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Ethics Probe Clears Hillsborough Commissioner Blair

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By MIKE SALINERO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 13, 2008

TAMPA - State ethics commissioners have cleared Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian Blair of charges he used his position to interfere in regulatory action by the county's Environmental Protection Commission.

Local activist George Niemann filed an ethics complaint this year saying Blair "crashed" a Dec. 20 meeting between EPC regulators and the owners of Mothers Organics, a yard-waste disposal business in the Thonotosassa area.

The business had refused to get a $2,000 permit from the county and operated for several months under threats from the environmental agency. The meeting, between EPC Executive Director Rick Garrity and Mothers Organics owner Bill Stanton, was to negotiate a fine and end the standoff.

County commissioners sit as the Environmental Protection Commission. An investigator for the Florida Commission on Ethics said it is rare for commissioners to attend such a meeting, but there was no evidence Blair interfered with or influenced the settlement agreement between the county and Mothers Organics.

The commission also found that Blair played no part in removing his comments from minutes of the meeting. EPC staff removed the comments because they were not pertinent to the settlement, ethics investigators found.

Blair said he went to the meeting because he had heard the company had received state environmental permits but was being kept from doing business by the EPC. Blair said he first checked with EPC general counsel Rich Tschantz to make sure his attendance wasn't breaking any rules.

Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303 or msalinero@tampatrib.com

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