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Somebody in Tallahassee doesn’t like Dave Moore. This week, the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee confirmed the appointment of the executive directors of four of the state’s five water management districts. But the fifth one -- Dave Moore of the Southwest Florida Water Management District -- didn’t even make it on the agenda.
--Craig Pittman
Continue reading ""Hidden agenda" behind block of Swiftmud boss?" »
Sen. John McCain is scheduled to visit Florida for a fundraiser April 29 at 11:30 a.m. at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Tampa. Meanwhile, Hillsborough County Republicans at their executive committee meeting on Tuesday discussed the need for volunteers to work in phone banks, knock on doors and recruit voters at gun shows. David Storck, chairman of the Hillsborough County Republican Party, told the group the Republican Party of Florida wants to see McCain beat the Democratic presidential nominee in Hillsborough by 55,000 votes to off-set voters on what he called the "left coast" of southeast Florida. George Bush beat John Kerry in Hillsborough by 37,000 votes in 2004, according to Storck.
Rep. Kevin Ambler's bill to require matchmaking Web sites to disclose whether they do criminal background checks died in a House council this afternoon. After initially voting it down this week -- industry groups lobbied against it -- the panel agreed to reconsider it today. But the latest version of HB 411 only includes help for public libraries to get grants if they use an internet safety program. Ambler, R-Lutz, has tried to pass the law for several years.
"It takes the online dating component completely out," said Rep. Stan Mayfield, chairman of the Environment and Natural Resources Council.
These are taxing times for Hillsborough Elections Supervisor and former state Rep. Buddy Johnson. He has not paid the taxes due on land and two homes he bought for $1.27-million, and he also owes back taxes on a third home and another lot he sold last year.
Johnson is delinquent on a $1,682 property tax bill on a tract he purchased last year off Thonotosassa Road in Plant City. He is delinquent on a $7,338 tax bill on a luxury penthouse condo he bought in Sarasota 16 months ago. More here.
The House environment and natural resouces council killed Rep. Kevin Ambler's online dating bill this morning -- then agreed to retain it and possibly reconsider it at another meeting, keeping it barely alive. The bill (HB 411) by Ambler, R-Lutz, requires dating sites to post disclosures if they do criminal background checks -- and faces opposition from companies like Match.com and Yahoo.
Continue reading "Ambler's online dating bill hits trouble" »
State Rep. Kevin Ambler, R-Lutz, wants to win re-election this year, but he also filed today to run for state Senate seat of Victor Crist, R-Tampa. Ambler said he wanted to clear anybody's doubts about his future political ambitions by being the first to file for the 2010 race. Crist is term-limited out in 2010 for the district that includes parts of Hillsborough and Pasco counties.
"We expect our legislators to plan for the budgets of the future. ... Why shouldn't I be upfront and forward about showing that I have an intent in continuing in public service?" asked Ambler, whose only 2008 challenger so far is Adam Phinney of Citrus Park, who has no party affiliation.
Shawn Harrison, who represented north Tampa on the Tampa City Council for eight years, says he's considering running two years from now for the Florida House seat held by Ed Homan.
Homan has filed to run this year for re-election. He would serve a fourth, and final, two-year term in the House, thanks to term limits.
Continue reading "Harrison eyes Homan's House seat in 2010" »
Former House Speaker Johnnie Byrd once harangued lobbyists (and lawmakers) who didn't follow his lead. For a month this spring, however, he changed sides, registering as a lobbyist for the Florida Strawberry Growers Association of Dover.
Byrd, a Plant City lawyer, was registered to lobby (without much notice) from Feb. 15 until he withdrew March 17. For what, the Buzz knows not. Byrd and the association didn't return calls.
But Byrd, who also expressed disdain for the press, continues other recent pursuits: Saturday radio show host on WGUL in Tampa Bay, and a columnist at Townhall.com.
TAMPA — In seeking a $608,573 agricultural tax exemption on a rural tract he bought last year, Hillsborough County Elections Supervisor Buddy Johnson is relying on an annual lease of his land to a part-time farmer for $1 per acre. Johnson is allowing the farmer to use his 19.98 acres for cattle grazing for $20 a year. With the cows on his land, Johnson hopes to be granted a "greenbelt" tax exemption that could knock more than $12,000 off his tax bill.
More here.
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor is co-hosting a fundraiser next week for Kevin Beckner, a Democrat who's challenging Republican Brian Blair for his Hillsborough County Commission seat. Castor served with Blair on the commission before winning her congressional post.
Among the other Beckner backers listed on the invitation: State Democratic Party chairwoman Karen Thurman; Tampa City Council members Gwen Miller, Linda Saul-Sena and Mary Mulhern; state Rep. Betty Reed; and state Sen. Charlie Justice. (more Hillsborough political tidbits here)
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor is co-hosting a fundraiser next week for Kevin Beckner, a Democrat who's challenging Republican Brian Blair for his County Commission seat. Castor served with Blair on the commission before winning her Congressional post. Among the other Beckner backers listed on the invitation: State Democratic party chair Karen Thurman; Tampa City Council members Gwen Miller, Linda Saul-Sena and Mary Mulhern; State Rep. Betty Reed; and State Sen. Charlie Justice. Beckner has raised about $53,000 so far in his bid to unseat Blair. Blair has raised more than $120,000. Blair also has a Republican challenger: Don Kruse. He's raised $1,000.
State Rep. Mike Scionti, D-Tampa,7,740 miles away in a combat zone in Afghanistan, has a constant challenge: making people feel that he's representing them, even though he's half a world away. While deployed, Scionti relies on aide John Rodriguez, who walks a fine line.
...Rodriguez could have sat with legislators at meetings but never did. And he could present bills for Scionti in Tallahassee, but never has. Instead, he lets other legislators speak for Scionti as he watches from the audience. "I have to be careful that I don't give the appearance of overstepping," Rodriguez said.
Story here.
TAMPA -- Former Hillsborough County Commissioner Phyllis Busansky filed today to run for elections supervisor.
Busansky, a 70-year-old Democrat, said she is running because "there is a real issue of competency and integrity. We can do better." She hopes to win the Democratic nomination and challenge incumbent Republican Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson.
Busansky, who lost a race for Congress in 2006 to Republican Gus Bilirakis, said she has received a lot of encouragement to run. Lee P. Nelson also has filed to run as a Democrat.
- Bill Varian, Times staff writer
TAMPA -- Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson reported that voter turnout in his county was brisk and significantly above what it was in the 2004 presidential preference primary, according to a prepared statement.
Although the pollworker phone bank has been very active with questions, no problems have been reported at polling places, Johnson's statement said.
Before polls opened at 7 a.m. today, about 60,000 people had already voted early in Hillsborough.
Nowadays, Democrats are energized all over Tampa Bay, their leaders say. Voter registrations tend to verify that. People who registered as Democrats last year outnumbered their Republican counterparts in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties.
Story here
A voter makes her way to a polling place at Northlakes Recreation Center in Carrollwood. [Carrie Pratt | Times]
7:30 a.m. TAMPA -- A more steady stream of people have funnelled into the polling site at 3910 S Manhattan Ave. Most are headed to work. Others have children in tow. Some are simply headed to the library, ignoring the red arrows directing potential voters to the polling site.
So far, no problems have been reported, according to Kathy Harris, general counsel for Hillsborough County's supervisor of elections. No machine problems or tabulation troubles, she said.
"All the polls were open at 7 a.m.," she said. "We're up and rolling."
But not all ran smoothly, at least for one Tampa voter. Walter
Sayers, 30, who works in the mortgage industry, said his
experience was "incredibly problematic."
Originally from Fort Pierce, he now resides "here, there, and
everywhere in between," a distinction he thinks ruined his chances at
casting a vote in the Democratic primary election.
Sayers voted early on Amendment 1 and "made the poor assumption" that he could return today to vote in the primary. But election officials told him he never officially declared a party. He thought that could be done today.
"It's not 100 percent my fault," he said. "But now I don't get to vote."
6:58 a.m.: TAMPA -- The sun is barely peeking out and physical education teacher Georgine Guettler was warned by election officials at the Jan K. Platt Regional Library to wait at least two more minutes before casting her vote.
Guettler was the first in a very short line at the South Tampa polling site at 3910 S Manhattan Ave. So far, only a handful of people are voting before the morning commute.
A lifelong Floridian, Guettler said she's voting for Mitt Romeny because she believes he will lower taxes, take a right-to-life stance and be "somebody that's going to be looking out for our security and somebody that's honest."
Please return to tampabay.com throughout the day for updated election news.
-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer
Photo: A voter shows support for candidate Mike Huckabee outside a polling place at Northlakes Recreation Center in Carrollwood this morning. Click to enlarge. [Carrie Pratt | TIMES]Sen. Charlie Justice has pledged to tell his Senate colleagues the Hillsborough legislative delegation never reached consensus on a controversial local bill sponsored by Rep. Kevin Ambler.
Justice wrote an angry letter to Ambler, accusing him of presiding over "questionable procedures" to get approval for a local bill that would increase county appointments on the Planning Commission and Tampa Sports Authority. Faced with the failure of the proposal at a Hillsborough legislative delegation meeting last month, Ambler waived rules that require the support of three of four senators and eight of 12 representatives to take a local bill to Tallahassee.
The bill was approved with the backing of 2/3 of the senators and 2/3 of the House members present at the meeting, which amounted to positive votes from two senators and six representatives.
Justice, who said he missed the meeting because of a family medical emergency, told Ambler the point of the rules is to give "colleagues in Tallahassee the confidence that they are passing a good bill that has been vetted locally. ... Divisive moves like waiving the rules to further legislation may be how some people do business in Tallahassee, but that is not how the delegation as a whole should operate."
Update: The Tampa Tribune has endorsed McCain.
Former Florida legislator Sandy Murman is bolting from Fred Thompson's camp and joining up with Sen. John McCain, according to Mark Sharpe, who co-chairs McCain's Hillsborough effort. Just last month, Thompson announced Murman would help lead Thompson's Hillsborough push. McCain will criss-cross Florida with his Straight Talk bus tour beginning Jan. 20, the day after the South Carolina primaries. Sharpe said the itinerary will include a swing through Tampa.
Exact dates haven't been set, but McCain plans to be in the Sunshine State through the Jan. 29 primary. Polls show McCain neck-and-neck with Mitt Romney for first place in Michigan, second to Mike Huckabee in South Carolina and his numbers are on the rise in Florida. "He's doing beautifully," Sharpe said. "It's right where he wants to be."
Janet Zink, Times staff writer
TAMPA - Maybe Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson was thinking of those photos showing Rudy Giuliani in drag when he prepared sample Republican ballots for the Jan. 29 presidential preference primary arriving in mailboxes this week.
Topping the list of candidates is one Rudi Giuliani, with the sample ballot substituting the feminine "i" where the "y" should be in Rudy on both the English and Spanish language versions. The Buzz is still awaiting word on whether absentee ballots and official ballots to be used by voters later this month at the polls have the same typo. Giuliani's first name appears correctly on the supervisor's web site.
-- Bill Varian, Times staff writer
It seems Florida Republican Don Phillips has a deep fear of homeless people and Democrats. Phillips, a developer, Republican donor and John McCain supporter, sent a letter to Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and Police Chief Steve Hogue asking for protection from both. Phillips owns office space near downtown Tampa and says homeless people sometimes congregate in a nearby park. "We have seen these same individuals urinate on the sidewalk outside our window," he wrote, and asked to discuss "enforcement possibilities" with Hogue. "In addition to this, we have another growing concern," he wrote. It seems the Republican Party of Florida has opened a satellite office in Phillips' building. "As the 2008 Presidential Election draws near," the letter continues, "we expect there to be numerous political protests at the very least directly outside our office building. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how heated those protests may become. We want assurance from the Police Department that they will respond quickly and take immediate action to diffuse any potentially harmful situation." Hogue says he's not sure why Phillips is so concerned about potential protests. "Maybe he has some information he didn't relay in the letter," the police chief said. "We wouldn't do anything to stop the protest," Hogue said, noting it's a legal right. But he promised to monitor any activity "to make sure no one gets out of hand."
Janet Zink, Times staff writer
Sue Carlton dreamed she was aboard the Titanic as disaster loomed: "..The guy leading the ship's orchestra, smiling confidently all the while? It was Buddy Johnson, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.
"...Kurt Browning, Secretary of State and the guy responsible for tabulating Florida's vote, sounded a little night-sweaty himself when asked recently about Hillsborough's go-slow approach to making the switch from touch screens to paper ballots. "It would cause me to lie awake in bed at night with my eyes wide open," Browning told Times reporter Bill Varian."
More here.
Republican Fred Thompson rolled out his local grassroots organizers for the Tampa Bay area. These folks -- including a number of big names -- are leading the charge as chairman for their respective counties:
In Pinellas, County Commission Chairman Ronnie Duncan; in Hillsborough, Sandy Murman, former House Speaker Pro Tem and state committeeman A.J. Matthews; in Pasco, the trifeca of Zephyrhills Councilman Danny Burgess, Dade City Mayor Pro Tem Steve Van Gorden and Property Appraiser Mike Wells; in Hernando, Commission Chairman Jeff Stabins; and in Manatee, Bradenton Vice Mayor Gene Gallo and Bradenton Councilman Patrick Roff.
For a full list of local organizers keep reading below.
Former Tampa city council member Bob Buckhorn, a savvy political strategist, fundraiser, and former Evan Bayh supporter, has signed on with Hillary Clinton's campaign. He's helping host a Dec. 4 $250-per head Clinton fundraiser at the home of Pat Frank. The headliner is Clinton campaign chairman and former DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe.
