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Secretary of state talk swirls around Sebesta

The senator, in his final term, fielded "a ton of phone calls" upon news of Glenda Hood's resignation.

By LUCY MORGAN
Published November 3, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - Could St. Petersburg Sen. Jim Sebesta be in line to become Florida's next secretary of state?

"No comment," Sebesta said when contacted Wednesday.

Has he talked to anyone in the governor's office?

"I'm not going to go there," Sebesta replied. "Let's just say I've had a ton of phone calls that started last night."

The calls began as news spread that Secretary of State Glenda Hood is resigning later this month to return to Orlando. She was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush three years ago, which made her the first appointed person in a job that had previously been filled by elections before voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1998. Sebesta, 70, served as elections supervisor in Hillsborough County and has chaired legislative committees that deal with election laws. He was elected to the Senate in 1998 and cannot seek reelection in 2006 because of term limits.

Gaining an appointment to a top state job that pays $122,000 would also give Sebesta an opportunity to enhance his state retirement income, which is now based on his years as a $29,000-a-year lawmaker, with additional years of high-income state service.

If Sebesta were to leave the Senate early, it would trigger a special election to replace him and set off a scramble among lawmakers who have already announced plans to seek his seat in 2006.

State Reps. Charlie Justice, D-St. Petersburg, Frank Farkas, R-St. Petersburg, and Kim Berfield, R-Clearwater, already are running for the Senate seat and would be forced to dramatically speed up their campaigns if they remained in the race for a special election, which would be held in the next few months.

Sebesta said he would need only a week to "get up to speed" in the job Hood is leaving on Nov. 21 because he has "been there and done that."

"There are some things I'd like to do right away, but the most important thing is there is a major election in Florida less than a year away and when you throw in the primary you are looking at eight months to prepare, and that is not very long," Sebesta said.

He said he has faith that the governor will select the best man or woman for the job.

Sebesta said he does not plan to support any of the candidates interested in seeking his Senate seat but acknowledged an early departure would set off a quick special election. He said he'd rather see a special election in January than December because few people would pay attention during the holidays.

A real estate broker and developer, Sebesta has served on a number of election related boards and commissions including a 2001 task force appointed by the governor to examine problems with the 2000 election. He also served on the state Ethics Commission and has been active in Republican politics for decades.

Sebesta surfaced in the political world in 1970 when then-Gov. Claude Kirk appointed him to replace Jim Fair, a quixotic gadfly who won the election supervisor's post after years of seeking office. Suspended from office after a grand jury investigation into his conduct, Fair spent the rest of his life challenging state officials on dozens of issues.

At the time, Sebesta was the only Republican officeholder in Hillsborough County. In 1974 he ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state but was defeated by Bruce Smathers. Currently the chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, Sebesta was a member of the governor's Public Corruption Task Force when it recommended a series of changes in state ethics laws in 2000.

[Last modified November 3, 2005, 01:20:10]