AMBER alert issued for teen girl

Update: Authorities canceled the alert around 11:07 a.m. Authorities said the girl was located.

There is an AMBER Alert this morning for a teenage girl last seen at a Shell gas station in New Smyrna Beach.

The girl, believed to be 16 years old, may be in the company of a trio of people described by officials as a black male, a black female and a Hispanic male. They could be traveling north on Interstate 95 in a white 2008 four-door Chrysler Sebring with license tag 893IWG.

Authorities ask anyone with information to contact the New Smyrna Beach Police Department at 386-756-7400 or 911.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Ex-DCF spokesman pleads not guilty to child porn charges

TAMPA -- Former Florida Department of Children and Families spokesman Al Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to child pornography charges.

Zimmerman, 40, formerly of Tallahassee and Lakeland, remains in federal custody with no bond. A federal indictment charges him with production of child pornography.

Authorities accused Zimmerman of taking nude photographs of at least two minor, teenage boys, one who has been identified as a foster child in DCF care. Investigators said Zimmerman paid the boys for the pictures he took and said he would sell them to buyers in Germany, England, Sweden and Scotland.

Prosecutors said Zimmerman once offered $200 to one of the boys in exchange for oral sex, but the boy refused. He is accused of committing the crimes in Hillsborough and Orange counties.

Zimmerman was scheduled to be arraigned before a magistrate judge on Thursday but has waived his appearance in court. If convicted of the federal crime, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

[Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]

$10,000 reward offered in missing Lakeland man's case

TAMPA -- The parents of a missing Lakeland man announced a $10,000 reward today for information leading to his safe return.

Robert Arthur Wiles, 26, was last seen April 1 at National Flight Services, his family's business, where he worked as a business development manager. The business is located at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.

FBI officials investigating the disappearance have classified it as a kidnapping.

FBI spokesman Dave Couvertier said that Wiles' family discovered a ransom note on April 3 and "aggressively responded," complying with its instructions and demands. They haven't heard anything since from the person who left the note, Couvertier said.

"We are worried about Robert. We love Robert, and we are seriously worried about his safety," said his mother, Pamela Wiles. "We will do anything we can to bring our son back and get him home safely."

Robert Wiles' parents, Thomas and Pamela, made their plea from the FBI's Tampa field office, as law enforcement officials made their first public statements about the kidnapping. The FBI is involved in the case because of the ransom note.

Couvertier released no information about the note's contents or how the Wiles have so far complied. He cited the ongoing investigation as the reason.

Investigators have this message to the person or persons who sent the ransom note: The Wiles have no way of knowing if you received their response to the demands. Contact them using the same name used in the note.

Couvertier said investigators have developed "individuals of interest" in the case. Leads from associates of Wiles have led investigators to Tampa, Lakeland, Orlando, Brevard, Sarasota, Fort Myers, Miami, Key West, Melbourne, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Thailand.

Robert Wiles' parents say he is a licensed pilot, a diver, an athlete and a journeyman fisherman. He is described as 5-foot-9, 165 pounds with hazel eyes and brown hair. He was last seen around 6:30 p.m. the day he disappeared.

Anyone with information about Wiles can contact the FBI at 1-866-838-1153 or call the local police.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Snipes sentenced to 3 years in prison

OCALA -- A federal judge sentenced Wesley Snipes today to three years in federal prison, the maximum he faced for failing to file his tax returns.

The judge also ordered that Snipes serve one year of probation but waived a fine, despite prosecutors asking that he pay one. Defense attorneys said Snipes will still pay for back taxes after a civil trial.

Eddie Ray Kahn, Snipes' tax consultant who was convicted of conspiracy and filing a false tax return, received a maximum 10-year sentence. Douglas Rosile, an accountant who prepared a fraudulent tax return for Snipes, received 54 months in prison.

Snipes spoke in court today for the first time since his prosecution and apologized for his mistakes and for disappointing his family. But not once did he mention the word "taxes."

"Even though I accept the jury's verdict, I never imagined my life would be imitating roles I played on the screen," Snipes said.

Prosecutors had charged Snipes of conspiring with Kahn and Rosile to fraudulently request about $11.4-million in IRS refunds that Snipes paid in taxes in 1996 and 1997.

Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Snipes to be sentenced tomorrow in Ocala

The U.S. Attorney's Office says it spent more than $250,000 to prosecute actor Wesley Snipes for failure to file his tax returns.

When Snipes is sentenced in Ocala tommorow for the misdemeanor convictions, prosecutors want a federal judge to order that he pay it back. Prosecutors also want the Orlando native to pay a fine of at least $5-million.

Snipes, 45, is facing as much as three years in prison after a jury convicted him in February on three of six misdemeanor charges of failing to file his taxes. He was acquitted on felony counts of conspiracy and filing a false claim with the Internal Revenue Service.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa announced the charges against Snipes in October 2006. Prosecutors accused him and co-defendants Eddie Ray Kahn and Douglas P. Rosile of conspiring to defraud the IRS of about $11.4-million in refunds on taxes Snipes paid in 1996 and 1997.

Jurors convicted Kahn and Rosile of conspiracy and filing a false claim.

Snipes hired Kahn, a Lake County resident, in 2000 as a tax consultant. Rosile, a de-licensed Venice accountant, worked part-time for Kahn and prepared an amended return for Snipes. Kahn is facing 10 years in prison and Rosile is facing more than eight years.

The IRS estimated that Snipes failed to report nearly $38-million in gross income from 1999 to 2004. The IRS calculated Snipes' unpaid tax liability for those years as more than $15.6-million.

Snipes' attorneys said at trial that he tried repeatedly to meet with IRS officials because he had questions about his taxes.

Kahn, a tax protester, told Snipes that Internal Revenue Code Section 861 excused Americans from paying taxes on income earned in the United States. Courts have rejected the theory.

In court records asking for the maximum sentence for Snipes, prosecutors say his celebrity status doesn't warrant leniency.

"To the extent that Snipes' background is even a mitigating factor, it is offset by his nearly decade-long effort to escape paying taxes on the lucrative compensation he received as result of that professional success," prosecutors wrote in a court filing. "To the extent that Snips has, in the past, performed charity and good works, such actions should be viewed in the context of what is typical and expected of individuals who have reached defendant's station in life."

Senior U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges has set the sentencing for Snipes, Kahn and Rosile to begin Thursday at 9:30 a.m.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Judge says Meus can be freed on bail

WAUCHULA-- Jean Claude Meus walked out of the Hardee County jail on Friday afternoon after a Hardee County judge granted bail for the truck driver who won a new trial earlier this year after a new witness was allowed to testify in the case.

Circuit Judge Jeff McKibben set bail at $25,000 and said Meus could live temporarily with his fiance in Tennessee until the new trial begins. His fiance, Rebecca Chenoweth, planned to post bail this afternoon. Meus could be released within two hours.

The Haitian immigrant was convicted of vehicular homicide in a traffic crash that killed Nona Moore, 40, and her daughter Lindsey, 8. Relatives of the victims were among those who fought to free Meus.