"It is clear to me than nobody is better prepared to be the next president of the United States than Sen. Clinton,'' Buckhorn said. "Throughout the campaign she has proven her mettle, demonstrated her command of the issues and offered a vision for an America that we all aspire for. Now more than ever we need a president that inspires us, not divides us and who is ready on day one to lead this country."
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, has a few questions for the Transportation Security Administration about pipeline safety after a trio of teenagers drilled into a pipe carrying ammonia in the Riverview area of Hillsborough County, causing evacuations.
At a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee on another matter Wednesday morning, Bilirakis asked TSA Adminsitrator Kip Hawley about pipeline security. The congressman had been troubled to learn that the agency was unable to answer questions from Tampa Bay-area reporters about security and inspections, a spokesman said, and he worries about the damage that terrorists might cause.
“I want to let you know that I am going to be contacting TSA about the security of these pipelines, especially in the Tampa Bay area," Bilirakis told Hawley. He plans to follow up with a letter. He added, “I hope that you will ... take this matter very seriously and respond to my inquiry expeditiously.”
Hawley said, "Yes, sir."
You can see the video here.
Tampa Bay's Republican party leaders are teaming up to stage a "Have your say in Tampa Bay" straw poll and debate watch rally Nov. 28 2007 at St Petersburg’s Vinoy Park for the CNN YouTube debate.
Every Republican Presidential Campaign has been invited to address the crowd. Each $20 ticket (contact your local party to buy em) entitles the holder to a BBQ dinner, bottled water and 1 vote. A giant screen television is being set up in Vinoy Park to watch the debate which begins at 8 P.M. Straw poll results will be announced before the debate begins.
“Only one time since 1964 has the candidate that carried Florida not won the White House. You can’t win Florida without winning Tampa Bay. This straw poll is being held in the epicenter of 2008 Presidential politics. Presidential campaigns will be using this straw poll as a measure of their ground game and overall support in Tampa Bay,” said Manatee Republican chair Kathleen King.
A political committee controlled by two Republican legislators from Manatee County continues to rake in big-dollar contributions from interesting sources. Citizens for Housing and Urban Growth, run by Sen. Mike Bennett and Rep. Ron Reagan, just logged in a $50,000 check from a Largo company, Angelo's Aggregate Materials. The firm's plan to expand a landfill near Dade City -- which requires approval by the state Department of Environmental Protection -- has stirred environmental concerns as far away as Tampa.
Bennett and Reagan are among about two dozen Florida lawmakers who control fund-raising groups known as CCEs, committees of continuous existence. The committees appeal to lawmakers because they are not subject to the $500 contribution limits that apply to a legislator's own election campaign. CHUG has to date taken in more than $700,000. Under Senate rules, Bennett must maintain a committee website and to promptly post contributions (the House has no similar rule). The committee's biggest recent expenditure is $14,000 to Bill Helmich's Tallahassee consulting firm.
Harris, whose public appearances have been scarce since her losing bid for the U.S. Senate in 2006, said later that she has been traveling and taking care of her family. Speaking at an auctioneer's pace, she advised the audience on what to expect if they ran for office.
"I come before you not as an exemplar of Christian citizenship, but as one who has learned lessons from the fire," she said.
Prepare to be attacked in the press and to feel the burden of responsibility, she said. She told them to educate themselves on the upcoming presidential race, but not to read newspapers. "They're not going to write stories in the newspapers that are news, they'll editorialize," she said.
More here.
The bold-faced names for Barack Obama's 9/30 fundraisers at Donna and Tim Main's Snell Isle pad in St. Pete and Linda and Tom Scarritt's in Old Hyde Park in Tampa:
TAMPA- Event chairs: Linda & Tom Scarritt and Frank Sanchez; Co-Chairs: Hakim Aquil, Simone Barfield, Yvonne Yolie & Juan Capin, Babs & Don Evans, Lorna & Douglas Gregory, Caren & Dick Lobo, Norma Gene Lykes, Frank L. Morsani Shaun Porter, Sara & David Scher; Hosts: Bill Hamilton, Albert Lee, Jr., Nick Martinez, Rosalind & Don Moffett, Sid Morgan, John Ring, Gil Sanchez, Craig Sher, Dr. Aaron Smith.
ST. PETE-Event Chairs: Donna & Tim Main and Frank Sanchez; Co-Chairs Yvonne Yolie & Juan Capin, Melonie Wilkerson & Jeffrey Gonzalez, Marilyn & Marty Landry, Wendy LaTorre, Victor Young; Hosts Dr. Aaron Smith
It's beginning to look like Des Moines, Iowa around here. Republican presidential candidates have been campaigning so often in the Tampa Bay area lately that it's no longer even a big deal for people to press the flesh with potential leaders of the free world. In smaller states like Iowa and New Hampshire, constant visits by presidential candidates are nothing new, but Florida is getting loads of campaign love since leaders moved the presidential primary from March to Jan. 29.
