Coming Friday: The Second (And Maybe Last, Maybe Not) TroxBlog TGIF Weekly News Quiz

Friday morning I'll put up another weekly news quiz here based on some of the interesting headlines from the past week.

They're fun to put together, and they remind me of all the stuff that's happened. But I keep using the "And Maybe Last, Maybe Not'' threat just to give myself the option of quitting if folks don't like 'em. So far, as they say, it beats work.

Check out past quizzes under the "News Quizzes" category in the left-hand column.

Mid-Day Update: More Israel E-Mail

Here's an excerpt from a good e-mail defending the merits of Gov. Charlie Crist's trip to Israel and politely disagreeing with the tone of my column this morning:

i have to respectfully disagree with the degree of sarcasm in todays article... we could use israel's agricultural, electronic, security, medical, desalination (witness our own > $300 million dollar debacle down @ big bend/teco that still isn't working properly) etc.technology today to improve the lives of american citizens - warren buffet's recent multibillion dollar investments in israel certainly concur

one of gov  crist's primary responsibilities is to protect the citizens of the state of florida - not just against hurricanes, taxes, and insurance companies, but against terrorism as well - let's face it, no one wrote the book on counterterrorism better than the israelis

yes, i concur that gov crist just might try and milk this visit for some national exposure, as well as some brownie points with the jewish vote

but at the same time let's not forget that florida has, amongst it's many areas of vulnerability, the longest coastline of any state in the lower 48 - and that certainly requires the kind of suggestions that gov crist just might be getting on this recent foray -- David Mahler

Thank you for the e-mail, Mr. Mahler. I certain agree there can be value in it, and ended up in the column admitting it was not a "junket'' per se -- just making the point that there is an awful lot going on in Florida and four months into the job seems a little early.

Now, for an e-mail on the other hand...

As a taxpayer, I would like to know how critical things must become before our elected officials (can't say I would call them leaders) focus on the very real, very pressing problems that we the citizens of Florida are faced with NOW!  Even though you were generous in not calling Charlie's trip a junket, that's precisely what it is.  I am so disgusted that it's politics as usual in Florida.  -- Linda P.

The Readers Comment On Many Things

In reference to today's column, an e-mailed observation on Gov. Charlie Crist's natural ease as a politician:

Surely we all have our Charlie stories to tell--the guy is the most natural pol I've ever met (twice). I've met some of the bigs! Nixon, (the Secret Service guys said, "nod, and simply say 'Mr President'"), Reagan, while he was campaigning in the 1980 primary at a mall in Bradenton. They have an ease that is surely God given. Would love to meet (Bill) Clinton... But Charlie Crist is too good for VP.  Charlie for President, dammit. -- Jim Parker

I spent about a half-hour in a small group with Clinton once. Incredible experience -- the guy lasers in on you and makes you feel like he's giving you his undivided attention. Crist definitely has it, seems to me. -- Howard

Here are some reader comments attached to Tuesday's column, saying the gov should veto the "growth" bill passed by the Legislature:

The last thing we need is this rocket sled to hell. Leaving the developers to the BOCC [Board of County Commissioners], will mean more destruction, faster, and even more water supply problems. Thay aren't even smart enough to slow down when they can't sell what they already built. -- Ken

Another case of government for the developer by the developer. People please, go to www.floridahometowndemocracry.com , download, sign and send in the petition to give the people some control over development in their local area. -- Murf

To have ones cake and eat it as well: Either we're concerned about "affordable housing" or not. Limiting residential development will raise housing prices 100 percent of the time. Period. -- Jim

Hey, can we stick another line in that law? Require all legislators who vote yes to drive the length of McMullen Booth every day for the next three weeks. -- John

And here are some reader comments attached to last Thursday's column, on a bill passed by the Legislature that relieves railroads of the responsibility to pass "No Trespassing" signs:

Negligence:The doing of that thing which a reasonably prudent person would not have done or the failure to do that thing which a reasonably prudent person would have done in like or similar circumstances. Holding CSX liable for people's stupidity? -- Beverly

What if I decide that it's romantic/inspiring/rewarding for me to trespass on YOUR property Howard? -- jim-you-know-who

Well said. However, the point of that lawyer guy's argument for why signs are needed was not that uninformed people are "deciding" to trespass -- it's that our pop culture, the image of walking down railroad tracks, etc. has conveyed the notion that railroad tracks are at least semi-public things and people need to be told they ain't. If you don't buy that, you don't buy it.

OK.  I give up.  How does one find your column (not blog) online?  It's not listed under opinion (unless it's only there the day of publication), it's not under "Columnists", since I can't find that anymore, either, and it's not under "Politics". -- Lynn P.

In fact I have had the same complaint from several folks. The metro columns are not available from any of the top menus any more -- I wish they would change it, but I am just the hired help. You can find my column by clicking on the "News/Local" button on the top menu. That brings up a page of news and the links to both my and Sue Carlton's columns are on the lower-left side. You also could just bookmark me (I would be honored). The web page is:   
http://opinion.tampabay.com/troxler 

And, one more Stanton comment for the road:

You guys glorify this Mr. Stanton and his decision to be a woman and  I find it absolutely appaling.  If this happened in San Francisco or Massachusetts it wouldnt be alright but it would be more expected.  I cant even Fathom what the true mrs. Stanton and her son are going through but they deserve better.  What ashame this is and a travesty to our community and beliefs.  What has this word turned out to be. -- Mike

Does this mean you won't be reading the 24-part series that starts Sunday, "Susan Stanton's Makeup Tips"?

Happy Thursday to all...

More About The Israel Trip

In addition to today's column about Gov. Charlie Crist's trip to Israel, here are a couple of things I picked up along the way.

First, the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, naturally has its own web site: www.knesset.gov.il. Kind of neat.

Secondly, the governor's office sent along some background information about the trip, which features a 30-member delegation of Florida political and business leaders.

Here's a fact sheet about the trip: [Download fact_sheet.pdf]

And here's a list of participants: [Download Participants.pdf ]

Today's Column: The Governor Does Israel

You love Charlie. Admit it. I love him, too. We all love Charlie.

But with that out of the way, what’s the governor of Florida doing in Israel?

Gov. Charlie Crist is in the Mideast this week for a five-day trip. Trade mission, you know. Goodwill.

He’s meeting with top government and business  officials. He’s touring the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. He’s getting a top-level briefing on military security.

He put a note in the Wailing Wall, asking God to look out for Florida. He’s going to Jordan, too, to meet the king.

No offense to these nations, but…

The guy has been governor for just shy of five months, and he’s knocking around the Middle East? Who is he, Charlie of Arabia?   [rest of column]

Good Riddance To The Donald

This whole Donald Trump thing baffled me in the first place. The idea that Tampa should be grateful to have the Trump brand on a 52-story luxury condo tower seemed dated and tacky from the outset, when the $300-million project was announced in 2005. It felt like we were expected to get all excited over getting a new Playboy Club or something equally passe. What next, will we have to line up and wave palm fronds for Paris Hilton?

But, as they say, bull finds its own level, and the champagne wishes and caviar dreams of 2005 have given way to the realities of a busted condo market, poor sales, construction liens and lawsuits. As my colleague James Thorner reports today, Trump has terminated his contract with SimDag, the developers, and filed a lawsuit against them in federal court.

Being a dedicated Trump-avoider when possible, I didn't even realize that this wasn't his building in the first place -- Trump just puts his name on the thing in return for a piece of the action, kind of like a McDonald's franchise. He's doing it all over the country.

Maybe the developers can recover by signing up Rosie O'Donnell. [Times photo | Chris Zuppa]

Dukes: Sorry For What?

Troubled Tampa Bay Devil Rays player Elijah Dukes issued an apology of sorts on Tuesday, but it was only for causing "a distraction" and not for, uh, allegedly threatening the life of his wife and children. The difference seems more than minor.

There is no requirement that baseball players be public speakers, so let's accept the cleaned-up version of his apology that was issued by the team after Dukes' somewhat garbled remarks to reporters:

I would like to apologize to my family, teammates, the fans and the organization for the distraction that this situation has caused. I would like to thank them for standing by me and hope that my family and I can move on and put this behind us.

For sure, it's a start just to say he's sorry for something, a week after the St. Petersburg Times reported that he had (among other things) messaged his wife a photo of a gun and left a voice mail saying, "You dead, dawg... Your kids, too.''

But it would still be good to hear more from Dukes and the Rays organization than about how they want to "put this behind us." They should show that they grasp the seriousness of this and show that they are doing something about it.

A "distraction" is when pitcher Casey Fossum gives up five straight hits in the first inning. A threat to kill your family ranks a little higher. [Times photo | James Borchuck]

Here's The May 29 Chat Transcript

In today's live chat on TroxBlog, which is now concluded, readers talked about, let's see:

Cindy Sheehan, too much Susan/Steve Stanton coverage, the chances for tax reform, Gov. Charlie Crist for vice president, the growth bill that's the subject of my column today, and even Devil Rays player Elijah Dukes.

Click on the "Comments" link of this item to read a transcript of the chat or to add your own thoughts. I hope you'll join me for next Tuesday's chat. Thanks to everybody who took part today!

The Readers: National Sales Tax, Green City My $%^#, Save Our Homes, And If I'm Lyin' I'm Dyin'

Excerpts from reader e-mails and recent comments posted on the blog:

(On presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's proposal) Get rid of federal income tax.  You get all of your paycheck.  Impose a national 23% sales tax instead.  Thereby the savers save, and the consumers pay.  Regardless of your income, you are taxed on what you buy instead. I'm sure there are problems and criticisms, but I have rosy glasses on.  I like it. -- Jennifer W

Re: 23% sales tax: I would that that deal if it were a universal tax. But it won't be. As soon as they tried to pass it, Congress would start adding exemptions and limits. Even Florida's existing sales tax stops at $5,000 purchases. But a single, universal tax on everybody -- why not?

(On St. Petersburg's designation as a "green city") We went out to dinner Saturday night downtown.  We ordered a bottle of sparkling water with our dinner (stay away from that tap water...too much wacko stuff in it) and found ourselves carrying the bottle with us as we strolled downtown after our date.  Couldn't find a recycle bin anywhere.  The irony is hilarious.  A Green City with no recycling bins. -- Jennifer W.

What, you get two letters now? Absolutely agreed about the green-city designation. The day that news ran we also ran the big photo of Clam Bayou covered with St. Petersburg and Gulfport's garbage washed in by storm runoff.

(Comment on the Save Our Homes tax break) I'm embarrassed over this unfairnes and ready to give it up, but for political purposes a soft landing must be devised.  S.O.H. should be canceled but the benefit derived from it should be transferable and reduced each succeeding year by a percentage of the previous year's benefit. That way, it would never entirely disappear.  A 5% reduction would reduce it by half in 15 years.  I won't live that long. 10% is more reasonable, reducing it to half in 7.5 years. -- Bud Tritschler

The Legislature won't just phase it out. It will probably pass some kind of replacement tax break that doesn't hurt anybody who gets SOH now. It will probably make the tax break more portable, or will phase in the sticker shock of buying a different or first home... just my guess based on the plans being kicked around.

(On my column and blog post about the FCAT fiasco) Your story on the FCAT is nothing more than a mis - informed bad joke. I don't know what your source is for your information but it is real bad. How would I know you might ask? Well it just so happens that I scored the written portion of that test the last 2 years. The students at the 8th grade  level did improve. Of course that was based on my reading only about 3,000 papers so what would I know, right. Ther are no unqualified people scoring that test. In fact a large portion of them are retired teachers and professional people. Next time you want to make a comment about the FCAT results try to find some fact instead of the mis-information that you presented. Next time get the facts not the lies you told. -- Phil C.

