Man dies in motorcyle accident

ST. PETERSBURG - A 46-year-old motorcyclist died after he crashed into a car that turned into his route on 16th Street N late Friday night.

Red Mesa Cantina hosts a few friends for game, soft opening

ST. PETERSBURG -- Red Mesa Cantina opened for a soft launch tonight, welcoming friends and a few members of the public to watch the BCS Championship college football game.

Roofing work causes fire in St. Petersburg house

ST. PETERSBURG -- A common roofing practice led to a house fire that displaced two adults and two children today.

Man turns self in after New Year's Eve death

A 43-year-old man walked into the St. Petersburg Police Department this morning and confessed that he believed he had strangled a man after a day of drinking on Dec. 31, New Year's Eve, according to police.

St. Petersburg police correct shooting victim's ID as questions linger

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police have corrected the identity of the victim who was shot at his 4640 Ninth Ave. N home. He is 33-year-old Jermaine Ross.

SWAT team rousts family

St. Petersburg Police surround a house after a shooting, but a resident says it's a case of mistaken identity. Read the full story from Thursday's St. Petersburg Times.

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Glove from MacDill AFB pointed police toward double-murder defendant

Police believe former Air Force Sgt. Ralph "Ron" Wright Jr. strangled his former lover barehanded, killed their 15-month-old child and then put on a pair of gloves from MacDill Air Force Base to avoid leaving fingerprints in her St. Petersburg home, according to police records made public today.

Warm today, but rain and cooler weather ahead

ST. PETERSBURG -- We're off to another warm start in the Tampa Bay area this week, but forecasters predict that by Wednesday our steady stream of pleasant weather may be upset by rain.

Crowded St. Petersburg ER reopens after 12-hour closing Monday night

ST. PETERSBURG -- Bayfront Medical Center's emergency room was so crowded Monday night that it declined to take trauma cases for 12 hours.

Deputies: Patient, 74, aimed gun at nurse

A 74-year-old patient in a hospital bed in a Mease-Dunedin Hospital critical care unit became "angry and belligerent" and aimed a loaded gun at a nurse Monday afternoon before a second quick-thinking nurse disarmed him, deputies say.

Police: Don't celebrate New Year with gunfire

St. Petersburg's police and fire departments are urging residents not to repeat the celebratory gunfire that caused 16 incidents of damage and injuries last New Year's Eve.

Cooler weather, weekend rain headed our way

The arrival of a weak northern cold front will drop temperatures a few degrees, forecasters say. And while New Year's Day looks dry, we're also headed for a watery weekend. Meanwhile, morning fog in Pasco and Hernando counties is beginning to dissipate.

Truck driver sought in fatal I-275 accident

The Florida Highway Patrol is asking for your help determining the identity of a driver pulling a utility trailer involved in a fatal accident on the Howard Frankland Bridge Monday afternoon.

Search for missing Winter Haven woman suspended

Rescuers from two nations suspended their search this afternoon for 36-year-old Jennifer Ellis-Seitz, the former Central Florida reporter who went missing during a Christmas cruise in the Caribbean. The family of the Winter Haven woman also released a statement today saying they fear she may have taken her own life.

Mild winter weather ahead

ST. PETERSBURG -- Expect more mild weather in the Tampa Bay area this week, beginning today with sunny skies and, tonight, just a slight chance of rain.

Gulfport food mart shooting was witnessed by victims' children

GULFPORT -- Surveillance video of last night's convenience store robbery that injured two clerks at the Joy Foodmart, 1005 49th St. S, shows the shooting was witnessed by the clerks' three young boys -- one of whom also activated the store's panic alarm, authorities say.

In St. Petersburg, dumping tires is taken seriously

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police said Fernada Hurst was just trying to make some extra cash when he dumped 100 old tires into an old lot in Midtown on Sunday. He was arrested for it. "The city of St. Petersburg aggressively enforces ... illegal dumping, even during the holiday season," police spokesman Bill Proffitt said in a statement.

Fire put out at high-end auto shop

[JAMES BORCHUCK | Times]

CLEARWATER -- Firefighters cleaned up after extinguishing a blaze at Eibell Performance, a high-end shop for Porsche, BMW and Mercedes automobiles, Monday evening at 5000 110th Ave. N.  Fire officials said a worker was treated with second degree burns at the scene and declined treatment at a hospital. It was not immediately known if there was any damage to vehicles in the building.

Pot-bellied pig rescued at St. Pete home

ST. PETERSBURG -- You've heard of cats being rescued from trees. Here's one about a pot-bellied pig being rescued from stairs.

St. Petersburg Police seek armed robber

Surveillance images of the robbery in progress. [Courtesy of St. Petersburg Police Department]

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police are asking the public's help in locating an armed robber who fled with cash from a department store last week.

Two fishermen rescued off Skyway bridge

ST. PETERSBURG -- Two men who were night fishing on a canoe were rescued two miles west of the Sunshine Skyway Sunday night, authorities said.

Pinellas County and St. Petersburg to mediate Tierra Verde annexation

Pinellas County and St. Petersburg will try the talking cure to resolve tension over the city's recent annexation of land at the northern tip of Tierra Verde.

The County Commission voted unanimously this afternoon to force mediation, an option available under state law. Mediation rules call on top employees with the city and county to meet within 30 days. If there's no resolution, elected leaders would then have 50 days to meet.

If agreement is still elusive, the battle would go to the courts.

On Nov. 21, the City Council voted 5-2 to annex 28 acres of Tierra Verde's commercial waterfront district. The area is home to Tierra Verde Marina, a condominium resort, a few residential lots and a 7-Eleven.

Property owners in the area supported the annexation because the county's development regulations are tougher than the city's.

The city also annexed 10 acres of submerged state land, which extended St. Petersburg's boundaries and made the bigger land grab on Tierra Verde possible.

With the commission's vote, however, the annexation is, for practical purposes, void, at least temporarily.

Through annexation, the city stands to add some expensive property to its tax rolls, but in turn would have to offer municipal services like law enforcement in the area.

Opposition has been tough from those living in other areas of Tierra Verde, and those residents are planning their own lawsuit against the city, county officials said.

In its resolution calling for mediation, the county charges the city with, among other things, failing to explain how municipal services will be delivered, failing to properly give notice of and hold the Nov. 21 meeting, and ignoring the wishes of the majority of Tierra Verde residents.

Will Van Sant, Times staff writer

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Drivers warned of heavy fog

The Florida Highway Patrol is urging motorists to be vigilant on roads this morning, as a heavy fog over the Tampa Bay area is making for dangerous conditions.

Here's what to do, according to the FHP:

• Drive with headlights on low beam, as high beams reflect back off the fog and impair vision.
• Slow down. Speed is a major factor in fog-related crashes.
• Watch for slow-moving or parked vehicles.
• Mind your cell phone use and turn off your radio if it distracts you.
• Use wipers and defrosters for visibility.
• Use the right edge of the road as a guide.
• Use your turn signals, and brake well in advance to alert other drivers.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

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St. Petersburg man draws winning lottery numbers five times

ST. PETERSBURG -- There were six winning tickets in the Fantasy Five lottery game this weekend, and five of them were bought at M & S Food Mart on Central Avenue.

By the same person.

The lucky man's jackpot: $224,400.05.

His numbers: 19 - 21 - 23 - 30 - 36.

His only competition: Someone who bought a single ticket with the same numbers at a Publix in Miami.

While the top prize was $269,280.26, each ticket holder gets $44,880.04.

"He's very happy," Jason Kuriakose, manager of the convenience store at 6401 Central Ave., said of the local winner. "He said he always plays the same numbers five times. He's been playing that for a while, and finally he hit it."

The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 376,992, according to state lottery officials. The odds of scoring the winning numbers on five separate tickets stubs in the same drawing were not immediately known.

The winner visited the convenience store this morning but has yet to disclose his identity to state lottery officials. By law, winners are publicly identified.

According to a the Florida State Lottery, there were 554,220 transactions for the game. But anyone can buy up to 10 transactions on a single ticket slip. There are no limits to how many ticket slips can be purchased. Each play costs $1.

Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer

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Man shoots at truck that tried to hit pedestrian, police say

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police are searching for three men involved in a dispute this evening in which gunshots were fired.

Sgt. Antonio Gilliam said a witness flagged down an officer about 5:45 p.m. saying someone was shooting just outside 22nd Street Beauty Supply at 1407 22nd St. S.

Police said a pickup appeared to have hit a male pedestrian, after which another man pulled a gun and fired several shots at the driver. Police believe the driver of the pickup and the two men on foot fled west on 15th Avenue South when police arrived. No one has been reported shot at local hospitals, Gilliam said.

Teresa Robinson, 37, said she saw it as she was pulling into her cousin's store. She said police had the tag number for the truck.

"I was just worried about my cousin's safety," she said. "I just wanted to make sure she was alright."

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

Draper lab slated for north St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG -- A high-tech lab that has pledged to bring 165 high-paying jobs to the Tampa Bay area is one step closer to opening its doors, city officials said today.

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory will set up shop at 10050 16th St. N. in a building formerly housed by European tech company Oerlikon USA.

Draper is a Massachusetts firm that makes tiny machines for biomedical and defense products. State and local officials lured the company to the area with $30-million worth of incentives earlier this year. Under the proposed deal, Draper is expected to open satellite offices in St. Petersburg and at the University of South Florida in Tampa, creating the new jobs plus $50-million in new research grants for the university.

"Today, we're one step closer to opening the doors to a new facility that will not only create high paying jobs at a critical time, but will also contribute to pioneering work for the future of our community, the nation and the world," said St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker in a statement.

-Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

Police: Fleeing man hides behind big-screen TV

CLEARWATER -- Police say Donta Bryant almost fooled them when he hid behind a big-screen TV Monday night after trying to run an officer down.

At first, a police officer who chased Bryant, 44, (pictured) through several streets thought he might have gone out through the window. Officers even used police dogs to search the neighborhood around the house at 909 Metto St. that he was last seen entering.

Then the officers found the St. Petersburg man they say tried to run over a police officer with his 2004 Dodge Durango during a traffic stop.

Police "went back into the residence and noticed that the large entertainment center appeared to have been moved around," police said. "The officers had to physically move a big-screen TV and found the suspect hiding behind it."

Authorities say the incident began at 8 p.m. when a police officer tried to pull Bryant over for speeding at Hart Street and Myrtle Avenue. After allegedly backing into a police cruiser, he fled the scene and led officers on a chase through the neighborhood, police said.

Bryant was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, fleeing and eluding police, driving with a suspended license, and resisting arrest.

Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer

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Four rescued after school bus crash

[Photo by Seminole Fire Rescue]

Three children and an adult were rescued from a minivan in Seminole this morning after a crash with an empty school bus, fire officials said.

The crash happened at 7:45 a.m. at Starkey Road and Flamevine Avenue. The minivan was headed north on Starkey and the bus was going west on Flamevine when the crash occurred. It was not clear how the vehicles collided or who was at fault.

The children and adult had to be extricated from the minivan after air bags deployed in the car, said Alison Shanabrook, spokeswoman for Seminole Fire Rescue. One child was taken to All Children's Hospital, and the adult in the minivan was taken to Bayfront Medical Center, both with minor injuries. The other children were treated and released.

The school bus driver was taken to St. Petersburg General Hospital with minor injuries. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.

-- Luis Perez, Times staff writer

Pair charged in Saturday's robbery in St. Petersburg

First they were shot at by the man police say they tried to rob, and now they've been charged.

Cory Jay Smith, 21, and Benjamin Roland Jones, 19, entered John's Variety Store at 208 Fourth St. N Saturday night with masks on and brandishing a pellet gun that resembled a semiautomatic, police said. The would-be robbers demanded cash. That's when store owner John Silva ducked under the counter and grabbed a .380-caliber handgun he calls Betsy.

The men fled as Silva squeezed off three rounds. Smith was stopped soon after on Central Avenue; Jones was found hiding in Mirror Lake, where he got a minor bite from a police dog.

Police do not believe Smith and Jones, both from St. Petersburg, are the men responsible for two convenience store robberies last week in which clerks, both brothers, were shot despite cooperating. Smith and Jones don't match the descriptions of the robbers in those cases and used a different weapon, police said.

Neither man has a prior robbery arrest, though Jones was on probation for auto theft. They were charged with armed robbery.

Will Van Sant, Times staff writer

It's beginning to look a lot like ...

Signs of the Christmas season are showing up all over town. Exhibit A: the St. Petersburg Santa Parade Saturday in downtown St. Pete. Above, St. Petersburg resident Can San Trantow dances with this little angel, daughter Shiva Eickermann, 4, while waiting for the parade to begin. Shiva was part of the Garden Crest Christian Academy nativity scene parade float. Can San said of Shiva's first parade experience, "She couldn't eat breakfast because she was so excited." Below, Pete Powers, center holds onto Sunshine as he sits on the Florida Poodle  Rescue Organization float before the parade began. There are 25 poodles available for adoption, according to the organization. [KAINAZ AMARIA | Times]

Store owner shoots at would-be robbers

Officer investigates at the attempted robbery scene. [CHRIS ZUPPA | Times]. Click to enlarge photo.

ST. PETERSBURG -- The owner of a St. Petersburg convenience store said he fired at two men who tried to rob his store Saturday night.

John Silva (left), owner of John’s Variety store at 208 Fourth St. N, told the St. Petersburg Times he was inside his store at around 8 p.m. when the robbery occurred.

His message to those who would rob him: "Don't mess with me."

Police confirmed shots were fired at the store, but did not say who did the shooting.

Two men fled the store along nearby Mirror Lake, chased by police and K-9 units. One of them jumped into the lake, pursued by a police dog. He was captured and taken to the hospital because he may have been bitten by a police dog, police said.

The other man also was caught. Police were waiting for witnesses to confirm the two men were the suspects who tried to rob the store.

Phyllis Lloyd said she was on the porch of a nearby residential hotel when she heard the shots. Lloyd, 49, said she knows Silva and spoke with him after the shooting.

"I knew that was gunshots. I knew it was. It’s just unbelievable." she said.

It was unknown if the two men in custody had any connection to the recent convenience store shootings in St. Petersburg.

Silva is unlikely to face any charges in the incident, according to St. Petersburg Police Lt. N. Patterson.

Check back at tampabay.com for further developments in this story.

- Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

Map: Armed robberies took place on Monday at Star Deli on 5th Avenue N (1) and on Wednesday at Suhani market on Martin Luther King Jr. Street (2). The Saturday robbery attempt was at John's Variety on 4th Street N (3). [DARLA CAMERON  | Times] Click to enlarge map.

Silva talks with police officers investigating the robbery attempt. [CHRIS ZUPPA | Times] Click to enlarge photo.

• Two brothers are victims in two armed robberies in St. Petersburg stores.

Officer, doctor honored after police shooting

ST. PETERSBURG -- The St. Petersburg Police Department honored an undercover officer on Friday for his role in a shooting at a Blockbuster in April.

Police did not name the detective because of his status. He received a medal of valor and purple heart.

The officer was conducting surveillance of suspects in robberies of pharmacies when they committed an armed robbery of a Blockbuster at 5100 66 Street North, police say.

He exchanged fire with the suspects and was hit in the stomach. Medical staff in the Bayfront Medical Center Emergency Room helped to save his life from the critical injuries.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

St. Petersburg High student assaulted on walk home

ST. PETERSBURG - Police are asking for the public's help in identifying a man they say attacked a 15-year-old St. Petersburg High School student as she walked home after missing the bus.

A man was following the girl near 245 22nd Street N and trying to strike up conversation about 2:45 p.m. Thursday. Then he grabbed her and tried to drag her toward an alley. She struggled, kicked him in the groin and ran away. The girl, who was not named because of the nature of the crime, had missed the bus. Her mother found her and they called police.

Police are optimistic about finding the man, who could face a charge of false imprisonment.

"She was a smart young lady," said St. Petersburg Police spokesman Bill Doniel. "I can’t say enough about the good description that she’s given us."

Her description: An either dark-skinned white man or a light-skinned black man, well above 6 feet tall, weighing 250 to 275 pounds. He had brown eyes, short hair and a mustache. He was riding a red and black bike and had a large brown and white dog on a leash. He was wearing black pants, a gray T-shirt and a silver baseball cap.

Doniel gave these tips for people in a similar circumstance:

If someone is following you in a car, turn around and walk the other way. They likely can't turn around as quickly. If someone is following you on foot, go to a business or get the attention of another person who can call for help. Never walk toward a less-populated or less-visible area.

Anyone with information is asked to call Joe Bross, Crimes Against Children Unit, (727) 893-4979 or the Police Communication Center at (727) 893-7780.

Stephanie Garry, Times staff writer

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Fire destroys garage but spares triplex

ST. PETERSBURG -- Fire destroyed three cars in a garage attached to a triplex tonight, but a cement block firewall left the homes unscathed.

The fire started about 8:20 p.m. at 3123 39th St. S. and firefighters were still putting out hotspots about an hour later. Lt. Joel Granata of St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue said flames were shooting through the roof and the fire persisted because of the electronics, motors and wires in the cars. He added that firefighters still haven't been able to get inside or determine the cause of the blaze.

All three residents were home at the time, but were unhurt. Granata said they were drinking wine outside, waiting for the work to wrap up. He said their homes are fine to live in.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

Store clerk shot two nights after brother is shot

[EDMUND D. FOUNTAIN | Times]

St. Petersburg police investigate a shooting at the Suhani convenience store on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Street N. Click to enlarge photo.

ST. PETERSBURG — The owner of a convenience store was shot during a robbery Wednesday night, just two days after his brother was shot during a similar robbery at a St. Petersburg deli.

Indravadan Patel, 46, was shot during a holdup at his store at 2539 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N. The store, which is now called Suhani, was well-known for years as MaNNY’s before Patel bought it in 2005.

Police said Patel was taken to Bayfront Medical Center in stable condition and was talking when he arrived. In fact, police said Patel told them that his brother had been in Room 203.

On Monday night, Narendra Patel was shot during a robbery at his store, Star Deli, 2451 Fifth Ave. N. He was released from the hospital Wednesday.

“That’s two family members in three days. That’s just too much of a coincidence,” said Janmejay Patel, the son of Narendra Patel. “It just doesn’t seem safe to run a small business now.”

Police hadn’t made arrests in either shooting late Wednesday night. Police said they hadn’t determined if the robberies are related.

“Who knows? Robberies this time of year pick up,” said St. Petersburg police Lt. Mike Kovacsev. “You get things like this happening.”

The Patel family rushed to the convenience store Wednesday night after the shooting. A woman among them was wearing pajama bottoms.

Police said the holdup occurred about 10:15 p.m. Family members said Patel was cooperating with the robber when he was shot. His brother also cooperated with his attacker Monday but was shot anyway.

Police didn’t release a detailed description of the robber, but said he may have had an accomplice. They were reviewing a surveillance tape early today.

Patel bought the well-known store from Manny Bonotan, who had run one of the few independent gas stations in the county. The store had become an icon in the city, and Patel promised to run it much the same when he took over.

“We’ll have cheaper gas prices than the brand stores. Just like before,” he told the St. Petersburg Times in 2006.

Patel named the store Suhani after his daughter.

“It’s upsetting because you have a businessman just struggling to make a living and then something like this happens,” said Tim Rinker, who owns the barbershop next door to Suhani.

Rinker heard about the shooting and came to the store. He said his employees often shop there, while Patel comes to his place for haircuts.

“Before anybody else gets hurt we want to catch these guys,” Janmejay Patel said. “This is not funny any more. This is very scary.”

Police are asking anyone with information about the robberies to call 727-893-7780.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

Photo: Janmejay Patel, 27, watches over the scene at the Suhani convenience store after his uncle was shot there about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. His father was shot in a similar incident on Monday. "The American dream is not the American dream anymore," he said referring to the dangers of operating a business such as a gas station. "Nobody wants to own a small business." Click to enlarge photo.

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

Followup: Readers respond to unemployed single mom's story

At least six people want to interview Annie Lesso for a job. Dozens more want to donate money to her and help her give her kids Christmas. Others want to give her advice.

Dozens of readers reacted to Lesso's story, which appeared in the St. Petersburg Times Friday, and detailed her plight trying to get a job in the current economy.

Lesso, a 45-year-old widow, was laid off Oct. 1 from her job as an airline manager. She has sent out 200 resumes and has not received one reply.

"There have been many articles in the Times that I wanted to respond to and offer some assistance,'' wrote Sandi Ford of St. Petersburg. "I had to respond to this one because it hit so close to home. I have been a single working mother most of my adult life and have been laid off twice so I know what Annie Lesso is going through. I felt exactly the way she does - that my faith would get me through - and it did.''

Several said they might have a job opportunity for Lesso. One paramedic company wanted to interview her for a management position that paid $45,000, the same amount she was making before she was laid off.

Another wanted to talk to her about a new career. "Your story about Annie Lesso was compelling and made me cry,'' wrote Lynne Herrick of Valrico, a district sales manager at American Family Life Assurance Co. "I have been a single mom and know the emotional strain it can put on you, knowing you are the provider of your children and yet through all of this she relies on God and is reaching out to others in her church. What an amazing woman!''