At La Casa Dolce, a South Tampa Gelato joint, 27-year-old Mike Swenson on Monday night even managed to get a face-to-face brushoff from Rudy Giuliani after asking the former New York City mayor whether he knew ahead of time about the Sept. 11 attacks. "I wasn't expecting to get so close," said Swenson, clearly impressed.
More here.
TAMPA - Six years after a restaurant accident that he blamed for ending his professional wrestling career, Brian Blair has settled his negligence lawsuit against Carrabba's Italian Grill. ... The attorney for Carrabba's, meanwhile, was ready to offer as evidence a videotape of Blair's wrestling match in Japan and two other surveillance tapes of Blair made months after the accident, as well as medical records showing Blair was legally impaired at the time of the fall.
More here.
The Florida Elections Commission on Thursday voted to slap a $9,500 fine on Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White for 11 election-law violations including reporting errors, spending campaign money for personal items, and accepting contributions above the $500 limit.
White's attorney, Mark Herron, told the commission that White accepted terms of the settlement. Three other counts, involving White's use of a Dell computer purchased with campaign funds, were dropped.
The elections panel also fined former Dunedin city council candidate Ron Barnette $3,500 for improper reporting of in-kind campaign contributions from a restaurant fund-raiser and failing to include the word "for" between his name and the office he was seeking.
Longtime Hillsborough GOP power broker (and former Tom Gallagher supporter) Sam Rashid had a blistering op-ed piece on Charlie Crist in the SPT:
"...As nice as Charlie is, those of us who know him best know he is a political opportunist. Charlie has a knack for being all things to all people. Core values? Forget it. The business of running the state? Nope, not for him. Sound bites, photo opportunities, platitudes and national press -- that's Charlie.
"As a result, he's liked by just about everyone. Heck, why wouldn't you like Charlie? He agrees with everything you do -- and, remember, he's your friend. And you know, he does have a 70 percent approval rating in our state. But the problem with being liked by everybody is that one day you may have to make a decision that may upset somebody. When that day comes, you find out quite quickly the love wasn't quite as deep as you thought.
"In my opinion, Charlie's just not interested in managing the day-to-day mundane process of running a state because he has bigger fish to fry -- a place on a national presidential ticket one day."
The crowd of 300 included loads of undecided Republicans who came to get a better sense of the former Massachusetts governor running strong in states like Iowa and New Hampshire but not yet gaining much steam in Florida.
Who did they meet Monday in Tampa? A polished and self-effacing businessman who called his wife of 38 years "sweetie," who said nothing controversial or unconventional, who criticized only his Democratic presidential rivals, and who touted his private sector experience as the best prescription for Washington.
More here.
And watch the video.
PLANT CITY - Robert P. Brown sat through the City Commission meeting with a dozen roses stashed below his desk and a burden on his heart. When it was his time to speak, the vice mayor started off with mundane matters, like installing a new turn signal.
Then, he asked the audience to bear with him. He talked about choices. He said he had made some bad ones. "I chose the easy way. I chose the fun way," he said. "I chose poorly." More here.
Hillsborough County Commissioner Rose Ferlita has been tapped to lead Rudy Giuliani's presidental campaign in Hillsborough County. Ferlita said she met Giuliani last week and is impressed with his business approach to government and his moderate stance on social issues. Because he's not "extreme right-wing," she said, Giuliani is "the guy that will satisfy a lot of Republicans and Democrats." Ferlita said she hopes her enthusiasm for Giuliani will convince people on the fence to jump to his side. "I'm very excited," she said. Ferlita's colleague on the County Commission, Mark Sharpe, is heading up John McCain's campaign in Hillsborough.
For 59 days, freshman state Sen. Ronda Storms educated herself on the unwritten rules of the chamber that prides itself on decorum and moderation. Yes, Storms asked inconvenient questions. Yes, she spoke her mind, even to the most powerful Republicans. But the former Hillsborough County Commissioner from Valrico -- this 41-year-old Republican with a combative reputation -- compromised, too.
More here.
The Buzz is Rudy Giuliani is coming back to Florida again next weekend, including an airport stop in Tampa Saturday for a private meeting with prospective supporters. One of his key Tampa Bay supporters is businessman John Jaeb.
As legislators mount PR initiatives and prepare to hammer out competing tax relief proposals, Tampa Bay counties are bracing for a big hit.