He has been in prison since September 2003. On May 11, 2001, at an intersection in rural Hardee County, his semitrailer, loaded with tomatoes, collided with a van carrying Moore and her children home from a shopping trip.

In an order issued last week, McKibben found that Meus' trial attorney erred when he failed to contact an important witness, Juan Otero. Otero, among the first responders to the scene, contradicted earlier claims that Meus had fallen asleep at the wheel.

McKibben issued a stern warning to Meus to follow all the requirements of his bail.

"Don't blow it," the judge said.

"You won't be disappointed," Meus answered.

Chenoweth's sister, who drives a decorated van that says "Free Jean Claude" to every hearing, came Friday with mangos, tangelos and homemade banana bread, his favorite treats. But Friday, her signs also thanked judges for "doing the right thing."

No date has been set for the new trial. Prosecutors have appealed the decision to retry the case.

--By Abbie VanSickle, Times staff writer

Photo, above: Rebecca Chenoweth reacts after hearing her fiance Jean Claude Meus is allowed to post bail and to live and work in Tennessee with her until there is a new trial in Wauchula [Kathleen Flynn | Times]

Ex-DCF spokesman indicted on child porn charges

TAMPA -- Former Florida Department of Children and Families spokesman Al Zimmerman has been indicted on federal charges of production of child pornography, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced today.

Zimmerman, 41, was arrested Feb. 1 on similar state charges and fired from his job. A federal complaint followed on Feb. 8.

Federal investigators accuse him of offering at least two teenage boys money to pose for nude photographs that would be sold in Germany. Zimmerman met one of the boys, a foster child, through his job, investigators said.

If convicted on the federal charge, Zimmerman would get a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. In the state case, he faces eight charges and could get up to 120 years in convicted.

Zimmerman is accused of committing the crimes between October 2004 and December 2007 in Hillsborough and Orange counties. He's being held without bail in a Citrus County jail.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Brothers injured in brawl at water park

ORLANDO -- Shots were fired and teenagers brawled inside and outside Wet 'n Wild water park Sunday, injuring two brothers from Pompano Beach.

The fighting  — between two rival groups of high school students — began around 5:10 p.m. Sunday, less than an hour before the park was to close.

Police said the incident started inside the park, when dozens of young people jumped on an Orlando police officer who was arresting a teenage girl for disorderly conduct. The teens were also fighting park security guards, said Orlando police spokeswoman Barbara Jones said.

Several hundred youths were then ushered to the parking lot to board buses operated by Fort Lauderdale-based Xtreme Trips, which organizes outings for high school and college students.

Multiple fights then broke out in the parking lot and the brothers were injured in the ensuing melee.

Michael Roosevelt, 18, was shot in the left leg, and his brother Marlin Laguerre, 16, was hit in the face — possibly with a rock — according to Jones.

Roosevelt was shot with a small caliber handgun, police said. Police found a loaded .22-caliber pistol in the toilet of one of the buses used to transport the teens, but weren’t sure if it was the weapon used in the shooting, or if it was carried into the park.

Neither brother appeared to have life-threatening injuries, police said.

No arrests were made in the shooting and police did not identify any suspects.

In addition to the teen girl arrested inside the park, a 17-year-old was arrested in the parking lot for misdemeanor assault and interference during the course of the investigation.

Police said “crowd control spray” was used inside the park, and in the parking lot.

Wet 'n Wild spokesman Mike Black said some members of a large group “had become unruly” while visiting the park. “Our security team worked closely with the Orlando Police Department to remove the unruly individuals as a precaution,” Black said in a statement, adding that the incident is still being investigated.

Wet 'n Wild, located on International Drive at Universal Boulevard, is a unit of Universal Parks and Resorts.

Rita Farlow, Times staff writer

Information from Times wires and the Orlando Sentinel were used in this report.

Dr. Phil Show bails out girl in teen beating

BARTOW — Television talk show host "Dr. Phil" McGraw's show helped a central Florida teenager accused of taking part in a videotaped beating bond out of jail, the show spokeswoman confirmed Saturday.

Staff members for the "Dr. Phil" talk show helped Mercades Nichols — one of eight teens facing charges in the case — post bond this weekend, McGraw spokeswoman Terri Corigliano said in an e-mail.

"We have helped guests and potential guests in the past when they need financial assistance to come on the show — assisting with clothing allowance, lost wages, accommodations, travel and necessities," Corigliano wrote. "In this case, certain staff members went beyond our guidelines (re the bail being paid). These staff members have been spoken to and our policies reiterated. In addition, we have decided not to go forward with the story as our guidelines have been compromised."

Late Saturday night, Polk County Sheriff's Office spokesman Scott Wilder said only two of the eight teens remained jailed. The eight teens, whose ages range from 14 to 18, face kidnapping and misdemeanor battery charges. Three also face a felony charge of witness tampering.

They are accused of participating in a violent beating of another teenager, which was videotaped and has now been viewed widely on national TV and the Internet.

A judge set bails ranging from $30,000 to $37,000 for each during their first court appearances Friday. The state attorney's office says all will be tried as adults.

McGraw drew criticism earlier this year when he confronted troubled pop star Britney Spears at the UCLA Medical Center during a stay at the facility.

At one point, McGraw had planned an episode of the "Dr. Phil" show about Spears, but quickly abandoned the idea. He has since apologized for discussing his visit publicly — but not for going to see her.

--Associated Press

Ruskin child found

Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies found the Ruskin boy who was apparently abducted by his father after the man had a fight with the boy's mother.

The father, Jason Davis, has been charged with domestic violence and interferring with child custody. He is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

An Amber Alert was issued this morning for Jacob Wyett Davis, pictured at far left, a one-year, three-month old boy, and his father, Jason Travis Davis, also pictured.

They were found in Palm Beach County just before 1 p.m. today during a traffic stop, Carter said. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement had issued an alert for Davis' Mercury Mountaineer.

Jason Davis and the boy's mother, Cecilia Guerra, got into an argument this morning that led to a physical fight. Guerra left the home the three share at 217 Sixth Ave. SW in Ruskin, at 3:20 a.m. and went to a store to use a phone to report the altercation. Upon her return, she discovered the boy and his father missing.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued the Amber Alert because Jason Davis threatened during the altercation that he would take his son and harm him.

This is the second time that Jason Davis has abducted his son. Just over a year ago, he took with his son and was later apprehended after being spotted by state troopers on Interstate 10 in Tallahassee.

Ken Walker, Times staff writer

New sex-offender alert system announced

TAMPA -- Law enforcement officials today are announcing a new alert system the public can use to help figure out where sex offenders are in their communities.

Residents can sign up to receive an e-mail alert when a registered sex offender or predator moves into their area, or within a certain mile radius, under the new system announced this morning by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The free service also will allow people to track address changes reported by certain offenders and predators.

"I am proud that Floridians have access to one of the most comprehensive sexual offender and predator registration systems in the nation," said Gov. Charlie Crist. "This sophisticated tracking tool will actively notify citizens of updates of most interest to them and their families."

