Around the state

Attorney general names four to department posts

Attorney General Charlie Crist has named Clay Roberts, former director of the state Division of Elections, to run the daily activities of the office.

Roberts, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and Florida State University College of Law, was general counsel for two secretaries of state, Katherine Harris and Jim Smith. He also was an analyst and staff director in the Legislature.

Crist also named Paul C. Huck Jr. to run his Fort Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach offices, Lori S. Rowe as director of multistate litigation and intergovernmental affairs, and Richard A. Ramos as policy director.

Bridegroom's drug death leads to prison for woman

SHALIMAR -- A woman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the honeymoon death of her husband, who died after she shared illegal drugs with him.

Tracy Ann Biggart's previous fiance died the same way a day before they were to be wed.

Biggart, 31, of Niceville, received the sentence Tuesday as part of a plea agreement; she could have gotten 15 years in prison. Circuit Judge G. Robert Barron also recommended she be treated for drug addiction.

Biggart pleaded no contest in December to third-degree murder and delivery and possession of a controlled substance.

"I love my husband very much and I wouldn't have done anything to hurt him," she said at sentencing. "I've made some bad choices in my life."

David Joseph Biggart Jr. died last February at a Niceville hotel where the newlyweds were staying. Both had taken methadone and passed out.

Assistant State Attorney Bobby Elmore said Tracy Biggart's previous fiance died after taking heroin with her in West Palm Beach. That death was classified as an accident and no criminal charges were filed.

Cold kills 12 sea turtles; 29 rescued off Panhandle

PANAMA CITY BEACH -- A dozen stranded sea turtles died after being stunned by the recent cold snap in the Florida Panhandle, but 29 others were saved, rescuers said Tuesday.

The turtles washed up Saturday in St. Joe Bay near Port St. Joe, about 35 miles southeast of Panama City Beach, after air temperatures dipped below freezing.

The survivors -- a loggerhead, one rare Kemp's ridley and the rest green turtles -- were taken to Gulf World, a marine park.

Except for one green turtle with eye injuries, probably inflicted by predators, all are doing well, said Cheryl Joyner, director of animal operations at Gulf World. They will be released once Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials determine water temperatures are safe in the bay and Gulf of Mexico.

Joyner said turtles get disoriented and lethargic in cold water, making it hard for them to swim to the surface to breathe.

Florida boating accidents down, deaths up in 2002

TALLAHASSEE -- The number of boating accidents went down last year but more people were killed on the water, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Tuesday.

Sixty-one people died on boats or personal watercraft in Florida waters last year, said commission Lt. Kent Harvey. That was seven more than in 2001.

The number of accidents dropped from 1,093 to 1,002.

The primary reason for boating deaths is "the people who are not educated, or not familiar with the waterways, or not familiar with the boat, or personal watercraft they are operating" Harvey said. It's also a function of more boaters being on the water, he said.

Authorities say last year's increased rainfall also contributed to the problem, filling lakes and rivers making them more accessible to boaters.

Sebesta, Dockery named majority whips in Senate

Senate President Jim King appointed Republican Sens. Jim Sebesta of St. Petersburg and Paula Dockery of Lakeland as majority whips.

Sebesta and Dockery will work with King and Senate Majority Leader Dennis Jones, R-Treasure Island, to deliver votes on Senate Republican priorities.

Sebesta, whose district includes parts of Pinellas and Hillsborough, was elected to the Senate in 1998. Dockery, whose district includes parts of Hernando, Lake, Osceola, Polk, and Sumter counties, was elected to the Senate in 2002.

Latest manatee count second-highest in decade

ST. PETERSBURG -- A second survey of manatees this month produced the second-highest count in Florida waters since officials began counting them in 1991.

Researchers counted 3,113 manatees in a statewide survey done with spotters in the air and at the water level Jan. 21-22, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.

In an earlier survey Jan. 9, researchers counted 2,861 manatees.

The count last week was just below the record in 2001, when spotters recorded 3,276 manatees.

Last week's count of manatees on the east coast was an all-time high of 1,814. On the Gulf Coast, observers counted 1,299.

Fish and Wildlife officials said optimal conditions of cold water and sunny, windless counting days helped boost the count.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright