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Blair Sues Commissioner Beckner

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By ADAM EMERSON

aemerson@tampatrib.com

Published: March 12, 2009

TAMPA - Former County Commissioner Brian Blair filed a libel lawsuit Wednesday against the opponent who ousted him in the November election, saying lies spread in the campaign exposed him to hatred, contempt and ridicule.

In a complaint filed in Hillsborough County Circuit Court, Blair said Kevin Beckner "falsely accused him of self-dealing, taking action to harm women and children and supporting racism."

Blair says Beckner sent the messages through mailed campaign literature, which he includes in his lawsuit.

One mailer says Blair "voted to spend $1 million of our tax money on his personal lake," a charge Blair disputes. Blair has said the total was several hundred thousand dollars and that the money was used to clean a chain of lakes that included the lake near his home.

The lawsuit also states Beckner falsely claimed that Blair cut "funding to shelters that help women and children," gave himself a pay raise, supported flying the Confederate flag in the county and sponsored "Robert E. Lee Day."
Beckner said he hadn't seen the lawsuit Wednesday, but said he "looked forward to discussing the facts and the truth."

"We ran a truthful campaign, and the voters chose honest, effective leadership over divisive politics," Beckner said, adding that he hired high-profile Tampa lawyer Barry Cohen to represent him.

Blair's lawsuit doesn't specify what damages he's seeking, but his attorney, Chris Rodems, said the former commissioner is trying to restore his reputation.

Rodems acknowledged the difficulty a public figure faces when bringing a defamation lawsuit, but in this case, he said, "we have stated facts that are demonstrably false."

Blair says he never supported flying the Confederate flag in Hillsborough County, as Beckner claimed in an ad in the Florida Sentinel Bulletin.

Last spring, the Sons of Confederate Veterans hoisted a 30-by-60 foot Confederate battle flag at the junction of Interstate 75 and U.S. 92. The flag complied with county codes, and commissioners couldn't legally stop the group from raising it.

Blair also says he never sponsored "Robert E. Lee Day." Commissioners in 2007 approved a proclamation marking the 200th anniversary of Lee's birth, but noted then that they often signed blank proclamation forms that were later completed by the county government staff.

"There's a complete difference between negative campaigning and false campaigning," Blair said by phone Wednesday. "This has had a profound effect on my children, my entire family."

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