A Times Editorial

The plot is thickening in state House race

The official campaign season is just days old and already the intrigue is rising in an unexpected race for the Florida House seat held by Republican Rep. Heather Fiorentino.

You'd think Fiorentino's 23-vote margin in 1998 would have guaranteed keen Democratic Party interest in 2000. Nope. Fiorentino crushed Carlene Hobbs, a well-meaning but underfunded environmental activist from Tarpon Springs.

Then Fiorentino announced that, if re-elected, this would be her final two-year term as a legislator. She plans to leave Tallahassee two years before term limits force her out.

So, wouldn't eager Democrats sit still until 2004 and then press hard for the open seat? No, again.

Mike Webb, commercial real estate broker and previously unknown in political circles, filed Friday morning to challenge Fiorentino. So much for conventional wisdom.

Of course, there's one other caveat in this time line. When Fiorentino said she planned to depart Tallahassee, she also said she might challenge Peter Altman for his Pasco County Commission seat in 2004.

Oh. That explains a lot.

Did Altman put Webb up to running against Fiorentino? Perhaps as a little precursor to 2004?

"I believe so," Fiorentino said.

No, said Altman, though he volunteered that Webb shared his ambitions and the commissioner did nothing to discourage him.

Failing to discourage is not synonymous with candidate recruitment, Altman said.

But, who's kidding whom? Certainly, the two know each other. Altman and Webb are former teammates in a men's basketball league. (But, from my own experience, I can attest that this doesn't lead to a particularly strong bond unless both pass the ball.) Meanwhile, the commissioner described Webb as a "lunch buddy" of his brother's.

Webb's campaign treasurer? Thomas Altman, the commissioner's sibling.

His employer? Coldwell Banker F.I. Grey & Son Inc.

The principals in the Grey family aren't particularly fond of Fiorentino, either. This goes back to Fiorentino's days on New Port Richey City Council and her objections to the sale of 80 acres to the city. The Greys represented the sellers. The land now is named after the family patriarch. It's the James E. Grey Preserve. Altman, in case anyone has forgotten, was the leading advocate of that land acquisition.

So, for now, we expect Webb, who was unavailable for an interview Monday, to run a campaign that just might highlight what he (and Altman?) identify as Fiorentino's legislative failings.

Besides, it's a new district and Republicans in Tallahassee did Fiorentino no favors in drawing the District 46 boundaries. It remains a swing district with a slight enrollment advantage to the Democrats.

Gone from the district is Holiday and the likely voter support for Fiorentino because of her environmental stewardship in monitoring the Stauffer cleanup, the proposed desalination plant at Anclote and the defunct Buccaneer natural gas pipeline plan.

Instead, the district stretches north to include Hudson and Shady Hills, two areas that previously rested in District 45, represented by by Rep. Mike Fasano.

Regardless, Webb said he intends to focus on environmental issues in his campaign.

"That kind of surprises me," said Fiorentino, who noted her work in securing Pasco's first state park as one of her accomplishments.

Still, we agree with Altman that "It's nice to see a Democrat in there." A substantive debate on the issues confronting Florida and the district certainly is welcome.

One other point: Webb's late entry did not catch Fiorentino entirely flat-footed. The announced candidacy of Libertarian Jon Kueny put the incumbent on notice that she indeed would have to run a re-election campaign.

Now, she has to be more serious about it.

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