Related content:

Lesso's struggles show job crisis is far-reaching

Let's Talk: Are you coping with job loss?

Find thousands of listings in tampabay.com's Jobs sections

Leanora LaPeter Anton, Times staff writer

[Photo: Cherie Diez, Times]

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Police asking for tips in blow-dart shootings

ST. PETERSBURG - Police say two people have been victims of blow-dart shootings recently and the department is looking for information in the cases.

The first incident happened about 4:15 p.m. Monday. A 43-year-old man was riding a bike south of the intersection of Fourth Avenue N and 70th Street when he felt an object hit him. He saw a white, compact car driving away from the area. When he got home, he found a metal dart in his shirt. It didn't penetrate his skin.

Thursday, a 14-year-old boy was walking his dog about 5:30 p.m. in the 7200 block of 13th Avenue N when he felt an object strike him and saw a car with the same description. He suffered a minor injury from the metal blow dart.

Anyone with information about the car or suspects can call Detective Shannon Douglas at (727) 893-4963.

Stephanie Garry, Times staff writer

[Photo: St. Petersburg Police Department]

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Fire burns house in St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG -- Three people lost their home when a fire damaged a house at 1500 7th St. S. tonight.

About 7:45 p.m., firefighters extinguished a blaze on a single-story wood frame house. Smoke and water damaged the entire building. There was no working smoke alarm in the house.

Paramedics treated one occupant at the scene but no one was taken to the hospital. St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue estimated the damage at about $50,000. The American Red Cross helped three adults find temporary housing.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

Armed man robs St. Petersburg bank

ST. PETERSBURG -- A man produced a handgun and took off with cash in a robbery of the Florida Bank at 3065 34th Street North about 2 p.m. today.

Police described the robber as a Hispanic man, about 20 to 30 years old, who wore a khaki work shirt over a dark green long sleeve shirt, a khaki hat, sunglasses and stonewashed black jeans. Investigators say he took off on foot.

The man matched the description of a man suspected in several other Pinellas County bank robberies.

Anyone with information is asked to call the non-emergency number at 727-893-7780 or the Robbery unit at 727-893-7179.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

Planning Council votes against Tierra Verde annexation

St. Petersburg lacks the capacity to provide municipal services to Tierra Verde, according to the Pinellas Planning Council. The 13-member elected body on Thursday voted against a city report that states that St. Petersburg can service North Tierra Verde under its proposed annexation agreement.

The Planning Council’s vote was mostly symbolic and will not legally prevent the City Council from approving the annexation Friday as planned.

“It’s just basically, this is what people in the community think of what you are doing,” said Brian Smith, the county’s planning director.

Related content:

Howard Troxler: Misusing power in St. Pete

Map: See which area is being considered for annexation

Letter: County commissioner wants city to wait

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Man, son not hurt in car fire

ST. PETERSBURG -- A car caught fire at 18th Avenue S and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street about 4 p.m. today, but the owner and his 4-year-old son escaped unharmed.

Kenneth Powell, of St. Petersburg, said the car caught fire while he was driving, said St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue spokesman Lt. Joel Granata. Crews found a car with an engine compartment fire when they arrived.

The intersection was blocked for about half an hour.

Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

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[Photo: St Petersburg Fire and  Rescue]

Police: Man tried to rape prostitute at gunpoint

ST. PETERSBURG -- A man refused to pay a prostitute and pointed a gun at her in an attempt to rape her, police say. He then drove his truck toward her, according to jail records.

Scott Allen Curran, 43, was arrested on charges of sexual battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and grand theft of a firearm.

Police say Curran arranged to pay for sex with the victim at 2929 Central Ave. about 10 p.m. Tuesday, then refused to pay and pointed a gun at her inside his Chevrolet Silverado. When she escaped, he drove after her with the truck, police said.

When police arrived, they found Curran sitting on the ground with his pants unbuttoned. Police found a .32-caliber pistol and a .38-caliber pistol in his truck. One was found to have been stolen.

Curran was booked into the Pinellas County Jail early this morning; bail was set at $70,000. Records show his criminal history in Florida is limited to a 1983 charge of carrying a concealed weapon.

Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

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Driver dies after losing control on I-275 off-ramp

ST. PETERSBURG -- A 28-year-old St. Petersburg man died early this morning after being thrown from an out-of-control vehicle that rolled off an Interstate 275 exit, according to Florida Highway Patrol records.

Leif Nissen had just left the Howard Frankland Bridge and was getting off southbound I-275 at the Fourth Street N exit about 3:09 a.m. when the accident took place, according to an FHP accident report.

He was driving a 2003 BMW M3 that crossed onto the grass of the south shoulder, the report said. The right front tire blew out, and the driver lost control.

The vehicle crossed back onto the ramp and then drove off the north shoulder, spun out of control, struck a guardrail, went down an embankment, crashed into bushes and trees, then overturned and struck a palm tree.

The driver was thrown from the vehicle, the report said, and died of his injuries at the scene. He was not wearing his seat belt, according to the FHP report. The investigation is continuing.

Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer

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Body found in rear of car after crash

A St. Petersburg Police Department investigator takes measurements near the burned wreck of a Pontiac Firebird involved in an accident this morning at 22nd Avenue S and 22nd Street S. [LUIS PEREZ | Times]
View more photos

St. Petersburg firefighters battling a fiery two-vehicle crash early this morning made a grim discovery: a human body inside the back of one of the cars.

The crash happened about 2 a.m., when a tan Chevrolet Suburban headed west on 22nd Avenue S struck the side of a white Pontiac Firebird headed south on 22nd Street S. The Firebird was pushed 50 feet from the point of impact, where it knocked down a utility pole and caught fire. The Suburban came to rest upside down a block away. Debris from the crash was spread across the area of the crash, including a brightly colored racing jacket. Investigators think excessive speed contributed to the accident.

Emergency responders found the body in the rear area of the burning Firebird, a car with a hatchback and no trunk. St. Petersburg police Lt. Lorri Borrelli said that wasn't necessarily a sign of foul play. "An unrestrained passenger can certainly end up anywhere," she said. Police think the body may belong the car's driver. They speculated that the person may have been trying to escape the car. The body is badly burned and may take days or weeks to identify, police said. It was not immediately clear how the person died.

Pedestrian injured in Central Avenue hit-and-run

ST. PETERSBURG -- A pedestrian was struck and injured early this morning by a mini-van that sped off without stopping, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department. Now officers are looking for help finding the driver.

Eddie Teartt Jr., 21, was taken to Bayfront Medical Center where he was reported in stable condition, police say. He was crossing the 2300 block of Central Avenue about 1:49 a.m. when he was hit, according to police.

The pedestrian was standing in the center of the road and waiting for westbound traffic to clear, according to police, when an eastbound blue mini-van approached.

The minivan passed another vehicle in the eastbound lane, crossed the solid yellow line dividing the lanes, and hit Teartt. The unidentified male driver of the minivan did not stop.

Anyone with information about the hit-and-run is asked to call the St. Petersburg Police Department at (727) 893-7780.

Jamal Thalji, Times staff writer

Fire damages garage apartment

ST. PETERSBURG -- A fire damaged an upstairs bedroom apartment in St. Petersburg just after 10 p.m. Thursday night.

The apartment at 765-H 22nd Ave. S was on fire when firefighters arrived, said Lt. Joel Granata of St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue. The flames were confined to one bedroom, but smoke damage affected the rest of the apartment. There was no working smoke alarm in the apartment.

No one was home, and no injuries were reported.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

St. Pete detective quits before she's fired

ST. PETERSBURG -- Detective Leticia Harrison resigned this morning before the St. Petersburg Police Department could fire the 16-year veteran for conduct unbecoming an officer.

The department could not substantiate the most serious allegations made against Harrison in February: that she accompanied her husband on a trip to obtain drugs. Harrison, a tipster told police, was to use her badge to shield Marvin Wedderburn from potential trouble.

Both Harrison and Wedderburn denied those allegations, according to a police memo released today, and no "independent" information could be found that supported such allegations.

But during that investigation, the memo said, the department's own surveillance of Harrison revealed several instances of "inappropriate conduct."

The most serious allegation concerns a convicted felon who in 2007 moved in with Harrison: Audra Howard, convicted of a 1993 armed robbery. In June, narcotics detectives searched their home and found a small amount of marijuana and a 38-caliber handgun.

Harrison denied knowing the marijuana was in her home, the memo said, but said she knew Howard kept a gun in the house -- essentially, the officer admitted she knew she was living with a felon breaking the law.

The memo also showed that while under surveillance, Harrison's fellow officers saw her speeding in her unmarked police cruiser while on and off duty; spending "extensive" time outside the city while on duty; twice parking her police vehicle in handicapped spaces; and once activating her emergency lights -- to get to lunch.

Chief Charles "Chuck" Harmon said Harrison apologized for her conduct this morning before the chain of command board met to decide her fate. Harrison, a mother of three, had been suspended with pay since July.

"She was apologetic for hanging around the wrong people," Harmon said.

But her fate was already sealed: "I reached the conclusion that, had she not resigned," Harmon said, "she would have been terminated."

Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer

*

After shooting, officer back on patrol, but not in same area

ST. PETERSBURG — Officer Terrence Nemeth, who shot and killed a teenager in June, is back on the streets, but no longer patrolling the area where Javon Dawson died.

Why?

“I made that decision because it was in the best interests of Officer Nemeth and the community,” said St. Petersburg police Chief Charles “Chuck” Harmon.

Nemeth was helping to clear hundreds of teens overflowing from a graduation party the night of June 7 when he spotted Dawson firing into a crowd. Nemeth said the 17-year-old took aim at him. The second-year officer shot and killed Dawson on Freemont Terrace S.

Since then Nemeth has been cleared by every official agency that has investigated the shooting.

The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s Office called it “justifiable homicide.” The Florida Department of Law Enforcement agreed. And on Nov. 3, the St. Petersburg Police Department decided Nemeth violated none of its policies in the shooting.

Nemeth, a Northeast High graduate who served in Iraq with the Marines, was on desk duty since August. Harmon returned Nemeth to road patrol on Nov. 4, but not to his old patrol area in the southeast corner of the city where Dawson died and where some activists still bitterly dispute the official version of events.

Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer

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Man suffers minor burns in house fire

ST. PETERSBURG -- A man suffered flash burns to his face after sparks lit fireworks in his garage.

Robert Leigh, 65, was grinding down a metal piece on a new garage door when sparks jumped onto fireworks and lit the garage on fire, said St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue spokesman Lt. Joel Granata. Leigh was treated by paramedics at the scene.

The fire burned the garage and a loft above it at Leigh's house at 4058 40th Ave. N. A woman was also in the house at the time, but she was not injured.

Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

[Photo: Dirk Shadd, Times]

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Driver accused of drunkenly ramming police car

ST. PETERSBURG -- The first clue that Robert Joseph Costie may have been drinking and driving early Monday morning: the crushed rear end of a St. Petersburg police cruiser.

Costie's 2004 Honda crashed into the back of that marked police car, authorities say, while the officer was stopped at a red light around 3:20 a.m. Monday at Gandy Boulevard and Fourth Street N.

Costie then performed poorly on field-sobriety tests, police said. He had a blood-alcohol level of 0.175 and 0.181 -- more than twice the level, 0.08, at which Florida presumes a driver is impaired.

The 27-year-old Costie, of 501 116th Ave. N, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of DUI. The report did not disclose whether the officer driving the cruiser was injured.

Jamal Thalji, Times staff writer

[Photo: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]

*

Fire out, but condo tower unlivable for now

[Laura Chapin, Special to the Times]

TREASURE ISLAND -- The call came in at 3:54 p.m. today as a kitchen fire on the fourth floor of the Blind Pass Lagoon condominium tower overlooking Boca Ciega Bay.

Firefighters weren't even on scene yet they when called in the second alarm, according to Treasure Island fire Chief Charles Fant. That's how much black smoke was already billowing out of the building.

By the time firefighters from seven agencies had contained and then extinguished the apartment fire at 9825 Harrell Ave. 30 minutes later, it was a three-alarm fire with 22 units on scene from Treasure Island, St. Pete Beach, South Pasadena, Madeira Beach, Gulfport and St. Petersburg.

No injuries were reported, but the 14-unit, five-story tower is unlivable tonight. Apartment 402 is a total loss, and water damaged some units on the third floor below. Power and water had to be cut off. There were 13 residents in all who had to be evacuated, but the Red Cross is here to help the handful who need lodging tonight.

Firefighters accomplished their most important task: to keep the fire from spreading to other units. It wasn't easy, the chief reported, especially with the sliding glass doors in the rear of the apartment open, fanning the smoke in the front of the building.

"Every time the guys tried to get in there," Fant said, "they got thick black smoke blowing at them."

Firefighters haven't had a chance to examine the scene for a cause of the fire. The investigation will continue in daylight on Tuesday.

Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer

*

Brother accused of stabbing brother

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police say an argument between Donte Latron Denmark and his brother early Sunday morning ended with blood being spilled.

Denmark (left), 30, was arrested Sunday on a charge of attempted domestic homicide. Police say he stabbed his brother three times about 5 to 10 minutes after the two argued earlier.

The stabbing was at 9:25 a.m. at Denmark's address, 5899 Grove St., a police report states. Denmark used a 5-inch steak knife, the report said, which he plunged through the palm of his brother's left hand; then Denmark stuck the knife in the upper left side of his brother's torso; then he slashed and cut the side of his brother's right hand.

The victim was not identified but survived the attack and was hospitalized in unknown condition Sunday. Other family members told police they saw Denmark with the knife. Denmark admitted arguing with his brother but denied stabbing him, police said.

He is being held in the Pinellas County jail without bail.

Jamal Thalji, Times staff writer

[Photo: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]

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Anthrax hoax redux at St. Petersburg Times?

ST. PETERSBURG -- The St. Petersburg Times appears to be the victim -- yet again -- of the same anthrax hoax that hit the newspaper and more than 120 other media outlets last week.

For the second time in two weeks, a package labeled "Anthrax" was discovered in a piece of mail sent to the Times building at 490 1st Ave. S. The latest package was opened this afternoon on the third floor newsroom and appears to be similar to the fake package that was received on Oct. 29.

The package contained a compact disc with a picture of former Secretary of State Colin Powell on it and was titled, “Anthrax Shock and Awe Terror.” A packet of sugar — relabeled “Anthrax sample” and stamped with a biohazard symbol — was taped to the CD.

Contained on the CD are the writings of Marc M. Keyser (pictured), 66, who was arrested last week at his Sacramento home by the FBI on three counts of mailing a hoax letter in connection with the fake anthrax mailings. Federal authorities say he left his name and address on several of the mailings.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue sealed up last week's package and sent it to the University of South Florida for testing. St. Petersburg police officers are interviewing witnesses now, and paramedics are on their way to the Times building to examine the staffer who opened this latest mailing -- just in case.

Jamal Thalji, Times staff writer

[Photo: AP Photo/The Sacramento Bee]

*

St. Petersburg police clear officer in Dawson shooting

ST. PETERSBURG -- As expected, the St. Petersburg Police Department has ruled that one of its own officers was justified when he shot an armed 17-year-old Gibbs High School student outside a chaotic graduation party this past summer.

"Officer Terrence Nemeth was justified in the use of his department-issued firearm," wrote Chief Charles "Chuck" Harmon in a memo today wrapping up the myriad of investigations into the June death of 17-year-old Javon Dawson.

Nemeth was one of several police officers summoned to 3101 Freemont Terrace S. to clear out an out-of-control graduation party that had swelled to hundreds of uninvited guests, according to the report.

The internal police investigation dovetailed with the findings of Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe: that an armed Dawson had shot into a crowd of teens the night of June 7, then aimed his weapon at the officer as he ran.

Nemeth said he heard screams in the crowd, then saw muzzle flashes. The officer said he armed himself with his department-issued Glock pistol and started ordering an individual to drop their weapon. Nemeth said Dawson looked over his shoulder and pointed a gun at the officer as he ran from the scene.

The officer said he fired, hitting Dawson. Then Nemeth said Dawson raised a gun at him again. The officer said he fired again, hitting the teen a second time.

The officer said Dawson ran onto the driveway of 3167 Freemont Terrace S., threw the gun down, then tripped in the yard and fell. Paramedics could not revive Dawson, a sophomore at Gibbs High who had no arrest record. He was pronounced dead at 11:05 p.m.

McCabe's Aug. 12 report declared Dawson's shooting "justifiable homicide" in part based on forensic evidence linking the .38 special found at the scene to Dawson.

A Florida Department of Law Enforcement review of McCabe's investigation -- a controversial and unusual request initiated by Gov. Charlie Crist -- backed up the prosecutor's report on Oct. 6.

Today's Shooting Review Board report, which consists of the chief and five other officers, is the last official report awaited in the 17-year-old's death. Police will soon releases thousands of pages of supporting documentation.

But despite the hundreds of people in the area of the shooting, investigators have struggled to find eyewitness accounts other than Nemeth's. The officer's statement is the only "complete" account of what happened that night, according to the State Attorney's report.

But one witness did report seeing Dawson with a firearm that night, and another said they saw Dawson fire shots that night.

"There was no credible evidence presented to the board which conflicted with Officer Nemeth's testimony," according to the chief's memo. "In fact, all forensic evidence and much of the sworn testimony from other witnesses supported Officer Nemeth's sworn testimony."

But Dawson's family and their supporters disagree with all the official findings. Dawson's family denies he was armed, and the Justice for Javon Dawson Committee and the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement have protested against the official findings.

Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer

*

Police: St. Petersburg woman injured in dispute over drugs

A 26-year-old St. Petersburg woman was injured during a shooting outside a gas station early this morning.

The incident occurred outside a Chevron station at 101 34th St. S at 6:14 a.m., police said.

Police spokesman Bill Proffitt said the victim, Kyla Marie O'Keife, 26, and an unidentified man had arrived at the gas station to confront another man who had allegedly sold O'Keife drugs Sunday.

The two began arguing with the third man, Trevor Lee Platt, 29, of St. Petersburg, when he pointed a gun at them. All three began wrestling for the gun, Proffitt said.

One shot went off, alerting a police cruiser in the area to the disruption. When police got there, the three people were fighting on the ground, authorities said.

O'Keife had a laceration on her head, but police were not sure whether that was caused by the gun or by her hitting the ground. The two men were not seriously injured.

O'Keife was arrested on cocaine possession, while Platt was arrested for aggravated assault.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

*

Truck slams into building, no one seriously hurt

ST. PETERSBURG -- A pickup slammed into the King's Rest Motel at 7330 4th St. N. this evening, but no one was seriously injured, according to St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue.

Initial reports suggest that the truck swerved off 4th Street, where it was traveling south, to avoid a mother and child in a stroller as they crossed the street about 7 p.m. The truck hit the end of the one-story motel, causing significant damage to an unoccupied room.

Driver Tammy Skidmore, 41, and passenger Barbara Raburn, 59, were taken to Bayfront Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries.

Fire officials cut the power to that portion of the building and two guests were relocated.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

Two crashes leave people injured

ST. PETERSBURG -- Traffic investigators were looking into two serious crashes that happened in St. Petersburg Monday night.

The first incident happened at 7:35 p.m. when a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle at Fourth Street North and 75th Avenue, according to St. Petersburg police dispatchers. Another incident happened around 8:41 p.m. when a motorcyclist struck a pole in the area of 1-275 N and Roosevelt Blvd. Details of the crashes were not available.

The pedestrian and the motorcyclist were both transported to Bayfront Medical Center with serious injuries.

~ Nicole Hutcheson, Times Staff Writer

Police search for hit-and-run driver

St. Petersburg police are searching for the driver of a sport utility vehicle that struck and killed a pedestrian Saturday afternoon.

The victim was identified as Roy G. Solomon, 56, of 4629 46th Ave. N. He was pronounced dead at Bayfront Medical Center, police said.

At 10:04 p.m. Saturday, Solomon was crossing east to west on Martin Luther King Street S near the intersection of 22nd Avenue S. when a 1999 Mercedes Benz SUV struck him and knocked him to the ground.

Solomon was in the pedestrian walkway and had the right of way, police said.

The driver fled the scene, but police later found the car behind 647 28th Ave. S. Police said they did not immediately know the identity of the driver.

Anyone with information can call the St. Petersburg police tip line at (727) 892-5000.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

*

Man darts into street, is struck by car

A St. Petersburg pedestrian was seriously injured by an automobile after he darted into a road Friday afternoon.

Brian Skelly, 40, was listed in critical condition at Bayfront Medical Center on Saturday afternoon, according to police. A hospital spokeswoman said Monday that Skelly was not a patient in the hospital.

Skelly was walking north on the east sidewalk of Park Street N near the intersection of 24th Avenue N at 7:40 a.m. when he tried to cross the street and was struck by a 1989 Grand Marquis, police said.

