-lite by his opponents, said he doesn't mind comparisons to the popular Republican mayor, but his campaign is also eager to point out the ideological differences between the two.

"He and I have not agreed on everything," said Bennett.

Meanwhile, Bennett offered up some fighting words for his mayoral opponents: "Where are you?''

He contends the other candidates have not been as active as he has.

He also dismissed the long list of endorsements that candidate Deveron Gibbons released in January, although the Bennett campaign has yet to name any prominent supporters.

"That was last month,"  Bennett said of Gibbons' announcement.

-- Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

Have Jamie Bennett and Kathleen Ford already violated state election laws?

ST. PETERSBURG -- Kathleen Ford and Jamie Bennett might have already violated state election laws.

Both mayoral candidates held press conferences complete with campaign signs in recent weeks to announce their intent to run. Ford and Bennett both filed within minutes of their press events.

State statute states, "No person shall accept any contribution or make any expenditure with a view to bringing about his or her nomination, election, or retention in public office, or authorize another to accept such contributions or make such expenditure on the person's behalf, unless such person has appointed a campaign treasurer and designated a primary campaign depository."

What's unclear is whether Ford and Bennett can claim they had met those requirements before they filed or if the act of appointing a campaign treasurer is only valid once the proper documents have been filed, said Jennifer Krell Davis, a spokeswoman for the state Division of Elections.

"Someone would have to file a complaint with the Florida elections commission. They would determine whether there was a violation," she said.

Bennett's supporters carried a large campaign sign at his press conference at City Hall in January. At the time, his wife said his family had purchased the sign.

Bennett said he doesn't think he did anything illegal, "unless someone tells me otherwise."

Campaign signs were attached to the cars of several Ford supporters who rallied at City Hall during her press conference earlier this month.

Ford said the signs were from her 2001 mayoral bid. She added that her campaign has spent no money on signage.

"Those lovely supporters recycled their signs," Ford said. "I've seen some in yards."

But even if the signs were purchased during Ford's 2001 mayoral campaign, Krell Davis said state statute is vague about whether old signs can be recycled.

-Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer