Former County Commisssioner Bob Bondi dies at 74

TAMPA -- Former Hillsborough County Commissioner Bob Bondi died of a heart attack Wednesday afternoon following a gallbladder surgery, said Joe Bondi, his cousin and the former mayor of Temple  Terrace.

A Tampa native, Bondi, 74, got into politics in 1966 with a successful run for Hillsborough County School Board, before moving onto become chairman and then winning a seat on the county commission in 1974, a post he held until he ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Tampa in 1979.

Jan Platt, who took Bondi's county commission seat after he left the board in 1978, said she was two years behind Bondi at Hillsborough High School and remembers that his family was always involved in  public service.

"The Bondi's have left their mark on Hillsborough County," she said.

Platt said Bondi was a sensitive man even though he didn't show it in public, but he loved his family dearly.

"When I came to the commission he told everyone 'She let the sunshine in,' " Platt mused. "He even bought me a little record  with the song 'Let the Sunshine In' on it as a present."

In 1979, Tampa City Council member Charlie Miranda ran for Tampa mayor against Bondi and  the eventual winner, Bob Martinez. He said he learned something about politics from his late friend.

"He taught me that there are two sides to every subject and that you should be careful and deliberate in seeing the other side of something before you make a decision," Miranda said.

He recalls seeing Bondi on Saturday mornings at a South Tampa fish market, where they would talk sports and pass the time, while goading the owners for a laugh.

"Bob was the kind of person he could talk to the highest of the wealthy to the average Joe on the street, everybody like him," Miranda said.

And being in office just reinforced Bondi's good nature.

"He loved serving his community. And he was well known and he got to be well liked -- which he loved," Joe Bondi said.

Bob Bondi is survived by his wife, Mary Lou, and his son and daughter, Robby and Robin.

Memorial plans are in the works, Joe Bondi said.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Veteran planning director to retire

TAMPA — Longtime Executive Director of the Hillsborough Planning Commission Robert B. Hunter will retire at year’s end, according to a release for the commission Wednesday.

Hunter notified the commission in a two-page letter of resignation effective December 31. The current president of the American Planning Association, he has been the county’s executive director since 1987.
“Its good for him but bad for us,” said County Commisioner Rose Ferlita, who has worked alongside Hunter for eight years.

Ferlita said that losing a man with Hunter’s institutional knowledge will be hindrance as the county looks to merge efforts to improve transportation with growth and planning in the coming year.
“Bob Hunter will forget more than most people will ever know about his field,” she said. “He couldn’t have picked a worse time to go.”

Hunter agreed that there is still lots of work to be done with the Planning Commission, such as rail, transit oriented design, land use and transportation integration and green economic development incentives, the release stated.

During the two decades he has headed the department, the county created comprehensive plans for Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plant City and unincorporated Hillsborough and instituted neighborhood planning.

-- Robbyn Mitchell, Times Staff Writer

Scooter rider suffers life-threatening injuries

PINELLAS PARK -- Police are asking for the public's help in their investigation of a scooter crash in which the rider suffered life-threatening injuries.

About 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, paramedics and police responded to a call of a person down on the ramp from southbound U.S. 19 to southbound 49th Street North. They found Christopher J. Ledwell, 33 of Largo, who had suffered traumatic head injuries. Ledwell was taken to Bayfront Medical Center.

Investigators say Ledwell was riding a foot scooter, also known as a Go-Ped, when he lost control. He was not wearing a helmet.

Pinellas Park Police have found no witnesses and believe the scooter was the only vehicle involved in the crash.

They're asking anyone with information to call 727-541-0758.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

Tampa woman hurt in I-4 crash

TAMPA --  A woman was seriously injured after trying to pass a tractor trailer on Interstate 4 just west of Interstate 75 Wednesday afternoon, according to a release from the Florida Highway Patrol.

Robin Danielle Galloway, 27, was changing lanes on I-4 when her 2001SAAB hit the passenger side of Thomas P. Meyers', 52, Semi, the release said.

Galloway's car spun out of control and stopped in the middle of the roadway, closing down traffic in the three outside lanes for 45 minutes.

She was taken to St, Joseph's Hospital with serious injuries.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

USF grad student burns face in lab accident

TAMPA -- A University of South Florida graduate student burned his face with chemicals from the chemistry lab Wednesday afternoon, according to Tampa Fire Rescue.