The car, going north on Park Street, was driven by Eric. E. Anderson, 17, of St. Petersburg.

Anderson and a passenger in his car were not injured. The driver was not charged.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

*

St. Petersburg police investigate shooting

St. Petersburg police are investigating a shooting that occurred in the Big Bayou neighborhood just after midnight.

Officers responded to a person shot at 330 Indiana Court S at 12:01 a.m. Once there, they found Jeremiah C. Powell, 20, of St. Petersburg, shot once in his upper torso, police said.

Powell was listed in critical condition at an area hospital. There were no suspects in the shooting.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

*

Pedestrian killed crossing street was homeless woman

A pedestrian who was struck and killed while crossing Fourth Street N on Sunday evening has been identified as a homeless person, police said.

Linda Carey, 51, (pictured) was pronounced dead at Bayfront Medical Center at 2:15 a.m. Monday. Police said Carey's last known address was a Salvation Army shelter.

According to police, the incident happened as Carey was crossing Fourth Street N at 17th Avenue N at 10:54 p.m.

Nikola Uzelac, 22, of 107 75th Ave. N, was headed south on Fourth Street N. Police said Uzelac's 1988 Chevy Camaro struck Carey on her right side, knocking her to the ground.

No charges were announced against Uzelac. The incident remains under investigation.

[Photo: St. Petersburg police]

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

*

Shooting leaves man in critical condition

St. Petersburg police are investigating a shooting that left a 23-year-old man in critical condition Sunday.

Cortez D. Nolton, of 4955 37th St. N, remains hospitalized at Bayfront Medical Center.

Nolton was found face down in front of 1702 Newark St. S at 9:55 p.m.

There are no suspects and no motives in the shooting.

Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer

*

St. Petersburg pedestrian struck, killed by car

A pedestrian crossing Fourth Street N on Sunday evening was struck and killed by a motorist, police said.

The victim, who has not been identified pending family notification, was pronounced dead at Bayfront Medical Center at 2:15 a.m. this morning.

According to police, the incident happened as the woman was crossing 17th Avenue N at 10:54 p.m.

Nikola Uzelac, 22, of 107 75th Ave. N, was headed south on Fourth Avenue N. Police said Uzelac's 1988 Chevy Camaro struck the pedestrian on her right side, knocking her to the ground.

No charges were announced against Uzelac. The incident remains under investigation.

Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer

*

St. Petersburg driver dies in single-car crash

A St. Petersburg man was killed in a single-car wreck early Monday, St. Petersburg police said.

The accident occurred at 1:25 a.m. on the 1200 block of 40th Avenue NE.

Donald Walters Mohyla, 38, of 1473 45th Ave. NE, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said Mohyla was driving a 2004 Kia east on 40th Avenue when the vehicle drifted onto the north curb and hit a palm tree in front of 1325 40th Ave. NE.

Mohyla's airbag deployed, but he was not wearing a seat belt, said police spokesman George Kajtsa.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

*

Motorcyclist dies after running red light

A Pinellas Park man was struck and killed by a taxi late Saturday after he ran his motorcycle through a red light, according to St. Petersburg police.

Mark E. Simpson, 20, was driving his 2005 Yamaha south on 4th Street N about 10:30 p.m. when he went through a red light at 22nd Avenue N and collided with a 1999 Ford Crown Victoria, police said.

The Ford was a United Cab. Simpson was taken to Bayfront Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight. The cab driver, 50-year-old Michael Morrow of St. Petersburg was not injured.

Will Van Sant, Times staff writer

St. Pete creates 'clean zone' for World Series

ST. PETERSBURG -- If the Rays make it to the World Series, say goodbye to T-shirt hawkers outside the Trop.

The City Council today unanimously approved an emergency ordinance creating a "clean zone'' around Tropicana Field if the Tampa Bay Rays make it to the World Series. The zone is from Eighth to 19th streets and from First Avenue N to Sixth Avenue S.

The zone bans unapproved signs and the sale of counterfeit T-shirts. Any outdoor activity must be conducted in a white tent. It also limits the colors vendors can use on their signs and how people sell food and alcohol.

"What we are trying to do is present a constant look, if you will, in that district," said Kevin Dunn, the city's special projects manager.

Ammonia leak in St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG – An ammonia leak at a seafood business Saturday night prompted emergency officials to close down streets and businesses and ask nearby residents to stay in their homes.

No injuries were reported and the leak was clamped after about two hours.

The leak occurred about 8:10 p.m. at Key West Fresh and Frozen Seafood, 333 14th Ave. S. St. Petersburg police officers and firefighters summoned to the scene could see a cloud of gas coming from the building and reported a strong ammonia odor in the area.

A 9-mph wind pushed the ammonia, which can cause breathing difficulties, into nearby neighborhoods. Officials didn’t order any evacuations, but used the reverse-911 system to alert residents to stay in their homes and close their doors and windows.

The area affected was bounded by 15th Avenue S and 22nd Avenue S, east of 4th Street S, including the Tropical Shores neighborhood. The area has since been reopened.

Police also closed a number of nearby streets as firefighters set up a command center at Fourth Street and 15th Avenue S. Officials asked a nearby Wendy’s and McDonald’s to shut down, which they did.

“There is a danger in the immediate vicinity,” said Bill Jolley, assistant chief with St. Petersburg Fire Rescue.

Firefighters waited until the building owner arrived on scene, then entered the business to stop the leak about 10:25 p.m., Jolley said.

-- Andrew DeLong, Times Staff Writer

TooJay's closes its BayWalk store

TooJay’s Gourmet Deli at BayWalk has closed, shutting its doors Monday night. Tuesday morning, phone calls to the downtown St. Petersburg location were being routed to the chain’s Clearwater facility.

TooJay’s president William Korenbaum said the decision to close was not made lightly.

“We have not closed a store in long time,’’ he said by phone from his West Palm Beach office.

“I think in all honesty, it’s sort of a combination of the erosion in the customer traffic in the center and the overall economic climate that we’re all facing,’’ he said.

The facility also “faced numerous challenges’’ with the downtown location, he said.

Korenbaum said he “would entertain down the road’’ a different location for another TooJay’s in St. Petersburg, if the right opportunity presented itself and economic conditions improved.

The BayWalk restaurant had about 40 employees. “That’s the toughest part,’’ Korenbaum said.

“I want to compliment and thank the management team and staff members who worked enthusiastically despite the obstacles they have faced over the last six to nine months. We have other stores in the market, and we tried to make opportunities for as many of the staff as we could accommodate.’’

TooJay’s has 24 stores in Florida, with new ones opening in Melbourne and Gainesville and another being planned for Lakeland.

-- WAVENEY ANN MOORE

Police investigate St. Petersburg home invasion

St. Petersburg police said a 22-year-old man was held at gunpoint and pistol-whipped inside his home Monday evening.

The incident happened at 7:35 p.m. at 3472 14th Ave. S, police said.

James Ward was home alone, police said, when three to four men entered through an unlocked door. One of them was armed with a rifle, and others had handguns. The man holding the rifle pointed it at Ward and demanded money, police spokesman George Kajtsa said.

The suspects then searched the victim and ransacked his home. They struck Ward with their firearms and their fists before leaving with a small amount of money.

Ward saw them flee in a white vehicle. Anyone with information can call police at (727) 892-5000.

Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer

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St. Petersburg police seek gunman who shot at Hummer

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police are on the lookout for a gunman who fired two shots at a parked car Monday afternoon, striking and wounding a passenger.

The victim, Christopher Dustin Keseleski, 25, was not seriously hurt.

The gunman was among a group of four men who approached a Hummer that was parked in front of 1926-1/2 28th Ave. N about 3:40 p.m., police spokesman George Kajtsa said.

Keseleski, sitting in the front passenger seat, told police he was dropping off his father at a friend's house when the gunman ordered him out of the car. When he refused, the man fired a gun at the Hummer several times, striking Keseleski twice in the upper torso. The victim's girlfriend was also in the car.

Keseleski was treated at an area hospital for injuries not thought to be life threatening. No one else was injured.

Kajtsa said the gunman is being sought on attempted homicide charges.

Anyone with information can call police at (727) 892-5000.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

*

Stolen car pulled from canal

This Dodge Durango was pulled from a canal near Little Bayou in Coquina Key around noon Sunday. Authorities said that the car was stolen last week. There was no body in the vehicle but keys were still in the ignition. [Boyzell Hosey | Times]

St. Petersburg's Saturday Market returns, in a new location

ST. PETERSBURG — If you really want to find the essence of a place, there’s no better way than to taste it. So there was Charleen McGrath on Saturday, standing in a booth full of honey jars and sampling a spoonful of West Central Florida.

A California transplant, this was McGrath’s first trip to St. Petersburg’s Saturday market, which re-opened Saturday in a new spot next to Al Lang Field. And what she did next sums up her take on both the honey and the market.

She stuck out the spoon for seconds.

“Next time I need to bring bags,” said McGrath, who walked to the market from her new home in the Old Northeast.

By all accounts, the market’s move from Central Avenue was a hit.

Roomier. Breezier. Maybe even greener. And thanks to the facilities at Al Lang, better bathrooms to boot.

“Last year you had to use a port-a-let,” said market regular Stephen Zsampar, 83, scrunching up his face.

The market had to move. With 6,000 to 7,000 people every Saturday, the portion of Central between 1st and 2nd street was bursting. You could still get your Amish cinnamon bread, or your heapin’ helpin’ of fish-n-grits, but you had to bump a few shoulders along the way.

“People were on top of each other,” said Helena Josephs, who was serving conch fritters and calypso cake from her stand Saturday.

The new locale means more room for wheelchairs, strollers, bicycles and pets. It will also allow the market to eventually double the number of tables and chairs for those who’d prefer to savor their lemon curd almond cookies instead of eating on the run.

Saturday’s opener had another new feature: a half-dozen “green” vendors, courtesy of a partnership between the market and the Pinellas Green Living Expo. They offered everything from drip irrigation systems to scooters that can get 100 miles per gallon.

“It wasn’t rocket science for us to come up with it,” said market director Mark Johnson. “It’s all about coming to the market ... and living a better life.”

Johnson said regulars will see another change next month: More local farmers.
“That’s one of the impacts of us finally being big enough,” he said. “Farmers say, 'It’s worth my while.’ ’’

-- Ron Matus, Times Staff Writer 

Protesters bash bailout bill

ST. PETERSBURG — Bailouts make for strange bedfellows.

President Bush and Congressional leaders, Democrat and Republican, came together in Washington D.C. Friday to support an $850 billion plan to rescue Wall Street.

And on a street corner in downtown St. Petersburg Saturday, political groups as disparate as the Uhurus and Ron Paul supporters came together to denounce it.

“Common cause,” said Lee Nash, a Ron Paul backer from Brandon. Bailout opponents are “a little bit of this, a little bit of that.”

Nash and about 40 other people gathered at Williams Park to protest the bailout, brought together by a shared view that the plan did too much for fat cats and not enough for common folk.

“We shouldn’t have to pay for their mistakes,” said Teah Michel, a social work student at the University of South Florida. She was toting a sign that told Congress and Wall Street to go do something that can’t be printed in a family newspaper.

Saturday’s participants also included members of the Green Party, St. Pete for Peace and the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign. As they marched past the Bank of America Tower to the Saturday Market, they chanted: "They stole our money, who’s to blame?/Paulson and Bush, Obama and McCain.''

“When you have 12 million children going hungry in America every year . . . the money would be better spent on them,” said Joyce McCarty, 63, who said she retired after most recently working for Rax and Chick-fil-A.

A Pew Research Center poll conducted Sept. 27-29 found 45 percent of the American public thought the bailout was the right thing to do, while 38 percent did not. The poll also found 61 percent were angry about it, 50 percent were scared and 43 percent were confused.

“While some political fallout can be expected from supporting a plan that elicits mixed reactions from many and angry protests from some,” Pew President Andrew Kohut wrote Oct. 1, “the downside political risk in not doing something seems much greater.”

-- Ron Matus, Times Staff Writer

St. Pete police bust suspected drug house

[Dirk Shadd | Times]

ST. PETERSBURG-- Police marked the end of a four-month campaign against crime in some of the city's most troubled neighborhoods with the raid of a Palmetto Park drug house this morning.

Detectives seized marijuana, crack cocaine, a cocaine press used for making crack cocaine, a TEC-9 assault pistol, a Charter Arms .44 magnum revolver, two stun guns, $1,593.00 in cash, a 1995 Chevrolet Camaro and a variety of ammunition from a small house at 2751 3rd Avenue S.

Six people were arrested on various drug-related charges: Jonathan Blue, 21,  Desmond Blue, 36, Paul Jackson, 47, Daniel Pendleton, 56, Angela Bates, 38 and Mary Leacock, 21.

Police would not say how many drugs they seized. Officers also took six pit bulls into custody.

Police watched the house for three months. Residents complained drug deals, shootings and robberies linked to the house were plaguing the neighborhood.

"People referred to it like Taco Bell," said Officer Barry Books. "People were driving by there at all hours. It was always open."

The Police Department scheduled a news conference to highlight its latest crime prevention campaign to coincide with the drug bust. As reporters, television crews and city leaders gathered near the house, officers led a handcuffed Blue into a police vehicle.

Forecast: A wet Rays celebration today

[Grounds crews work to set up the staging area for Monday's city of St. Petersburg sponsored celebration in honor of the Tampa Bay Rays. Boyzell Hosey, Times]

Better pack a poncho with those cowbells.

Rays fans heading for this afternoon's celebration at Straub Park in downtown St. Petersburg can expect at least some light rain, and possibly even light thunderstorms.

That's because this morning's clear skies will give way as rain clouds gathered in the Gulf of Mexico, propelled by southwest winds, float over Tampa Bay by 5 p.m., said Bay News 9 Meteorologist Julie Marquez.

"There's a chance of showers, and the chance of a couple of thunderstorms," Marquez said.

How much rain depends how much cloud cover is blown our way, Marquez said.

The high for today is 84 degrees.

Tonight, there is a 40 percent probability of rain for the Tampa Bay area. The likelihood of rain continues through Wednesday.

The good news: The rest of the week looks dry and less humid, Marquez said.

Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer

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Hundreds welcome Rays home

ST. PETERSBURG - Scott Young tallied up the wait: three years of stadium construction, eight more years waiting for a ball club, then 10 seasons without making it to the playoffs.

“It was 21 years in the making,” said Young, 49. “This is the biggest thing that’s ever happened on this side of the bay, sportswise.”

So when the Tampa Bay Rays filed into St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport Sunday night as the American League East champions, Young was there to meet them.

He had plenty of company.

Several hundred fans of all ages waved banners, cheered and danced while they waited for their favorite team to arrive.

They rang cowbells en masse and waved signs with messages such as “All I want is just 1 picture Evan!” and “Can anyone say ‘Hello October?”

They broke into spontaneous “Let’s go Rays” chants and jumped onto counters for a better view.

“The Rays have brought excitement back to baseball,” said Nina Morningstar, 48, of St. Petersburg.

Most fans said they planned on attending the Rays rallies scheduled this week.

Many said they intended to take advantage of the free mohawk haircuts that will be given out at Straub Park on Monday.

Michael Zabriskie, 40, of Clearwater, got his last Wednesday.

“It’s electric,” Zabriskie said of the crowd. “Even if I didn’t have a mohawk, my hair would still be standing up.”

- Rita Farlow, Times staff writer

Police say man raped woman at gunpoint

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police have arrested a man they say brutally raped a 40-year-old woman at gunpoint.

Chauncey Tyree Crawford, 25, was arrested yesterday on charges of kidnapping, aggravated battery and two counts of sexual battery.

According to arrest reports, Crawford forced the woman behind a residence near 420 1/2 15th Ave. S, raped her and beat her on the back of the head with a handgun five times, causing a cut that needed staples to close. Police say it happened on Sept. 7 about midnight.

Investigators reported that the woman and a witness identified Crawford from photos.

Crawford, who is listed by police as transient, has faced many drug charges, but these appear to be his first charges for violent offenses in Florida.

Stephanie Garry, Times staff writer

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Officer cleared in Taser incident with Red Sox fan

ST. PETERSBURG --Police officer Pat McGovern violated no rules when his Taser appeared to touch the back of a Red Sox fan's head during a Sept. 17 scuffle with police and security officers at Tropicana Field, police said today.

Officers cannot intentionally aim or fire their Taser guns at the head, but spokesman Bill Proffitt said McGovern’s superiors decided he "unintentionally'' aimed it at Chris Sciesinski.

Police say a drunk and disorderly Sciesinski tried to jump onto the field when he was tackled by security. A St. Petersburg Times photo of the skirmish in earned him minor infamy.

But police said more photos of the incident on tampabay.com show how much trouble officers had arresting an unruly Sciesinski.

"It was helpful to look at all 11 St. Petersburg Times photographs rather than just the one,'' Proffitt said, "because we knew that one photo did not tell the whole story.''

McGovern never fired the Taser and the review of his actions is standard anytime an officer draws their Taser.

-- Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer

Nearly 2,500 fugitives rounded up

TAMPA -- A statewide manhunt for Florida's most violent fugitives ended with nearly 2,500 criminals arrested, the U.S. Marshals Service announced today.

Dubbed "Operation Orange Crush," the targeted effort involved federal, state and local law enforcement officials, who identified their most dangerous fugitives and combined resources for 10 weeks to apprehend them.

"Collectively, we'll never know how many future crimes were prevented by these arrests," said U.S. Marshals Deputy Director Brian Beckwith.

Operation Orange Crush lasted from July 7 through Sept. 12. Authorities arrested 2,497 fugitives and cleared 2,943 warrants from the Panhandle to the Florida Keys.

Of those arrested, 179 fugitives were in the Tampa Bay region. The local arrests included 19 wanted on homicide charges, 52 on assault and battery charges, and 29 on weapons charges. Authorities also arrested 15 bay area fugitives charged with sex offenses.

Beckwith called the arrests a "short term solution" to apprehending absconded criminals and wants Congress to fund a permanent regional task force for Florida.

U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez secured the $2.8-million needed for Operation Orange Crush. Beckwith estimated it would take as much as $20-million to establish a permanent task force in Florida.

Martinez did not attend today's news conference. In a prepared statement, he said, "Decreasing violent crime in Florida is one of my main priorities, and I will work to ensure the U.S. Marshals continue to receive funding to expand efforts in the state."

One local fugitive who remains at large will be highlighted Saturday on America's Most Wanted. Courtenay Savage, also known as Stephanie Casio, is wanted by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office for eight attempted murder charges and resisting law enforcement. Savage is considered armed and dangerous. She once worked as a Hillsborough County detention deputy and was a reserve officer for the Tampa Police Department.

Read more about Operation Orange Crush and some of the bay area fugitives apprehended in Friday's St. Petersburg Times.

Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

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Oops! Crossword moves Rays again

Looks as if some crossword puzzle editors could use a new clue.

A few weeks back we reported that a Los Angeles Times puzzle that runs in our tbt* editions had mistakenly published "Tampa" as the correct answer to this clue: Home of the Rays.

Annnnkkkkk!!! Wrong!

On Tuesday, Tribune Media Services, which was the syndication service behind the previous gaffe, issued another puzzle with the same clue and the same answer. It was published Tuesday in the Baylink section of the St. Petersburg Times, which is an official sponsor of the Tampa Bay Rays -- who play their home games in St. Petersburg.

Adding even further irony to what many in St. Petersburg view as a slight? The second puzzle is edited by Wayne Robert Williams, a puzzle editor for Tribune who lives in Dade City.

Reached by cell phone Wednesday afternoon, Williams was apologetic but had an explanation for the five-letter answer.

"I apologize for the mistake," he said. "And clearly it is a mistake. ... I'm dumbfounded" that I did it.

He then went on to explain that in editing crosswords, the puzzle answers dictate the clues.

Since "Tampa" was the answer, he searched his personal database of clues that would match and found one that said "Devil Rays' bay." Knowing that the team had changed its name, he said, he toyed with just the clue "Rays bay." Sensing that people unfamiliar with the team wouldn't get the answer, he opted for "Home of the Rays."

"It's easy to step on a sensitive area," he acknowledged, noting that he plays golf with friends who follow the Rays, but he doesn't watch as closely.

He also noted that providing a clue for the word Tampa isn't as easy as one would expect because people across the country just don't know it well enough. In this case, he said, his editors are sending out a correction for those who might not have run the puzzle, substituting the clue, "Home of the Buccaneers."

He says he also often uses MacDill Air Force Base as a clue.   

When asked about the Los Angeles Times crossword mistake, he said he didn't edit that puzzle and that the editor for it is under an entirely different editorial operation.

As for future clues that match the word Tampa, he might consider "Baseball's Rays' bay."

Somehow, we think the folks in St. Petersburg will still be a little unhappy over that.

Anne Glover, Times staff writer

1998 Times photo of Wayne Robert Williams

*

Seminole man charged with murder

A Seminole man is being charged with murder in the death of his co-worker, a slaying that may have come after an argument over a woman, according to the Pinellas Sheriff's Office.

