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Cabinet takes session on the road
By CURTIS KRUEGER, Times Staff Writer
The Governor and Cabinet meet biweekly in Tallahassee, but occasionally they take their meetings on the road. On Tuesday they set up shop in the council chambers at City Hall, and convened a session that was much like a city commission meeting for the state of Florida. The state politicians posed for pictures with local elected officials, recognized visiting schoolchildren, honored local veterans, and then got around to the machinations of government. With three tropical storms active as they met, Bush and Cabinet officials listened to a presentation about hurricane shelters throughout Florida. "We have both good news and bad news," said Steve Seibert, the former Pinellas County commissioner who now directs the state Department of Community Affairs. About 500,000 hurricane shelter spaces have been added to the state's capacity in the past three years, but another million are needed, said W. Craig Fugate, director of the state Division of Emergency Management. So it's possible that a major hurricane could leave victims stranded, without even a high school gym floor to sleep on. But an annual $3-million appropriation is allowing the state to refurbish buildings to make them adequate as shelters. Seibert said 18 Pinellas County schools have been refurbished under the program, adding 10,000 approved shelter spaces in the county. On a separate issue, Seibert also presented Pinellas County Commission Chairman Barbara Sheen Todd with an oversized $3-million check, state financing that contributes to the county's purchase of land near Wall Springs County Park in Palm Harbor. On more ceremonial matters, two Pinellas County men drew loud applause when Education Commissioner Charlie Crist presented them with high school diplomas. The two 70-year-old men, Lewis Gouch of St. Petersburg and Donald L. Denny of Clearwater, both quit high school to serve in the U.S. military during the Korean War era. A new state law allows such veterans to receive diplomas. After the morning meeting, Bush and other officials went to the Coliseum, where 31 state agencies operated booths with information about government programs. Crist introduced Slobodan Juric, a Gibbs High School junior who is organizing a mentoring program for third-grade students. His teacher Charles Burney also attended. Bush gave a Points of Light award to Corinne Bulla, a longtime volunteer for the St. Petersburg Police Department. Bush worked his way through the crowd, accepting hugs and answering sometimes pointed questions. Community activist Tee Lassiter approached Bush and complained that the day's activities seemed more like a campaign event than official government business. Bush disagreed, and eventually said, "don't be yelling at me." Earlier, protesters outside City Hall urged Bush to lower class sizes and take a position on global warming. -- Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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From the Times state desk
From the state wire
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