Yejiao Wang, 28, was on the working with a partner in class on the fourth floor of the university's science building when he opened a container of butyl amine and it splashed in his face, said Lt. Meg Ross, of the university police department.

According to fire rescue, butyl amine is a corrosive and flammable, so nearby classrooms were safely evacuated while the hazardous materials team assessed the threat.

Wang was washed off in the lab's decontamination shower before being treated by Fire Rescue and taken to Tampa General Hospital. Despite the dangerous nature of the chemicals, Fire Rescue officials said he was in good condition after the accident.

Hazmat teams have ruled the building safe and said the spill was confined to the fourth floor classroom.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Thanksgiving will start with a chill

Thanksgiving will start out freezing for northern counties in the Tampa Bay region, but the weather will warm to make a beautiful day.

Temperatures in Citrus, Hernando and possibly Pasco counties will dip below freezing just before dawn on Thanksgiving. In Pinellas County and areas close to the bay in Hillsborough, temperatures will bottom out in the low 40s. Inland Hillsborough can expect temperatures in the high 30s overnight.

By dinner time, though, temperatures are expected to climb into the low 70s.

"That’s kind of the ironic thing," said Bay News 9 meteorologist Brian McClure. "If you get up early in the morning it’s just going to feel so cold, but by 11 (or) 12 o'clock it’s going to be gorgeous."

After that, it's only warmer. Highs for the weekend are forecast to reach the high 70s.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

St. Petersburg couple get prison in pot conspiracy

TAMPA -- A St. Petersburg couple was sentenced to federal prison today on charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Keith Pritchett, 30, was sentenced to 9 years and 3 months in prison, while Monique Pruitt, 29, received 3 years and 10 months in prison for her role.

Prosecutors said that from sometime in 2003 until February 2008, Pritchett participated with unnamed co-conspirators to distribute marijuana in the St. Petersburg area and elsewhere. Authorities said he used tractor trailer trucks to ship multi-kilogram quantities of the drug from Arizona to St. Petersburg.

Senior U.S. District Judge Susan Bucklew enhanced Pruitt's punishment for placing her son's life in danger at the time law enforcement executed a search warrant at home.

Agents went to 4225 Cortez Way South in St. Petersburg on Feb. 15 to execute a search. When Pruitt learned that law enforcement was coming, prosecutors said, she placed her 10-year-old son and two duffel bags filled with marijuana into her vehicle and tried to flee.

Authorities later stopped her.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Ambulance team rescues Largo woman from fire

A Pinellas County ambulance crew carried a 55-year-old woman from a burning home early today.

The pair, who did not have safety equipment or fire rescue training, risked their lives, said Largo fire Chief Mike Wallace.

"They had clearly entered an environment that was dangerous. They inhaled smoke and carbon monoxide. This was a great personal risk to do what they did," Wallace said.

Joshua Schuster (left in photos) and Michelle Molendyk (right) were just heading out of Sunstar headquarters on Ulmerton Road this morning when they saw smoke in the sky. They drove across the street to the Indian Rocks Estates Mobile Home park to investigate and discovered the back half of a mobile home engulfed in flames.

Around that time, just before 8 a.m., emergency personnel received calls of a fire at the park at lot No. 34 at 12701 126th Ave N.

Park residents told the ambulance team that someone lived in the home. Molendyk and Schuster entered the front door of the burning unit and found the woman unconscious near the door. They carried her outside, where they provided medical care.

The team said they had to try to save her even though they knew it was risky.

"It's another life," said Schuster, an assistant supervisor for Sunstar.

"I just had to get  her out and get her away from the building," said Molendyk, an emergency medical technician and field training officer. "It was going up so fast."

The woman, Doris Williams, sustained burns on about 15 percent of her body and was flown by medical helicopter to Tampa General Hospital, authorities said. As of 3 p.m. today, she was in critical condition.

"I really hope she's going to make it," Molendyk said.

The ambulance crew was the first on the scene. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, which destroyed the home.

Sheriff's Office Arson Unit detectives and State Fire Marshal’s investigators were called to the scene, which is routine in cases where someone sustains serious injuries. The fire appears unintentional, but the cause has not been determined, detectives say.

[Photos: Atoyia Deans, Times]

Tampa attorney tasered during code enforcement meeting

TAMPA -- A Tampa attorney was Tasered by police this afternoon during a meeting of the Tampa Code Enforcement Board.

