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Your doors are open, and I'm in your house

By Times Staff
Published December 1, 2006

TAMPA -- For five years, while defending high-profile clients like Debra Lafave, attorney John Fitzgibbons has endured harassment from a woman with a history of petty crimes and mental illness.

She sent cards and gifts and a cell phone for him to call her. She showed up at his Harbour Island home with a bottle of wine. She told people she was his girlfriend. In truth, she was no more than a temporary worker at his law office who didn't get rehired after her behavior got creepy.

This week, the situation turned downright scary.

Fitzgibbons, 56, was in Washington, D.C., Tuesday. He checked his home voice mail. Five messages from her, the last one chilling: "Your doors are open, and I'm in your house."

When Tampa police arrived, Kimberly Dawn Moore was in Fitzgibbons' bed. They arrested her on misdemeanor charges of trespassing and stalking. Because Moore, 33, of Lutz had a pending petty theft charge stemming from a grocery store shoplifting in October, Circuit Judge Walter Heinrich ordered Thursday that she be held without bail.

Fitzgibbons had left his house unlocked for his cleaning service. "I don't wish her evil," he said. "I just want her to leave me alone."

When medicated for bipolar disorder, Moore is successful, said her mother, Judy Moore.

Retired lobbyist to fill City Council vacancy

A former 30-year top city administrator will fill a vacant seat on the St. Petersburg City Council.

Retired city lobbyist Herb Polson was selected by the City Council Thursday to serve the final year of Rick Kriseman's council term in District 1.

Polson, 58, will be sworn in Dec. 14.

"We've been together a long time," Polson told council members at a special meeting Thursday. "I believe I can be a seamless addition to this group."

Polson was selected on the council's first ballot, beating out former City Council member Bob Kersteen and community activist Thomas Killian.

TAMPA

Council members pick replacements

No campaign signs, no touch screen voting machines and no demands for recounts.

As elections go, all went smoothly Thursday, and the Tampa City Council had two new members.

City Council members selected attorney Chip Fletcher to fill the open citywide District 2 seat and Sickle Cell Association president Frank Reddick to represent District 5, which includes East Tampa.

The two will be sworn in Dec. 7 and will serve until after city elections in March.

The seats were left vacant when Rose Ferlita and Kevin White resigned to run for the Hillsborough County Commission.

The five City Council members chose their new colleagues from nearly 50 applicants.

SHADY HILLS

Trash hauler to drop 20,000 customers

Waste Management is stopping trash service for almost 20,000 customers beginning Jan. 1, a spokeswoman said Thursday. The company will limit its service to the densely populated area west of the Suncoast Parkway and south of State Road 52. Dropped customers can set up service with one of the other 11 approved haulers in Pasco.

[Last modified December 1, 2006, 06:37:06]