Thanks for the comment, Phil. But there is no question that (1) the third-grade scores last year were wrong, since even the state itself says so and (2) once the state quit its fight to keep such information secret, we learned that more than half of the people grading the FCAT at that time turned out NOT to have the degrees or background that were required by the state's contract with the testing company. No lie.

Today's Column: This 'Pilot' Program Should Be Grounded

Quick - should it be easier or harder to develop land in Florida?

How about the city of Tampa or Pinellas County, in particular?

If you answered "easier," then you ought to like House Bill 7203, which was just passed by our Legislature.

If not, you might want to ask Gov. Charlie Crist to veto it when it reaches his desk.

This big "growth bill" is another one of those multi-subject suckers that crams various topics into one law.

The most controversial part is a "pilot project" that puts Tampa and Pinellas County on a list of places with a "streamlined" state approval process for changes to their local comprehensive plans... [rest of column]

Tax Increases? Talk About Bad Timing

I wanted to make sure you had seen this article by my colleague Will Van Sant that ran in Saturday morning's newspaper. It reported that the taxable value of property in the Tampa Bay area continues to go up -- which means we would have another round of local tax increases, unless the Legislature or local governments do something to stop it.

Here are some preliminary numbers: the tax roll is up 13.7 percent in Hernando County, 11 percent in Hillsborough and 5.8 percent in Pinellas. (Numbers for Pasco aren't ready yet.)

Here's what this means: If local governments simply kept their current tax rates the same, then their overall tax collections would go up by those full percentages -- quite a tax increase.

Two other things could happen. The locals could cut tax rates to offset some or all of the higher property values. Or the Legislature, which will meet in a special session on June 12, could impose some kind of drastic tax cut from above.

Fast-rising property values have been behind the fast-growing budgets of local government in recent years. That's why a lot of people like the idea of an annual cap on the rate of growth of local tax collections, based on inflation and how much new growth there is on the tax rolls. Such a cap was proposed in the spring session of the Legislature, but no deal was reached -- it will be interesting to see if the idea comes back in the June special session.

By the way, check out the reader comments at the end of Van Sant's article. There's a lot of skepticism among readers as to how county property appraisers are coming up with higher property values in the first place, given depressed market conditions. This has me curious, too -- I want to learn more about what's driving the higher tax rolls.

The First (And Maybe Last, Maybe Not) TroxBlog TGIF Weekly News Quiz

After running a news quiz the past couple of Saturdays [May 12 quiz][May 19 quiz], I thought I'd try one on a Friday morning so that we could all spend even less time paying attention to actual work...

Here's a quiz on a few headlines from this week's St. Petersburg Times. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see the answers, or click on the story links to read for yourself. Have a great weekend!

1. What product with Florida ties is being used in Louisiana public schools? (a) Grapefruit Man, a cartoon character (b) a curriculum designed by Scientology (c) alligators in a petting zoo (d) touch-screen voting machines in civics classes.

2. What's the name of the 3-year-old web site that's worrying federal drug officials, investigators, judges and even the Department of Homeland Security? (a) Buildabomb.com (b) DrugsRUs.com (c) Whosarat.com (d) Buyagun.com.

3. What phrase is now decidedly out of favor at the Tampa-based U.S. Central Command, which oversees our efforts in Iraq? (a) the long war (b) the war on terror (c) axis of evil (d) mission accomplished.

4. What illegal activity did undercover Tampa officers break up Saturday night and Sunday morning after infiltrating a crowd to gather evidence? (a) underage drinking in Ybor City (b) unlicensed fishing off Bayshore Boulevard (c) South Tampa gang activity (d) drag racing on the Courtney Campbell causeway.

5. Why were this father and son (right) in the news? (a) They won the Florida Lottery (b) they were stranded in Tampa Bay for 13 hours (c) they discovered a sunken treasure ship (d) they learned they were related to Gov. Charlie Crist.  [Times photo | Carrie Pratt]

6. What's the proposed use of a disputed $12-million in sales-tax money that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers say belongs to them? (a) another quarterback to throw more 5-yard passes on third-and-10 (b) a new scoreboard (c) a new practice facility (d) lower ticket prices.

7. What term is used by Florida TaxWatch to describe items put into the state budget by our Legislature that the group thinks ought to be vetoed? (a) pork-barrel spending (b) turkeys (c) "Little Jebs" (d) Easter eggs.

8. In the cheerful-news department, how many named storms did the National Weather Service predict for the tropical season that starts June 1? (a) zero (b) 5-10 (c) 13-17) (d) 27.

9. What did the state Department of Education belatedly reveal that it screwed up last year? (a) it approved fake schools (b) it flunked too many students (c) it paid teachers too much (d) it bungled third-grade FCAT reading scores.

10. Which veteran Tampa Bay area broadcast journalist announced plans to retire at the end of 2007? (a) Kelly Ring, WTVT-TV Channel 13 (b) Gayle Sierens, WFLA-TV, Channel 8 (c) Bob Hite, WFLA-TV, Channel 8 (d) WFLA-AM radio personality Jack Harris.

---------------------

And the answers:

1. (b) As my colleauge Rob Farley reports, schools are using a curriculum first conceived by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. School officials like the results and say it isn't spreading Scientology.

2. (c) As Carrie Weimar reports, Whosarat.com is a web site that features the names of informants and agents in criminal investigations, even posting the plea agreements of cooperating witnesses. The operators say they are only using information that's already public.

3. (a) As Bill Levesque reports, Centcom's new commander, Adm. William Fallon, canned the phrase "long war" soon after he took over in March. The idea is that "war" is the wrong metaphor to describe overall U.S. efforts for the region.

4. (d) Drag racing. As Michael A. Mohammed reports, police were acting in response to two recent deaths on the causeway, making eight arrests and impounding seven cars.

5. (b) As Casey Cora reports, after their boat sank, Fred Meyerink, 67, and Stefan Meyering, 26 (yes, he spells his name differently) lashed themselves together with rope and clung to a barnacle-encrusted beacon until they were rescued.

6. (c) As Bill Varian reports, the Bucs say their new complex by Raymond James Stadium is only a "training facility" and team headquarters, not the practice facility provided for in its contract with the Tampa Sports Authority.

7. (b) See the story by Steve Bousquet. "Turkeys" is the word usually used at the state level, for some reason, while "pork-barrel" is more often applied to Congress -- but the same principle is involved.

8. (c) 13-17, as Curtis Krueger reports. That includes seven to 10 hurricanes, and three to five hurricanes at Category 3 or stronger. But hey, what do they know?

9.(d) Ah, the FCAT, that test that everyone loves to hate. As Ron Matus reports, it turns out they made the third-grade reading test too easy. But don't worry, from now on a panel of experts will make sure everything is okay.

10. (c) As Eric Deggans reports, Bob Hite, who's been at Channel 8 for 30 years, will leave the station's 11 p.m. broadcast this week and the anchor's chair at the end of 2007. (His partner Sierens is staying a while longer.) Say what you will -- the man is The Voice Of News.

At Least This Item Is Not About Susan Stanton

Reader Jane Watmough saw this item on the BBC News web site and sends it along with the comment: "This makes Largo seem a little silly, doesn't it?

A female councillor who was born a man has been sworn in as the UK's first transgender mayor.

Liberal Democrat Jenny Bailey, 45, who underwent a sex change operation when she was in her 30s, will become the civic leader of Cambridge City Council.

Ms Bailey's mayoress is her partner, former councillor Jennifer Liddle, who also underwent a sex change... [link to story]

Coming Friday: The First (And Maybe Last, Maybe Not) TroxBlog TGIF Weekly News Quiz

After trying a couple of weekend news quizzes, I thought I would try one on a Friday morning to celebrate the end of the week. Ten easy questions, no wagering allowed... check it out tomorrow morning!

Here's the May 19 news quiz

Here's the May 12 news quiz

What The Rays -- And Dukes -- Should Do

Okay, an alleged direct threat from a man with an already troubled history that he is going to murder his wife and children ranks somewhere higher on the scale, you would think, than, say, showing up late for practice.

So this early tone coming from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays over these allegations against Elijah Dukes is not quite right -- gee whiz golly, we sure do take this seriously (from the senior management) and this is just "a private matter" (from too-easy-going field manager Joe Maddon).

Just to repeat here, the allegation is that the man threatened to kill his wife and children. But shucks, in the meantime, they're gonna put him back in the lineup?

Here what they -- and Dukes -- should do.

First, exhaust every effort to confirm whether it's true.

Second, if it's true, announce that they don't care what the player's union or the contract says -- they aren't going to put Dukes back on the field as matters stand until they get him help and he shows that he wants to help himself.

Third, if it's true, Dukes should go public, show that he understands that nothing justifies this no matter how bad (and how much of a troubled two-way street) the relationship is, announce he is taking a voluntary leave to Check Himself In Somewhere, donate his salary to charity in the meantime and beg for public tolerance with tears in his eyes. Maybe that saves him. Maybe (I am dreaming here) he even dedicates part of his life in the future to serving as a role model to others for what he has learned.

But the one thing this is not is a purely private matter that the team should just try to out-wait, unless it turns out the Rays are not trying to attract kids to their sport, not trying to bring fans to their stadium, not seeking public admiration for their players and not mindful of goodwill in general. If they're not trying for any of that stuff, then, sure, it's just a "private matter." But so should be their games.

What Does That "F" In FCAT Stand For, Again?

Here's the extra-amazing thing about this morning's news that the state bungled last year's standardized test scores for third graders.

It's that the news just... kinda... slipped out, in response to a question at a "routine" news conference in Tallahassee announcing the latest FCAT scores. 

"Oh, and by the way,'' the state said, more or less, you know those all-important test scores that determine the fate of every school in Florida, the self-esteem and and of kids, all that stuff? Uh, never mind.''

Now, it just so happens that the error was made in the direction of making the test easier, so that last year's scores spiked and the state could take credit. Now the state will re-score more than 200,000 tests taken by third-graders.

Kind of makes you wonder whether the state Department of Education should be in charge of, you know, education. This is the same outfit that kept saying, about the $10-an-hour temps that it hires to grade the test:

They're all qualified, but you can't see their qualifications.

They're all qualified, but you can't see their qualifications.

They all qualified, but...

Until, of course, somebody filed a lawsuit, which then-Gov. Jeb Bush described as "shameful," and the truth finally came out. To quote the news story:

TALLAHASSEE - Some temporary workers hired to grade essay questions on the state's standardized tests apparently lacked degrees or college course work related to the subjects they were scoring, Florida Education Commissioner John Winn confirmed Monday. ...

Look, everybody makes mistakes. But if we all all supposed to bow down to the High And Mighty FCAT That Means All, Tells All, if our lives and schools and dollars and everything else has to obey it, and if we are supposed to de-emphasize phys ed, social studies, music, the humanities and everything else just so we can make higher math and reading scores... then if they don't get it right, they should get an "F," just like the ones they hand out to schools, and we should give their budget -- and their jobs -- to somebody else.

Today's Column: Johnny B. Goode, Beware

He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack
Go sit beneath the tree by the railroad track ...

As Chuck Berry's song tells us, Johnny B. Goode was from Louisiana.

It's a good thing, too. If Johnny tried to hang out by the tracks in Florida, under a bill just passed by our Legislature, he would automatically be guilty of trespassing.

"I didn't know I was lawbreakin'," our young Mr. Goode might protest as he was being hauled away by his gunny sack. "I didn't see a sign or anything."

