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Political junkie

Farkas fighters find home on Web

By Times staff writers
Published August 17, 2005

The anti -Frank Farkas Web site, www.fedupwithfarkas.com started around March and then disappeared for a bit. Now it's back, trashing state Rep. Farkas, R-St. Petersburg, as a pawn of Tallahassee special interests. Farkas is running against Republican state Rep. Kim Berfield, R-Clearwater , in a primary for state Senate District 16.

Though the Web site launched months ago, the group behind it, Take Back Tampa Bay, has reported no spending and no political contributions through June 30. The site's creator, Democratic consultant Peter Schorsch, says its campaign finance activity, including a $5,000 contribution from St. Petersburg trial lawyer Larry Beltz, will be reflected in the next report, due in October.

"We haven't had the opportunity to file, and we will do so at the appropriate juncture," Schorsch said.

Schorsch once worked on a Farkas campaign, and despite the fed up with Farkas effort, suggested on his own Web log, http://saintpetersblog1.blogspot.com that he has a soft spot for Farkas: "This blog is not overly excited by the prospect of Frank Farkas in the Florida Senate, but he is a former client and I dated his niece, so I was pulling for him in the Republican primary."

LAWYERS, SO SOON?: The race for the St. Petersburg District 4 City Council seat has only just begun, and already they're dragging in the lawyers.

Candidate Leslie Curran fired off a letter to the city's legal department this week, questioning whether her rival, incumbent Virginia Littrell, was violating public records laws. Curran asked for copies of all e-mail correspondence between Littrell and her constituents.

In the letter, she said it took Littrell's assistant about a week to assemble the documents.

"It is difficult for me to believe that any council member would be permitted to respond to a challenger in this fashion," wrote Curran.

But City Attorney John Wolfe said Littrell acted correctly by saving all of her correspondance and delivering it in a timely fashion, even if it wasn't immediately available. "All that she's required to do is treat them as public records, which she does," Wolfe said.

ROD'S ROAD TRIP: People find all kinds of ways to pump up for a campaign, but one Republican candidate for state House District 54 has picked a doozie. Rod Jones, running to succeed state Rep. Everett Rice, R-Treasure Island, is cycling with his family from Seattle to San Diego.

Jones has logged thousands of cycling miles across the world, and he created a Web site - www.ramblinrod.com - to document this journey. There are pictures and stories on the site, as well as reactions from friends and family.

"When he comes back, he'll be thin, trim and a full-time campaigner," said Jones' father, state Sen. Dennis Jones.

Also running for that seat, representing many of Pinellas' beach towns, is Republican former state Rep. Jim Frishe.

A MATCH MADE IN POLITICAL HEAVEN: In St. Petersburg, Ed Helm is known as a shrewd liberal activist unafraid to buck the local party establishment on occasion. In Tallahassee, Jon Ausman is known as a shrewd inside player with a penchant for infuriating the state party establishment.

Now Ausman is helping Ed Helm in his uphill campaign to unseat St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker. It's officially a non-partisan race, and local Democratic leaders had planned to take a pass on challenging Baker.

"It's going to be a much more competitive race than a lot of people think," predicted Ausman, a Democratic National Committee member who's working on the Helm campaign during his time off as a state Department of Transportation grants manager.

His hiring was noted on the blog of Democratic consultant Peter Schorsch, who also is working on the Helm campaign.

For regular updates on political doings across Florida, check out the Times' new online blog at www.sptimes.com/blogs/buzz

Aaron Sharockman compiled this week's Political Junkie from Clearwater with contributions from Adam C. Smith and Carrie Johnson in St. Petersburg. Contact the staff at junkie@sptimes.com

[Last modified August 17, 2005, 01:09:16]