Week in Review

MAJOR'S TROUBLES BLAMED ON ROMANCE: A Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office major, under investigation on several fronts, may be in trouble partly because of his love life, his attorney said Thursday.

Maj. Rocky Rodriguez has been in a six-month romance with Beth Basham. Her husband, Bob Basham, is a founder of the Outback Steak House chain and a minority owner of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

"It became apparent early on that there was a movement afoot throughout the upper levels of Tampa's society to inform Rocky that this relationship was inappropriate," said Rodriguez's attorney, Norman Cannella.

Mrs. Basham and Rodriguez plan to marry once their divorces are complete, Cannella said.

Rodriguez, once regarded by some as a possible successor to Sheriff Cal Henderson, now is being investigated by his boss for $6,000 worth of personal calls made on a department cell phone. Rodriguez also has been, and still may be, under a federal loan-sharking investigation.

CADDIE SAYS TREVINO OWES HIM: A former caddie for celebrated golfer Lee Trevino claims in a lawsuit that Trevino didn't pay him in full after winning a tournament in July 2001.

Ralph Hackett of Lutz said he frequently caddied for Trevino under a contract that Trevino would pay Hackett $1,000 per tournament, plus 10 percent of the prize money if Trevino won. Then Trevino won a tournament in Gaylord, Mich., taking at least $620,000, but paid Hackett only $30,000, the suit says. Hackett is seeking another $32,000 plus attorney's fees and costs.

DOCTORS, STAFFS RALLY FOR MALPRACTICE RELIEF: Hundreds of doctors, nurses and medical staffers rallied in Tampa on Wednesday against what they called out-of-control liability insurance premiums and medical malpractice awards.

Florida law does not limit the amount of damages that juries can award in medical malpractice suits. Many in the medical community want that changed during the next legislative session.

Hence Wednesday's protest, which took place in an open lot at 4918 N Habana Ave.

"We are having trouble hiring new physicians because they would rather go out of state, where this is not such a big issue," said Dr. Renda Knapp, an obstetrician-gynecologist who has been practicing medicine for three years. "It is going to start affecting our patients soon and they aren't going to have access to health care."

BEARSS ACCIDENT KILLS PEDESTRIAN: A Lutz pedestrian died last week after being hit by a car on Bearss Avenue.

Alejandro Martinez-Avila, 25, of 14405 Hensel Lane, died last Sunday after the Friday night accident. He was crossing Bearss toward his apartment from a shopping center near Livingston Avenue about 11:30 p.m. when the accident happened.

He was struck on his right side by an eastbound Cadillac, which was driven by Michael Williams, 31, of 1429 Hounds Hollow Court in Lutz. A report by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said Williams did nothing improper, but Martinez-Avila appeared to have been under the influence of alcohol.

AMPHITHEATER APPROVED FOR FAIRGROUNDS: The Florida State Fair Authority approved plans for an amphitheater on fairground property despite the objections of Mayor Dick Greco and county commissioners that it would take business from the taxpayer-backed St. Pete Times Forum.

Clear Channel Entertainment, which owns radio stations and billboards and promotes concerts in the Tampa Bay area, has pledged to build the 20,000-seat, $18-million amphitheater. Clear Channel would make lease payments that eventually would climb to $500,000 a year.

Last week, Greco -- who usually beats the drum of development -- asked for a delay for more analysis, saying the amphitheater would reduce sales at the St. Pete Times Forum by as much as 350,000 tickets annually, costing the county $175,000 and the city $87,500.

Most Fair Authority board members were outraged the city and county would try to tell them what to do. Member Charles Bronson, Florida's agriculture commissioner, said that while he endorses Tampa's downtown, "We have to support ourselves."

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