Abel Jiminez Totis, 23, (left) was arrested at his home at 11475 76th Ave. N early this morning. According to deputies, Totis is an undocumented immigrant born in Guatemala.

Witnesses told deputies they saw Totis repeatedly stab Bernabie Geron Gomez, 26, outside the victim's home between 8 and 9 p.m. Monday.

Gomez was taken to Bayfront Medical Center. He died there just after 11 p.m.

Detectives said the two men may have been fighting over a woman. The two men, who work at a restaurant on John's Pass, were involved in a shoving match about 4 p.m., according to deputies.

The deputies said they found the suspect's car in Madeira Beach, then found him at his home. The knife Totis allegedly used was also recovered, deputies said.

Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer

*

Three sought in Sunday home invasion in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg police are searching for three armed men involved in a Sunday morning home invasion.

The incident happened at 2 a.m. at 5522 11th St. S. No one was seriously hurt.

Kathleen Brucker, 51, and Alan Gerard Whetsel, 44, had just returned to the home when three people armed with either handguns or long-barreled guns entered through an unlocked front door, police spokesman George Kajtsa said.

One of the men demanded Brucker's purse, but Whetsel grabbed him and forced him out of the house. Another assailant struck Whetsel on the head with one of the weapons. Another grabbed Brucker as she tried to call 911 on her cell phone, Katjsa said.

The three assailants fled, discarding the cell phone nearby. Anyone with information can call police at (727) 892-5000.

Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer

*

Police investigate St. Petersburg home invasion

A 70-year-old St. Petersburg man was the victim of a late-night home invasion and robbery Friday, police said this morning.

Lovell Williams, of 40th Street S, heard knocking at his door at 11:10 p.m., St. Petersburg Police said. When he began to open the door, a man pushed it open, knocking Williams to the ground.

Williams, who told police he was expecting a visitor at the time, was not seriously injured.

The suspect, his face covered in a white towel, robbed Williams of more than $100 cash before fleeing.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call (727) 892-5000.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

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Jabil accepts $35-million incentives packages to stay put

ST. PETERSBURG -- Jabil Circuit, one of Tampa Bay's biggest high-tech employers, will build its new worldwide headquarters here and create 858 jobs in exchange for a $34.4-million incentives package from state and local officials, company officials announced today.

The news comes a day after Jabil announced it was laying off 120 workers.

The $54-million complex, which will include manufacturing, research and development facilities, will be built on Gandy Boulevard.

The biggest chunk of the $34.4-million incentive package will be paid by the state. Pinellas County will contribute about $1.7-million and the city, $12.7-million through grants, tax refunds, and road and utility improvements benefiting Jabil.

Secret negotiations to keep the company and its 1,800 jobs here began in October after Jabil announced it was looking to move, possibly out of state.

City Council members quietly approved the incentives package In July without public notice, discussion or mention of what they were voting on. It was part of the so-called consent agenda in which numerous routine items are approved all at once.

Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

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Mom jailed on manslaughter charge in infant son's April death

ST. PETERSBURG -- A 30-year-old mother was jailed Tuesday after authorities charged her with aggravated manslaughter, saying she repeatedly failed to stop severe abuses to her infant son at the hands of his older sister.

Cynthia Calleia, left, was arrested this morning on manslaughter charge stemming from a March 17, 2008, hospital visit in which she brought her infant son to All Children's Hospital.

The 4-month-old boy had an arm injury and had been crying, she told hospital staff members. 

It turns out those injuries were the result of the boy being dropped and dragged across the floor about a week earlier by his older sister, a 9-year-girl who records show has battled bouts of psychological disorders and previously threatened to kill the boy, according to court documents.

He died April 15 of a staph infection.

Investigators said Calleia left the boy in the care of his siblings while she stepped out, whether for chats with neighbors or to smoke cigarettes.

Neighbors at the Park View Apartments, a cluster of units on the 600 block of 22nd Avenue South where police say the abuses occurred, confirmed what the court records show: Cynthia was mostly absent and her daughter was in charge of the kids.

"She was always just alone, always by herself," said neighbor Stephaney Carter, 37, of Cynthia's 9-year-old. "She would take the bus by herself."

Sometime in March, the girl had dropped the baby on the floor because he wouldn't stop crying and dragged him by the arm across the floor, court records show.

"Treated him like a doll," witnesses told investigators.

High-speed chase after robbery ends in death

Fire personnel and law enforcement officers work the scene Sunday after a car crashed into a pole at Fourth Avenue NE and First Street in St. Petersburg. Authorities said the car held people suspected in an armed robbery who led authorities on a chase from Tampa. [Dirk Shadd | Times]

Three people suspected in an armed robbery in Tampa led police on a high-speed chase Sunday night across the Howard Frankland Bridge before crashing into a concrete power pole in downtown St. Petersburg.

One of the suspects, Angela T. Rodney, of Orlando, died at Bayfront Medical Center after the crash. Rodney, 36, had been a passenger inside in the white 2008 Chevy Impala, police said.

A second suspect, identified as Junior Rodney, 17, of Orlando, was taken into police custody after running away from the crash scene. Police said Rodney, also from Orlando, was the car's driver and was charged with armed robbery and aggravated fleeing.

A third suspect ran from the crash and has not been caught, police said.

The incident began when someone robbed a man at gunpoint at 2601 W Kennedy Blvd. at 10:14 p.m., Tampa police said. The victim, robbed of his wallet, called 911.

That call set off an alert to all police units for the Impala.

Tampa man shot during St. Petersburg home invasion

A 20-year-old Tampa man was shot during a home invasion in St. Petersburg early Sunday morning, police said.

Vincent Steven Wade was at a friend's home at 5816 Dartmouth Ave. N just after 3 a.m. when two intruders broke in through the front door, said St. Petersburg Police spokesman George Kajtsa.

The robbers stole about $100 in cash from a man who lives at the home before they fired two shots at Wade and fled, police said.

Wade, hit once in the leg, was taken to Bayfront Medical Center with nonlife-threatening injuries.

- Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer

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3 shot, 2 dead in Lealman

Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies are investigating the shooting deaths of two St. Petersburg men at a Lealman business on Saturday morning. A third man also was shot and is hospitalized.

The shootings happened at Dat's Right Audio at 8191 46th Ave. N. Deputies arrived on the scene about 2 a.m.

The deceased men were identified as Kyle Lynn Ellis, 24, and Cabretti Jalil Wheeler, 21, both of St. Petersburg. The sheriff's deputies said Ellis lived in an apartment located inside the business, while Wheeler lived at 2241 13th Street South.

The wounded man has not been identified.

Deputies say they do have a suspect, described only as a heavy-set black male, though other suspects may be involved. The suspect is believed to be armed, and driving a gold color vehicle described as a Chevrolet Corsica, Buick Skylark or Buick Century.

Anyone with information concerning this investigation is asked to contact the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Robbery/Homicide Unit at (727) 582-6200 or to remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS.

This is not the first time there has been a homicide at this location. In 2006, a  man wielding a samurai sword stabbed to death a resident of an apartment attached to the auto shop business.

Stolen yacht runs aground near North Shore Park

The Coast Guard investigates 56-foot pleasure boat Too Much Fun, off North Shore Park. [EDMUND D. FOUNTAIN | Times]

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police believe a stolen yacht was abandoned this morning after it ran aground near North Shore Park.

The 56-foot pleasure boat, named Too Much Fun, was stolen from the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina, investigators believe. Police identified the owners, but they are out-of-state and haven't yet been reached. The boat is valued at half a million dollars or more.

Police say the boat was stolen early this morning from the marina. Whoever sailed it away apparently forgot to take a rope off a piling, which snapped off as the boat pulled away. Just before noon today, police heard from the Coast Guard that the boat had run aground on a sandbar just off North Shore Park in St. Petersburg.

This afternoon, the boat was sitting in two to five feet of water and leaning to the left. Police were standing lookout to make sure no one waded out and climbed aboard. It seemed the boat wasn't damaged, but investigators are waiting until a towing company can pull it off the sandbar at high tide early Sunday before they take fingerprints and do a thorough inspection.

-- Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

Bayshore Drive closing for Saturday morning event

ST. PETERSBURG - Bayshore Drive NE from Second Avenue to Fifth Avenue will be closed from 5 to 10 a.m. Saturday for a 5K run and one mile walk.

The route starts at Straub Park, loops south around the Mahaffey Theater and ends at Straub Park. The run is sponsored by First to the Cross Ministries in St. Petersburg. The event starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 11:30 a.m.

Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

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Man in critical condition after being hit by car

ST. PETERSBURG - A 43-year-old St. Petersburg man was crossing 38th Avenue N at 48th Street from south to north when he was struck by a Honda Accord, authorities said.

Byron Companion was seen trying to cross the street with his head down and did not appear to be aware of traffic, according to the St. Petersburg police. Moments later Companion was hit by a Honda being driven by Gerard Des-Roches, 56, of St. Petersburg.

Neither alcohol nor drugs contributed to the incident, according to police. Companion was transported to Bayfront Medical Center, where he is listed in critical condition.

Nicole Hutcheson, Times staff writer

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Police search for men who shot at each other

ST. PETERSBURG - Police are searching for two men who abandoned a pickup truck and shot at each other while arguing, police say.

It happened about 8 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of Fifth Street S and 14th Avenue. Witnesses told police that two men got out of a black Ford Ranger, yelled profanities at each other and started shooting. No one was reported injured, said Sgt. Antonio Gilliam.

After the initial shooting, other neighbors in the area reported shots fired. Police officers who responded also heard shooting, Gilliam said. The truck's front left tire was flat, apparently from a bullet hole, and the vehicle smelled of marijuana.

Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

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Gas leak causes evacuation

ST. PETERSBURG -- A gas leak that began this morning at 148 42nd Ave. N has caused an evacuation, according to Lt. Joel Granata of St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue.

About 20 people from nearby homes and businesses had to be evacuated. The leak began around 10:44 when Verizon workers drilled through a 2-inch PVC pipe that supplies gas to several businesses along Fourth Street, Granata said.

The St. Petersburg hazardous materials team responded to the leak and dug out the pipe. Around noon, Tampa Electric workers were working on affixing a sleeve to the pipe, Granata said.

"We have it pretty much under control," he said, "but it was definitely a hazardous situation."

Residents and business occupants will be allowed to return shortly after the repair is complete.

Nicole Hutcheson, Times staff writer

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Costly Kenwood dog park gets okay

ST. PETERSBURG -- The City Council approved a dog park for Historic Kenwood this morning, despite complaints that the $171,284 price tag -- nearly six times the usual cost -- was a waste of tax dollars.

"A dog park is not just for dogs, it's for the people, it's for the neighborhood," said council member Jim Kennedy. "We are creating a place for people to have recreation, to have that be in the neighborhood, to have that close to home."

Council members Wengay Newton and Bill Dudley, who cast the two votes against the park, said the project sends the wrong message to taxpayers.

"I'm having a hard time approving something when we have people who are really hurting," Dudley said. "I think there is a perception that in tough economic times, the city is not willing to tighten its belt."

Dawson family says police intimidated other son

ST. PETERSBURG-- The family of a 17-year-old Gibbs High student fatally shot by a police officer earlier this summer claims the police department is now targeting their other teenage son.

Keon Dawson, 14, the brother of Javon Dawson, was searched while attending Meadowlawn Middle School on Tuesday after police received a tip he was carrying a firearm. No weapon was found.

"They are now harassing my son at school," said Ollie Godfrey, Keon's mother, at a news conference at  the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement House this morning. "I'm outraged at this."

The principal searched Keon's backpack and locker. A school resource officer also patted him down. Keon said he was told not to bring his gun to school.

"I was like, 'I don't have guns,'" Keon said today.

Shots fired at party bus

Shots were fired at a private charter bus that was returning birthday party goers to St. Petersburg early Labor Day morning, police said.

The shooting happened at 4:22 a.m. Monday in front of 1630 15th Ave. S, St. Petersburg police spokesman George Katjsa said.

The driver, Allen Miller, told the St. Petersburg Times in a telephone interview that he had just pulled a lever to open the bus doors when the shooting started.

"The bullets just started flying," said Miller, 47. "A guy had a white T-shirt on, and it just started turning red. There was another guy on the ground screaming, 'Oh, my god. Oh, my god!' "

Miller, a driver for Party Bus USA, said half of his passengers jumped out of the bus before he stepped on the gas pedal. He stopped at the corner of 15th Avenue S and 16th Street N, where the remaining passengers deboarded, he said.

Police spokesman Bill Proffitt said police interviewed Miller but did not find any victims at the scene or in local hospitals. Proffitt urged anyone with information about the shooting to call police at (727) 893-7780.

Miller said he picked up 20 or so passengers who were part of a 21st birthday bash at the same address at 11 p.m. They then headed to Club Underground on E Whiting Street in downtown Tampa. Alcohol was served on the bus.

Outside the club, several partygoers were involved in a small brawl on the sidewalk, Miller said. Crossing the bay on the way back to St. Petersburg just after 3 a.m., Miller said, he noticed a white Cadillac in his rearview mirror, but thought little of it because other vehicles often follow the bus.

Back on 15th Avenue S, the white 2008 Cadillac CTS sedan appeared again. This time one of its passengers opened fire, police and Miller said.

Police said at least two shell casings were found on the ground.

The Cadillac was later found ablaze in front of 2200 41st St. S, Katjsa said. The suspect is unidentified and at large.

The bright red "Super II" party bus, which is actually a former municipal bus, has a dance floor, sound system, big-screen TV and bar.

"It's like a mobile night club," Miller said.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

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St. Petersburg gas station robbed

A St. Petersburg gas station attendant was held at gunpoint during a robbery Monday night, police said.

The incident happened at 9:43 p.m. at the Mystic Mart, 1501 34th St. S, when four unidentified suspects, all wearing black and covering their faces with bandannas, entered the store, St. Petersburg police spokesman George Katjsa said.

One of the men carried a long-barreled gun.

The worker, identified by police as Rajesh Kumar, 26, was not hurt.

The thieves made off with an undisclosed amount of cash taken from a cigar box and the cash register, Katjsa said. They are being sought. There were no witnesses, police said.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

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St. Petersburg fires investigated as possible arson

Fire officials in St. Petersburg are investigating whether two cars engulfed by flames in a driveway and a residential Dumpster fire a block away were deliberately set.

After receiving a 911 call about a car on fire, firefighters responded to 250 72nd Ave. at 3:43 a.m. There, they found two vehicles, a Dodge van and a Chrysler Sebring convertible, burning in the early morning darkness and spurting flames at the garage of the home, said Lt. Joel Granata of St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue.

One firetruck that responded to that scene was diverted a block away, to Third Street and 72nd Avenue, where firefighters found another fire in the garbage receptacle behind a home.

"Right now, it's definitely suspicious," Granata said.  Fire investigators have taken soil samples from the fires that may determine whether an accelerant was used, Granata said. The results can take up to a week to evaluate.

It was not immediately clear if anyone saw the fires being set, Granata said.

No one was seriously hurt. A resident of the home, identified as JoAnn Constanzo, was taken to Bayfront Medical Center, where she was treated for chest pain, officials said.

Granata said Constanzo and her husband, Joseph, were home sleeping and were woke up by neighbors who heard their car horns blasting incessantly.

Both vehicles were destroyed, officials said.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

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Arrest made in St. Petersburg armed robbery and homicide

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police arrested a St. Petersburg man in connection with the shooting death of 28-year-old Chiquita Robinson, who was gunned down during an armed robbery earlier this month.

Jeffrey M. Casteel, 23, of 2901 Emerson Ave. S, was arrested by officials with the St. Petersburg Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Office on Tuesday.

Robinson, of St. Petersburg, died Sunday at Bayfront Medical Center. She was shot in the abdomen Aug. 10 during a robbery at 4930 Fifth Ave. S, police said. She had previously been treated at Bayfront and released, but returned Sunday, after complaining of pain.

Online jail records show Casteel was charged with felony armed robbery and first-degree murder. He was also arrested on warrants stemming from charges of cocaine trafficking, marijuana possession, resisting arrest and failure to appear in court.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Woman shot during robbery dies

ST. PETERSBURG -- A 28-year-old woman who was shot during an armed robbery earlier this month has died, police said today.

The woman, Chiquita Kenyatta Robinson of St. Petersburg, died Sunday after complaining of pain. Robinson was shot in the abdomen Aug. 10 during a robbery at 4930 Fifth Ave. S, according to reports.

Robinson was taken to Bayfront Medical Center, treated and released. She returned to the hospital Sunday and died at the hospital that day.

Police are still waiting for the medical examiner to determine whether Robinson's death was related to the gunshot wound or other causes.

Nicole Hutcheson, Times staff writer

St. Petersburg police will also charge three suspects in connection with robbery, rape case at the Table

UPDATE: St. Petersburg police on Friday plan to charge the same three suspects from an Apollo Beach rape in connection with the recent robbery and rape at the Table restaurant on Central Avenue.

St. Petersburg police plan to obtain arrest warrants charging Rigoberto Moron Martinez with armed robbery and sexual battery. They plan to charge Vicente Reyes-Carbajal, 20 and Jose Walle, 13, with armed robbery in the same case.

Police say they first identified Martinez as a suspect in the Table restaurant case and that a St. Petersburg detective recognized him from photographs of the suspect in the Apollo Beach case.

----

TAMPA -- All three suspects in the abduction and brutal rapes Saturday of two women from an Apollo Beach restaurant have been arrested, the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office reported today. The three are also suspects in a St. Petersburg rape earlier in the month. One of them is 13 years old.

The adults are Vicente Reyes-Carbajal and Rigoberto Moron Martinez (left in photos above), both 20, both from Ruskin. The teen is Jose Walle (right in photos above), of Wimauma.

St. Petersburg police anticipate charging the suspects in a robbery and rape at the Table restaurant, Hillsborough Sheriff's Col. Gary Terry said.

Detectives found Martinez in the Wimauma area Wednesday night, chased him and caught him. He led them to two more suspects, the Sheriff's Office said. The two fled, carjacked a vehicle, then abandoned the vehicle.

The 13-year-old and Martinez were charged. Carbajal is a suspect but not yet charged, Terry said.

ICE has put a hold on Martinez, who had a counterfeit resident alien card, the Sheriff's Office said.

"Mr. Martinez seemed to be the impetus behind it, but they were all equally involved," Terry said.

Terry said Walle, a runaway with a tattoo on cheekbone, is an active member of the Latin Life gang.

"He was just as violent as the other two individuals," Terry said.

Martinez was also charged in connection with a robbery and rape that took place early on July 3. In that case, an arrest report states that Martinez was one of two men who forced open the door of a Gibsonton home, aimed a gun at a man's head there and took a 23-year-old woman from the shower before raping her in the bedroom.

Investigators say Martinez is also suspected of driving up to two teen girls in a dark SUV as they were walking on U.S. 41 in Apollo Beach on July 19. The man tried to get them to come with him, showed them a gun and made them lie down in a vacant parking lot. One screamed, and he ran away.

Now he faces multiple charges from all three cases: two counts of armed home invasion robbery, three counts of sexual battery and two counts of false imprisonment in the July 3 case; two counts of armed kidnapping and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the July 19 case; and eight counts of sexual battery, two counts of armed robbery, two counts of armed kidnapping, and one count of grand theft in the Aug. 16 case involving the two employees of the Docks bar.

While fleeing detectives, the 13-year-old Walle and Reyes-Carbajal committed an armed carjacking at 5415 Palm Dunes Court in Wimauma about 10:06 p.m. Wednesday, the Sheriff's Office said. The victim was Manuel Lopez-Nona, who lives at that address. He was sitting in his 1998 Kia Sephia when, according to the Sheriff's Office, Reyes-Carbajal pointed a pistol at his head and demanded his keys. The attackers pulled the victim from his car and beat him, then fled in his Kia, authorities said.
 
The two were caught and were arrested about 11:15 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Atlantic Drive and 15th St. SE in Ruskin.
 
Reyes-Carbajal is charged with armed carjacking.
 
In addition to the restaurant rape charges, the teen is charged with armed carjacking, plus two outstanding warrants on marijuana possession and domestic battery.

-- Thomas Lake, Times staff writer

[Photos above: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Colonel Gary Terry spoke at the Criminal Investigations Division, Gen Yamaguchi, Times] 

Police investigating death of man found behind liquor store

ST. PETERSBURG -- Homicide detectives are investigating what led to the death of a 44-year-old man found behind a liquor store early this morning.

Police responded to the alley behind Ike's Liquors, 1201 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. S, just before 5 a.m. and discovered the body of Willie Calhoun, address unknown.

A preliminary investigation suggests that Calhoun had been arguing with one or two people outside the store about 4 a.m., St. Petersburg Police Department spokesman Bill Proffitt said in a statement. One witness reported hearing a gunshot after the argument, police said.

This was the 19th homicide in St. Petersburg this year.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

St. Petersburg's Sunday triple shooting claims second life

ST. PETERSBURG -- A triple shooting inside a Central Avenue convenience store Sunday has claimed a second life, police said.

