Eric Jones was found floating in the pool by his mother, 16-year-old America Jones, about 1 p.m., said Hillsborough County sheriff's Lt. Rod Reder. The family lives at 10006 Williams Road.

It was unclear how the boy got out of the house and into the pool. Reder said detectives were investigating whether the boy climbed out a dog door. "We still don't know how he got out there, and we may never know," said Reder.

Jones called paramedics after discovering the boy in the water. He was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital, where he died at 2:58 p.m. Deputies do not suspect foul play, said Reder, and the investigation is continuing.

Tampa, MacDill forge pact to share resources

TAMPA -- Mayor Dick Greco and Brig. Gen. William H. Hodges of MacDill Air Force Base signed an agreement Wednesday affirming that the city and the base would share resources with each other should disaster strike -- from hurricanes and exploding gas tanks to terrorist attacks.

The base is better-equipped than the city to deal with chemical and biological attacks, for example, while the city has greater fire-fighting capabilities.

The agreement, which was mostly drafted before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, covers everything from the recovery of bodies to cordoning off contaminated areas.

Repairs continue on building hit by airplane

TAMPA -- Work crews plan to chip away damaged marble from the exterior of the Bank of America Plaza building today, which should clear the way for the reopening of the northbound lanes of Ashley Street. The street is expected to reopen by the weekend, said Harry Costello, spokesman for the company that manages the building.

The high-rise was damaged this month when a teenage student pilot flew a small Cessna plane into its 28th floor. It will be eight to 12 weeks before the skyscraper is restored, because the glass and window frames must be ordered.

Minister transferred from work camp to county jail

The Rev. Henry Lyons, serving a 5 1/2-year sentence for racketeering and theft, was transferred to the Hillsborough County Jail on Wednesday, but no one seemed to know why.

Lyons, former head of the National Baptist Convention, was found guilty of swindling $4-million from companies doing business with the convention, one of the country's largest black church organizations.

Wednesday afternoon, state and federal prosecutors said they had no idea why Lyons, former pastor of the Bethel Metropolitan Baptist Church in St. Petersburg, was being transferred to the Orient Road facility.

Attorney Jeff Brown, who represented Lyons on federal charges, said he did not know why Lyons had been transferred. Lyons has been serving time at Polk Work Camp, a state Department of Corrections facility in Polk County.

Seminole Mall shops have a new landlord

SEMINOLE -- It was business as usual Wednesday at Seminole Mall, even with the news the shopping center had been sold.

Lunch customers lined up at the counter at Sardo's Pizzeria, and retirees sipped coffee and read the newspaper at tables in the food court.

Yet the mall's merchants are waiting anxiously to find out who now owns the mall. Earlier in the week, they received a letter stating the nearly 400,000-square-foot mall had been sold, but there was no mention of the new owner.

Larry Lang, executive vice president and asset manager for Lamar Cos., which owned the mall since 1998, did not return phone calls Wednesday.

The oldest mall in Pinellas County, Seminole Mall opened in 1970, the same year Seminole incorporated. The family of Seminole pioneer Jesse Johnson owned the mall before selling it for $17-million to Lamar Cos., which is based in Morristown, N.J., and specializes in distressed shopping centers.

Today Seminole Mall is remodeled and close to full, except for the large void left by Waccamaw's HomePlace when it closed last summer.

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