The new system called the Florida Offender Alert System can be accessed through the FDLE's Web site and the sites of other law enforcement agencies in Florida.

-- Times staff writer

Shuttle lands safely, sets off sonic booms

 

[AP photo]

The Space shuttle Endeavour knocked on our door last night -- at least, that's what it sounded like. Just look at all the people who commented below. 

   Here's what happened: Cloudy weather prevented the shuttle from landing at 7:05 p.m. as originally scheduled, so the astronauts flew around Earth one more time. That only takes about 90 minutes when you're orbiting the planet.

  The weather cleared up, and Endeavour descended, this time on a new flight path that crossed over Florida, very near Tampa Bay. Because this flight path brought the shuttle so much closer to us in the Tampa Bay area, the sonic booms were louder.

   Like other supersonic aircraft, the nose of the space shuttle compresses air as it streaks through the atmosphere, creating a shock wave that spreads out like waves spreading from the bow of a ship. A similar shock wave spreads out from the tail of the shuttle.

   We hear this vibrating air as sound. And last night, many of us heard it twice. The first sonic boom was the sound waves spreading off the nose, and the second boom a half-second later was the waves spreading off the tail. Endeavour is 122 feet long. On a smaller supersonic aircraft, the two waves are so close together it sounds like one boom.

   Tom Hipp of St. Pete Beach not only heard the shuttle, he saw it. A space enthusiast, he monitored NASA's changing plans and stood outside his home about the time he figured Endeavour would be passing nearby.

   "It was just a pinpoint bright light that appeared about 30 degrees above the western horizon," said Hipp, 68, a retired communications engineer. He watched for about two minutes as it crossed the sky heading east.

   He went back inside to watch the landing on television. And then he heard it. "The sonic booms came about five minutes after it passed over," Hipp said.

   Anyone else out there see the shuttle?

   -- Curtis Krueger, Times staff writer

  Click here to read the Associated Press report.

Listen for the space shuttle tonight

If you hear two familiar sonic booms about 7 tonight, that means the space shuttle Endeavour is on its way back to Cape Canaveral for a 7:05 p.m. landing. NASA says it's hard to tell whether the sound of the booms will carry all the way to the Tampa Bay area, because it depends on atmospheric conditions.

The shuttle will fly over Florida's east coast en route to the Kennedy Space Center, unless weather delays the landing. In that case, NASA could choose to send Endeavour around Earth one more time, which would delay the landing about 90 minutes. For the later landing, the shuttle would take a different route, passing just south of Tampa Bay and across Florida, and we would almost certainly hear the booms.

Endeavour launched March 11 for a mission that included setting up a new Canadian-built robot on the exterior of the international space station, and carrying up the first part of a Japanese-built space lab.

Curtis Krueger, Times staff writer

New witness testifies in Meus case

WAUCHULA -- The volunteer firefighter and his friend were headed home after a day of fishing when they came upon the crash site.

"Oh my God, look what just happened," Juan Otero said to his fishing buddy.

They stopped to help. Otero watched as a trucker climbed out of the tractor trailer, overflowing with spilled tomatoes. In broken English, the trucker said that someone had come in front of him, that he had not seen them. He looked alert, and he was trying to help, Otero said. The trucker said he had a bump on his head from the impact.

This afternoon is the first time Otero has testified in court in the case of Jean Claude Meus, a Haitian immigrant serving 15 years in state prison in the death Nona Moore, 40, and her 8-year-old daughter, Lindsey.

Meus was convicted in 2003 of vehicular homicide, but his case is back in court because his attorney, John Trevena, says the lawyer who represented Meus during the trial did not do a thorough job, failing to present a witness who could have easily debunked the state's theory that Meus had fallen asleep at the wheel.

About 20 people came to court today in rural Wauchula for the hearing, which Trevena hopes could lead to a new trial for Meus. Among those gathered are the family of Nona and Lindsey Moore, who are fighting to get Meus out of prison.

The hearing started just after

2 p.m.

-- Abbie VanSickle, Times staff writer

Tampa mortgage brokers charged with fraud

Two Hillsborough County men have been charged with operating an organized mortgage fraud scheme that spanned more than two years and more than $34 million in loans throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas and Polk counties, state officials announced today.

As mortgage brokers for Tampa-based Sunstate Mortgage Company, David Tuggle, Jr. and Eric Steinhauser submitted more than 300 mortgage loan applications to Argent Mortgage Company as part of an elaborate scheme to defraud, according to the state Attorney General's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Two executives of subprime mortgage lender Argent Mortgage Company are also being charged in the fraud scheme.

According to the charges, Orson Benn, as vice president of Argent, approved or oversaw the approval of fraudulent loan applications submitted by Tuggle and Steinhauser. And Constance Golder, an account executive, served as a liaison between Benn and Sunstate Mortgage.

-- Amber Mobley, Times staff writer

Coast Guard searched for downed plane, pilot in Venice

VENICE -- The search will continue this morning for the pilot of a downed private plane that crashed Monday night in the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. Coast Guard officials said that the single-engine plane, reportedly was headed for a landing at Venice Municipal Airport before crashing into water about 750 yards off the Venice Pier just after 9 p.m.

Emergency officials launched air and sea searches, battling strong winds and 6- to
8-foot waves, but couldn't locate the aircraft.

Only the pilot is believed to have been aboard the plane.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

AMBER Alert canceled for Homestead girls, 3 and 7

Authorities have canceled the AMBER Alert issued overnight for a pair of Dade County girls, ages 3 and 7.

The statewide alert for Vanessa Rivas, 3 (left), and Frida Gonzales, 7 (right), both of Homestead, was issued just before 2:30 a.m. Officials with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement canceled the alert shortly after 9:30 a.m.

The girls are safe and are currently with the Hialeah Gardens Police Department. One man is in police custody in connection to the case.

 

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Pinellas Park woman claims Lotto jackpot

The Florida Lottery announced today that Linda Giguere, 61, of Pinellas Park claimed the $37-million Feb. 20 Lotto jackpot.

Giguere chose a one-time lump-sum payment for the winnings in the amount of $20,859,551.67. The winning ticket was purchased at a Winn Dixie at 6501 102nd Ave. N in Pinellas Park. The store received a bonus incentive of $45,000 for selling the jackpot-winning ticket.

The winning numbers were 10, 12, 20, 25, 28 and 39.

Giguere is the 62nd Lotto winner to purchase a winning ticket in Pinellas County.

Times staff writer

Cuban soccer players may have defected, Herald reports

Five members of a Cuban national soccer team left their Tampa hotel Tuesday and are believed to be on their way to Miami to seek political asylum, the Miami Herald reports. The players, members of the Under-23 team, tied the United States 1-1 in a game Tuesday night. The team's coach told ESPN Deportes the players left the hotel. The team is competing in the 2008 Olympic qualifying tournament. It's second game, against Honduras, is scheduled for Thursday.

Southwest grounds 41 jets; no TIA flights affected

DALLAS -- Southwest Airlines says it grounded 41 planes Tuesday in the wake of its recent admission that it had missed required inspections of some planes for structural cracks.