Ronald Hayworth died at Bayfront Medical Center on Tuesday. Hayworth, 50, and a transient with no known address, had been a customer in the Central Avenue Food Mart, 2157 Central Ave., when two men walked into the store about 6:30 p.m. and opened fire during a robbery. Hayworth was shot in the head.

Store owner Mohammad Uddin died Monday. Uddin, 44, had been shot in the head while arguing with the attackers, police said.

A third victim, 66-year-old Albert Barton, remains in serious condition at Bayfront, police said. Police say he was shot three times when he went inside the store.

Police say authorities will upgrade the charges of Spencer Peeples, 27, and Khadafy Mullens, 24, to first-degree murder. Both men were arrested in connection with the robberies and shootings.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

DNA match leads to arrest in serial rape cold case

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police have arrested a man on two rape charges and suspect him in three others in a string of attacks on prostitutes between 1999 and 2001.

Terrell Gerald Hughes, 45, was arrested at his home at 2107 1/2 Walton St. S Wednesday evening. He was charged with two counts of sexual battery based on the cases in which police recovered DNA samples.

The break in the case came early this year when Hughes was convicted of dealing in stolen property, which allowed investigators to take his DNA and compare it evidence collected in the investigation. The DNA profile matched Hughes' in the two rapes, police said.

Police began investigating after the first rape was reported on Jan. 16, 1999. They believed five rapes ending in 2001 were connected because of their similarities: the victims were all white female prostitutes picked up along the 34th Street corridor, the victims' descriptions were consistent and so were the nature of the crimes -- all the women were taken to industrial areas, beaten and left in the same area.

In February, Hughes was convicted of dealing in stolen property. That allowed investigators to enter his DNA into CODIS, a federal database that allows law enforcement to cross-check the DNA of convicted offenders to evidence from crime scenes.

On July 29, St. Petersburg Police investigators learned that Hughes was identified in the two rape cases by the CODIS database.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

NAACP calls for federal review of Dawson shooting

ST. PETERSBURG -- The local NAACP branch wants the U.S. Department of Justice to review the fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white police officer earlier this summer.

"If you are black and you grew up in most towns in the United States, this kind of thing happens all the time, and the question always is, was the shooting justified?" NAACP president Norm Brown (left) told tampabay.com. "All we want is someone outside, not in the local law enforcement loop, to review what was done and see if they come to the same conclusion."

Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe cleared officer Terrence Nemeth on Tuesday, concluding in an eight-page report that he was justified in fatally shooting 17-year-old Javon Dawson.

McCabe cited witness testimony and physical evidence — DNA and gunshot residue — to conclude that Nemeth, 24, feared for his life when Dawson pointed a gun at him as he turned to flee a raucous graduation party June 7.

Hours after McCabe released his report, Gov. Charlie Crist ordered the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to review it. Dawson's family wanted Crist to replace McCabe with a special prosecutor.

The NAACP believes an additional independent review of the shooting would help ease any lasting concerns about Dawson's death, Brown said. The NAACP is not questioning McCabe's investigation, however.

"We pretty much agree with the state attorney's report," said Brown. "We don’t see a real racial problem here at all. You can't ask any policeman, black or white, to put their lives on the line so that some young man who is doing something illegal can get off the hook."

The NAACP plans to make a formal request to the Justice Department, Brown said.

-- Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

[Photo: James Borchuck, Times files]

Crist calls for review of Dawson investigation

ST. PETERSBURG -- Gov. Charlie Crist has asked for a review of State Attorney Bernie McCabe's report on the Javon Dawson shooting.

"So that we can be absolutely certain with these findings and conclusions, I request the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to review State Attorney McCabe's findings and case file to ensure that a complete and thorough investigation was conducted and no additional action is necessary," Crist wrote in a letter Tuesday.

Kristen Perezluha, a spokeswoman for the FDLE, said the agency will follow through with Crist's request.

McCabe did not sound pleased with the news.

"It’s never happened before and I don’t know why it’s being done now," he said.

About 30 protesters from the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement rallied outside Crist's office this morning, demanding further scrutiny of McCabe's investigation.

-Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

State attorney clears St. Petersburg police officer in Dawson shooting

ST. PETERSBURG –- Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe concluded today that a St. Petersburg police officer was justified in using deadly force against Gibbs High School student Javon Dawson.

Officer Terrence Nemeth shot Dawson, 17, in self-defense June 7, according to McCabe's eight-page report.

Tests determined Dawson's DNA was on the gun found near his body after the shooting, McCabe said. Gunshot residue was found on his pants, the report said.

Also new in the report: Dawson was part of a "gang'' known as the Third Avenue Boyz that included his younger brother, Keon. The group was involved in a shootout with another gang hours before arriving at a graduation party for Gibbs High School student Marcus Anderson June 7, the report said.

Police: Husband stabs wife's ex-boyfriend after argument about a dog

ST. PETERSBURG -- An argument between roommates ended with a stabbing that left an ex-boyfriend hospitalized and a husband jailed on an attempted homicide charge, police said.

Police said Karl Lopez and Allen Dodd, left, started arguing about 11:40 p.m. Friday. Dodd, 58, had been living with his wife in a home in the 800 block of 26th Avenue S. Also living there, police said, was Lopez, 56, the woman's ex-boyfriend.

The altercation erupted because of a dog. Citing an ongoing investigation, police spokesman George Kajtsa declined to elaborate.

"Apparently, Lopez had a baseball bat and took a swing at Dodd, who ducked and stabbed Lopez," Kajtsa said.

Lopez was stabbed three times in the upper torso but wrestled free from Dodd, who was later arrested. Online jail records show he was charged with attempted homicide.

Lopez was taken to Bayfront Medical Center, police said. His condition was not immediately available.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Photo courtesy Pinellas County Sheriff's Office

Tree falls over, crushes truck

[MARTIN FROBISHER | Times]

St. Petersburg city crews had been replacing the sidewalk at the base of an oak tree in the Old Northeast section of the city before it fell over and crushed a truck. The accident occurred Thursday evening on 17th Avenue NE between First Street NE and Bay Street NE. The cause of the accident and a damage estimate were not available. Times staffer Martin Frobisher shot this image on his iPhone.

St. Pete Police officer fired

ST. PETERSBURG -- A St. Petersburg Police officer was fired Thursday for misleading police investigators about his relationship with a married woman whom he visited while on duty.

According to a discipline review, Officer Steven Sprout misled investigators and used a marked take-home police vehicle to stop by the woman's house on and off duty. The woman's husband also sent the police department a photo in which Sprout is seen posing a child's hand so that his middle finger is up. He denied intentionally doing so.

He has been disciplined three times in the last 18 months, which made him a chronic offender by police code.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

Sex assault reported at The Table in downtown St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG -- Three masked men went through the back door of a popular new downtown restaurant early Sunday, robbed the place of cash and sexually assaulted an employee, police said.

The attack took place at The Table, 535 Central Ave., about 3 a.m. Sunday, police spokesman Bill Proffitt said.

Employees there were cleaning up when three armed and masked men came through the restaurant's back door, Proffitt said.

Police are tight-lipped about what happened next but say the attack ended with a restaurant employee  being sexually assaulted.

No arrests have been made. Police have vague descriptions of the attackers, describing them as three men ages 18 to 25 years old.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Beaten homeless man will be charged

ST. PETERSBURG - Police have identified the homeless man beaten by a crowd of other homeless people waiting for food Tuesday night at City Hall and say he will be charged with battery.

Boris Elroy "Free Bird'' Sampson (left), 54, is still in the hospital and has not yet been arrested. His beating came after he reportedly knocked a woman out cold with a stick. Police have said they will not charge anyone in that crowd.

Sampson will be charged with battery for punching Richard P. Gibson Jr, 24, and aggravated battery for hitting Jessica Freeman, 36, with a stick.

He has not yet been processed at the Pinellas County jail for this incident. This mug shot was taken on July 10, when Sampson was arrested for disorderly conduct.

--Andrew Dunn, Times Staff Writer

[Pinellas Country Sheriff's Office]

Feds open bidding for Job Corps Center operator

ST. PETERSBURG -- A new Job Corps Center is one step closer to becoming a reality.

The U.S. Department of Labor opened its bidding process for potential operators today. Federal officials will host a conference in Atlanta on Aug. 7 to discuss the process.

Interested parties can access all information regarding the job at http://www.fedbizopps.gov.   

The facility is already under construction at 22nd Street S and Fifth Avenue S. Job Corps is a national training program for economically disadvantaged youths between the ages of 16 and 24.

The "successful contractor shall provide academic and career technical training, operate counseling and residential living programs and provide support services to include: wellness/health services, student employability records, behavior management and incentive system, clothing issuances, mail and legal services," according to a statement released by federal officials.

-- Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

City removes homeless items without incident

ST. PETERSBURG -- City officials removed without incident a truckload of personal belongings left by the homeless living under Interstate 375 today.

As several police officers looked on, code compliance officials asked homeless people with more items than they could carry to put their extra belongings in black garbage bags. The bags were photographed and tagged.

The property owners can pick up the bags at the city's storage facility within the next 30 days or the items will be thrown out, said Gary Bush, code compliance operations manager.

"We aren't taking everything these people have," said Bush. "We see how much stuff they have and  encourage them to take only what they need. ... They should be able to take their stuff and go."

A city ordinance passed within the past year requires public property and rights of way to be clear of private belongings. City officials put up a sign near Fifth Avenue N and 15th Street on Tuesday morning advising the homeless that their items would be moved by 9 p.m. Wednesday, but the city waited until today to take action.

The bags filled up the bed of a pickup truck. Some property owners had left behind their items as they went to work or job hunting. But the homeless who sat under the highway did not complain or protest about the raid.

"They were very respectful," said Clay Ellis of the city workers. Ellis, 47, was asked to turn over the three sofa cushions he uses for a bed.

Ellis said he plans to pick up his belongings before the 30-day deadline and move them to a less visible homeless camp rarely visited by city officials.

-- Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

Reward offered for recovery of stolen watch

[St. Petersburg Police Department photos]

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police released surveillance images and video this morning showing a man stealing a laptop computer and a watch in two separate thefts last week.

The first theft took place around 12:45 p.m. July 23, when a man entered an 11th floor office space in a building at 100 Second Ave. S and took a laptop.

Two days later, police said, the same man walked into Hess Fine Arts, 1131 Fourth St. N, swiped a watch, then ran from the store and rode away on a bicycle.

Police say a $1,000 reward is being offered to anyone with information leading to the watch's recovery.

Investigators described the suspect as a black male, 40 to 50 years old with a receding hairline, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and 170 pounds.  Authorities are asking anyone with information to call St. Petersburg Police Department at (727) 893-7780.

See surveillance video of the suspect

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Man attacks homeless group outside City Hall

ST. PETERSBURG -- A group of homeless people subdued and beat a deranged man who violently interrupted them as they waited to be fed by a church group outside City Hall late Tuesday, police said.

A man identified only as John Doe approached the line around 10 p.m. and punched 24-year-old Richard P. Gibson, Jr. with a closed fist "for no reason at all," said police spokesman George Kajtsa.

The attacker left, but police said he returned a short time later. Armed with a one-foot tree branch, the man began yelling at Jessica Freeman, 36, who was in the process of dialing police when the man swung the branch and struck her on the side of the head.

"That's when the crowd took control," Kajtsa said.

The man ran away but was apprehended by the group, beaten unconscious and held until police arrived, police said. It is unclear how many participated in his capture. 

The man, who police said was incoherent and could not give his name, was hospitalized with injuries and was later booked into the Pinellas County Jail.

No charges were filed against the retaliating attackers.

"They just responded to a situation that was happening in front of their face," Kajtsa said. "They were defending the victims."

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Man shot, collapses in driveway after confronting passing vehicle

ST. PETERSBURG -- An argument ended in gunfire Tuesday after a man standing in a neighbor's driveway told a speeding driver to slow down, police said.

The shooting took place at 2200 E. Harbor Drive S. around 6:15 p.m., police said. Ernest Wooten and his neighbor were standing in the driveway when a silver four-door car zoomed past.  Witnesses told police the car was chasing a person on a motorized scooter.

"Wooten seemed to think the guy was going fast, so he yelled for him to slow down," police spokesman
George Kajtsa said.

The car's driver reversed, settled next to Wooten and his neighbor then flashed a silver handgun. The driver fired once through the open rear passenger window but missed, police said.

Wooten, 48, then grabbed what police described as a "weighted plate" and approached the car. The driver fired two more shots, police said. One of them struck Wooten in the chest.

Wooten was taken to Bayfront Medical Center. His condition was not immediately available.

At this hour, police have only vague descriptions of the shooter and a passenger in the car. Investigators ask anyone with information to call St. Petersburg police at (727) 893-7780

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Evacuation ordered when smoke fills St. Pete hotel

ST. PETERSBURG -- About 200 people were ordered out of a Carillon area Hilton hotel this morning when an electrical malfunction caused a smoky haze to fill the hotel's interior.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue crews responded to the Hilton Carillon Park at 950 Lake Carillon Drive around 5:22 a.m., after getting reports of smoke in the hotel.

Investigators say a motor attached to an air-handling system on the roof malfunctioned, causing a light haze and the odor of burnt electronics to fill the hotel's nine stories, said Fire Rescue spokesman Lt. Joel Granata.

About 170 guests and 20 employees of the hotel were ordered out of the building while firefighters conducted a room-by-room search, Granata said. No injuries were reported. Everyone was allowed back inside around 7:15 a.m.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Owner of erotic art gallery pledges to sue city

[Times photo | Chris Zuppa]

ST. PETERSBURG-- Business owner Bill Schramm said the city violated his civil rights by raiding his erotic art gallery Friday night.

Schramm, who was arrested Friday (photo) on charges of allowing a nude model in a bar and allegedly touching an officer trying to enter the gallery, said he is closing down his shop on 2501 Central and will instead focus on fighting the city's charges.

Schramm was charged with battery of a law enforcement office and unlawful exposure of private parts. The nude model also was charged.

Police first questioned Schramm after neighbors complained of a large penis statue displayed outside the gallery.

Artist Sam Petty is now selling the supersized penis (photo below) on eBay.com. Bidding starts at $100. Proceeds of the sale will go toward Schramm's legal defense fund.

-Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

[Times photo | Willie J. Allen Jr.]

Police: Armed kidnapper, carjacker arrested after chase

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police arrested a man Sunday they say carjacked and kidnapped a woman as she returned home from a trip to the coin laundry.

The attack took place Sunday about 12:30 a.m., when Diane Richard, driving her daughter's blue 1992 Lexus, arrived in the parking lot of the Mosley Motel, 401 34th St. N, police said.

As she got out of the car, Richard, 50, was approached by McCordia L. Isom, pictured, who pointed a handgun and demanded that she get back into the driver's seat, police said.

St. Petersburg police: Stolen SUV crashes into pickup, injuring four

ST. PETERSBURG -- A stolen Jeep Cherokee speeding away from police slammed into a pickup truck on 34th Street N, seriously injuring two of the truck's occupants and both men inside the stolen SUV.

Jonell Wilson, 18, and David Rogers, 20, both of St. Petersburg, were arrested and charged with auto theft, police said.

The two men inside the truck -- David A. Leak, 24, of Pinellas Park, and an unidentified 33-year-old man -- were taken to local hospitals with serious injuries, police said.

The overnight crash stemmed from an officer's suspicion that the Jeep, which had been headed east on Fifth Avenue N, was manned by an impaired driver, police spokesman Bill Proffitt said in a statement.

Officer Matthew Hansell ran the SUV's tag, discovered it had been stolen and initiated a traffic stop at the 28th Street intersection, Proffitt said. The Jeep turned right on 28th then doubled back, this time speeding west up First Avenue N.

Officer Hansell followed, but abandoned the chase by turning off at 31st Street, three blocks from the start of the pursuit. Police say he was following department policy, which states that officers chase a vehicle only if it's involved in a violent felony.

The westbound Jeep continued for three more blocks to the 34th Street intersection, where it smashed into a white Chevrolet pickup truck, authorities said. The impact ejected the truck's passenger, the unidentified 33-year-old man.

Although seriously injured, both men in the stolen SUV ran away from the crash scene but were later arrested, police said. Both are listed in serious condition at Bayfront Medical Center. Additional charges are expected, police said.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Father, sons shot during robbery attempt

ST. PETERSBURG -- A father and his two sons were shot by a masked gunman last night during an attempted robbery that took place while the trio sat in a relative's backyard, police said.

Police said three people, including a gunman dressed in all black and wearing a black mask to cover his face, appeared from an alley and approached the backyard of a home at 4559 Seventh Ave. N. around midnight.

The masked man opened fire on Kristin Rogers, 33, Corey A. Miller, 31, and their father Bob Miller, 51, said police spokesman George Kajtsa.

The three suspects scattered.

The three victims, each suffering a gunshot wound to the leg, were taken to Bayfront Medical Center. Their conditions were not immediately available.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

CONA says no to Buena Vista neighborhood split

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Council of Neighborhood Associations voted overwhelmingly not to divide the Bartlett Park neighborhood, following nearly a year of infighting that left older residents insulted and newer residents frustrated.

The fledgling Buena Vista Neighborhood Association will not be recognized by CONA after the 32-2 vote, buoying members of the Bartlett Park Neighborhood Association who were worried about competing interests.

Man gets 57 months for stealing financial records

TAMPA -- A former employee of a St. Petersburg check verification company was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison today for stealing millions of Americans' personal financial information from a database and selling it.

William "Gary" Sullivan, 54, of Largo, was also ordered to pay more than $3.97-million in restitution.

Sullivan pleaded guilty in November to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of fraud activity connected with computers. U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday gave Sullivan 57 months for each count but ordered that he serve the sentences concurrently.

Palm Beach teen wins Miss Florida; Miss Tampa runner-up

[LARA CERRI | Times]
Miss Tampa, Kaitlin Monte (in red), dances to "Life is a Highway" in the evening gown competition during the 2008 Miss Florida Outstanding Teen pagaent at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg Saturday night. Miss Palm Beach County, Sierra Minott, was named Miss Florida Outstanding Teen. Monte was the runner-up.

Uhurus want McCabe removed from police shooting

ST. PETERSBURG -- A local activist group wants Pinellas County Court officials to remove State Attorney Bernie McCabe from the Javon Dawson shooting investigation.

Maura Kiefer, a St. Petersburg lawyer representing the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement, appeared in a Clearwater courtroom this morning to request that McCabe be removed from the case because his office is biased, court officials said.

McCabe's prosecutors regularly use St. Petersburg police officers as witnesses, Kiefer argued in court documents, making them incapable of being objective.

Dawson, 17, was fatally shot outside a June 7 graduation party. Responding to noise complaints, police said they found several teenagers firing guns in celebration. Police said Dawson was shot after he aimed a gun at an officer after refusing to lower his weapon.

The Uhuru group claims that witnesses they refuse to identify say Dawson did not have a weapon and was shot unjustly.

The investigation continues.

-- Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

Beads, cheers mark Pride parade

PINELLAS -- Thousands of celebrants cheered, waved and begged for beads as St. Petersburg's annual Gay Pride parade snaked along Central Avenue Saturday morning. Music pulsated. Bottled water and beer cooled sweaty faces. T-shirts offered slogans ("Single and available.'').

"This is a way of celebrating who I really am after spending a lot of my life being suppressed of who I was,’’ said Carl St. Myer, 64, or Riverview, who tossed beads from the GaYbor pirate ship float.

When he went through puberty five decades ago, Myer said, he couldn't even name the feelings he had. He got married "because maybe that would fix it.'' He did come out until he was 30 when a marriage counselor"told me I needed to be who I really wanted to be.’’

A handful of protesters waved signs from side streets, quoting Biblical verses about sin, but St. Petersburg police reported no arrests of major problems. Many parade-goers snapped photographs of each other, using d the protesters as backdrops.

-- Stephen Nohlgren, Times Staff Writer

Police search for men who broke into home, shot babysitter

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police are looking for as many as two suspects who tried to force their way into a home on 20th Street S and shot a babysitter early this morning.

Kenya K. Evans, 36, was babysitting a relative's 4-year-old child at 2424 20th St. S when he answered a knock at the door about 11:29 a.m. When Evans opened the door, one or two men tried to enter. At least one of the suspects was armed, police said.

The victim was shot during a struggle. Evans was hit in the upper body and taken to Bayfront Medical Center, where he is listed in critical but stable condition.

The suspects, who police describe as in their 20s, fled the area.

Police ask anyone with information to call (727) 893-7780.

Jake May, Times staff writer

St. Petersburg man arrested in connection with October bank robbery

ST. PETERBURG — Deputies have arrested a St. Petersburg man in connection with an October bank robbery in Seminole.

Forty-four-year-old Charles Jardine, of 4640 78th Way N. in St. Petersburg, was arrested around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday  as he worked at a construction site in the 5200 block of 58th Street N.

