Largo Condo Fire Coverage
Largo Condo Fire Coverage
3B
HOWARD TROXLER
tampabay.com * * * * Thursday, June 19, 2008 | 1B
[email protected]
G
asoline that costs $4 Times Staff Writer given birth that morning. the state’s Safe Haven for New- ida recently expanded its law to for Newborns law was passed
a gallon is the wrong The young woman standing As he took the baby, he asked if borns program. allow mothers to leave babies up 100: Babies who had been
reason for Florida at the door of East Lake Fire Sta- she was okay. “Nicholas” was the 100th baby to 7 days old without fear of crim- surrendered safely as of May 30
to change its mind about off- tion No. 56 needed help. “I’m fine. I just can’t handle to be dropped off at a fire station inal prosecution. Previously, the 39: Babies who have been
shore oil drilling. Do fire stations still take this right now,” she said. Then she or hospital in Florida since the law limit was three days. abandoned in unsafe places
Offshore oil drilling is a unwanted babies? got in the car and drove away. was passed in 2000 amid numer- The baby left at the Pinellas since 2000
long-term proposition. It is Yes, said Lt. Doug Stryjew- That May 30 exchange was ous reports of babies discarded in County fire station was named 15: Number of those who survived
not going to do much about ski, who followed her to a car, remarkable for firefighters, who trash bins and bathrooms. after Nick Silverio, who created a
our short-term pain of $4-a- where a newborn was wrapped took turns holding the infant At the time, Florida was one nonprofit foundation in 2001 to 7: Days a woman has to surrender
gallon gasoline — it will not in a towel on the front seat. The until hospital workers arrived. of 15 states to create such a law. . See SAFE, 8B a baby, recently expanded from 3
keep it from $5, or $6.
Neither is this election-year
Trump
stuff about U.S. “energy inde-
builders
independent.” Not even the oil
industry claims such a thing.
Only politicians do.
And yet, Florida suddenly
file for
seems on the verge of aban-
doning a firm bipartisan con-
sensus against offshore drill-
ing that has governed this
state for decades.
Chap. 11
John McCain, the Repub-
lican presidential candidate,
says we ought to do it — citing,
yes, gas prices and “energy
independence.” The current
president says so, too.
So now Florida’s governor, The developers of the
Charlie Crist, has weakened stymied condos owe
his own long-term opposition,
presto, change-o! He has set up to $50-million.
off a chain reaction of lesser
copycats, too. Yet these still BY JAMES THORNER
are the wrong reasons. Times Staff Writer
They are pandering rea- Harried by creditors and
sons. They are sloganeering lashed by lawsuits, the develop-
reasons. They are short-term, ers of Trump Tower Tampa have
political exploitation. sought the haven of Chapter 11
Is there a case for expand- bankruptcy.
ing offshore drilling? You bet. Though SimDag-Robel LLC
The U.S. uses something has yet to give up on building the
like 20-million barrels of oil a 52-story condo tower, the bank-
day and imports most of it. ruptcy all but ensures the luxury
If we import less, the trade skyscraper is a long shot.
deficit gets better. There are Bankruptcy papers filed Tues-
more jobs, more investment. day mention debts of up to
States get royalty checks, too. $50-million spread among more
But we ought to use that than 200 creditors. Among the
breathing room to get better. biggest: Colonial Bank, which
We have to have a comprehen- holds a $3.2-million mortgage
sive strategy to move us away on the building lot at 111 S Ash-
from what we do now. JOSEPH GARNETT JR. | Times ley Drive, and New York tycoon
If we just foolishly burn up Michelle Mann, left, and Jocelyn Kelder, in the white shirt, comfort friend Nicole Vitadamo, whose home was damaged by Donald Trump, owed more than
what we’ve got, in the name fire at the Belleair Oaks condominiums in Largo on Wednesday. Vitadamo and her fiance were asleep when the fire started. $1-million in overdue licensing
of cheap energy, we end up in fees from SimDag.
the same boat, except worse.
Independence? Phooey. One resident of the Largo complex is hurt; dozens are left homeless. SimDag bankruptcy attorney
Jeffrey Warren said clients Jody
The estimated U.S. offshore Simon and Frank Dagostino will
reserves are 86-billion barrels. BY JACKIE ALEXANDER mother on the phone and told try to maximize the value of the
Assuming we could actually Times Staff Writer her to get out. lot for creditors. They include
get to it, it would be enough to LARGO — Olga Miladinovic Nina Miladinovic, 61, said dozens of condo buyers who
run the place “independently” heard a whistle about 3 a.m. she grabbed her Yorkie, Moose, placed 20 percent deposits on
for, say, 11 years. Wednesday but couldn’t figure and opened the door to smoke units costing from $700,000 to
And even if the U.S. policy it out. Then her boyfriend went “so hard and thick on my face $6-million.
changed today, it would take outside and saw smoke. I couldn’t breathe.” So she cov- “It could be a sale, it could be
years to produce new oil. Their building at the ered her face with a towel development of Trump Tower
So this is neither a quick Belleair Oaks condominiums before feeling her way out. Tampa,” Warren said. “The filing
fix for today’s gas prices, nor a was in flames. The whistle was About 30 residents of the of the bankruptcy doesn’t stop
path to “independence.” the fire alarm. complex on West Bay Drive any of the other activities.”