Spokeswoman Christi Day says the move resulted in some flights being canceled Wednesday, but she didn't have a precise figure. No flights at Tampa International Airport were affected, airport officials said.

The move comes as Southwest faces a $10.2 million civil penalty for continuing to fly nearly 50 planes after the airline admitted that it had missed required inspections of the planes.

Southwest also put three employees on leave after being notified of the penalty by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Associated Press

Al-Arian on hunger strike again

Sami Al-Arian is on the fifth day of a hunger strike in a Virginia prison, protesting a third subpoena to testify before a grand jury. He has refused food and water and has been transferred to a medical ward.

His daughter Laila, who visited him Wednesday, described him as "dehydrated, weak and disoriented.''
Al-Arian’s wife Nahla, who lives in Egypt with their two youngest children, telephoned him today and said she could barely hear him.

"I am so very worried about Sami,'' she said. "It’s shocking that the Department of Justice would reach this low.''

In December 2005, a Tampa jury acquitted Al-Arian on eight terrorism-related charges and deadlocked on nine. In May, 2006, Al-Arian accepted a plea deal, admitting to helping associates of a terrorist group with immigration and legal matters. Federal prosecutors recommended Al-Arian be released from prison in a few months and deported. But Tampa federal judge James S. Moody extended his sentence until April, 2007.

A few months before Al-Arian's scheduled release, Gordon Kromberg, an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, subpoenaed Al-Arian to testify before a grand jury or face civil contempt charges. Al-Arian argued the order contradicted his plea agreement which exempted him from signing a cooperation clause.

But Moody ruled that the exemption  "was not memorialized in writing'' and was not binding.

Missing Manatee Co. boy, 7, found dead in retention pond

[Image courtesy Bay News 9]

PARRISH -- The body of a missing autistic boy was found in a retention pond behind his home Wednesday, the Bradenton Herald reports.

Thomas Pinkum, 7, was last seen about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday. The search drew dozens of Manatee County sheriff's deputies and hundreds of volunteers from the family's Parrish neighborhood.

Divers found his body about 20 feet into a retention pond behind the family's Parrish home about 8:20 p.m.

Thomas, who was reportedly legally blind, could only see about 6 to 8 feet in front of him. He was attracted to music, water and bright lights, the Herald reports.

- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

DCF to negotiate with two agencies for foster care services in Pinellas and Pasco

TAMPA -- The Florida Department of Children and Families announced Tuesday evening that it will negotiate with both nonprofit groups that have applied to take over foster care services in Pinellas and Pasco counties.

Eckerd Youth Alternatives and Camelot Community Care are both Clearwater-based groups. Eckerd has no previous experience overseeing the care of foster children, but plenty of local ties. Its competitor, Camelot, has lots of experience working with abused and neglected children, but its partnership with an out-of-state for-profit company has been questioned in the past.

DCF likely will choose one of the agencies for the $49-million contract and the responsibility of caring for 2,500 foster children, effective July 1.

Nick Cox, DCF's regional director in Tampa, said he decided to negotiate with both agencies after an outside evaluation Monday failed to produce a clear front-runner.

"Clearly the evaluators saw two bids that were good, that really were very comparable," he said. "I think we need to No. 1, get the best system we can. And No. 2, to be fair to the bidders involved and negotiate with both and see what they have to offer."

Camelot Chief Executive Officer Mike DiBrizzi said he thinks his agency’s experience will shine through in the negotiation process.

Eckerd spokesman Tom Denham said his agency’s decades-long work will troubled youth will show its commitment to children.

"Our mission is to help kids,’’ Denham said. “We believe that helping kids in (drugstore founder Jack Eckerd’s) hometown would be especially relevant."

DCF expects to make a choice by early April.

- Melanie Ave, Times staff writer

Funeral plans announced for Ch. 10 weatherman Dick Fletcher

An announcement was posted to day on the WTSP-Ch. 10 Web site that a public memorial is planned for Saturday, with everyone in the bay area invited to say goodbye to iconic weatherman Dick Fletcher.

A "celebration of life" ceremony is set for 11 a.m. at the Suncoast Cathedral, 2300 62nd Ave. N in St. Petersburg. The announcement says that Fletcher's wife, Cindy Fletcher, is inviting "friends, family and all of Dick's fans" to the service.

Fletcher died Tuesday at St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Petersburg, after a stroke he suffered Feb. 18.

For more about the service, click here.

Times staff writer

Questions remain over power outage

Florida still has a bit of a hangover from Tuesday’s massive mid-afternoon blackout. Florida Power & Light, along with state and federal regulators, are still trying to figure out why a small switch fire triggered a blackout that left millions throughout the state without power.

- Two nuclear reactors at Florida Power & Light’s Turkey Point power station remain off line, according the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Both reactors shut down at 1:09 p.m. Tuesday due to “momentary power fluctuation caused by grid instabilities,” according to an NRC report. The Juno Beach utility will keep the units off line in order to conduct some additional maintenance, said explained FP&L spokeswoman April Schilpp. “We’ll keep you posted, but we don’t have a time now for when it’s going to return to service,” Schilpp said. The utility had 475,000 customers without power at the height of the blackout, and almost all had power restored by early Tuesday evening.

- Tampa Electric had about 50,000 customers lose power Tuesday. Most had power within an hour, and as of 4 p.m. Tuesday, everyone affected by that incident was back on, said spokeswoman Laura Duda. There may have been other, weather-related outages. Tampa Electric also lost two small natural gas units that shut down automatically because of unsafe fluctuations in the electric grid. Both were brought back online quickly.

- Progress Energy said that 152,903 customers lost power, said spokesman C.J. Drake. Most had power within 77 minutes of the outage, and all customers had power by 3:37 p.m.

- The North American Electric Reliability Corp., which sets and enforces electric reliability standards throughout North America, said a total of 2,700 megawatts of generation were lost, along with 15 transmission lines. That’s nearly 5 percent of the state’s winter capacity. The system shed about 4,000-megawatts of load, or about 950,000 customers throughout the state.

- Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer

Cabinet backs Cross Bar land purchase

Gov. Charlie Crist and the Cabinet today voted to add the 12,500-acre Cross Bar ranch in central Pasco County to the state's priority list for conservation.

The land is owned by Pinellas County, which bought it decades ago when Tampa Bay communities squared off over controlling water sources. The land includes drinking water wells managed by Tampa Bay Water. It's a habitat for endangered and at-risk species, too.

While today's vote makes the purchase a priority, the land is roughly valued at $175-million. And the state's land conservation program is running out of money, but Crist supports extending it.

"Am I right that we don't really have the money to buy much of any of this right now?" asked Attorney General Bill McCollum to chuckles. "Hopefully, we will."

- Times staff writer

Suspicious traveler leaps from Miami airport concourse, breaks bones

A traveler was arrested Monday after he bolted from security screeners at Miami International Airport, jumped from a second-floor concourse and broke his arm and ribs, authorities said.