But the deputies would just hand Johnny a copy of House Bill 9, which says you ought to know already that railroad tracks are private property -- no signs required... [rest of column]

What A Turkey Is NOT

Even Florida TaxWatch, the group that on Tuesday released its annual list of "turkeys" in the Florida state budget, has gotten stronger and stronger about saying what its definition of a turkey is NOT: A turkey is not necessarily a bad idea, or government waste. To quote directly from TaxWatch:

The budget turkey process does not condemn a project's worthiness, but instead focuses on the budget process, including instances where the Legislature has not followed its own policies and procedures...

In other words, a TaxWatch "turkey" can be something that was stuck into the budget by individual lawmakers without a lot of debate or review. Often they were items not originally included in a department's proposed budget. Here's a link to a summary of TaxWatch's report this year, which identifies 507 items in the state budget that are worth $267.3-million.

To be sure, there is politics involved and there are goofy projects -- a fifth of the turkeys are in the home area of House Speaker Marco Rubio. This report also shows the Legislature is being two-faced, by huffing and puffing about how local governments have to tighten their belts and cut waste, while the Legislature is willing to spend money on anything that its members reckon is a decent idea (and even some that aren't decent.)

But there are plenty of good-cause "turkeys'' too -- hurricane shelters, aid for the disabled and so forth.

To that point, TaxWatch said something quite interesting in its report: The group is NOT recommending that Gov. Charlie Crist veto social-service "turkeys" automatically, but only that he pay "special attention" to them and review them on a case-by-case basis.

The Brooker Creek Hearing

By my count there were 36 speakers at Tuesday afternoon's workshop on the Brooker Creek Preserve held by the Pinellas County Commission. They waited through 1 hour and 40 minutes of preliminary presentations and discussions before they were allowed to speak. Of these, 34 spoke in opposition to the county's plans for the preserve, and two spoke specifically in favor of the county's idea of placing youth recreational fields on preserve land. [A disclaimer: I couldn't be in Clearwater and watched the thing on the county's cable channel.]

Tarpon Springs Mayor Beverly Billiris was the first speaker and she pleased the crowd by saying her city wanted to work with the county to provide another site for ball fields. Many of the speakers identified themselves as "just a citizen" (I would leave out the "just"] but there were also several organizations represented, including the Coalition for a Livable Pinellas, the St. Petersburg' Council of Neighborhood Associations, the Audubon Society, the League of women Voters and the Suncoast League of Cities.

As I tried and probably failed to explain in my Tuesday column, there are three issues here in the public's mind, although not necessarily the county's.

* First: Whether to use 2,400 acres of the preserve for utility purposes. In the county's mind, that isn't even a decision to be made; it's a done deal -- there is nothing on the county's agenda to change it.

* Second, whether to locate recreational fields on preserve land north of Old Keystone Road. At least on that subject the county and the majority of speakers were disagreeing over the same thing.

* Third, what rules should apply for preserve (and parkland) in the future. The county is considering an ordinance that, in the critics (and my) view, pretty much allows the county to do whatever it wants. The citizens want a stronger amendment to the county charter.

Nothing was decided Tuesday and the commission will meet again in June.

Here's The May 22 Chat

In this week's live chat on TroxBlog readers talked about, let's see, Florida new wide-open cable TV law, counties crying wolf over tax cuts, the chances for a state income tax (my reply: slim and none), and which member of the Pinellas County Commission is the best mail-answerer. We even worked in a gratuitous reference to American Idol.

Click on the "Comments" link of this item to read what folks had to say during the chat or to add your own thoughts after the fact. Thanks to all who took part, and I hope to see you at noon next Tuesday!

In case you're interested, here are links to transcripts of previous chats:

May 15

May 8 (special-edition chat on the Legislature)

May 1

April 24

March 27.

Fan Mail For Harry

Go ahead, call me a sap, but my Sunday column was about our dog, Harry, who was given one to three months to live in November but is hanging there with enthusiasm six months later. I suppose the point was just to say that we have appreciated the extra time. Several readers in similar situations shared their thoughts, their own decisions about what to about ailing pets, and even a photo or two. I have often thought that our end-of-life experiences with our pets give us a chance to work out our thoughts and fears about our own lives...

I can relate as I have a almost 14 year old Maltese named "Morgan" who was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer a year ago last November. I did choose to have his anal glands removed which is where the cancer was, but opted out of any chemo or the like.  So far so good.....I believe in lots of love and prayers and it seems to be working along with milk thistle and flax seed oil... Below is a picture of my beloved Morgan....don't you think it would make a great "July" on a calendar? -- Jane Marinello

[I do. -- Howard]

Our Jasper is also 11, and in a situation similar to that of Harry (he doesn't have any plumbers though).  Jasper can sleep in the bed- He's a Welsh Corgi.  He's busy being a dog.  God bless you- I appreciated the column.  Keep the faith. -- Jean Harrison

You wrote:  'Here is the thing: Given enough hours, and enough days, you cannot spend them all in grief.'  Those words rang true, there are days I simply forget about my cat's illness or what lies ahead for us, and her twin who is well.  It was much the same when my late Mother was ill.  When we were together our lives were as they always were.  Death may overcome us all, but it cannot take the times we treasure away from us. -- Joan Blasi

As a girl my favorite pet was a cocker spaniel who also loved to share my bed. She would lay w/her head on the pillow, put her back next to mine and then begin to "root" trying to push me out of bed! :-) My Dad buried her in our backyard and the next spring dozens of large, yellow sponge mushrooms popped up on top of her grave. My Dad said that Taffy is just letting us all know that she still loves us. -- Mary Smith

I know how you feel as I have a 10 year old female dog with a similar condition. Draco, fears vets shaking whenever she is seeing one, is doing fine at the moment. She enjoys life. Draco is also a therapy dog working with Hernando Pasco Hospice. She loves to work and is continuing her work. For a long time I have agonized about my decision to not give her radiation treatments. After reading about Harry's life, I feel better. Yes, Draco would rather continue as she is than visit a vet every day for 19 days to receive the treatments that will hurt and burn. -- D. Browning

Five 'Musts' For Florida Tax Reform

Five "musts" for the Legislature's upcoming session on how to fix property taxes:

1) Fix the real problem. The problem that got us here was exploding land values that drove up taxes too fast -- local governments didn't cut their tax rates and took advantage of the swelling values. The central fix has to be rolling back taxes and capping future growth. Even a big, pretty, seductive tax exemption means nothing if there is no cap on the growth of local revenue.

(2) Help everybody. Those taxpayers hurt the worst by rising local taxes have been owner-occupied businesses, owners of second homes and rental property -- in other words, NON-homestead property owners. But as my colleague Alex Leary points out in this article headlined, Tax cuts skip hardest hit, a lot of the attention in Tallahassee has been geared toward homeowners already protected by the "Save Our Homes" cap. Looks like political pandering.

(3) Fix Save Our Homes. Sure, the 3-percent annual cap under Save Our Homes did exactly what it was supposed to -- it gave a big honking tax break to people who stay in the same home forever. But that's not how life works. People need to move into bigger or smaller houses, and our current law punishes them for it by jacking up their taxes. Either make the Save Our Homes break portable, or get rid of the need for Save Our Homes altogether (see #1 and #2).

(4) Don't cut too deep to look pretty, and then raise taxes elsewhere. The first idea of our state House was to roll back or even eliminate all property taxes on homes, and replace part of the lost money with a higher sales tax, which was both regressive and risky. Don't throw around gaudy numbers like 80-percent tax exemptions if the resulting cuts are too deep that we have to raise taxes or fees somewhere else just to put gas in the fire trucks.

(5) Make it simple and elegant. Whatever the Legislature does in its special session in June, it probably will require a statewide referendum to amend our Constitution. The simpler and more elegant the plan, the easier it will be to sell to the voters. If we're going to end up with some kind of "X percent of the median home value per county" scheme, they'd better hire a modern Thomas Freakin' Paine to write it.

The Second (And Maybe Final, Maybe Not) TroxBlog Weekly News Quiz

Were you paying attention this week? Here's a quiz on a few headlines from this week's St. Petersburg Times. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see the answers, or click on the story links to read for yourself. Have a great weekend!

1. Who are the Democratic and Republican front-runners in Florida in the race for president, according to a St. Petersburg Times poll? (a) Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani (b) Clinton and John McCain (c) Barack Obama and McCain (d) Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich.

2. What unusual weapon was used in Brandon, according to authorities, in the case of a man accused of killing his estranged wife's new companion? (a) a claymore (b) a phaser (c) a petrified rattlesnake (d) a samurai sword.

3. What newsmaking figure was chosen as a finalist to be the new city manager of Sarasota? (a) Katherine Harris (b) Christine Jennings (c) Susan Stanton (d) Bubba the Love Sponge.

4. What was different about the three-game home stand that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays played this week against the visiting Texas Rangers? (a) a Rays pitcher's no-hitter (b) the games were played at Disney (c) fans got free admission (d) fans were paid $1 each to attend.

5. What caused this mess (left) in Clam Bayou, a nature preserve in Pinellas County? (a) illegal dumping (b) a raccoon infestation (c) litter washed in by drainage (d) partying.

6. Where might U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, R-St. Petersburg, end up with a $180,000-a-year job if he leaves Congress? (a) the Tampa Bay Lightning (b) USF St. Petersburg (c) St. Petersburg College (d) McDonald's.

7. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved what controversial 500-acre project, which includes paving 56 acres of wetlands? (a) a shopping mall in Pasco County (b) a nuclear waste dump in Crystal River (c) a new city atop a former landfill (d) a condo project in the Brooker Creek Preserve.

8. What proposed business activity raised the question of whether it complied with the municipal codes of the city of New Port Richey? (a) visits from the dead (b) male lingerie modeling (c) off-track Preakness betting (d) a private autopsy service.

9. The state of Florida pulled the plug on this boondoggle, but not before sinking $89-million of taxpayer dollars into it over the past three years: (a) handouts for deadbeat poor people (b)  throwing money at public schools (c) privatizing the state's accounting systems (d) providing free Friday doughnuts for all state employees.

10. What is the nickname of the suspect caught and accused of four St. Petersburg robberies in recent weeks, and how did he get it? (a) the "Red Shirt Bandit," for obvious reasons (b) the "Red Lobster Bandit,'' because he targeted restaurants (c) the "Red Skelton Bandit," because he wore a clown outfit (d) the "Red Wing Bandit,'' because he wore a cap with a hockey-team logo. 

-----------------------

And the answers:

1. (a) Among Democrats, Clinton leads Obama by a whopping 42-19; among Republicans, Giuliani leads McCain 29-15.

2. (d) The samurai sword, part of a weapons collection. Neighbors said the accused man was angry that his estranged wife's new companion was a sex offender.

3. (c) Stanton, of course. The finalists will be interviewed May 29 and 30.

4. (b) The Rays played their home stand at Disney's Wide World of Sports. Just an experiment to build a fan base, the team reassured its Tampa Bay home town. (You could also claim it was unusual because the Rays swept the three-game series, but hey, that wasn't one of the answers.)

5. (c) Litter washed in by drainage. St. Petersburg (just named a "green city") and Gulfport are squabbling over which is most at fault.

6. (c) St. Petersburg College, at a government-studies center that would bear Young's name. He helped get funding for the center.

7. (a) The Cypress Creek Town Center at I-75 and S.R. 56 in Pasco County. It would be one of the largest malls in the Bay area.

8. (a) Visits from the departed would be one of the things going on at a downtown spiritual counseling shop. The City Council approved the shop over the mayor's objection.

9. (c) Privatizing the accounting systems. Another case of "running the government like a business."

10. (d) Apparently not a Tampa Bay Lightning fan.

Coming Saturday: The Second (And Maybe Final, Maybe Not) TroxBlog Weekly News Quiz

Well, a few people did try their hand at last Saturday's First (And Maybe Only) TroxBlog Weekly News Quiz, so I figured I'd try it again... 10 multiple-choice questions based on stories over the past week from Florida's Best Newspaper. Coming tomorrow morning...

Last week's quiz

At Least We Didn't Blow That $89 Million On Deadbeat Poor People, Public Health, Education Or Social Justice

The two biggest legacies of former Gov. Jeb Bush were his changes to Florida's K-12 school system -- he successfully created a culture of standardized tests and school grades -- and his at-any-costs rush to privatize functions of the state government.

The trouble is that a lot of Bush's privatization efforts resulted in boondoggles. It turns out that "running the government like a business" often has meant the opposite -- business turns out to be just as good as blowing Other People's Money without results as the supposedly awful government.

Somebody ought to write a book that captures the full scope of the rip-off of Florida taxpayers over the past decade under the mantra of privatization -- fake schools gobbling up voucher money, failed computer-system disasters, campaign donors getting key contracts, ad nauseam. Just for today, though, be sure to check out today's article by our Tallahassee bureau chief Steve Bousquet:

TALLAHASSEE -- The state of Florida on Thursday declared its effort to privatize its accounting systems an expensive failure, as Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink suspended all work on the 3-year-old project.

After spending $89-million to build something new, the state is left with the 25-year-old system it had before... [rest of story]

Elections Bill: Well, That Answers That

Remember that the big elections bill just passed by our Legislature is a mixed bag. It replaces Florida touch-screen voting machines, but our lawmakers took the chance to tack on a lot more stuff: an earlier presidential primary, a weaker resign-to-run law, attacks on citizen petitions, a weaker Florida Elections Commission. There's a much more, too -- see my May 8 column for more details.

So there has been some debate over whether Gov. Charlie Crist should sign it into law. Folks who want an election paper trail say the good outweighs the bad; supporters of citizen petitions or folks focused on the other stuff tend to disagree. What would the governor do -- sign it, and take credit for the paper trail while not focusing on the rest, or veto it and demand a bill without the extra baggage? I argued for Plan B -- else we will be trying to clean up the mischief of this Frankenstein bill for some time.

But the answer came Thursday morning in an e-mail from the governor's office to all members of the Legislature and legislative staffers:

Sent: Thu May 17 10:43:37 2007
Subject: Bill Signing Ceremony - HB 537 Relating to Elections

On Monday, Governor Charlie Crist will hold a Bill Signing Ceremony for HB 537 - Elections. Below are the details for this event. If you will be able to attend, please contact our office at 850.410.0501.

Date: Monday, May 21, 2007
Time: 10:15 AM
Location: Palm Beach Supervisor of Elections Office
240 S Military Trail
West Palm Beach, FL 33415

Sincerely,

Kamilah Prince
Director of External Affairs
Office of Governor Charlie Crist

The Readers On No-Fault...

Excerpted reactions to today's column on no-fault insurance, which expires in Florida Oct. 1:

We should keep no fault in Florida.  To eliminate it will put hospitals in a financial bind and who will pay for the hospitals' cost?  People who do have health insurance will see thier premiums increase to cover the hospitals' shortfall! -- Joanne Hannon, Pinellas Park

Is the "No fault area of insurance" a euphemism for clinics specializing in maxing out PIP as quickly as possible? I prefer the term "PIP clinic". I think we would all be better off if they found a job that actually contributed something economic. -- Ken

Boo Hoo..... PIP is not working, the only people that it does work for are the people that are staging accidents and the atty's that rep them. Get rid of PIP. Let the attys work for there lunch now. -- Fraud

As an adjuster, the issue is not eliminating no-fault, the issue is putting controls in place that eliminate fraud, lower the overall cost of treatment and determine if the person is really injured. Removing no-falut coverage is not the answer. -- Margaret

What, PIP has been somewhat successful? Sounds like a call to action for the Legistlature to screw it up! -- Warren

A good friend was a hit and run victim. She was injured and found the other driver who had no insurance nor license nor was her car registered. My friend only has Major medical insurance. No fault saved her! Please keep it alive! -- Kay

... And Comments On Largo, Cars And Bicycles

(On today's earlier post about Largo)

I would say this is just a response to the absurd media coverage of Stanton.  Most people would just like to see this freak drift off into his life of anonymous reststop-bathroom sexual encounters.  But the media, the SPT in particular, insists on printing daily photos of this ridiculous man dressed like a woman, and has basically suggested that it's the citizens of Largo - not Stanton - who have something to be ashamed of.  There was a time when we didn't assign nobility to a man who walked out on his wife and kids in order to indulge a twisted sexual fetish.  a lot of people still think that way, and they're fed up with having stanton shoved down their throats.-- Mike

(On drivers who let their insurance lapse)

The state should have a system where the fhp or sheriff goes out to the address and removes the plate , then the person is placed on a list that would make them pay for the whole year not just a month. If this system was followed most of these drivers would not be on the road. Our representatives should not make folks like me pay 400 bucks more a year to make up for their failure to get these losers off the road. -- Bob, a senior citizen

(On auto inspections)

What we really need in Florida AGAIN is vehicle inspections!!! There are too many oil burners polluting the air and too many junkers that deserve the last rights! We also should be able to report people that throw out their garbage on our roadways. -- Grumpy

(And a couple of bicycle complaints from St. Petersburg -- anybody want to respond?)

I am wondering about what you might know about what kind of deals have been made, and with whom that allows packs of bicyclists to cruise 4th street s, in or around peak traffic times, flaygrantly disobeying and disregarding vehicular traffic statues, endangering not only themselves but also the law abiding vehicular traffic they are obstructing. -- Jack Strait

I have to jump on Jack's comment. I live in Pinellas Point and these people are a menace. They'll show up here and scream that they always ride single file--BALONEY! Huge packs of these morons fly right through intersections against lights. The worst is right in front of Bay Point Middle school at 9AM. Certain times of the year, eastbound drivers are squinting into the sun, looking out for kids and have to avoid this gang. We DREAD them daily. -- Jane

Largo, City Of Regress, The Sequel

It turns out that simply firing longtime City Manager Steve Stanton in March for wanting to become a woman is not enough closure for Largo, the self-labeled "City of Progress."