Carl Roland Hayes, 53, was addressing the board at 12:40 p.m. about the aluminum windows he'd installed at his Seminole Heights home, when police say he became visibly upset and agitated.

Tampa Police Lt. Ronald McMullen said officials asked Hayes (pictured) to leave the meeting. As Officer Don Miller escorted Hayes from the meeting, Hayes slapped the officer in the face, McMullen said.

Miller deployed his Taser gun on Hayes with no effect, he said. So, Miller "drive stunned" Hayes, placing the stun gun against Hayes' skin, then he and another officer took the man to the ground, handcuffing him as he struggled, McMullen said.

According to records, Hayes had been cited for installing aluminum windows at his home, 5115 N Branch Ave., rather than the wood windows required under historic preservation codes. He has been being fined $60 per day since Oct. 24 for not having the right windows.

Hayes told the officials that replacing 19 windows with wood would cost $300 to $400 a piece. He hasn't worked most of the year due to brain surgery and has lost half of his income as a result.

"I am not wealthy and could only afford the aluminum windows for the back of my house, which are safer, more affordable and more efficient," he wrote in an Oct. 31 letter to the Code Enforcement board.

Hayes is being charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence and tresspassing after warning, McMullen said.

He was booked into Orient Road Jail at 2:15 p.m.

Years ago, Hillsborough Circuit Judge Daniel Perry recused himself from all of Hayes' cases after Hayes accused the judge and his bailiffs of treating him differently than others because of his skin color.

-- Rebecca Catalanello, Janet Zink and Colleen Jenkins, Times staff writers

Photo courtesy Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

BayWalk faces foreclosure

It’s official: BayWalk, the St. Petersburg entertainment complex celebrated as a catalyst for downtown’s renaissance, is facing foreclosure.

Wells Fargo Bank filed suit in Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court seeking foreclosure of a mortgage on the $50-million complex that opened in 2000.

The suit was expected. BayWalk owner Fred Bullard Jr. admitted last week he is refusing to make monthly payments of about $120,000 on the loan after  negotiations between Bullard and the lender broke down.

"We are a little bit puzzled as to why they wouldn't cooperate and help us get this project back on its feet," Bullard told the St. Petersburg Times last week.

At a standstill, Bullard sent a letter to the mortgage holder earlier this month. "I said, 'We're not going to throw good money after bad. And if you think you can run it better than us, that's fine with me. You can have it.'"

The filing does not affect BayWalk stores, which remain open.

-- Aaron Sharockman, Times Staff Writer

USF student dies after being hit by car

TAMPA -- A University of South Florida student died Wednesday morning after she was hit by a car while crossing Fletcher Avenue the day before, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Jessica Palmer, 18, of 1828 SW 102 Way in Miramar, was running across Fletcher not far from USF Palm Drive when a 1993 Volkswagen driven by Sharon Sanchez, 25, of Dade City, struck her, said Debbie Carter, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office.

Palmer had not been using a crosswalk, Carter said. The student was taken to Tampa General Hospital with serious injuries.

No charges have been filed against Sanchez, Carter said.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Motorcycle crash closes part of I-75 northbound

TAMPA -- A Riverview man is in serious condition after a crash involving a car and his motorcycle at Interstate-75 northbound near Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Jason Michael Barrett, 34, was riding his 2002 Kawk motorcycle in the right  lane of I-75 when Ismail Benkabbou, 24, of Brandon, lost control of his 1992 Infiniti and veered into Barrett's lane, according to a release from Florida Highway Patrol.

Benkabbou knocked Barrett, who was wearing a helmet, from the motorcycle and FHP closed I-75 for 20 minutes until the roadway was cleared.

He was helicoptered to Tampa General Hospital by Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.

Rebecca Catalanello and Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writers

State wants to close St. Petersburg nursing home

ST. PETERSBURG -- Florida wants to shut down a St. Petersburg nursing home, citing substandard care, but the home's managers say they plan to fight to stay in business.

The Agency for Health Care Administration issued an order last week, revoking the license of Long Term Care of St. Petersburg, a 185-bed nursing home at 3479 54th Ave. N. Among other things, the state said the home failed to prevent residents with mental problems from striking other residents.

Derek Webster, Long Term Care's interim administrator, declined to discuss details of those allegations. He has only recently taken over management of the home.

But the home's management company, Senior Health Management, will appeal revocation action within the required 30 days, Webster says, which will allow the 100-plus residents to remain open until the courts sort things out.