Transportation and Security Administration officials became suspicious of Faid Beydoun as he stood in a security line. When Beydoun's travel documents also raised concerns, agents asked him to step out of line for a secondary screening.

Beydoun, who was carrying multiple passports, then ran from security screeners, jumped 25 feet off the second-floor concourse and broke his arm and ribs, the Miami Herald reported.

Miami-Dade police charged the traveler with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest without violence, according to a statement. They did not identify him, but Miami-Dade County Corrections Department spokeswoman Janelle Hall said Beydoun was arrested on the same charges Monday, as well as loitering and prowling.

Telephone calls placed to Miami-Dade police, the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were not immediately returned Monday night.

Beydoun, 42, is being held in the hospital ward of the Miami-Dade jail at Jackson Memorial Hospital without bail for immigration, Hall said.

Two other men, also headed to Los Angeles, were taken off a later flight that was still on the tarmac. They told investigators they paid for Beydoun's plane ticket and that he was their Miami Beach party guide. No weapons or dangerous material were found with them.

Beydoun did not have an attorney listed.

Associated Press

'Iraqi Air Force' plane raises questions in rural Florida

TAMPA -- The small plane marked with Iraqi military labels that landed on a two-lane stretch of road in rural Highlands County on Wednesday continues to raise big questions this morning.

Sheriff's officials there say the plane, reportedly a single-engine craft, was on a "test flight" from Tampa to an undisclosed location when it experienced mechanical problems and made an emergency landing on County Road 731, a two-lane road in the southern part of the county.

"We were told it was a private contractor making some planes for Iraq," said Capt. Randy LaBelle with the Highlands County Sheriff's Office.

U.S. Air Force spokesman Daryl Mayer told the Associated Press that the four-seat, single-engine plane was part of a $10.5 million contract awarded to Cessna Aircraft Co. of Wichita, Kan., for 18 aircraft for the Iraqi Air Force,

Cessna spokesman Doug Oliver said the plane flew from Miami, where a diesel engine had been installed, to an undisclosed location in the Tampa area, where it was painted. On the return flight to Miami, the aircraft had engine trouble and made the emergency landing.

The aircraft are shipped from Miami to Iraq aboard Air Force transport planes, Oliver said.

The FAA said it is still investigating.

 

The Charlotte Sun-Herald reports the aircraft  "carried a tail marking of YI-I38, and markings on the side of the plane read “Iraqi Air Force.”  News reports published Wednesday indicate markings on the right side of the small aircraft had been covered after the emergency landing.

"They did ask that we cover the plane as best we could," LaBelle said. He didn't disclose the federal agency that handed down the order.

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, an aircraft bearing "YI" is the designated Iraq nationality mark.

The paper's Web site also reports the pilot, an American citizen, was not injured and was "transported by local law enforcement to an undisclosed location."

The downed plane was found about 4 p.m., two hours after an U.S. Air Force training mission ended in tragedy when two fighter jets apparently collided over the Gulf of Mexico near the Panhandle. One pilot was killed.

A spokesman at the Eglin Air Force Base near Ft. Walton Beach said the plane found Wednesday in unincorporated Venus "wasn't involved in this at all."

"Our aircraft were involved in basic air combat maneuvers," said Sgt. Bryan Franks with the 33rd fighter wing at the air base. Those missions, known as "one v. one" or "two v. two," involve situational dogfights involving only fighter jets, Franks said.

Highlands County sheriff's officials said the plane experienced minimal damage when it landed. Meanwhile, sheriff's deputies will continue guarding the plane.

- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Authorities continue search for rapist

The DeSoto County Sheriff's Office is still searching for Bruce Alan Young, left, the convicted rapist who assaulted sedated patients at a hospital in Citrus County.

Young, 59, escaped from the Florida Civil Commitment Center in Arcadia, near Sarasota, early Friday morning. He's described as a white man with brown hair and eyes, about 5 feet 8 inches and 190 pounds.

Pablo Paez, spokesman for the GEO Group, which manages the center, said there have been no new developments in the escape. He said that his company is working with the state attorney's office in Citrus County to notify Young's victims.

Young pleaded guilty in 1995 to seven counts of sexual assault on a helpless victim. He was a nurse at Citrus Memorial Hospital when he raped sedated women as they recovered from surgery. He served ten years of his sentence, but was committed to the Arcadia Center under the Jimmy Ryce Act, which allows convicts to be held past their sentences if they are considered likely to reoffend.

Officials at the DeSoto County Sheriff's say the entire office is working on finding Young. The Department of Corrections is also aiding in the search.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts can call the sheriff's office at (863) 993-4700.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

Report: Sex offender escapes from detention center

Bruce Alan Young, who was convicted of raping patients at a Citrus County hospital, escaped from a DeSoto County detention center early this morning, according to Bay News 9.

Authorities are still searching for him.

Young was last accounted for about 1:30 a.m. Friday at the Florida Civil Commitment Center in Arcadia, which is southeast of Sarasota.

As a nurse at Citrus Memorial Hospital, Young raped and molested sedated female patients. He pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges in 1995.

Young's prison term expired in 2005, but the state continued to hold him at the Arcadia Center under the Jimmy Ryce Act, which allows the government to hold sexual predators if they're believed likely to reoffend.

Young asked for release in 2007 with plans to move to St. Petersburg.

Wesley Snipes' sentencing date set

A federal judge in Ocala has scheduled April 24 as the sentencing date for actor Wesley Snipes, who faces a maximum of three years in prison after a jury convicted him Feb. 1 on three misdemeanor charges of failing to file his tax returns.

Snipes, 45, was acquitted on the most serious charges, which included one felony count of conspiracy and one felony count of filing a false claim with the Internal Revenue Service. Each charge carried a maximum of five years in prison.

Snipes also was acquitted on three misdemeanor charges of willful failure to file tax returns.

Co-defendants Eddie Ray Kahn, a Lake County resident whom Snipes hired as a tax adviser, and Douglas Rosile, a de-licensed accountant from Venice who worked for Kahn and prepared Snipes' amended tax return, were each found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the IRS and filing a false claim.

Prosecutors spent nearly two weeks at trial trying to prove that Snipes, Kahn and Rosile conspired to defraud the IRS of about $11.4-million in refunds on taxes that Snipes paid in 1996 and 1997. An October 2006 federal indictment also charged the Orlando-born actor with failing to file taxes from 1999 to 2004.

If a jury had convicted Snipes on all the charges against him, he would have faced a maximum of 16 years in prison. Prosecutors said Snipes earned $38-million during the years he did not file any returns.

- Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

State gets competition for local government funds

Local governments upset by the way the State Board of Administration managed their money announced today that they have formed a new Florida Surplus Asset Fund Trust.

Economist Hank Fishkind will be chairman of the board of trustees, and the money will be managed by Davidson Fixed Income Investment Management. Davidson has experience managing a similar fund in Colorado. Because of that background, the new fund will start out with a AAAm rating from Standard & Poor's Corp.

According to this fact sheet, the new fund will offer competitive yields (initially 4 percent).