With an overhaul of the property tax structure looming, the St. Petersburg Times examined just how five local governments - Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and the cities of Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Tampa - have spent the public's money. Without doubt, these have been flush days. Each government spent at a rate well outpacing its population growth plus inflation. They ranged from growing Hillsborough County, which spent $804.5-million in 2005, 65 percent more than five years earlier, to Clearwater, which spent 28 percent more.
Where has the money gone? To hire more police and firefighters. To boost salary and benefits for government employees. To shore up rainy-day funds. To staff parks and other amenities built with sales tax money.
Forty-five members of the world renowned Florida A&M University’s Marching 100 Rattler Band will “Ba-ROCK” the Cuban Club in Ybor City Sunday, 15 as they welcome Senator Barack Obama to Tampa and help kick off his area Presidential campaign. The $25 fundraiser rally is “designed to attract a new generation of donor,” said Frank Sanchez, Tampa Bay Area O-Train Executive Committee chairman.
State Sen. Victor Crist, who's seeking to replace the board of the troubled Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority, complains that companies that do business with the authority are lobbying behind the scenes to stop him. Officials at the Expressway Authority flatly deny they've asked any companies to lobby for them. They also say they're reforming the agency, and that legislators don't need to meddle with it.
More here.
Reporters Dong-Phuong Nguyen, Elisabeth Dyer and Janet Zink asked voters today what they thought of the matchup in Tampa’s City Council race for District 1 between Joe Redner and Gwen Miller. Here’s a sampling of their reactions:
West Tampa
“I voted for Gwen Gwendolyn Miller because I think she’s done an excellent job. I just think she deserves another shot.”
---Johnny Jefferson, 54, a civilian employee of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
“There are some characteristics about both candidates I like. I like the fact that Joe Redner is independent. We need that. The fact that he’s an atheist, I don’t share his religious views and that’s important. A lot of the side shows that he’s going to bring, we don’t need that. They’ll spend their time talking about the Pledge of Allegiance rather than, ‘Are you going to widen this street?’
---Nelson Brown, 55, who is self-employed, explaining his vote for Gwen Miller.
New Tampa:
“I expect more from politicians, for them to represent the city well. Joe Redner is someone who appears to just want another grandstand.”
— Chuck Lewandowski, 48, certified financial planner
“I am bothered by Redner. He’s sued the city several times. It’s not the image we want for the city of Tampa.”
— Diane White, 56, telecommunications manager
“Mine is more of a protest vote. I’ve gotten a lot of phone calls and mailings at my house, all smears about Redner, about how he made his money from strip clubs. Isn’t Miller supposed to be an educator? It just got ugly. The truth is, I don’t care where (Redner) made his money. Jospeh P. Kennedy made a living bootlegging. Does that mean I can’t vote for Joe Kennedy?”
—Ron Silverstein, 67, country club worker
“I want a change, somone who’s going to make a difference than the same ol’, same ol’. (Redner) would make it entertaining.”
— Andrea Selner, 35, vet tech
East Tampa
“Redner is always giving back to the neighborhoods. I don’t see anything Gwen Miller has done in the time she’s been on City Council. The only time we see her is election time.”
Morris Scott, 52, of Central Park Village, voting at the College Hill Library
“You vote for the character of a person. Therefore, I’m not voting for Joe Redner. I believe marriage is sacred. Those kind of businesses demean that sacredness.”
Rodney Blake, 53, of Seminole Heights
South Tampa
“I sense that he’s going to be a little more of an advocate for making sure that when new development occurs, we account for it not just in terms of physical infrastructure but social infrastructure, like schools.
William Goodwin, 43, of South Tampa
“I like (Redner)’s positions. I think he’s articulate. He’s right on the growth issue.”
William Furman, 35, of South Tampa
***Return to tampabay.com tonight for live election results. ***
But this high profile politician's snub probably won't bother the Democratic presidential frontrunner much. It's Joe Redner, who says he's so far most impressed with Barack Obama.
"I don't like Hillary Clinton,'' the strip club king and Tampa city council candidate said after taping a "Political Connections" interview to air this weekend on Bay News 9. "I don't think she has any settled principles. She can't even admit that what she did (authorizing force in Iraq) was wrong."
Meanwhile, look for Bill and Hillary Clinton to swing through Florida March 31, raising money in Orlando, West Palm Beach and Miami. Hosts include: Chris and Irene Korge, Alex Heckler and Tiffany Zientz, Philip Levine, Ira and Cynthia Leesfield, Hugh Westbrook and Carole Shields, Dan Levine, Jennifer Long, Alfy Fanjul, Elaine Bloom, Dr. Rick and Barbara Boxer, Sidney Dulman, Ambassador Steven Green, Brian May, Jared Moskowitz, Hemant Patel, Abigail Montjoy Pollak, Sonia "Tita" Puopolo, John and Charlotte Rodstrom, Judith Stern, Lola and Michael Thomas, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.