Perhaps fearful that there might still be cooties in City Hall, the  City Commission has voted 5-1 to ask the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office to investigate who knew about Stanton's secret in advance.

After that they will dunk the accused parties in water; if they drown it will prove they are innocent. (No, wait, I am mixing up my investigations. Scratch that last part.)

Mayor Pat Gerard was the lone voice against asking for the investigation. The rest of the commissioners voting agreed with a citizen petition (signed by 28 residents) to investigate whether an inner circle of city leaders and officials who knew about Stanton's secret, including the mayor and the police and fire chiefs, violated the City Charter by covering up malfeasance, misconduct, and so forth.

No word yet on whether Sheriff Jim Coats will agree to conduct the investigation in between fighting violent crime, gangs, the drug trade and managing an overcrowded jail. As for Stanton, it has been hard to miss the rest of his story to date: Steve petitions to become Susan, gets plenty of press and photos, and at this moment is one of six finalists to become the new city manager of Sarasota.

Three Things

(1) This story shows exactly why Florida needs higher-education reform -- and why the existing higher-education system is not capable of carrying it out. Nobody wants to give up turf or be told what to do. Florida needs a top tier of research universities, a middle tier of four-year degree-granting colleges and a strong tier of community colleges. None of the universities wants to be considered middle-tier, and none wants to give up any branch campuses either. What are we going to do, just wait until every state university has 100,000-student campuses and is too busy remediating the K-12 system to do anything else?

(2) Watching the Devil Rays game last night from Orlando felt uncomfortable -- like watching your spouse with an arm around somebody else at a party. Even when it wasn't immediately visible from the camera angle you could tell it was a small ball park. So it felt a little bit like a minor league or college game on TV. And they couldn't even fill up the stadium with all the advance notice... I hope Stuart Sternberg is right, and it's part of building a regional audience. But as my colleague John Romano points out this morning, building a winning team will build a regional audience as well.

(3) The next Gulfport or St. Petersburg city official who talks about this mess at Clam Bayou being the other city's fault should have to go clean it up personally. [Times photo: Scott Keeler.]

The Readers: Huckabee, Stanton, Rubio, Cable Bill, Cable Bill

Howard,

Last night in South Carolina, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee condemned the profligate spending in Congress: "...they're spending money like John Edwards in a beauty shop." He's a winner! ps: Since you work for the newspaper that insists on calling Steve Stanton "Susan" please let me insist that I hope my reference to Huckabee's remark is 'offensive' to you. -- James Parker, Tampa

Dear Jim: Unfortunately, I thought it was funny.

Howard,

I don’t understand (House Speaker Mario) Rubio’s new property tax plan. He neglects to say where the replacement revenue is coming from for the cities and counties.  Am I missing something? -- Alan

Dear Alan: No.

(On a new Tampa Bay Devil Rays stadium) Consider: Lobby to Florida Legislature for slot and Las Vegas style Slot play. Trade partial income to pay for revised and new stadium. Also pay off present debt. The state of Pennsylvania did this for a new location and operation for the Ice Hockey Team the Pittsburgh Penguins. They have installed for partial funding to Florida Schools in the Miami area. -- Donald Kreis

Dear Donald Kreis: They briefly considered expanding video lottery terminals in this past session of the Legislature, although not for this purpose. There is a lot of resistance and resentment. As for helping education, since the Florida Lottery started to "help," education's overall share of the state budget has gone down.

[On Tuesday's column about the cable bill] You completely miss the point Mr. Troxler - competition means FEWER complaints. We won't need to make a "local" complaint or "Tallahassee" complaint. We'll tell Bright House to take a leap. When that threat is in place - wahla! better service! -- Tom

Dear Tom: I hope so, but it depends on whether having a grand total of TWO companies in most markets is enough competition, or if it just gives us a two-headed monopoly.

[On the same topic] This article is idiotic. As the consumer, I can choose a new service provider if I am unhappy with my cable company. I CAN'T DO THAT NOW HOWARD!!!!! -- Mel

Dear Mel: See previous answer. Love, Howard.

Public Groups In FAVOR Of The Cable Bill

My friend Mike Twomey, a Tallahassee lawyer who frequently represents customers in cases against Florida utility companies, writes to argue that the advantages of the cable-TV bill (House Bill 529, the subject of my print column today) outweigh the disadvantages. Specifically, he points out the bill gets rid of the last round of those local telephone rate increases, while increasing access to the Lifeline program that provides phone service to those who need a little help.

Twomey writes:

AARP, the single largest consumer organization in the state to my knowledge with 2.8 million members, and the NAACP have written letters to Crist urging him to sign HB 529, the former's support based mostly on the fact that the bill will wipe out the last round of local phone rate increases, which is worth roughly $157 million to consumers on a recurring basis. I don't see that you mention the rate increase issue at all. The bill gets vetoed, your readers see an almost immediate increase in their local phone bills. The increases will effectively be permanent.

Here are the two letters: [Download NAACP.doc ] [Download AARP.doc ]

Here's The May 15 Chat

In this week's live Tuesday chat on TroxBlog readers talked about red-light cameras, bicycles and traffic laws, the new www.tampabay.com website, the Madeira Beach Snack Shack, the Brooker Creek Preserve, and thoughtful disagreement even among consumer advocates as to whether Gov. Charlie Crist should veto the cable-TV bill just passed by the Legislature.

Click on the "Comments" link of this announcement to read what folks had to say or to add your own thoughts. Thanks to all who took part, and I hope to see you next Tuesday!