The SBA incurred the wrath of local governments by investing in mortgage-backed securities and then freezing their assets to stop a run on the Local Government Investment Pool.

- Times staff writer

Snipes guilty of some charges

OCALA - A federal jury today today acquitted actor Wesley Snipes of the major charges against him but  found him guilty of three lesser charges involving failure to file tax returns. He faces up to three years in prison.

After nearly three full days of deliberations, jurors found Snipes guilty on three misdemeanor charges of willful failure to file income tax returns. Jurors acquitted Snipes on three other misdemeanor charges of failure to file tax returns and also found him not guilty on a felony charges of conspiracy and filing a false claim with the Internal Revenue Service.

Co-defendants Eddie Ray Kahn and Douglas Rosile were found guilty of one count each of conspiracy and filing a false claim with the IRS. The felony convictions for Kahn and Rosile carry maximum five-year sentences on each count. No sentencing date has been set.

Jurors told the judge about 3:30 p.m. that they had a verdict. Snipes sat motionless as Senior U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges published the verdicts. Snipes' defense attorney Robert Bernhoft placed his hand on Snipes as the verdicts were announced.

During the nearly two-week trial, prosecutors accused Snipes and his co-defendants of filing false returns with the IRS asking for refunds.

-- Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Day 2: Still no verdict for Snipes

OCALA -- Jurors ended their second full day of deliberations today without reaching verdicts in the tax evasion trial for actor Wesley Snipes.

They plan to return Friday at 9 a.m. to continue deciding whether Snipes, 45, and two men intentionally tried to defraud the Internal Revenue Service of about $11.4-million in tax refunds through fraudulent claims.

The two-week trial began at the Ocala federal courthouse on Jan. 14. An October 2006 indictment against Snipes charged him with conspiracy along with co-defendants Eddie Ray Kahn, a Lake County resident whom Snipes hired as a tax consultant, and Douglas Rosile, an accountant who worked for Kahn.

The indictment also charged Snipes with one count for filing a false claim with the IRS and six counts of willful failure to file his tax returns from 1999 to 2004. If convicted on the charges, Snipes faces a maximum of 16 years in federal prison.

Snipes has denied doing anything illegal. His attorneys described him at trial as a man who had questions of the IRS and said the agency refused to meet with him. Instead, Snipes' attorneys say the government charged him with a crime.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Snipes jury gets clarification on 'conspiracy'

OCALA -- A federal judge issued a one-page response this morning to a question from jurors deliberating in actor Wesley Snipes' tax evasion trial.

Defense attorneys objected to Senior U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges explaining the meaning of conspiracy after jurors sent a note Wednesday asking that he do so.

Robert Bernhoft, Snipes' lead defense attorney, asked the judge to tell jurors they must rely on the instructions they had already received.

"It seems to me the message I propose to send to them is no way a misstatement of the law and may help them with deliberations," Hodges said.

Count one of the October 2006 federal indictment against Snipes, 45, charges him and two co-defendents with conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service. The two men standing trial with Snipes are Eddie Ray Kahn, a Lake County resident, whom Snipes hired as a tax adviser, and Douglas Rosile, a Venice accountant who worked for Kahn and prepared one of Snipes' tax returns.

Federal prosecutors charged Snipes with filing false income tax returns for 1996 and 1997, requesting refunds totaling $11.4-million. The IRS also accused the celebrity of not filing any income tax returns from 1999 to 2004.

If convicted of the charges, Snipes faces a maximum of 16 years in federal prison.

Jurors spent their first full day deliberating on Wednesday without reaching a verdict. They sent a note to the judge around 4:30 p.m. with their question about a further explanation of the word conspiracy. Hodges sent them home early, giving him time to speak with attorneys today before he responded.

Jurors returned to the courthouse today at 9 a.m. to resume deliberations.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Feds back off amberjack limits

Federal regulators Thursday backed off a two-month recreational closed season for greater amberjack after listening to fisherman who said fuel prices have significantly cut back their fishing trips anyway.

Preliminary plans had called for a January and February closure to ease pressure on amberjack after stock assessments had shown they were in trouble.

But the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council removed that proposal while passing other restrictions, including raising the size limit from 28 to 30 inches and imposing a one-fish bag limit.

- Steve Nohlgren, Times staff writer

Disney hotel gives 2 tons of coffee to troops

The folks at the Walt Disney Dolphin resort recently changed the company that provides guests with little packets of coffee in each room.

So they're donating the unused packages to the military members stationed overseas.

That will amount to about two tons of coffee, all donated to the Wesley Chapel nonprofit group Support Our Troops, which sends packages to American military personnel overseas nearly every week.

Bob Williams, the group's founder, said today that the donation comes on the heels of $8,000 worth of toiletries recently donated by management at the Dolphin because of a similar change in vendors.

Aside from postage, coffee in recent weeks has proved to be one of the more difficult things to find for troops, Williams said.

Starbucks delivers 7 tons of coffee at a time to the group, but those donations come irregularly, Williams said.

"We usually have coffee coming out of our ears," he said.

Anyone who wants to make a donation to Support Our Troops can contact Williams at (813) 991-9400.

- William R. Levesque, Times staff writer

FBI report: USF students' explosives were fireworks

TAMPA -- An FBI report shows that the explosives found last year in the possession of two University of South Florida students were harmless fireworks, according to an attorney representing one of the students.

Adam Allen, the public defender for Youssef Megahed, said in a court motion filed Wednesday that the FBI determined the substance found inside two PVC pipes confiscated from the students' car was "a pyrotechnic mixture" made up of sugar, potassium nitrate and cat litter.

Potassium nitrate is a low-grade explosive also used as fertilizer.

The FBI report found that the substance was simply fireworks and "completely harmless if ignited," Allen's motion said.

That's what Megahed, 21, and Ahmed Mohamed, 26, both Egyptian nationals who attended USF's engineering school, have said since they were arrested Aug. 4 by a deputy who stopped them for speeding near a South Carolina naval base.

Besides the PVC pipes, investigators said there also were bullets and a laptop computer in the vehicle, and Mohamed had allegedly posted a video on YouTube showing how to turn a toy remote controlled car into a detonator.

Jan Wesner, Times staff writer

Snipes jury ends day with question

OCALA -- Jury deliberations in the tax evasion trial of actor Wesley Snipes ended early today when jurors signaled a road block when they sent a note to the judge.

"Further clarify the definition of 'conspiracy' as contained in our instructions," Senior U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges said the note read.

Instead of calling attorneys into the courtroom to address the question and respond, Hodges told jurors to end their deliberations for the day and go home. He'd respond to them when they return Thursday at 9 a.m., the judge said.

Federal prosecutors have charged Snipes, 45, and two co-defendants with conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service. The U.S. Attorney's Office accused Snipes of filing false tax return claims for 1996 and 1997 asking for refunds totaling $11.4-million. They said he conspired with Eddie Ray Kahn, a Lake County resident whom Snipes hired as a tax consultant, and Douglas Rosile, a Venice accountant who worked for Kahn.