How compelling is the City Council runoff election between retired schoolteacher Gwen Miller and strip club owner Joe Redner? Consider this: Turnout in the first two days of early voting for the runoff is 32 percent higher than the same period in the primary election, according to the supervisor of elections. Both candidates have been urging voters to go to the polls. Fewer than 16 percent of Tampa's registered voters cast a ballot in the primary election March 6. Miller has suggested people take one, five or 10 people to the polls for the runoff, and make sure they vote for her. Redner is offering free admission to his strip club to anyone who comes in with an "I Voted" sticker. Read more about it here.
The St. Pete Times editorial board, sounding if its members were holding their noses, recommended Joe Redner over incumbent Gwen Miller for Tampa city council.
"...But Redner is more substantive than Miller on every issue. He better understands how government works, the danger unchecked growth poses to transportation and area water resources and the need to work regionally on Tampa Bay's major problems. His ideas for allowing more density in the urban core as tradeoffs for affordable housing and tax relief are proposals in the right direction. He is far stronger than Miller on open government and free speech issues, and he is more candid and comfortable speaking off the cuff. Above all, he seems committed to getting things done."
Adult club owner and Tampa City Council candidate Joe Redner is offering voters free admission to his club, the Mons Venus, if they present their sticker saying "I voted." Redner said he's doing this strictly to encourage voting because low turnout is bad for politics.
Is Redner's offer good?
"The vote should be publicized," Redner said. "Everyone's talking about it now."
Redner said the tactic might have negative consequences for his candidacy, but he doesn't care.
"Even if it hurts my election," he said, "it's worth it to get people out to vote."
TAMPA — Joseph Caetano and Frank Margarella are candidates for Tampa City Council. But the Web sites, josephcaetano.com and frankmargarella.com are far less civic-minded. They forward the viewer instantly to a site of hard-core gay pornography.
The candidates aren’t happy, but aren’t sure either what they can do. The sites are registered to fictitious parties at bogus addresses. The administrator listed for the Margarella site is “Lilly Muenster,” a mispelling for sitcom character Lily Munster of The Munsters.
“I think it’s disgusting, and I don’t think anybody should be able to do that,” said Caetano, whose true campaign Web site is joecaetano.com.
Caetano said he would ask state Sen. Victor Crist, R-Tampa, to sponsor legislation to outlaw such use of another person’s name.
Margarella said he didn’t think it would affect the March 27 runoff election, in which one of the two New Tampa businessmen will be elected to represent District 7 on the Tampa City Council.
“Fortunately, he was even-handed in the prank,” Margarella said.
“If they were targeting one of us, they would have done just one of us,” Caetano said.
Margarella said he had no suspects.
“It’s probably somebody from New Tampa who doesn’t like us or thought it was funny and had a couple of Budweisers.”
-- Bill Coats, Times staff writer
A new Democratic campaign star is emerging, and Republicans better beware. This guy used to wear a hockey mask and wield an ax.
Mitch Kates, formerly "Jason the Terrible" on the professional wrestling circuit, is winning considerable buzz among Florida Democrats after having just won his second tough Tampa Bay race in which his candidate was outspent more than four-to-one.
More here
The spoiler in last week's race for a north Tampa City Council seat endorsed the frontrunner on Monday.
Before doing so, Charlie Perkins asked each of the two remaining candidates to pledge his full $40,000 City Council salary to Crime Watch programs in the blue-collar neighborhoods where Perkins led the balloting last week. Neither agreed, but Joseph Caetano said he will personally pay reasonable expenses of the programs.
"These people voted for me because of crime," Perkins said. "Joe, to his credit, sat down with me and said, 'You know what, Charlie? You're right.' "
Caetano, 73, owns a coffee shop and two hair salons in New Tampa. In the March 27 runoff, Caetano faces Frank Margarella, a commercial Realtor who finished second last week.
Caetano said he would push for improved police protection in the neighborhoods, generally south and southwest of the University of South Florida. And on Monday, Caetano donated a pair of surplus Crime Watch signs from New Tampa to replace signs stolen from 109th Street.
Margarella said he was disappointed Perkins backed Caetano. Margarella said he offered to set a fundraising target of $40,000 or higher for the Crime Watch programs, but not to donate his council salary.
"This was all about money," Margarella said.
A drop in crime, drainage improvements, downtown development and redevelopment of struggling neighborhoods were highlighted Monday by Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio during her annual state of the city address.
Iorio said crime in Tampa dropped another 9.4 percent last year, bringing the four-year drop to 36 percent.
"This is a remarkable accomplishment and is the most significant factor in our quality of life measurement,” she said.
Iorio also talked about condominium construction downtown, and the approval last year of two major redevelopment projects -- The Heights, a 48-acre project which will bring nearly 2,000 condos and townhomes to the edge of downtown, and the remaking of Central Park Village, an old public housing complex between downtown and Ybor City.
Tampa is on the brink of a “new kind of urban lifestyle,” she said. “We will one day have a walkable beautiful downtown, one that serves both residents and visitor.”
The Buzz hears presidential candidate Barack Obama will be in Tampa in mid-April for a fundraiser. One-time Tampa mayoral candidate Frank Sanchez is making the arrangements and said he should have details by the end of this week. Sanchez says he’s pushing for a public appearance as well. “I don’t know if we’re going to get it,” Sanchez said. Obama tapped Sanchez as his policy advisor on Latin America, a role Sanchez played for Bill Clinton.
Check out this video on youtube featuring campaign manager Mitch Kates talking about winning without money and the "new Democratic Party" at a victory party for his Tampa City Council candidate. Kates, a former professional wrestler, was the muscle behind Florida Sen. Charlie Justice's campaign in November.
Can a man who has been arrested more than 50 times, earned millions from nude dance clubs and told the world he's gay win a seat on the Tampa City Council? Some say yes, if he can rally his faithful. Redner, known for his nationally famous strip clubs, ran a quiet campaign in the first leg of the city elections, appearing at candidate forums to peddle his pro-environment, make-development-pay-for-itself agenda. But now that he beat four other candidates to face incumbent Gwen Miller in a run-off, he plans to go full guns with radio ads, direct mail, and walking in neighborhoods to "get my ideas across instead of my name." Redner, who's worth $18-million, said he'll pay for the entire campaign himself, so he'll be beholden to no one. Read more about it here.
Good election day for Democrats in Tampa. Two-term Tampa City Council member Shawn Harrison failed in his bid to move to a citywide district. And Gwen Miller, a 12-year veteran of the council, was forced into a runoff with strip club owner Joe Redner. And in the bitter and expensive District 4 race to represent South Tampa, incumbent John Dingfelder held off a challenge from newcomer Julie Brown. More here.
And Pam Iorio wins huge huge
Long-time Tampa City Council member Linda Saul-Sena, who is unopposed in her bid for the at-large District 3 seat, has endorsed newcomer Mary Mulhern in the race for District 2, also a city-wide seat. Saul-Sena said she made the decision after hearing Mulhern speak last week at a candidate forum. “Her commitment to moving Tampa ahead as a sustainable and vibrant community with strong neighborhoods and a dynamic downtown mirror my vision,” Saul-Sena said. In other words, she believes Mulhern will be a strong advocate for better mass transit, a more walkable city and the environment. Mulhern is running against Shawn Harrison, who has served with Saul-Sena on the Council for the past eight years as the representative for north Tampa.
The mud is flying in the highly competitive race for the Tampa City Council District 4 seat that includes south Tampa. This week, mailers emerged that brutally attack incumbent John Dingfelder.
One derides Dingfelder as tacky, odd and arrogant. Another criticizes him for raising property taxes, even though Dingfelder helped pass the city’s first property tax rate cut in 20 years. The mailers were paid for by Election Watch-Florida, an organization headed by Jack Hebert, who also heads the Mallard Group. That’s the political consulting firm that advised the 2002 campaign of former Pinellas-Pasco judge John Renke, who was booted from office, in part, for misleading campaign materials. Julie Brown, Dingfelder’s strongest and best-funded opponent, said she had nothing to do with the mailers. “Obviously, somebody is very unhappy with Mr. Dingfelder,” she said, but noted she doesn't see the ads as negative. "It's all factual," she said.
Black voter turn-out is historically low. The Rev. Tom Scott, a candidate for the Tampa City Council District 5 seat that represents the largely African-American East Tampa, tried to do something about that Saturday. He a held a get-out-the vote rally at the Belmont Heights Little League Park. Anyone who walked in with an "I Voted" sticker got barbecue and performances by gospel choirs, including the choir from Scott’s 34th Street Church of God. Scott, who talks about running for mayor in 2011, said he modeled the event after rallies he helped organize in the late 1960s in Macon, Ga. One bonus in these days of early voting – you can actually cast a ballot when you’re all energized. The College Hill Library, three blocks away from the park, posted its highest voter tally for the week Saturday. Meanwhile, Tampa has two black candidates for mayor. Read more about the history of black elected leadership in Tampa here.