The robbery, which took place at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 5, occurred at the Bardmoor branch of Wachovia Bank, 8700 Bryan-Dairy Road in Seminole.

Detectives said they identified the subject using tips from surveillance video and photographs that appeared in newspapers and on television.

Jardine was arrested on one count of armed robbery. He is at the Pinellas County Jail with bail set at $100,000.

Jake May, Times staff writer

Salt Creek cleanup on Saturday

View Larger Map

Interested in helping clean a dirty lake? Volunteer for to clean up Salt Creek on Saturday.

The cleanup, hosted by volunteers with local neighborhood associations and the city, starts at 8 a.m. at the Bartlett Park Community Resource Center, 642 22nd Ave. S, and will last until about 10:30 a.m.

Organizers encourage volunteers to wear work clothes and shoes that can get wet.  Snacks and drinks will be provided.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Man jumps off seawall in suicide attempt

ST. PETERSBURG -- A man jumped off a seawall into Tampa Bay on Monday afternoon in an apparent suicide attempt.

Authorities were called to his house about 3 p.m. today after a report that he had taken muscle relaxants in a suicide attempt, said Lt. Joel Granata of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue. He fled the scene and ended up jumping off a seawall near his home near Little Bayou about 40 minutes later.

Boaters found him and threw out a life ring, Granata said. He fought with them but was taken in by rescuers, Granata said. The man, whose name was not released, was not seriously injured.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

Attorney general settles with prepaid phone card companies

Attorney General Bill McCollum reached a settlement with several prepaid and long-distance phone card companies accused of duping customers, including St. Petersburg-based Cristel Telecommunications, LLC.

His office says the settlement will start industrywide reforms for Florida consumers. Companies targeted will stop all "deceptive advertising," provide 100 percent of the minutes advertised, and submit to three years of auditing by the Office of the Attorney General to ensure that they are following the terms of their agreement. They'll also reimburse the state $1-million for investigative costs and future enforcement efforts.

“The calling card industry has long been targeting non-English speakers and cheating consumers for whom these cards are often a lifeline to loved ones,” McCollum said. “Through today’s settlements, we are instituting industrywide reforms, and we expect accountability from these companies.”

The targeted companies include IDT America Inc.; Union Telecom Alliance (UTA); Total Call International  Inc.; Blackstone Calling Card Inc.; CVT Prepaid Solutions Inc.; Dollar Phone Enterprise Inc.; STi Prepaid, LLC; Alternatel Inc; and Cristel Telecommunications, LLC.

Jennifer Liberto, Times Staff Writer

Police protest outside St. Petersburg City Hall

[Times photo | James Borchuck]

ST. PETERSBURG - Frustrated by contract negotiations, several dozen police officers and family members protested on the steps of City Hall this morning, holding signs that said "Support St. Pete Police" and "Please Be our 911."

Mark Deasaro, the president of the Police Benevolent Association of Pinellas County, said negotiations were nearing an impasse and that officers need a 7-percent raise to keep up with other jurisdictions. The Fraternal Order of Police, the union that represents sergeants and lieutenants, already has declared an impasse.

Although the department recently boasted 520 sworn officers, the highest in years, Deasaro dismissed the department's statistics saying "their math couldn't pass the FCAT."

"You need to take care of the people who take care of you," Deasaro said.

In the wake of state cutbacks, contract negotiations have taken on a new intensity this year.

Officer John Deluca, 28, said he often feels that he's rushing from call to call on the street.

"We need more people," he said. "We need help."

- Abhi Raghunathan,
Staff Writer

Electrical problem may have caused Kriseman house fire

[Willie J. Allen Jr. | Times]

ST. PETERSBURG -- The early morning fire that destroyed the home of State Rep. Rick Kriseman at 6044 Third Ave. N Wednesday may have started because of some type of electrical discharge or short-circuit in the attic, city fire officials said.

Lt. Joel Granata of St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue said investigators have been able to rule out foul play, and that initial investigation suggests that the fire started in the attic with some type of electrical cause. Because the house was destroyed, investigators will have to wait for the insurance company to send an electrical engineer before they can pin down a more exact cause of the fire.

Firefighters rescued the family's two Labrador retrievers, Henry and Maggie, from the burning home. The pets were admitted into an emergency animal clinic in critical condition and were transferred to a veterinary clinic in Treasure Island this morning.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue spokesman Lt. Rick Feinberg said a dogsitter had left the house at 10:15 p.m Tuesday. More than two hours later, around 12:32 a.m., fire crews arrived to find the home's attic engulfed in flames. It took firefighters about 25 minutes to bring the blaze under control, Feinberg said.

Property records show the 3,567 square foot Lake Pasadena home was purchased by Kriseman and his wife Kerry. They have two children. The family had been vacationing in Virginia.

Outside Kriseman's district office in St. Petersburg this morning, his legislative aide said the family is racing back home to survey the damage.

"They're trying to put it in perspective," said Kevin King."Thank God it was just a house."

Early Wednesday, the smell of smoke wafted through the tranquil Lake Pasadena neighborhood. Some neighbors, just waking up after a noisy night filled with flames, sirens and lights, said they were relieved to hear the home was vacant.

"The heat," said neighbor Phil Deslandes, 58, gesturing toward his front yard, "you could feel it from here."

Fire investigators returned at daylight this morning, probing the gutted tan home for what may have caused the blaze. All of the home's doors were locked and no signs of forced entry were visible, Feinberg said.

Granata said the house is completely destroyed.

Kriseman represents Florida House District 53, which includes parts of Pinellas Park, Kenneth City, Lealman, Gulfport and St. Petersburg.

Check back with tampabay.com for more details as they become available.

-- Abhi Raghunathan, T. Allan Smith, Willie J. Allen and Casey Cora, Times staff writers

Watch tampabay.com video report

[Photo: One of the Krisemans' Labrador retrievers is treated with oxygen. [Willie J. Allen Jr. | Times]

Water main break closes 22nd Street S

(Dirk Shadd | Times)
A water main break temporarily  closes a portion of 22nd Street South just south of the Royal  Theater and 11th Avenue South in St. Petersburg Tuesday afternoon. The rupture of the four inch underground pipe resulted in the loss of about 1000 gallons of reclaimed water per minute, according to St. Petersburg Fire Rescue and the City of St. Petersburg Water Resources workers who were on the scene of the incident, which began at about 2pm. Pictured in background is St. Petersburg Fire Rescue's Buddy Feinberg, who was helping to secure the area before the City of St. Petersburg Water Resources could tend to the situation.

NOTE: A previous version of this report included an incorrect location.

Child killed in crash

A witness said the car came to rest pressed against an apartment building, its rear wheels off the ground. [LARA CERRI | Times]

ST. PETERSBURG -- A 14-year-old driver hit and killed a 5-year-old boy Wednesday evening at the Pinellas Point Apartments in St. Petersburg.

Carlita Davis, 43, who lives in the apartment complex with her four sons, was sitting on her porch just after 7 p.m. when she heard the crash. She ran down to the scene and saw a blue Volkswagen Cabrio hit a concrete block wall for a second time, pinning the boy and causing the wall to collapse.

Davis tried to get the girl driving the Cabrio to put it in park, but instead the girl put it in reverse and hit the accelerator, backing the car up into an apartment building. The car came to rest pressed up against the building, its rear wheels off the ground.

Davis ran to the boy, who she knew from the apartment complex in the 2100 block of 62nd Place S. His head was injured and he wasn't moving, Davis said. The driver of the car was a 14-year-old girl whose relatives live in the apartment complex, Davis said.

St. Petersburg Police confirmed that a 14-year-old girl obtained the keys to a car to retrieve some of her school books. It appears she decided to take the car for a drive back and forth in the parking lot, police said.

The name of the boy and the driver had not been released late Wednesday night.

"It's tragic time and a sad time for both families," Davis said. "A mother lost a child and a child's heart is heavy."

Davis said children like to play near the wall, often jumping over it. The wall was significantly damaged.

Check back with tampabay.com. More details will be posted as they come available.

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St. Petersburg: After-school program, parks maintenance, library hours on chopping block

ST. PETERSBURG -- The city needs to cut $5-million out of its budget to make up for Amendment 1 revenue shortfalls.

Now, everyone from the city's police officers to youth athletic groups might have to pay up.

No final decisions have been made, but here are some of the reductions city officials have come up with so far and how much they would save:

• Eliminate staff positions or continued savings from 2007 staff reductions: $514,300
• Reduce civilian activities in police and fire departments: $384,600
• Savings from new energy efficient traffic and street lights: $320,000
• Increase or implement fees for Fire Department services such as false alarms, inspections and plans review: $276,400
• Eliminate recreation services at Rio Vista after-school program: $262,000
• Reduce parks maintenance: $249,300
• Increase activity and participation fees related to Teen Arts, Sports & Cultural Opportunities program: $185,200
• Increase existing or create new athletic field rental fees: $116,000
• Reduce greenscape budget: $100,000
• Reduce library hours: $93,300
• Charge police officers for driving squad vehicles to an out-of-city address: $85,000
• Reduce travel, training and memberships expenditures: $37,100
• Reduce City Council expenditures: $10,000
• Eliminate weekend supervision at Fossil Skate Park: $4,600
• Eliminate flu shots: $4,200

-- Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

Council Member says city should run Pier, Mahaffey without outside help

ST. PETERSBURG -- City Council Member Wengay Newton said the city should consider getting rid of the handful of management companies it has hired to run its downtown facilities such as the Pier and the Mahaffey Theater.

Newton (left) threw out the idea during a budget meeting Tuesday, as Mayor Rick Baker presented his preliminary budget to the council.

Baker said the city might have to lay off some employees and reduce the city's general budget by $5-million. Staff members said they did not know how many of their colleagues would get the ax. The mayor creates the budget, but the council must approve it.

Newton said the city could probably do a better job of running the Pier and the Mahaffey than the current management companies. Both facilities are heavily subsidized by the city.

"If we are looking for millions...that's where it is at," said Newton.

City administrator Mike Connors said the city hires outside management companies because of their expertise.

"It's not that easy to have someone in a maintenance worker fashion all of a sudden jump into trying to book a Broadway series," he said.

-- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

[Edmund D. Fountain, Times files]

Leslie Curran considers St. Pete mayoral bid

ST. PETERSBURG -- Add City Council Member Leslie Curran to the crowded list of potential mayoral candidates.

For weeks, the buzz at City Hall has been that Curran is stepping up her game and asking more questions at council meetings because she wants to be mayor.

When asked if she is considering a run, Curran said Tuesday, "Never say never."

If she runs, Curran would face off against at least one other council member.

Council Chairman Jamie Bennett also is vying for the top City Hall office.

Other possible contenders in the November 2009 race: attorney and former council member Bill Foster, former council member Rene Foster, Amscot Financial executive Deveron Gibbons, Baker campaign manager and close friend Terry Brett, Deputy Mayor Goliath Davis, Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch and construction worker Paul Congemi.

-Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

[Handout photo]

Neighborhood activist Nurse sworn in on St. Pete City Council

ST. PETERSBURG -- Karl Nurse, his wife by his side and a rose pinned to his lapel, was sworn in on the City Council this morning.

Nurse, former president of the Council of Neighborhood Associations, was appointed last week to represent the District 6 seat.

Some black community leaders criticized the council for appointing a white man to represent a predominantly African-American district. District 6, which includes parts of downtown, Midtown and Coquina Key, is 54 percent black, according to Pinellas County voter registration records.

At first, there was no hint of the controversy at the council meeting this morning. Nurse posed for a picture with his mother and wife and then went right to work.

But later Midtown activist Theresa "Momma Tee" Lassiter showed up at the council meeting and expressed her disappointment in Nurse's appointment, who she claimed was not active in the city's black community.

Nurse has said he plans to reach out to the community by going door to door and seeking advice.

Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

Karl Nurse joins St. Petersburg council

ST. PETERSBURG-- The City Council appointed businessman and community activist Karl Nurse, 53, to the vacant District 6 seat Thursday.

Nurse, who is white, is the first non African-American person to represent the district in nearly 30 years.

"I feel humbled by the size of the responsibility before me," said Nurse after his victory.

Council Chairman Jamie Bennett said the council made the right decision.

"He has the shortest learning curve," Bennett said.

The controversial vote raised more than a few eyebrows.

Even after Nurse was announced the winner, the only African-American council member, Wengay Newton, voted against approving his appointment and then stormed out of the council chambers.

Black community activist Theresa "Momma Tee" Lassiter said Nurse has no ties to the African-American community.

"He ain't done nothing," she yelled in the council chambers as Nurse embraced his mother in celebration. "Being a part of the Sierra Club ain't it. Where were you when the boys were getting shot on my street?"

Here's how the council voted:

Bennett and Council members James Kennedy, Herb Polson and Jeff Danner picked Nurse.

Newton and Council member Bill Dudley choose Cassandra Jackson, 48, president of the Pinellas Black Republican Club and former Pinellas County Housing Authority board member.

Council member Leslie Curran selected Gwendolyn Reese, 59, chief executive of InFinite Solutions and chairwoman of Close the Gap, an education nonprofit.

The other candidates were former council member David Welch and the Rev. Deborah Green, president of Earth Mission Ministries.

Nurse will be sworn in May 1.

-Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

St. Pete: Housing authority will pay $850,000 to relocate Graham-Rogall residents

ST. PETERSBURG -- A week after the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development approved the sale of the city's largest public housing complex to a condominium developer, the housing authority passed an $850,000 relocation plan this afternoon for the more than 245 occupants at the Graham-Rogall buildings.

"Everyone will be moved to quality housing before we close on the property," said Darrell Irions, executive director of the St. Petersburg Housing Authority, at the board of commissioners meeting.

The Rogall and Graham Park properties, located near Tropicana Field, are being sold because the housing authority says they are obsolete and financially unsustainable. Repairing the complex would cost more than $22-million.

Not everyone on the housing authority's board of commissioners is pleased with the sale of the two buildings, which share a hallway.

"It is a step in the wrong direction to sell this particular property," said Commissioner David Welch, the only board member to vote against the sale.

Welch, a former St. Petersburg City Council member, said he has been against the sale since the housing authority first began discussing alternative uses for the Graham-Rogall complex in 2004.

The relocation plan allots $250,000 toward moving and counseling costs for Graham Park's residents. That's more than $2,600 for each of the building's 95 residents.

About $600,000 will be used to relocate residents in the Rogall building. That comes to about $4,000 for each of the building's 150 residents.

Graham residents affected by a recent fire and subsequent flooding at the building will be moved first. The housing authority will relocate Rogall residents after all Graham residents have found new housing.

Opponents of the sale said the relocation plan does not make up for closing the city's largest public housing complex. Most of the residents at the complex are disabled or elderly.

"We live in St. Petersburg and we know that low-cost housing is limited here," said Betsy Valentine of the Committee to Save Graham-Rogall. "I hope you all think about what it would be like to live under the stress of being moved ... and not knowing where you are going to move and you are elderly and you are disabled and you don't have much money."

At times, discussion of the sale became very heated.

"This is another example of corruption," said Max Linn, a Democratic candidate for congressional District 10. "These developers are going to make money and the people are going to be left out."

Irions contended that the sale would allow the Graham-Rogall residents to relocate to better, newer housing.

"We are in the business of housing people, we are not in the business of making people homeless," he said.

Last Thursday, HUD granted a special exemption to the housing authority that would allow the complex to be redeveloped into condos. The ruling comes despite a 1994 agreement that the Rogall apartments must remain affordable rental housing until 2017.

That's good news for condo developer KEGB, which said it would not buy the complex if it could not redevelop the property sooner.

--Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

Feds okay sale of Graham-Rogall buildings

ST. PETERSBURG-- The federal Housing and Urban Development has approved the controversial sale of the city's largest public housing complex to a condominium developer.

HUD granted a special exemption to the St. Petersburg Housing Authority that would allow the Graham-Rogall complex, located near Tropicana Field, to be redeveloped into condos. The ruling comes despite a 1994 agreement that the Rogall apartments must remain affordable rental housing until 2017.

That's good news for condo developer KEGB, which said it would not buy the complex if it could not redevelop the property sooner.

The Rogall and Graham Park properties, which share a hallway, are being sold because the Housing Authority says they are obsolete and financially unsustainable. Repairing the complex would cost more than $22-million.

The Housing Authority began moving residents out last year. About 95 of the Graham building's 336 units are occupied. All of the 150 units in Rogall are full.

All Graham-Rogall residents will be relocated at no cost to them, the Housing Authority says.

KEGB has said it could not make a profit running Graham-Rogall as apartments even if given the property for free.

The housing authority will meet Thursday to discuss how to move forward with the sale.

-- Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

St. Petersburg council hopefuls talked about race, stadium

ST. PETERSBURG — No topic was off limits, not even skin color.

The five City Council applicants vying for Earnest Williams' vacant District 6 seat fielded questions from the public Monday night.

More than 50 people showed up at City Hall to pose questions about budget cuts, the Tampa Bay Rays' proposed stadium and whether race matters when representing a predominately black district.

Karl Nurse, the only white applicant, said the district's increasingly diverse population deserves a color-blind leader. More than 55 percent of residents in District 6 are black. The district includes parts of Midtown, uptown, downtown and Coquina Key, are black.

"You need to address issues in a fashion that does not pertain to race," said Nurse.

But others said a shared cultural background make its easier to tackle problems in the black community.

"I don't like to look at things as black and white because I believe we are all people," said youth minister Deborah Green, adding: "I believe I can resolve some issues in the community because I look like those persons."

The applicants are:

• Green, 45, case manager for Hospice of the Florida Suncoast and president of Earth Mission Ministries.

• Nurse, 53, owner of Bay Tech Label, founder of the Pinellas Living Green Expo and a former mayoral candidate.

• David Welch, 80, former council member, owner of Welch Accounting Services and a St. Petersburg Housing Authority board member.

• Gwendolyn Reese, 59, chief executive of InFinite Solutions; chairwoman of Close the Gap, an education nonprofit; and former co-chairwoman of the city's Community Alliance committee, which advocates for diversity issues.

• Cassandra Jackson, 48, former District 6 candidate, president of the Pinellas Black Republican Club and former Pinellas County Housing Authority board member.

The council hopefuls also addressed mounting concerns involving the Tampa Bay Rays' proposed stadium. The $450-million ballpark would be at the site of Al Lang Field and rely heavily on county and city funding, according to the Rays. The Rays, who also suggest redeveloping Tropicana Field, have offered $150-million to cover construction.

"The Rays are asking us to give much more than they are giving," said Reese. "We need to be concerned about that. On the current Trop site, black people were displaced from their homes, so I think it is very important that the community is very involved in what happens at the Trop site."

"It's going to cost taxpayers quite a bit to build a new stadium," said Green. "There are other ways to address the problem... The Rays need to put up more money than $150-million. It's for them."

Welch, however, said the city is facing more pressing concerns.

"The most important thing we need to dwell on is the unemployment of our youth. It is time we get these young individuals off of the streets," he said. "The stadium will take care of itself."

The council will interview the applicants Thursday before selecting Williams' successor. Williams, who represented District 6 since 2000, resigned last week after an unsuccessful campaign for a state Legislature seat.

-- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer, can be reached at (727) 893-8846 or csilva@sptimes.com.

Bidder offers $65-million for Tropicana redevelopment

ST. PETERSBURG -- One of the developers hoping to purchase and redevelop Tropicana Field said it is willing to pay $65-million for the 86-acre site, but maintained that the city pay for demolishing the dome and any environmental cleanup.

Developer Archstone-Madison's offer came in response to questions posed by the City Council last month. All three developers hoping to win the work provided the city with additional information this week. Among the highlights:

* Hines, which is offering $50-million, said the demolition of the dome would cost $5-million. They suggested creating a new community development district to pay for the work. Hines did not address possible environmental issues.

* Williams Quarter, which is offering $61-milion, says it now wants to add a 500,000-square-foot office building to its mix of 4,000 rental units and 570,000-square-feet of retail space. Williams Quarter is willing to contribute to the demolition of the dome, but the group did not say how much. The developer also said the environmental issues at the site has been "somewhat exaggerated." However, Williams Quarter did not say it would cover the costs.

* Archstone-Madison, which is offering $65-million, said the city would be responsible for the demolition of Tropicana Field and any environmental cleanup. Those costs would be subtracted from Archstone-Madison's offer.

City officials are expected to brief the City Council on the proposals Thursday.

Aaron Sharockman, Times Staff Writer

County neighborhood group opposes public stadium financing

The Council of North County Neighborhoods voted last night to oppose public financing of a new waterfront stadium. Read the accompanying letter here.

First vice president John Miolla said the county can find a better use for the $5-million per year now paying off the debt on Tropicana Field. That money is coming from a 1 percent tax on hotel stays and cannot be used to fund general county programs or government services, but can pay for other tourism-related services. Some of the other hotel tax money is being used to pay for spring training baseball stadiums in Clearwater and Dunedin and on beach renourishment.

The 1 percent hotel tax is currently set to expire in 2015.

