2006 Know Your Candidates

Top topics: schools, insurance

State House of Representatives: District 48

By TAMARA El-KHOURY
Published October 25, 2006

Emerging from a close Republican primary where votes were splintered between him and three opponents, Tarpon Springs City Commissioner Peter Nehr faces a Democratic candidate who said he can bridge the partisan divide.

A former Republican and self-described moderate, Countryside High School journalism teacher Carl Zimmermann is running in a solidly Republican district, but he says he has multiparty support and solid solutions to the state's problems.

Zimmermann, who lives in Palm Harbor, has never held office; Nehr has the advantage of being a second-term city commissioner.

Both candidates are passionate about education. Nehr said he supports a salary increase for teachers and a restoration of discipline to the classroom. He admits the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is not perfect, but Nehr said he is not in favor of replacing the test unless something better is proposed.

Zimmermann said the FCAT is destroying educators and at the very most, should be used as one of many assessment tools.

Zimmermann said he would like to see education evolve to an academy style of teaching, where learning comes through application instead of through lecture.

Addressing the insurance crisis, Nehr said to citizens should be provided with low- or no-interest loans to retrofit their homes to protect them from storms.

He said he also would like to see more levels of deductibles for home policies to give homeowners more premiums to choose from. He said he would support joining with other states in a national catastrophe fund to widen the risk pool.

Zimmermann proposes rescinding a requirement that sinkhole coverage be included in homeowners' insurance. Then, coverage for sinkhole and wind damage could be sold statewide in a combined policy separate from homeowners' insurance.

He said this proposal would broaden and reduce the risk, foster competition by attracting insurance companies back to Florida and reduce rates.

THE CANDIDATES

Republican

Peter F. Nehr, 54, owns the American Spirit Flag Shop in Tarpon Springs, which opened in 1993. He is in his second term as a Tarpon Springs city commissioner. Nehr, an immigrant from Austria, is a member of the Tarpon Springs Rotary Club and served as president of the Kiwanis Club in New Port Richey. After two of his sons said they didn't want to go to college because he hadn't, Nehr went back to school, even taking some classes with one son. In 2000, he graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Florida with a bachelor's degree in political science. Nehr is married and has three sons. Assets: Home, business, stocks. Liabilities: Mortgage, car loans. Sources of income: Business, city commissioner's salary. Web site: www.votepeternehr.com.

Democrat

Carl Zimmermann, 55, has been a teacher at Countryside High School since 1985. He has several teacher of the year awards including 2003 state journalism teacher of the awarded by the Florida Scholastic Press Association. Before that, Zimmermann worked in advertising. Zimmermann has never held public office but ran for the same seat he's running for now as a Republican in 1992. He lost in the primary and switched parties three years ago. Zimmermann owns a used-car business on U.S. 19 called Z's Cars and does freelance video production. He is married and has a son and a daughter. Assets: Home, businesses. Liabilities: Mortgage, credit cards. Sources of income: Teacher's salary, car and video business. Web site: www.zimmermann2006.com.

 THE JOB

State representative, District 48

District 48 covers parts of Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor, East Lake, Oldsmar, Safety Harbor and Clearwater in northern Pinellas County and part of Holiday in Pasco County (see map, Page 9). State representatives serve two-year terms and are paid $30,996 per year.

[Last modified November 3, 2006, 15:04:51]