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What comes after flying politicians? The ethics investigation

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By STEVE OTTO Steve Otto

sotto@tampatrib.com sotto@tampatrib.com

Published: July 5, 2009

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! ... Wait a second! By golly, it is a plane after all!

I wonder which Florida politician might be running up a fuel tab shuttling family and friends across the country.

I mean, talk about your coincidences. The other day, a Republican in Leon County filed a complaint saying Alex Sink, Florida's chief financial officer, who happens to be a Democrat and that party's leading candidate to be the next governor, had been abusing the use of state aircraft.

Then, the very next day another complaint was filed in Leon County, this time by a Democrat, suggesting Bill McCollum, the state's attorney general and the Republican Party's leading candidate to become the next governor, had been doing that very same thing.

The ethics commission - maybe you didn't know we had one of those - will spend lots of time and more of your dollars trying to determine if either of those allegations is valid.

Personally, I wonder if we even need a state plane. If we didn't have one then maybe the current governor could spend more time in Tallahassee instead of heading off across the state pretending to be doing something other than running for the U.S. Senate.

No fishing in my sewer

Lake Pam (formerly known as Lake Sandy, Lake Dick and others) reappeared on our street this week as the summer rains came all at once.

We weren't the only ones in town to get flooded, not by a long shot. But at least we are now getting special treatment from the city.

Several hours after our street was closed by barricades because of the flooding, a Tampa storm sewer truck made it down to the street's storm sewer and put up a sign reading: "High bacterial count - no wading, no swimming and no fishing."

It said the same thing in Spanish.

You know, how can this be America if you can't go outside your front door and toss a fishing line near your nearest storm sewer? Who knows what you might catch.

Historic condo tower

In one of the lesser surprises last week, the Tampa City Council took another step in the long battle to construct a 346-foot condo tower at Bayshore Boulevard and Desoto Avenue. This has been going on for at least six years and turned down by the council more than once.

But then all things come to those who can afford to wait and it appears as if the developers have won out.

The ruling last week was actually the city council approving the Architectural Review Commission's earlier approval. Apparently they figured a 346-foot tower is compatible with being in historic Hyde Park and one more tower on Bayshore can't screw it up any more than it is.

Said Councilman Charlie Miranda: "This is a classic example of what I said a year ago. These things belong in a court of law."

I don't buy that. These things need to be decided by people with a little more courage and vision for their community.

Keyword: Otto Graphs, for more of Steve Otto's musings.

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