-- Aaron Sharockman, Times Staff Writer

County spokeswoman joins Dali Museum's staff

ST. PETERSBURG-- Marcia Crawley, communications director for Pinellas County government, will soon be using her verbal skills to get people to open their wallets.

Beginning May 1, Crawley will join the staff of the Salvador Dali Museum as director of development. She will lead the museum's multi-million dollar fundraising campaign in support of its new building, set to break ground late this year.

Crawley began working for the county in 2004. As part of her duties, she often appeared on Pinellas County Connection Television. Before that, she was a Newschannel 8 reporter.

The Dali's $34-million new museum is set to open across from the Mahaffey Theater in 2010.

-- Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

Rep. Kriseman endorses St. Petersburg council candidate

ST. PETERSBURG- State Rep. Rick Kriseman has endorsed former mayoral candidate Karl Nurse in his bid to be appointed to the City Council's vacant District 6 seat.

Kriseman, a former St. Petersburg council member, sent a letter to the council this week highlighting Nurse's accomplishments and professional experience.

"Karl long ago established himself as a leader in our community," Kriseman wrote. "He has been a key cog not only in St. Petersburg's recent renaissance, but in the maturation of our city over the past few decades."

Nurse, 53, owns Bay Tech Label and is the former president of the Council of Neighborhood Associations.

Nurse, who ran unsuccessfully against Mayor Rick Baker in 2001, is one of five applicants vying for Earnest Williams' vacant City Council seat. Williams resigned Monday after an unsuccessful campaign for the  Legislature.

The other applicants are:

David Welch, 80, former council member, owner of Welch Accounting Services and a current St. Petersburg Housing Authority board member.

Gwendolyn Reese, 59, CEO of Infinite Solutions, chairwoman of Close the Gap, an education non-profit, and former co-chairwoman of the city's Community Alliance committee, which advocates for diversity issues.

Cassandra Jackson, 48, former District 6 candidate, president of the Pinellas Black Republican Club and former Pinellas County Housing Authority board member.

Deborah Green, 45, youth minister, case manager for the Hospice of the Florida Suncoast and president of Earth Mission Ministries.

The council will meet with the applicants during a public hearing Monday before selecting Williams' replacement May 1. That person would serve the remainder of Williams term, which expires in January 2010.

-Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

New Dali Museum unveiled

City Council members were shown this rendering today. Dali officials said some details of the design will change. [Dali Museum]

ST. PETERSBURG--The City Council approved the initial designs for the Salvador Dali Museum’s new building Thursday.

Dubbed Placa Dali, the avant-garde waterfront structure will feature a cascading river of glass spilling out from the center of an unadorned, three story building.  The glass, which the museum is calling the "Engima," will serve as both entrance and skylight to the main structure, called the "Treasure Box."

The Engima will mimic the shape of a helical staircase that will spiral 28 feet from the ground floor to the museum's main third level gallery. Dali's work was heavily influenced by the discovery of DNA and the double helix in the 1950's.

Placa Dali will also include a 31,000 square foot elevated plaza near the building's entrance that will be used for outdoor dining and museum events.

Already, city leaders are comparing the building's design to the Louvre Museum in Paris.

"It is an excellent addition to our waterfront," said Council Member Jeff Danner.

Others said they were unsure what to make of it, even as they praised the unique design.

"It is exquisite," said Council Chair Jamie Bennett.

"You expect it to be odd," he added later. "It kinda looks like a blob."

Placa Dali will house the museum’s permanent collection, as well as a cafe, gift shop and sculpture garden. It will be able to withstand 165 miles per hour winds.

Construction on the new museum, located across from the Mahaffey Theater, is scheduled to begin in the fall. Placa Dali is slated to open in 2010.

--Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

Pinellas Hope likely to stay open

Pinellas Hope, the controversial tent city that has housed more than 400 homeless people since December, most likely will remain open through the summer, organizers said.

In March, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker and the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce announced a fundraising drive to save the outdoor shelter, which was slated to close April 30.

Frank Murphy, president of Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg, told the St. Petersburg Times on Thursday that the campaign has been a success. He expects to receive a $200,000 check sometime next week that would allow the camp to remain open until at least September.

"We are letting people know that we plan to stay here," Murphy said.

Catholic Charities opened the tent city on a private lot owned by the diocese in unincorporated Pinellas County in December. At the time, the organization said the tent city was a five-month experiment. Opponents criticized the shelter and called for more permanent housing. 

More than 400 homeless people have stayed at the shelter since it opened. At least 90 people were discharged from the shelter because they had found housing. There are still about 220 people living at Pinellas Hope, and dozens of names remain on the shelter's waiting list.

-Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

St. Petersburg neighborhood leaders oppose Rays' stadium

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Council of Neighborhood Associations voted Wednesday against a new waterfront stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.

In a 19-3 vote, members of the neighborhood organization approved 12 pages of recommendations advising the city to delay a November referendum on the Rays' plan to build a $450-million stadium at Al Lang Field.

CONA, which represents dozens of neighborhood associations, said the city has failed to explore other potential stadium locations, and that the Rays' financing plan appears flawed. The recommendation comes weeks before the Rays said they would detail how they expect to pay for the stadium.

During a meeting Wednesday night, a handful of CONA members denounced the recommendations. All St. Petersburg residents should be given the opportunity to vote on the Rays' proposal, they said. Some abstained from voting on the recommendations, which were put together by an 11-member CONA committee. 

The CONA recommendations are:

1. The city should not approve a referendum to lease the Al Lang site for construction and use of a new stadium.

2. The city should complete a thorough analysis of alternatives to the waterfront for a new stadium, including Derby Lane, Toy Town and redeveloping part of the Tropicana site with either the current stadium or a new stadium in place there.

3. Even if a new stadium is not pursued at Al Lang, the city should continue to explore the advantages of redeveloping the Tropicana site at some future date, either with the current stadium remaining in place or a new stadium built on or near the Tropicana site, or with the stadium moved to the Toy Town or Derby Lane sites.

4. With respect to pursuing redevelopment of the Tropicana site at some level, the city should reject all bids previously received and issue a new request for proposals. A new RFP should be issued that includes the following components:

• The new RFP should require developers to offer a clear-cut purchase price in their proposal, which cannot be changed at a later date, and directly address whether lease payments will be entertained as an option to an up-front cash payment.

• Tropicana Field should be redeveloped so that there is enough space to accommodate new development with the current stadium remaining on the site.

• Greater emphasis should be given to development that will generate higher wages that also could spark additional development at the nearby Dome Industrial Pilot Project.

• The original affordable housing targets of the city RFP should be met. Retail uses should be geared toward those needed and desired by the future occupants of on-site housing. A new "main street" model that could hurt nearby growing neighborhoods should not be pursued.

-- Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

5 apply for St. Petersburg council vacancy

ST. PETERSBURG-- A former city council member, a youth minister and a CEO are among the five applicants vying for Earnest Williams' vacant City Council seat.

Williams, who represented District 6 since 2000, resigned Monday after an unsuccessful campaign for the  Legislature.

District 6 includes part of downtown, Uptown, Midtown and Coquina Key. Council members must reside in the district in order to serve. They are paid $39,330 a year.

The applicants are:

David Welch, 80, former council member, owner of Welch Accounting Services and a current St. Petersburg Housing Authority board member.

Karl Nurse, 53, owner of Bay Tech Label, founder of the Pinellas Living Green Expo and former mayoral candidate.

Gwendolyn Reese, 59, CEO of Infinite Solutions, chairwoman of Close the Gap, an education non-profit, and former co-chairwoman of the city's Community Alliance committee, which advocates for diversity issues.

Cassandra Jackson, 48, former District 6 candidate, president of the Pinellas Black Republican Club and former Pinellas County Housing Authority board member.

Deborah Green, 45, youth minister, case manager for the Hospice of the Florida Suncoast and president of Earth Mission Ministries.

The council will review the applications during a public hearing Monday before selecting Williams' replacement May 1. That person would serve the remainder of Williams term, which expires in January 2010.

-- Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

Activists demand city reconsider sale of public housing complex

A group of community activists have banded together to stop the controversial sale of the city's largest public housing complex.

Nearly 500 families would be uprooted by the St. Petersburg Housing Authority's plans to sell the Graham-Rogall complex near Tropicana Field to a condominium developer.

The Committee to Save Graham-Rogall wants the housing authority to renovate the deteriorating low-income units instead.

"These people have nowhere to go," said Judith Nelson, 73, chairwoman of the committee.

The housing authority decided to sell the Graham-Rogall buildings after its staff determined repairing the complex would cost more than $22-million. The two separate buildings, which share a hallway, are valued at $5-million.

But Nelson, a retired film distributor and president of the South St. Petersburg Democratic Club, said the housing authority board should at least try to find enough money to cover the repairs.

"This should be a priority," she said. "Who are they doing housing for, the rich or the poor?"

As of now, about 95 of the Graham building's 336 units are occupied. All of the 150 units in Rogall remain full.

The redevelopment has been stalled since June 2007 because of complications involving the sale of the Rogall building to condominium developer KEGB.

Under the terms of a restriction placed on part of the building during a 1994 bond refinancing, the Rogall apartments must remain affordable rental housing until 2017.

The housing authority and KEGB have appealed to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for a special exemption to redevelop the property into condos sooner.

"Nothing has changed," said Audra Butler, spokeswoman for the housing authority. "We are still waiting to hear from HUD."

KEGB has said they could not make a profit running Graham-Rogall as apartments even if given the property for free.

The housing authority will meet April 24 to discuss how to move forward with the development.

Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

More fallout from last week's stadium hearing

ST. PETERSBURG -- A review of the approximately 217 people who told City Council members last week they were either for or against a new waterfront stadium bolsters the arguments of both sides, a St. Petersburg Times analysis shows.

The Times reviewed the speakers' cards --- the cards people are required to fill out before they can address City Council --- to get a sense of where each side's support was coming from. The review found:

* Of the 97-or-so people who said they opposed the waterfront stadium proposal last Thursday, 14 lived in the condominium adjacent to the proposed ballpark, Bayfront Tower. Another four who spoke against the proposal listed condominium addresses on Beach Drive.

* Of 120-or-so people who said they were in favor of the stadium proposal, at least 24 listed addresses that were not in St. Petersburg. Many were associated with carpeneter unions. At least two people listed addresses in Jacksonville.

Proponents of the stadium proposal had said that many of the opponents were isolated to Bayfront Tower, while critics countered that support was being "bussed in" from outside the city. A third public hearing is May 22.

-- Aaron Sharockman, Times Staff Writer

Rays' foes, fans report contributions

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Tampa Bay Rays provided free meeting space to the group supporting their plans for a new waterfront stadium, while the group opposing the $450-million ballpark already has purchased 1,000 yard signs and 3,000 bumper stickers, according to new campaign finance reports filed by both groups.

Pro-stadium group Fans For Waterfront Stadium collected $3,419 in contributions from Jan. 1 through March 31, according to the reports. The group's leader, Kenny Locke, also loaned the group $1,800. Expenditures through the first three months totaled $3,902.36

Anti-stadium group POWW at the same time received $5,606 in contributions. About 36 of the 80 individual contributors have downtown addresses, records show. Expenditures totaled $3,705.18.

Fans For Waterfront Stadium received $774 worth of in-kind services from the Rays, including meeting space at Tropicana Field and a booth during the team's Fan Fest event. The group's largest expenditure, $1,600, paid for setting up a political action committee.

POWW, or Preserve Our Wallets and Waterfront, spent $2,620.28 printing 1,000 yard signs and $1,031.23 on 3,000 bumper stickers.

The campaign reports are required because both groups registered as political action committees ahead of a potential stadium referendum in November.

-- Aaron Sharockman, Times Staff Writer

St. Petersburg neighborhood group opposes Rays' plans

ST. PETERSBURG -- The city Council of Neighborhood Organizations issued a 12-page report Wednesday recommending against a November referendum to approve or reject a new waterfront stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.

The neighborhood group said the city has failed to explore other potential stadium locations, and that the Rays' $450-million financing plan appears flawed.

"We are objecting to the building of the stadium on Al Lang Field," said Will Michaels, chairman of CONA's Historic Resources and Land Development Committee. "But we’re not saying at some future point that a referendum should be held."

Michaels told the Times this morning that CONA feels there could be potentially better offers to redevelop the 86-acre Tropicana Field site. Michaels, however, was unable to provide specific details.

He also said the current proposals do not seem to make the Rays' plan viable. The recommendation comes weeks before the Rays said they would detail how they expect to pay for the stadium.

Rays senior vice president Michael Kalt said early Thursday that if Michaels can find someone willing to bid more for the project, bring them to the table. "It makes our job easier," Kalt said.

The CONA recommendations come hours before the City Council is scheduled to hold a public forum on the Tropicana Field redevelopment. The recommendations still must be approved by the entire CONA membership.

The CONA recommendations are:

1. The city should not approve a referendum to lease the Al Lang site for construction and use of a new stadium.

2. The city should complete a thorough analysis of alternatives to the waterfront for a new stadium, including Derby Lane, Toy Town and redeveloping part of the Tropicana site with either the current stadium or a new stadium in place there.

3. Even if a new stadium is not pursued at Al Lang, the city should continue to explore the advantages of redeveloping the Tropicana site at some future date, either with the current stadium remaining in place or a new stadium built on or near the Tropicana site, or with the stadium moved to the Toy Town or Derby Lane sites.

4. With respect to pursuing redevelopment of the Tropicana site at some level, the city should reject all bids previously received and issue a new request for proposals. A new RFP should be issued that includes the following components:

• The new RFP should require developers to offer a clear-cut purchase price in their proposal, which cannot be changed at a later date, and directly address whether lease payments will be entertained as an option to an up-front cash payment.

• A minimum FAR of 2.5 to a maximum of 3.5 should be specified. While the community will not be able to absorb such a large amount of square footage within a time frame conducive to a single phased development of this site, this will make possible more productive dense development at some future date. This will also make it more feasible to develop the Tropicana site with the current stadium remaining on the site.

• Greater emphasis should be given to utilization that will generate higher paying wages. The creation of a “mini Carillon Business Park” at the Tropicana site could spark additional development of the nearby Dome Industrial Pilot Project. Uses that could collaborate with the new CRS, University of South Florida, and medical uses such as the hospital complexes should be considered.

• The original affordable housing targets of the city RFP should be met. Retail uses should be geared toward those needed and desired by the future occupants of on-site housing. A new “main street” node that may hurt nearby areas now seeking to redevelop should not be pursued.

-- Aaron Sharockman, Times Staff Writer

Judge denies request for new boat slips in Big Bayou

Neighbors of Big Bayou received an unexpected victory last week when a judge denied a developer's request for new boat slips.

An administrative hearing judge said that Prospect-Marathon Coquina should not be able to add new boat slips connected to a condominium development off Coquina Key.

"I never thought we had a chance," said Bonnie Agan, one of the Driftwood residents who fought the more than 60 new slips proposed for Waterside at Coquina Key North, a condominium conversion of an apartment complex on the island. "It's pretty exciting, but I'm afraid to celebrate because I feel we may have aroused the beast."

Last year the developer received permission from the governor and Cabinet to add the 60 boat slips to 30 already there. Activists from Driftwood and other neighborhoods surrounding Big Bayou said the slips would cause environmental harm and the Cabinet's decision was flawed.

After a January hearing, administrative law judge Bram D.E. Canter issued a ruling March 21 that recommended the state deny a permit for the slips and refuse a modification for the submerged land lease needed to build them.

The neighbors' attorney, Dan Schuh, argued that the developer broke the law by separating the boat slips sales from the condominiums and that Big Bayou water quality required greater preservation. The developer later agreed to legally connect the slips and the condos as a condition of its permit to build the slips.

Schuh said the law required the developer to do studies to show no harm to the environment from the project, but no studies were done. He provided environmental experts' depositions on the value of the bayou.

Prospect-Marathon has said it complied with legal requirements to get permits for the boat slips. In a statement, the developer said it is "taking the appropriate next steps in this legal process.”

The decision took longer than expected, which Schuh told neighbors was a positive sign. He said he doesn't expect the developer to appeal but there is still more process left. The issue now goes back to the state and the Cabinet for reconsideration.

The judge's order spent some time discussing the "public interest" requirement of the lease modification. Prospect-Marathon had to pay the nominal lease fee as well as $300,000 for a boat ramp in Palm Harbor to satisfy that requirement, but the judge noted that building a new boat ramp would like increase environmental harm, not benefit the public.

-- Paul Swider, Times Staff Writer

President's homeless czar praises Pinellas Hope

Philip Mangano, center, executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, talks with St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, far left, Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy Tim Myers, second from left, and Frank Murphy, right, of Catholic Charities, at Pinellas Hope. Mangano toured Pinellas Hope and spoke with the media. [Scott Keeler, Times]

The nation's homelessness czar praised the controversial outdoor shelter Pinellas Hope after touring the tent city this morning.

"Every bit of care that is requested is being given here,'' said Philip Mangano, executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. "Is this ideal? Absolutely not, but it is an incremental step towards a permanent solution.''

Mangano, who has criticized of local governments for spending money on temporary shelters in the past instead of permanent solutions, described Pinellas Hope as "very calm and peaceful."

Along for the tour was St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch and a slew of other local dignitaries.

Catholic Charities opened Pinellas Hope in December on 10 acres near 126th Avenue North in unincorporated Pinellas. Since then, the temporary shelter has served 466 people, 95 of which have found permanent housing. The tent city will close April 30.

-- Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

District 55 candidates have ties to GOP

ST. PETERSBURG-- Darryl Rouson says he is a lifelong Democrat who registered as a Republican for two years before switching back in January to run for a state House seat.

But a review of Rouson’s voter registration history shows he flirted with the GOP at least once before.

Rouson registered as a Republican with the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections in 1989, according to voting records. He then moved to Illinois, where state law does not require voters to register by political party or declare a political party preference. Rouson remained an independent voter until 2005, when he returned to the Republican Party.

Rouson, a St. Petersburg lawyer, says he does not recall registering with the GOP before 2005.

"If I did, it was so long ago that I never really thought about it,'' he said.

Rouson's party affiliation has quickly become a divisive issue in the District 55 race.

His critics have accused of him of being an opportunist who will be disloyal to the Democratic Party if elected to state Legislature. His friendships with powerful Republicans - Gov. Charlie Crist, former Gov. Jeb Bush and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker - have only added fuel to the fire.

Rouson has said that voters should judge him based on his personal merit rather than party labels. He said he became a Democrat in January because party leaders told him he could never win the traditionally Democratic district as a Republican.

Rouson is not the only District 55 Democratic candidate with ties to the GOP.

The Rev. Charles McKenzie, a Meadowlawn Middle School teacher and statewide activist, registered briefly as a Republican before returning to the Democratic Party in 1997, according to Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections records.

McKenzie said he made the switch after moving to Sarasota decades ago to assuage local political leaders and that he has always supported the Democratic Party.

"One of the reasons I became a Republican is because I was told by people that I respected that the only way to do anything in this town was to be a Republican,'' he said. "I switched in name only. I never attended any of their meetings or ran as a Republican or supported any of their candidates.''

Unlike Rouson, McKenzie said he switched parties long before he decided to run for public office.

"My concern is, is he really a Democrat?'' McKenzie said of Rouson.

Rouson said he first volunteered with the Democratic Party as a student at Xavier University in Louisiana and voted as a Democrat in Chicago.

Records show he did not vote in a primary election while registered as a Chicago voter from 1990 to 1995. He did not register with any political party again until 2005, when he became a Republican at the urging of Crist and Bush.

The House District 55 seat has been open since former Rep. Frank Peterman was appointed to head the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice in February. St. Petersburg City Council Member Earnest Williams is also running as a Democrat. No Republicans entered the race. The primary is March 25.

-- Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

Post Office loses 1,100 absentee ballots

CLEARWATER-- The Post Office has lost more than 1,100 absentee ballots for the state house District 55 election nine days before the primary.

Pinellas elections officials said they delivered the 1,117 ballots to the Clearwater Bulk Mail Unit on Monday. U.S. Postal Service officials confirm that the ballots were received, but say they have no record of what happened to the mail after that.

Elections officials sent them to voters who requested absentee ballots. The mishap has alarmed local political leaders, who fear the worst.

"My concern is, if there is something nefarious going on how are we going to fix it?" said Toni Molinaro, chairwoman of the Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee. "The worst case scenario is that someone took them and is going to do something fraudulent with them."

Elections officials say there is no need to worry. The ballots were remailed through priority mail Friday. As per state law, officials said they will compare signatures on the ballot with signatures on file to prevent fraud.

"If the signature doesn't match the canvassing board will take a look it," said Nancy Whitlock, spokeswoman for the Supervisor of Elections.

If voters receive two ballots, only one ballot should be filled out and returned, Whitlock said. Only the first ballot received by the elections office will be counted.

Ballots for domestic and oversees military and civilians living oversees were mailed separately and were not affected.

The post office is investigating the mishap.

"We have every confidence that we are going to see that mail," said Gary Sawtelle, a spokesman for the U.S. post office in Tampa. "If it is was misdirected for whatever reason it will find its way back here, where it would ultimately be delivered to the addressee or it would be returned to the sender."

The House District 55 seat has been open since former Rep. Frank Peterman was appointed to head the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. The Democrats in the race are attorney Darryl Rouson, St. Petersburg City Council Member Earnest Williams and educator Charles McKenzie.The primary is March 25. No Republicans entered the race.

Completed ballots must be received by the elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Meanwhile, Williams, who was not immediately available for comment this afternoon, has filed a complaint with the St. Petersburg Police Department against Rouson, who he claims physically threatened him during a heated candidates forum hosted by the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club Wednesday.

Rouson, who denied the allegations, called it a "desperate" ploy to garner sympathy.

"Clearly, my only intention was to acknowledge that I was going to beat him at the ballot box, I'm going to beat him at the polls...and that's it," Rouson said.

Rouson said he only confronted Williams after the council member threatened him.

"He was challenging me. He wanted to take it outside. He wanted to get physical with me," Rouson said.

"The whole thing is crap," he added. "It detracts from the dignity of us trying to be a representative of the people."

-- Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

Gulfport mayor hospitalized with heart condition

GULFPORT -- Mayor Michael Yakes was admitted to Palms of Pasadena Hospital Thursday afternoon with an elevated heart rate.

He had just returned from a trip to Tallahassee to speak with legislators about the Clam Bayou Nature Preserve.

"I knew that I was pushing it because my heat rate was very high,'' Yakes said today from his hospital room.

The 64-year-old mayor was hospitalized in December after a small stroke and was later diagnosed with an abnormal heart rhythm. He has been on several medications to regulate his heartbeat since then and expects to be released soon.

Yakes, mayor since 1991, hopes to attend Tuesday's City Council meeting. "I’m a patient that doesn’t have a lot of patience. I'm thinking that I ought to be out of here.''

-- Nick Johnson, Times staff writer

Council Chair did not endorse state house candidate

ST. PETERSBURG-- In his election fliers, State House candidate Earnest Williams boasts of endorsements from a slew of local dignitaries, including Council Chairman Jamie Bennett.

But Bennett, who has sat with Williams on the St. Petersburg council for nearly a decade, said he has not endorsed anyone in the heated District 55 race and that he plans to remain neutral.

"He is a good friend, I think he would make a great legislator," Bennett said of Williams, before adding that he is also good friends with Darryl Rouson, William's rival in the state house election.

"If I could endorse in both races I would," Bennett said.

When asked about the false endorsement during a candidate forum at the Studio@620 Wednesday night, Williams said he could not comment until he had spoken with Bennett.

Rouson and Williams are running against educator Charles McKenzie to replace former state Rep. Frank Peterman Jr. A special primary election is set for March 25. No Republicans filed to run.

-Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

Judge rules in favor of St. Pete Beach pro-development petition items

Circuit Court Judge David A Demers ruled in favor of the St. Pete Beach political group Save Our Little Village today, ordering that the city hold an election for the six pro-development petition items brought by the group last year.

“The time is up!” Demers said in his order, referencing the city’s charter requirement that any petition items be voted on by the residents within 90 days of being certified. 

The city commission refused to put them on a ballot arguing that adoption of the main item, an amended comprehensive plan, without going through the proper channels would be in conflict with the Florida Growth Management Act. Demers ruled that adoption of the comprehensive plan would instead cause that process to be initiated.

“Needless to say we’re quite pleased,” SOLV chairperson Lorraine Huhn said.

The order will be stayed until the next hearing, scheduled for March 24.

-- Nick Johnson

Pinellas group endorses District 55 candidate

The Pinellas County Chapter of Progressive Democrats Of America has endorsed Charles McKenzie for State House District 55 race.

"Charles' passion and commitment to making his community a better place for all citizens makes him by far the best choice for the residents of District 55,"said Acting Chair of Pinellas PDA, Michael Fox, in a statement this week. "In this government of the people, by the people, and for the people, Charles is unquestionably a man with the people's best interests at heart, and will be a fabulous advocate in a system that for too long has been dominated by corporate special interests."

-- Cristina Silva

Stadium foes want face time with neighborhood groups

For months, the Tampa Bay Rays have been making the rounds at area neighborhood meetings to pitch their $1-billion stadium and redevelopment proposal.

Now, opponents of the plan want the same face time.

POWW, or Preserve Our Walls and Waterfront, is looking to give presentations before local community groups on why the stadium and Tropicana Field redevelopment is such a bad idea.

Among their top reasons: Taxpayers could end up footing the bill, and there isn't enough parking downtown to support the stadium.

For more information about POWW or to book a POWW speaker, check out www.stpetepoww.com.

- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

Anti-stadium group accuses Rays of illegal lobbying

ST. PETERSBURG -- The group trying to stop the Tampa Bay Rays from building a new $450-million stadium at Al Lang Field has accused the team of illegally lobbying City Council to support the plan.

Members of St. Pete Preserve Our Wallets and Waterfronts say team executives broke city rules when they handed out T-shirts at a public hearing last month that referenced the Rays' web site for the stadium proposal, www.majorleaguedowntown.com. That site suggests Hines, the developer the Rays are working with on plans for Tropicana Field, already has been awarded the work -- when in fact the city is in the middle of an open and competitive bidding process, said former City Council member, POWW member and attorney Kathleen Ford.

"The ... process has been tainted," Ford wrote in a letter to the city, which also cites as examples the discussion of the Rays' proposal at the Governor's Baseball Dinner last week, and references in trade magazines that discussed the project as if Hines already had won the work. You can read Ford's entire letter here.

Ford and POWW members are asking the city to reject Hines' bid or cancel the entire bidding process. City officials say that's unlikely to happen.

Complete coverage: Ballpark by the bay

-- Aaron Sharockman, Times Staff Writer

Councilman endorses Williams' opponent in House District 55 race

This might make for awkward conversation before the next St. Petersburg City Council meeting.

Council member Wengay Newton has chosen not to support fellow Democrat and council member Earnest Williams in the District 55 race. Instead, Newton has endorsed his opponent, the Rev. Charles McKenzie.

Newton said he has been weighing his options in recent weeks, but McKenzie was the first to ask him for his support.

The Meadowlawn Middle School teacher’s community roots impressed Newton, a former neighborhood activist.

- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

Group starts drive to get local activist on City Council

There will be no election, but the campaign to fill City Council Member Earnest Williams' soon-to-be-vacant seat keeps getting more interesting every week.

A group of well-connected residents have started a petition to convince the council to appoint community activist Karl Nurse to William's District 6 seat.

Nurse, a former mayoral candidate, has said he was considering applying for the seat once Williams leaves the council on April 14.

His friends have apparently taken notice. In recent weeks, more than 200 people have signed the petition asking the council to add Nurse to its inner circle.

"As a small business owner, longtime neighborhood leader, and as a present and past member of numerous boards and commissions, Karl has the experience, knowledge, and passion to bring true leadership to District 6," reads the petition.

Williams, who is running for a state house seat, has already submitted his letter of resignation to the city clerk.

The council will have 45 days to appoint his successor.

Other potential District 6 candidates include Trenia Cox, former president of the St. Petersburg branch of the NAACP; Cassandra Jackson, who ran against Williams in 2005; Ray Tampa, a former principal at Lakewood Elementary School; and Thomas "Jet" Jackson, the city's recreation manager.

-- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

Campaign manager prefers to remain out of spotlight

If you had been chosen to manage the campaign of a high-profile community leader who’s running for the state Legislature, wouldn’t you want everyone to know?

Maybe not, if you’re also a savvy magazine publisher who hopes to rake in as much ad revenue as possible from the other candidates.

It appears that Gypsy Gallardo, editor and publisher of Power Broker magazine, is reluctant to admit that she has signed on as attorney Darryl Rouson’s campaign manager. Rouson is vying for the District 55 seat now held by Rep. Frank Peterman Jr., who has been appointed to head the Department of Juvenile Justice.

City Council member Earnest Williams and activist Charles McKenzie also are running for the seat. It’s their ad revenue Gallardo hopes to attract.

- Times staff writer

Candidate may bow out of District 55 House race

State House candidate Steven Lapinski, a newcomer in the race to replace Rep. Frank Peterman, might be out before the campaign even begins.

Lapinski, a University of South Florida student, said he is not sure he would be able to meet today’s deadline to get on the March 25 ballot. He needs to submit 735 signatures or pay $1,915.92.

Lapinski said he thought he had more than enough signatures, but some were disqualified.

Three other Democrats are running: educator Charles McKenzie, St. Petersburg City Council Member Earnest Williams and lawyer Darryl Rouson. A Republican has not entered the race.

The special election comes on the heels of Peterman's appointment as secretary of the state Department of Juvenile Justice.

- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

Clam Bayou cleanup effort garners tourism award

Zuelsdorf stands amid debris in the Clam Bayou Nature Preserve. [Scott Keeler | Times]

An area waterway isn't the only thing a local environmentalist is cleaning up.

He just raked in a national award.

Kurt Zuelsdorf of Kayak Nature Adventures recently earned Coastal Living Magazine's  2008 Tourism Award for his clean up efforts/eco-tours of Clam Bayou Nature Park.

An estimated 32,000 pounds of trash have been removed from the preserve since Kurt Zuelsdorf started his cleanup program in summer 2006, offering volunteers a free kayak rental in return for collecting a bag of garbage.

The 2008 Eco-Tour exchange program kicks off Saturday (March 1).

See Coastal Living Article Award here; http://www.coastalliving.com/coastal/living/environment/article/0,14587,1706660,00.html

-- Sandra J. Gadsden, Times staff writer

Lehane ties the knot at the St. Pete Yacht Club

Writer Dennis Lehane and New Port Richey optometrist Angela Bernardo are on a honeymoon in Hawaii. The couple were married at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club on Saturday, Feb. 23.

Lehane, who grew up in Dorchester, Mass., is an Eckerd College graduate whose novels include Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone. He also has written episodes for HBO's critically acclaimed show, The Wire. Bernardo graduated from the New England College of Optometry in Boston whose practice is Trinity Optical. She specializes in contact lenses and promotes literacy and vision assessment for children.

Friends say the couple met at a Super Bowl party in 2007. Their parents, Rita and Marty Bernardo and Ann and Michael Lehane, were in St. Petersburg for the ceremony, as was Angi’s 85-year-old grandfather John Caruso. Her aunt Connie Southerland, who flew in from Hawaii for the event, brought leis for all the women attending.

- Mary Jane Park, Times staff writer

District 55 House candidate secures key endorsements

The campaign trail is looking bright for state House candidate Darryl Rouson (left).

The St. Petersburg attorney secured a number of endorsements from a group of diverse community leaders recently, including Rep. Bill Heller, a Democrat from St. Petersburg, and Republican Deveron Gibbons, a vice president at  Amscot Financial and a well-known Midtown activist.

A number of St. Petersburg faith leaders also have thrown their support behind Rouson, including Pastor Manuel L. Sykes of Bethel Community Baptist Church and Pastor Louis Murphy of Mount Zion Progressive Missionary Baptist Church.

Rouson is running for the state House District 55 seat. The special election comes on the heels of Rep. Frank Peterman's appointment as secretary of Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice. The primary election is March 25.

Three other Democrats are running against Rouson, a former Republican: educator Charles McKenzie, St. Petersburg City Council Member Earnest Williams and University of South Florida student Steven Lapinski. A Republican has not entered the race.

Rouson's recent endorsements are in addition to Peterman's announcement earlier this month that he would support Rouson.

- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

Anti-stadium rhetoric gains momentum

Add two voices to the anti-stadium side.

The boards of the Downtown Neighborhood Association and the Suncoast Group of the Sierra Club have voted to oppose the proposed Tampa Bay Rays stadium at Al Lang Field.

"Our decision was based in part on a number of unresolved issues including, but not limited to, the appropriateness of a structure of this size in this location given the goals stated in our Comprehensive Plan; traffic and parking issues that could further exacerbate our temporary parking lot concerns; potential infrastructure impact; funding and financial challenges; environmental impact; as well as more general quality of life concerns," wrote Marilyn Olsen, president of the downtown group, in an e-mail.

The Sierra Club also issued a statement.

"Our public waterfront is a finite resource that cannot be replaced. Led by William Straub, our city’s forefathers in the early 1900s had the foresight to create the country’s largest public waterfront,” it read. “Now, nearly 100 years later, is not the time to dismantle that vision."   

- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

Fourth candidate enters District 55 House race

A fourth Democrat has entered the state House District 55 election to replace Rep. Frank Peterman.

Steven Lapinski, a former University of South Florida student, joined the race last week. 

Lapinski could be in for a tough race. So far he has raised no money.

His opponents, all high-profile community activists, include the Rev. Charles McKenzie, St. Petersburg City Council Member Earnest Williams and civil rights attorney Darryl Rouson.

- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

Former St. Petersburg councilwoman endorses Williams in District 55 race

They sat together on St. Petersburg's City Council for more than eight years. Now, Rene Flowers is throwing her support behind her former council colleague Earnest Williams in his bid for the state Legislature.

Flowers has endorsed Williams, a State Farm agent, for state House District 55. On Saturday, the two went door to door to drum up support before scattered showers persuaded them to return another day.

"When I was looking at the candidates, he is just well-rounded in all areas," said Flowers. "He has served in municipal government and he's worked for municipal government, he is a small business owner...he knows what he is doing."

Two others Democrats are running against Williams: educator Charles McKenzie and lawyer Darryl Rouson.

The District 55 seat was vacated by Frank Peterman, who was appointed secretary of the state Department of Juvenile Justice.

A primary election is March 25.

- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

An e-mail smackdown over Brooker Creek

Brooker Creek Preserve. Click to enlarge. [Jim Damaske | Times]

An e-mail smack down over a proposed power plant unfolded this week between Pinellas County Commissioner Susan Latvala and a St. Petersburg activist.

The fracas started when Lorraine Margeson, an environmentalist who has fought to protect Brooker Creek Preserve, sent out a widely generated e-mail critical of a proposal to put an electrical transmission line through Brooker Creek and Latvala’s involvement in the matter.

Progress Energy officials say the utility corridor might be necessary if the company decides to build a nuclear power plant in Levy County. In 2007, Latvala served on a committee that reviewed the proposal.

In the e-mail, which was sent to a list serve composed of local officials, Margeson described Latvala as "the woman who spearheaded efforts to pump Brooker Creek Preserve to sprinkle a golf course
AND the idea to put the ballfields in the preserve."

"This just gets uglier and uglier," Margeson wrote of the Progress Energy plan.

Latvala responded with her own e-mail Friday afternoon.

"I was going to just ignore your latest ranting (as I usually do) but this one is just too far over the top. I am really tired of your drama, lies and exaggerations," she wrote to Margeson. "Progress Energy already owns a utility easement thru Brooker Creek, so why wouldn’t that land be looked at?"

The e-mail continued, "I did not spearhead the effort to reactivate the existing wells at the Brooker Creek Preserve. Staff of the Pinellas County Utility Department made the recommendation to the BCC, and it was never even voted on. Nor did I spearhead the ballfields on the Utility Dept. property managed by the Preserve. I did vote over four years ago to lease that land to the East Lake Youth Sports Assoc. for ballfields."

In fact, Latvala has publicly said she supported an idea to convert some of the preserve into a ballfield. In 2006, she also said she was considering a plan that would use water from the preserve to water a golf course. 

No word yet on Margeson's reaction. As of Friday evening, she hadn't responded.

- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

They're speculating at Atwater's about District 6 seat

Spotted: Mayor Rick Baker (far left) and Council Chairman Jamie Bennett (left) discussing the future of the City Council at Atwater's Cafeteria earlier this month.

The two city leaders were going over potential successors to Council Member Earnest Williams, who is running for a seat in the state Legislature, Bennett said.

“We were having lunch, it came up,” he said. “We were discussing the list of candidates, which is what everyone else is doing, too.”

Indeed, guessing who will take Williams' District 6 seat has become a favorite game among many of the city’s politically minded residents.

Former mayoral candidate Karl Nurse confirmed that he was considering applying for the job earlier this week. Other potential candidates include Trenia Cox, former president of the St. Petersburg branch of the NAACP; Cassandra Jackson, who ran against Williams in 2005; Ray Tampa, a former principal at Lakewood Elementary School; and Thomas "Jet" Jackson, the city's recreation manager.

"There easily could be 10 candidates," Bennett said. "I have been getting calls for all kinds of people. …They say, 'hey, pick me.' ”

Williams will step down from his post on April 14 at 11:59 p.m., exactly one day before the election for the State House District 55 seat. The council then has 45 days to appoint a successor.

- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

Mayor to entertain at Saturday Morning Market

Budget cuts, the slumping real estate market, high property taxes and the uproar from the Tampa Bay Rays' expensive new ballpark can't spoil this party.

It's another rock and roll day in St. Petersburg.

The city's guitar-playing mayor, Rick Baker, will join Sam Stone for a performance during the Saturday Morning Market on Saturday. The two will play their renditions of classic rock tunes from 10 a.m. to noon.

The market is held every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Central Avenue near Second Street. N.

- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

[Times file photo by Willie J. Allen (2004)]

Two wild dogs captured at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve

A pack of wild dogs roaming Boyd Hill Nature Preserve lost two of its canine cronies when Pinellas County Animal Services ensnared the pets at the St. Petersburg park Thursday morning.

At least three wild dogs remain at large, said Linda Britland, field enforcement manager for Animal Services. The dogs could be dangerous, she warned.

The dogs were captured after a park visitor called to report them, Britland said. Animal Services has been in pursuit of the furry offenders since Jan. 8, when the pack was first spotted at the nature preserve.

At the time, the dogs gathered in the parking lot as Animal Services officers tried to corner them. The canine culprits got away.

Then, last week, four of the dogs charged some visitors on a Boyd Hill trail before running away. 

Animals services will try to return the captured dogs to their owners. The dogs could also be put up for adoption if no owner steps forward. If the dogs become too feral, the county will have no choice but to euthanize them.

For more information or to report a wild dog, call Pinellas County Animal Services at (727) 582-2604.

- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

Local activist considers bid for Distict 6 seat

Karl Nurse, left, a longtime activist and former mayoral candidate, is considering a bid for the soon-to-be-vacated District 6 seat of City Council member Earnest Williams.

Williams will leave the council in April to run for a state House seat in a special election. The City Council then will need to appoint someone as Williams' successor.

Nurse, who has lived in District 6 for 18 years, said some community leaders have asked him to apply for the seat.

Nurse has a long history of public service. In 2001, he finished fourth with less than 15 percent of the vote in his bid for mayor. He is on the board of directors of the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, founder of the Pinellas Living Green Expo and a former president of the Council of Neighborhood Associations.

Williams is leaving the council to run for the seat vacated by Frank Peterman, who was recently named to lead the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.

- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

Neighborhood Housing president forced out

Askia Muhammad Aquil, left, a community activist for more than a decade, is out of a job, and the Midtown nonprofit he ran is struggling to stay afloat.

Aquil, who had served as president of St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Services for more than a decade, was let go in January by the financially strapped nonprofit's board of directors.

NHS had been low on money for months, and in December the organization announced it soon would be unable to pay its employees. At the time, Aquil said he was launching a fundraising campaign.

But the organization's finances remained in the gutter, so the board told Aquil he would no longer be needed nearly four weeks ago. A successor has not been named.

NHS, which for nearly 30 years has helped would-be property owners from all financial backgrounds, has been operating in the red since 2004, according to a review of federal tax records. The organization's finances took a hit from the recent housing market slump.

- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

Photo: [Times file photo (2003)]

St. Pete Beach faces suit from political action group

St. Pete Beach entered round two in the bout over six pro-development petition items when Save Our Little Village Inc., the political group who drafted the petitions, filed suit Tuesday.

The suit is an attempt to force the city to place the items on a ballot, which would require a special election, since the commission failed to meet the deadline for placing them on the March 11 ballot.

A similar suit was dismissed last month, when Circuit Court Judge David A. Demers determined that according to the city charter, the commission had 90 days to decide what to do with the proposed items, giving them until Feb. 17 to act.

The commission decided to forward the petition items, one of which is a comprehensive plan amendment, to the city’s Planning Board for review last week.

“The city is sending this forward to go through the process that the Florida Growth Management Act requires,” said Attorney Thomas W. Reese, who has been representing the city in the SOLV case.

Reese has argued that the Florida Growth Management Act pre-empts the city charter and that the petitions must go through local and state review agencies before residents vote on them.

The city has until March 10 to respond to the suit.

- Nick Johnson, Times staff writer

Tropicana Field is getting a new hue

Tropicana Field is going blue.

In January, the Tampa Bay Rays redecorated the interior of the stadium with its new color. Earlier this month, painters began taking the blue outdoors. The work should be done by March.

The paint job is part of the Tampa Bay Rays' recent transformation. In November, the team changed its name from the Devil Rays and switched from green to blue uniforms.

- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer