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Around town
By Times staff reports Alvarez feels heart pain, again, FridayWith choir music filtering out of the sanctuary, an overflow crowd streamed out of St. John's Episcopal Church around noon Friday. Just as he was stepping outside after a friend's funeral, former Hillsborough Chief Judge F. Dennis Alvarez felt pains in his chest. Five days earlier, Alvarez had undergone surgery on his heart at St. Joseph's Hospital. After resting a day, he was right back at work -- determined to keep his pace less than a week after declaring he will run for mayor of Tampa. But Friday, for the second time since announcing his bid, Alvarez was rushed to the hospital. His friends reported that Alvarez was feeling fine late Friday at St. Joseph's Hospital, but the scare at the funeral may have ended his budding mayoral campaign. Scores of Tampa lawyers, business executives and politicians, who attended the funeral of Tampa businessman Frederick Swindal, saw the ambulance arrive to take Alvarez to the hospital. On Tuesday, after his first operation, Alvarez hinted that his health may force him to change his plans. He said Tuesday he would meet with his doctor and his family to evaluate whether he can withstand the rigors of a race. Officials at St. Joseph's Hospital refused to discuss the former chief judge's medical condition at his family's request. But in an e-mail sent to all judges, Chief Judge Manuel Menendez reported that Alvarez was recovering well. Doctors plan to perform tests on Alvarez, and if all goes well, Alvarez might go home this weekend, the e-mail said. On Monday, doctors at St. Joseph's performed an angioplasty on Alvarez to open part of his blocked heart. In the operation, doctors thread a balloon through blood vessels and inflate it to break up a clogged area. Doctors also inserted two mesh tubes, called stents, to unclog a part of Alvarez's heart. Alvarez, 56, has suffered heart problems most of his adult life. He underwent his first major heart bypass surgery at age 34, after running unopposed for the county bench for the time. Five years later, he suffered another heart attack. Last year, he underwent knee replacement surgery and an operation to remove a throat polyp. JUDGE CANDIDATES SOUGHT: The Judicial Nominating Commission is asking lawyers to apply for an opening on the circuit court bench in Hillsborough County. Applicants must live in Hillsborough, be registered voters and members of the Florida Bar for the past five years. To apply, lawyers must fill out an application, make nine copies, and deliver them to Jeanne Tate, chairwoman of the nominating commission, by 5 p.m. Feb. 1. For information, call Tate's law office at 258-3355. -- DAVID KARP * * * ASHLEY REMAINS CLOSED: Part of the northbound lanes of Ashley Street will remain closed this weekend so that work crews can remove loose marble panels from the outside of the Bank of America Plaza building. The downtown high-rise was damaged last week when a teenage boy flew a Cessna airplane into the 28th floor, killing himself. The closure, between Kennedy Boulevard and Jackson Street, is to protect pedestrians and motorists from any falling debris. -- DONG-PHUONG NGUYEN * * * PLANNING DIRECTORS NAMED: Gov. Jeb Bush on Thursday appointed five people to the board of directors of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, which oversees development in this region. The new directors are former St. Petersburg City Council member Bob Kersteen, 64; Todd Pressman, 43, of Clearwater, president of Pressman & Associates; Pat L. Whitesel, 66, outgoing mayor of Palmetto and vice president of Concept One Advertising; Philip L. Waller, 44, of Tampa, a water resource engineer and vice president of Montgomery Watson Harza; and Wilhelmina B. Curtis, 51, a Riverview construction executive. -- MIKE BRASSFIELD
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From the Times Ernest Hooper Sandra Thompson |