This ain’t just whiny me “I didn’t even grab my were left homeless after Chapter 11 was the crown-
saying this. The oil industry things,” she said. “My mom was a three-alarm fire ripped ing blow to three jarring years
itself and the American Petro- my main concern.” through their building. for Trump Tower Tampa. Trump
leum Institute are careful Miladinovic, 32, ran from Largo fire Chief Michael Wal- formally launched the project in
not to make such claims. The her first-floor condo upstairs lace said firefighters responding early 2005 when he rolled into
institute says there are many to her mother’s place. But thick to a report of a porch fire found Tampa with his new bride on
good reasons to drill and to black smoke forced her to her the unit’s roof ablaze. JOSEPH GARNETT JR. | Times his arm. A licensing deal with
expand domestic production, knees. She went back down- Firefighters focused on evac- Investigators with the Largo Fire Department and the Largo the New York real estate big shot
but it also should be part of a stairs, where she called her . See FIRE, 5B Police Department sift through the debris after the fire. would give the 190 units instant
bigger strategy. . See TRUMP, 5B
“We’re going to need more
energy of all types,” John
Felmy, the institute’s chief
economist, told me. “We can’t
just stand still. We have to
be going forward with a bal-
. Talk of the Bay Crist recovering after
anced energy policy. Supply is
one component of that policy.”
Agreed. Yet this still brings
us back to Florida and its
YBOR CITY SITE PICKED
FOR OBAMA CAMPAIGN
Mayor’s choice goes before council
The St. Petersburg City Council this afternoon is scheduled
to decide whether to support Mayor Rick Baker’s choice of
operation on ailing knee
Officials with the Barack Obama cam- companies to redevelop Tropicana Field. Developers Arch-
unique situation. paign this week signed a lease to house stone and Madison Marquette propose to build more than It’s from an old high school football injury.
What has changed, really, the campaign’s state headquarters 1.1-million square feet of retail and almost 2,000 apartments
in this debate? Only the short- in Ybor City. Offices will fill space in as part of a $1.2-billion overhaul of the site if a new water- BY JENNIFER LIBERTO Gov. Crist
term political clamor. Times Staff Writer “over-
Centro Ybor once occupied by Big City front stadium for the Rays is built. Follow the City Council
The tradeoffs that Flor- Tavern. “We’re going to take over Cen- debate starting at 3 p.m. at the Times’ online stadium blog, Gov. Charlie Crist’s weak left extended
ida faces today are the same tro Ybor,” said U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, Ballpark Frankness, at blogs.tampabay.com/ballpark. knee forced him to give up gov- his knee
as always — the same that led who cochairs Obama’s Florida cam- erning Florida for roughly 90 violently,”
every previous leader, Repub- paign. Meanwhile, two new polls show Don’t fill that bill, even if bird begs minutes Wednesday, while he said his
lican and Democrat, to say Obama leading Sen. John McCain in Feeding the birds isn’t a pastime underwent minor emergency father, Dr.
Florida can’t afford the risk. Florida. A new Quinnipiac University anymore. It’s a crime. The Florida surgery under anesthesia. Charles Crist.
Drilling advocates from poll has Obama at 47 percent, McCain Fish and Wildlife Conservation Com- The governor had to officially
some other states sometimes at 43 percent. And a poll by the Ameri- mission has made it illegal to feed give Florida’s reins to Lt. Gov. from his son Tuesday afternoon
accuse Florida of thinking can Research Group, also out today, brown pelicans, which can become Jeff Kottkamp from 12:30 to 2:10 about the ailing knee.
that it is special. has Obama at 49 and McCain at 44. so dependent on humans that they p.m. The whole episode was a sur-
You know what? It is. Yessir. abandon their winter migration pat- It’s the same knee he injured prise. The governor didn’t fall or
It is too special to succumb Correction terns. The law, which takes effect July playing quarterback at St. Peters- hit his knee, Crist’s father said.
to false promises of cheaper Kirk Lyons, an attorney and co-founder 2 and makes the act a second-degree burg High School at 16. The knee He felt something “sort of stick”
gas and “energy indepen- of the Southern Legal Resource Center, misdemeanor, is directed at large that ended his football career as in his knee and to clear it up,
dence.” Florida is too special was married by Aryan Nations founder operations like fish houses that dis- a walk-on quarterback at Wake he popped it. “Over-extended his
to sell out its coast for a roy- Richard Butler to the daughter of anoth- pose of large amounts of scraps. “Our Forest University. The knee that knee violently,” his father said.
alty check. er Aryan Nations leader, Charles Tate. officers aren’t going to be sitting out made him a swimmer instead of After that, there was lots of pain
So, let’s go ahead with it. A June 14 story about the Sons of Con- there watching for little Timmy with a runner. and instability, Crist’s father said.
Let’s pander, let’s make fake federate Veterans identified the bride’s his grandfather to feed a pelican,” said “He should be fine, he’ll just So the governor saw radiolo-
promises. And let’s drill, for father incorrectly. FWC spokeswoman Karen Parker. be on crutches for a couple of gist Dr. Manuel Rose at his Palm
the benefits that we do get. days,” said the governor’s father, Harbor office late Tuesday night
Just not here. Dr. Charles J. Crist, who got a call . See CRIST, 5B