Kahn ran American Rights Litigators, described by prosecutors as a firm that tried to "thwart" the IRS process. Kahn and many of his clients, which included Snipes, challenged the IRS' authority to tax them. They protested by citing Internal Revenue Code Section 861, which some believe prohibits the IRS from taxing Americans on income earned in the United States. Courts have rejected the theory.

Rosile worked part time for American Rights Litigators and prepared one of Snipes' tax returns that the IRS said was fraudulent.

After the jury left for the day, Hodges called the attorneys into his courtroom to reveal the jurors' question. With none of the defendants present, Hodges asked the attorneys to think about how he should respond. He planned to meet with them at 8:30 a.m. Thursday for suggestions before deciding what to say to the jury.

"This is a critical stage in the proceeding, and the presence of the defendant is necessary," Hodges said.

Until sending Hodges the note at 4:30 p.m., jurors worked throughout the day without a peep.

Jurors heard closing arguments in the case on Tuesday. They spent about six hours discussing the evidence during the first full days of deliberations, taking a lunch break just before noon and an afternoon break, much like Hodges allowed during the course of the trial.

David Wilson, Rosile's attorney, said none of the lawyers expected a verdict on the first day of deliberations because of the thousands of pages of evidence in the case.

"If they go through all the documents, it's going to take a few days," Wilson said. "That doesn't mean anything really besides the fact that the jury is doing their job."

Wilson said he wouldn't begin to worry until four or five days passed without a verdict. If that happens, he said it could mean the jurors are stuck on an issue.

Besides conspiracy and filing a false claim charges, the October 2006 indictment against Snipes also charges him with six counts of failure to file income tax returns from 1999 to 2004. If convicted on all the charges, he faces a maximum of 16 years in federal prison.

Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Tampa family hits $18-million Lotto jackpot

A Tampa family was the big winner in the Jan. 23 Florida lottery, garnering an $18-million Lotto jackpot.

The winners were identified only as the DiLucia Family Partnership. They chose a one-time lump sum payment of about $10.6-million, according to Lottery officials.

The winning ticket was a quick-pick purchased at the Albertson's at 8701 W Hillsborough Ave. in Tampa.

The winning numbers were 4-25-33-40-41-45.

Jan Wesner, Times staff writer

Deliberations underway in Snipes' trial

OCALA -- Jurors began deliberations at 9 a.m. today in actor, Wesley Snipes' federal income tax evasion case.

The five men and seven women who will decide whether the Orlando native tried to defraud the Internal Revenue Service spent a week and a half listening to testimony and evidence presented by prosecutors. When it came time for Snipes' attorneys to call their own witnesses, they called no one.

Snipes' attorneys said the U.S. Attorney's Office failed to prove that Snipes intentionally tried to defraud the IRS by filing false tax return claims for 1996 and 1997, asking for refunds totaling $11.4-million. The federal indictment against Snipes also charged him with failing to file any tax returns at all from 1999 to 2004. Charged as conspirators in the October 2006 indictment are codefendants, Eddie Ray Kahn, a known tax protester from Lake County whom Snipes hired as a consultant, and Douglas Rosile, a Venice accountant who worked for Kahn.

Throughout the trial, which began at the Ocala federal courthouse on Jan. 14, Snipes' attorneys have portrayed him as an everyday American citizen who simply had questions of his government and wanted answers. Defense attorneys said Snipes received conflicting information from financial advisers about whether he had to file tax returns or whether the IRS owed him refunds on money he had paid.

Reading the Internal Revenue Code "is the quickest way to go crazy," says Snipes defence attorney, Robert Barnes told jurors during closing statements on Tuesday.

Snipes tried repeatedly to meet with IRS or have them audit him, but no one responded, Barnes said.

"Tax frauds and people out to deceive the IRS do not write lots and lots of letters to the IRS," Barnes said this week in court. "Tax frauds, people out to deceive the IRS, people out to trick the IRS, people out to take something from the IRS do not ask to be audited."

Prosecutors presented documents in court showing that Snipes wrote strongly-worded letters to the IRS as they tried to prove his attempts to thwart the IRS' authority.

Snipes asked for tax refunds citing Internal Revenue Code 861, which would prohibit the IRS from taxing Americans on income earned in the United States. Prosecutors caled the theory "gibberish" at trial. Courts have rejected the argument.

The charges against Snipes carry a maximum penalty of 16 years in federal prison.

Even if he's acquitted on the charges, Barnes says that Snipes will still owe the IRS money for unpaid taxes, and the government will likely try to seize property from him.

Stay with tampabay.com for updates.

- Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Federal regulators begin grouper crackdown

ST. PETERSBURG -- Federal regulators took first steps today to reduce gag grouper fishing by 45 percent, a deep cutback that would shut fishing down for recreational angles for several months, severly damage the charter boat industry during tourist season and possibly remove fresh Florida grouper from restaurant menus for several months a year.

These were recommendations of the Reef Fish Committee of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, which sets rules for federal waters, where most grouper are caught. The public will get a chance to comment Wednesday before the full council votes on the plan. Though the full council may tweak the committee's recommendations, options are limited because federal biologists have determined that gag stocks in the Gulf are in trouble.

Here is a rundown of the proposed regulations:

For recreational anglers, all grouper fishing would shut down between January 15 and April 15 in federal waters, which begin nine miles off-shore. Currently there is a one-month shutdown Feb 15 to March 15 during the height of the gag grouper spawn.

Recreational anglers could keep three legal-sized grouper per person, per trip, but no more than one could be a gag. Current bag limits allow for five grouper, but no more than one red grouper. All five can be gag, the preferred target of recreational anglers.

"This will cost the State of Florida $300-million in direct expenditures,''' said Dennis O'Hern, director of the Fishermen's Rights Alliance." With a bag limit of only one gag , people will not sink $20,000 or $30,000 into an offshore boat and spend hundreds of dollars in fuel to go bottom fishing, O'Hern said. Tourists will not spend $1,000 to hire a charter boat.

Federal law requires the council to end overfishing of gag, said Roy Crabtree, Southeaster Region administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service.

"It will impact some fishermen, no question,'' Crabtree said. "But the long-term results of all these measures is that we will have an economic gain if the stocks rebound.''

NMFS will request the State of Florida impose the same regulations in state waters, Crabtree said. If the state refuses, then further restrictions might be necessary in federal waters to compensate.

The council also imposed a new restriction on charter boat captains licensed to fish in federal water: If federal and state rules differ, charter boats must follow the more stringent rules, which means no grouper fishing anywhere during the proposed three-month closure, even if Florida takes a less restrictive approach for state waters.

The proposed changes would impose a gag quota on commercial fishermen for the first time. They would be limited to 1.2-million pounds in 2008, with slight increases in later years. From 1998 through 2005, the Gulf fleet averaged about 2-million pounds a year. On restaurant menus and seafood counters, gag are usually mislabeled "black grouper,'' and are generally more prized than the red grouper, which makes up the bulk of the commercial catch.