If the home eventually is shut down, the state will find places for residents in other homes, says AHCA spokesman Fernando Senra. "There are extra beds in other homes in that area. There shouldn't be a problem with people relocating.''

State inspectors have cited the home for deficient care 90 times in the past two years, state records show. Problems ranged from an unqualified activities director to medication errors and bed sores.

Twice within the past 30 months, AHCA put moratoriums on new admissions, including one that began in September, Senra says. The second moratorium automatically triggered the revocation of the home's license, which was finalized last week.

-- Stephen Nohlgren, Times staff writer

Hillsborough freeze shelters open tonight

TAMPA -- Hillsborough County will open three freeze shelters tonight for the homeless and those without adequate heat.

The shelters are:

* Salvation Army, 1514 N Florida Ave. Adults only. Opens at 4 p.m. until 8 a.m. Call (813) 221-4440 after hours.

* Metropolitan Ministries, 2010 N Florida Ave., is designed for families. Opens at 4 p.m. until 8 a.m. Call (813) 209-1077 after hours.

* Good Samaritan Mission in Wimauma at Bethune Park, 5809 Edina St., is designed for adults and families. Opens at 6 p.m. until 8 a.m. Call (813) 671-7618.

Meals will be provided at each of the shelters.

Hillsborough County's Health & Social Services Department works with these organizations to help provide freeze shelters when temperatures are expected to reach below 32 degrees, including the wind chill.

Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer

Man arrested in Clearwater murder

CLEARWATER -- A domestic battery turned deadly Tuesday night in Clearwater, when Jeremy Haygood and his girlfriend Jeanine A. Tuckey got into an argument over one of Tuckey's past relationships in Missouri.

According to police, Haygood (pictured), 27, and Tuckey, 33, had just moved down from Missouri within the last few weeks. They were staying with Tuckey's family in the 1100 block of Kingsley Street in Clearwater.

About 8:30 p.m., Haygood and Tuckey got to fighting in the back yard.

That's when, police said, Tuckey suffered a serious head injury and became unresponsive.

Police spokeswoman Elizabeth Watts said Haygood went in the house to tell Tuckey's family what had happened.

The family called 911. Tuckey was taken to Morton Plant Hospital, where she died at 7:45 this morning.

Meanwhile, Haygood was brought to the Pinellas County Jail on a warrant out of Missouri.

After Tuckey died, he was charged with second-degree murder.

He is being held at the Pinellas County Jail without bail.

--Jonathan Abel, Times Staff Writer

[Photo: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]

Protection order requested against Hulk Hogan

The latest twist in the Hulk Hogan melodrama: Linda Bollea's boyfriend, 20-year-old Charles F. Hill, filed an injunction for protection against Terry Bollea, a.k.a., Hulk Hogan.

The petition was filed at 4:56 p.m. last Thursday.

A judge denied it that day.

In his filing, Hill said  he was being "dangerously followed" by Hulk Hogan while driving west on Turner Street in Clearwater. When they came to the light at Chestnut Street and Oak Avenue, Hulk Hogan "pulled up next to him and stared at him," the petition said. That incident happened on Nov. 11 at 10:30 p.m., according to the filing.

On Nov. 12, the petition said, Hill was followed by Hulk from the beach to Hill's house on Lantana Avenue on Clearwater Beach. Hill wrote that Hulk was "tailgating & intimidating" him.

These events led Hill to fear that Hulk will "attempt to kill or injure him, since Petitioner (Hill) is dating respondent's estranged wife, Linda Bollea."

The petition asked that Hulk be barred from coming within 500 feet of Hill, or the places he works: Captains School in St. Petersburg and Anchor Pool Services in Clearwater.

Terry and Linda Bollea are currently going through a contentious divorce.

--Jonathan Abel, Times Staff Writer

Metropolitan Ministries issues urgent call for more food

TAMPA --Metropolitan Ministries says it does not have enough food to complete its Thanksgiving distribution to needy families.

The organization is issuing a "desperate plea" to the Tampa Bay community, asking for turkeys, yams, mashed potatoes, canned fruit and cereal. The Ministries made an emergency run to purchase cereal for 1,500 families on Tuesday, and it still needs more.

Donations will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the group's Holiday Center, 2002 N Florida Ave. Gift certificates and monetary donations also are accepted.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

Skyway jumper identified

TAMPA -- The man who died after jumping from the Sunshine Skyway bridge last week was identified by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office as 33-year-old Louis Dicarlo.

Dicarlo, 13719 County Cove Drive, jumped from the bridge sometime before 4 a.m. on Thursday. Florida Highway Patrol troopers found his BMW parked on the north side of the bridge and were later notified that St. Petersburg Fire Rescue had found a man's body in the water.

Dicarlo's death was ruled a suicide.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

1 trapped in car after crash with dump truck

TAMPA -- At least one person is trapped in a vehicle after a crash with a dump truck and another car, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

The crash happened at 11719 Highway 301 N at about 9:30 a.m. No other information is yet known.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

4 arrested in Tampa grow house raids

TAMPA -- Four men were arrested and nearly 200 marijuana plants were seized at two Tampa grow houses Tuesday afternoon, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

At about 4:30 p.m., sheriff's office detectives raided 9019 Tree Valley Circle, where they found 152 marijuana plants, high-power lights and electrical equipment. During the investigation, detectives discovered that another house, 833 Lutz Lake Fern Road was also used as a grow house. They found 36 more plants there. The total street value for the marijuana is $540,000, according to the detectives.

The suspects -- Jesus Fonseca Sanchez, 55, of 9019 Tree Valley Circle; Lazaro Avila Perez, 43, of 8680 Leeward Drive; Jasan Arguelles, 27, of 833 Lutz Lake Fern Road W; and Frank Cendeno, 35, also of 833 Lutz Lake Fern Road W -- were charged with manufacturing, trafficking and possessing marijuana, in addition to theft of electricity and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Perez and Cendeno also were charged with violating probation -- Perez for an older DUI charge and Cendeno for formerly possessing cocaine, possessing drug paraphernalia and a DUI charge.

They all were taken to the Orient Road Jail.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

Boil water notice issued in Brandon

BRANDON -- Residents in several subdivisions off John Moore Road should boil tap water before using it until at least Friday, according to Hillsborough County Water Resource Services.

Because of a pipeline leak, water service was turned off to about 400 homes in the area while crews repaired it. Once water is restored, those customers should boil all tap water before drinking it or cooking with it. The water must be tested twice within 48 hours and come back with a safe review both times before the notice is lifted.

Customers affected are along John More Road, south of Wild Oak Drive to the Alafia River, and all the streets and subdivisions that connect to John Moore in the area, including Camelot Woods, Dogwood Hills and Hickory Ridge.

The Hillsborough County Health Department requires that a precautionary boil notice be issued when pipeline pressure drops below certain levels. It's safe to use non-boiled water for cleaning and bathing, just not for drinking. Ice from automatic ice makers should be thrown out, and washers should run clear first.

Another notice will be issued when the water is deemed safe. Customers can check the status of the tests on Friday by calling 813-744-5600.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

1 injured in Largo fire

[Detective Randy St. Clair, left, and Detective Max Melendez of the Florida State Fire Marshal, work jointly with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office to investigate a residential fire that resulted in at least one person being seriously injured. Atoyia Deans, Times]

LARGO -- One person was seriously injured in a Largo mobile home this morning and flown by a medical helicopter to Tampa General Hospital, according to Pinellas County Sgt. Jim Bordner.

The fire happened just before 8 a.m. in the Indian Rocks Mobile Home Park, 12701 126th Ave., Lot 34, Bordner said. The injured person has not been identified and the extent of the damage is not yet known

The incident is under investigation.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

Arrest made in St. Pete gas station robbery

ST. PETERSBURG -- A 45-year-old man was arrested Tuesday night in connection with the Nov. 10 armed robbery of a Sunoco Gas Station on 34th Street N.

Pinellas County sheriff's deputies charged Darryl L. Everett, left, 6049 32nd St. N, with armed robbery and violation of felony probation. Deputies had received a tip from someone who recognized him on the store's surveillance video.

Everett was arrested without incident and admitted to the armed robbery, deputies said. Records show that he was released from state prison in July after serving 12 years on charges including burglary, robbery and possession of cocaine.

- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

[Photo provided by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]

12-year-old Perry girl missing

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has issued a Missing Child alert for an 12-year-old girl from Perry.

Katie L. Archer (pictured) was last seen with 18-year-old Alan Troy Sikes, according to FDLE. The two may be traveling in a blue 1993 Ford F150 with Florida tag M473BA. The car has a dent in the driver's side door. It's unknown where they are headed.

- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

[Photo provided by FDLE]