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Talk of the bay: Conservatives rush to slam cigar tax plan

By Times staff writers
Published July 19, 2007

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. And sometimes a cigar creates a national furor. A St. Petersburg Times story Tuesday about the Democrat-controlled Congress' plan to raise taxes on individual cigars to upwards of $10 from a flat 5 cents ignited interest from the conservative media. After the Drudge Report and other Web sites ran the Times story, Rush Limbaugh launched the topic on his top-rated radio talk show. Limbaugh, often photographed clutching a trademark cigar, predictably used the bit to knock liberal Democrats. Congress wants to use the tobacco tax, which includes a 61-cent-per-pack cigarette tax hike, to expand health insurance for families not poor enough to receive Medicaid. Tampa's cigarmakers - the industry still employs about 1,000 locally - fear the tax could destroy business as people cut back or buy overseas or on the black market.

Citrus greening lands in Hardee

The fast-moving disease that's killing Florida's citrus has been found in a commercial grove in Hardee County, one of the state's largest citrus producers. Citrus greening, spread by gnat-like insects, turns a tree's leaves yellow and its juice rancid, then kills the tree in as few as five years. The disease was first found in a South Florida grove in August 2005. It's in 24 counties, including Sarasota. Growers try to manage the disease by destroying infected trees and using pesticides to kill the insects.

You can place bets on Pearlman's trial

The sports-betting site bodog.com is taking bets on whether there will be a verdict before the end of the year in Orlando music producer Lou Pearlman's fraud trial. The oddsmakers don't think so even though a judge has set a Sept. 4 trial date. Maximum bet is $50. Pearlman is in the Orange County Jail, where he has been doing sit-ups and losing weight, according to Radar magazine. He called his situation "just one of those hurdles in life that you have to get past."

Spain releases Odyssey's boat

A boat belonging to Tampa treasure hunter Odyssey Marine, which is embroiled in a court battle with Spain over a $500-million sunken treasure, was cleared to leave a Spanish port. Police seized the Ocean Alert last week, about 3 miles off the coast, and released it after an inspection.

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[Last modified July 18, 2007, 23:10:08]