The fleet has faced a red-grouper quota for several years, as well as an overall quota for "shallow water grouper,'' which include red, gag, scamp and other less common species. The new rules would add an individual quota on gag and make it very tight -- a 45 percent reduction of what the fleet catches in typical years.

Grouper species swim together. Anglers can't catch one species without also catching another. Regulators typically shut down all grouper fishing once any of the quotas are met. One problem with a gag quota that is 45 percent less than the fleet usually catches is that a gag shutdown would also force a red grouper shutdown well before the red grouper quota is met, and red grouper makes up the bulk of the commercial market.

To soften that blow, the council decided to ease into gag quota closures. Under the proposed rules, gag fishing would begin to be restricted once 80 percent of the quota is met. At that point, only 10 percent of a boat's grouper haul could be gag. When the catch hits 100 per cent of the quota, then all shallow-water grouper fishing would be closed for the rest of the year.

If the grouper bite is good, as it was in 2004 and 2005, then the gag quota would force a shutdown in October, according to federal estimates. Diners would have to look for imports for their grouper sandwiches. In poor fishing years, like 2006 and 2007, the fleet would make it through the year without a closure.

Probably the hardest hit sector will be the charter fishing industry. The winter tourist season can make up a huge part of a charter captain's business. Red snapper are already restricted and migrating fish like mackeral, cobia and tarpon are mostly in warmer water to the south. Without grouper, there are few offshore targets, said charter captain Ed Walker.

"Essentially they have left us nothing to fish for during the peak tourist season,'' Walker said. "This is going to kill us.''

The full council meets again Wednesday. The public may comment on the proposed gag restrictions and other matters from 1:30 to 4:30.  If the council tentatively adopts the committee recommendations in full, or tweaks them, the public can still submit written comment until the council meets again in April for a final vote.

The council meeting continues Wednesday and Thursday at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center, 12600 Roosevelt Boulevard, St. Petersburg.

--Stephen Nohlgren, Times staff writer, can be reached at 727-893-8442 or at nohlgren@sptimes.com 

 

Fake bomb slips through Tampa airport security

TAMPA -- A fake bomb slipped past security at Tampa International Airport, CNN reports.

A tester from the federal Transportation Security Administration told officers that the device wrapped around his lower back was a back brace. "He gets through, which in real life would mean a terrorist was headed toward a plane with a bomb," CNN reports.

The TSA hires and trains security officers to check passengers at the airport; calls for comment were not immediately returned.

-Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer

Naples wine auction, the world’s richest and rockingest, draws $14-million for grand wines

Five hundred wine lovers in Naples, Florida bid more than $14-million in a rollicking five hour auction Saturday.

The final total fell short of last year's record $15.6-million, but still added to the nearly $70-million raised for children's charities in Collier County in the eight years of the auction.

Bidders spent an average $200,000 per lot in a five-hour frenzy pumped along by live video, noisemakers and blasts of La Bamba, Good Vibrations, Good Golly Miss Molly and other oldies.

But organizers were not disappointed.

"We're ecstatic" said Ann Bain, a trustee of the Naples Winter Wine Festival. "We're leaving here with $14-million to spend on the children of Collier County," including money for new medical services and other programs in nearby Immokalee.

Cranes' flight delayed

The 17 whooping cranes heading for the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge were delayed this morning by the windy conditions in Gilchrist County, said Joan Garland, outreach coordinator for the International Crane Foundation.

About 75 people showed up this morning at the Dunnellon/Marion County Airport to see the cranes fly over. Instead, the airport plans to show a movie to the visitors.

The cranes had made it as far as their regular stopover site in Gilchrist County on Thursday, a day after bad weather scattered the flock of rare birds for miles.

The cranes will resume their flight tomorrow morning if conditions allow, Garland said.

Read more about the cranes' migration from Wisconsin.

Karen McAllister, Times staff writer

Seminoles installing Las Vegas-style slots

TAMPA -- The Seminole Tribe will start operating Las Vegas-style slot machines at one of its South Florida casinos on Monday, days before the state Supreme Court hears arguments on a challenge to the deal that legalized the new machines.

Florida House and Senate leaders have asked the court to rule on whether Gov. Charlie Crist overstepped his authority by signing a compact with the tribe to allow the upgraded slots and card games such as blackjack and baccarat at its seven casinos, including the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa.

They contend the deal is invalid without legislative approval. The tribe has not timetable for bringing the new machines to Tampa, said spokesman Gary Bitner. Getting the equipment and trained dealers for card games could take months, he said.

Workers started installing the first of nearly 1,000 new machines at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood Wednesday.

All the machines will be ready for customers to play Monday. The tribe's casinos currently offer bingo-based Class II gaming machines where players compete against each other instead of against the casino.

-- Steve Huettel, Times staff writer

Nelson wants more compensation for WWII vet

A black Leesburg man who the Army said was wrongly convicted of participating in a riot while a soldier during World War II should receive up to $80,000 in interest on lost back pay, a Florida lawmaker says.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson's office said Wednesday that the Florida Democrat has jointly filed legislation that would pay the interest to Samuel Snow, 83, to whom the Army last year awarded just $725 in back pay.

Snow, who was then 19, was accused of participating in a riot at Fort Lawton in Seattle in August 1944 over lenient treatment some soldiers thought was given to Italian prisoners of war. During the incident, one Italian prisoner was hanged to death.

Snow denied involvement but stood trial with 43 men. Some of the soldiers were acquitted. But Snow was among 28 who were convicted. Today, Snow is one of two men who are thought to still be alive. (The other has not stepped forward to get back pay.)

Snow was dishonorably discharged and spent nearly a year in the brig.

But last year, the Army Board of Correction of Military Records set aside the convictions of Snow and three others whose families asked for a reassessment of the cases. The board decided that the convictions were improper because just two lawyers defended all the men, had little time to prepare for the trial and that prosecutors withheld key evidence.

The Army then cut a check to Snow for the pay he would have received had he not been convicted and discharged early.

The legislation filed by Nelson and U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle, would force the military to grant back pay with interest to any soldier whose conviction is overturned either by the courts or the Army.

"We keep asking people to do the right thing," Nelson said in a statement. "But it seems everybody's looking for a way to prevent them from paying a fair settlement."

Snow, a retired janitor, felt insulted by the paltry payment and has told reporters he won't cash the $725 check.

- William R. Levesque, Times staff writer

Body identified as Denise Lee

Update Jan. 20

A body found in a wooded area of Sarasota has been identified as Denise Amber Lee, a 21-year-old mother of two.

Lee was taken from her home Thursday. Authorities later arrested Michael Lee King on kidnapping charges. The 37-year-old has been held without bail at the Sarasota County Jail. Police know of no connection between he and Lee.

--Will Van Sant, Times staff writer

MANATEE -- North Port police announced Saturday afternoon they have recovered the body of a white female and have suspended their search for Denise Amber Lee, who disappeared Thursday with her two young children alone in her North Port home, according to St. Petersburg Times news partner Bay News 9.

Earlier this afternoon, the medical examiner confirmed the body, found in a grave near Toledo Blade Road in Manatee County, belonged to a white female, though it has not yet identified the remains.