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Rain no match for Jazz Holiday

By Times Staff Writers
Published October 24, 2007

CLEARWATER - This year's 28th Clearwater Jazz Holiday at Coachman Park drew enthusiastic crowds despite a little rain, organizers say.

"It was just incredible," said Glenn Bergoffen, co-chairman of the music committee for the free event, which culminated with a performance Sunday by Natalie Cole. "The entire four days were as good as we've had. The quality of performance was wonderful. The attitude of the performers were incredible especially under some less-than-perfect conditions."

Gary Hallas, a Jazz Holiday consultant, said the most recent economic impact study showed the event pumps about $2.3-million into the local economy. He said it takes just under $1-million to produce the event. This year, each night drew near-capacity crowds of about 16,000 people, he said.

There were few reports of unruly behavior. Clearwater police arrested two people Sunday for disorderly conduct and a couple of attendees were ejected for disorderly conduct.

Ultimately, the Clearwater Jazz Holiday is about uniting people, Clearwater City Council member George Cretekos said.

"You can't put a dollar amount on something that brings the community together like this," he said. "Music ... It's an important foundation to the whole man."

Demorris A. Lee, Times staff writer

Groups work as one to help the homeless

TARPON SPRINGS - Nineteen civic, community and church leaders and advocates came together Friday for an all-day summit on homelessness in Tarpon Springs, where the homeless population is an estimated 218 people.

It was the fourth such meeting and the first where "we were all finally unified as a group and we can proceed from here as a unified body," said homeless advocate Tom Henderson.

Over the course of more than five hours, the group worked to create a more systemic approach to homelessness, including coordination between various organizations, networking with local hotels and building a day center. They also discussed providing the homeless with transportation, financial and legal aid, rent assistance, employment help, permanent supportive housing, emergency shelter, transitional housing and more. They also want to focus on prevention.

Eileen Schulte, Times staff writer

Townhomes will rise to draw needed workers

DUNEDIN - The City Commission has approved an agreement to bring much-needed work force housing to town.

The plan calls for 25 townhomes on what is called the Lorraine Leland Tract. The land is near the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center and the city's wastewater treatment facility.

The homes will be priced from $130,000 to $160,000 and will be aimed at those in the work force, such as city workers and employees at the nearby hospital. Prospective homeowners must meet certain income requirements to be eligible to buy the homes.

Ground is scheduled to be broken on the project next year. Three entities are joining together to make it work: the city, the Dunedin Housing Authority and the Housing Finance Agency of Pinellas County.

Last year, the city sold a home it had bought and rehabilitated after it went into foreclosure, said Robert Ironsmith, the city's director of economic development and housing. The $151,000 from that sale will go toward the project.

The Dunedin Housing Authority is donating the 2.5 acres known as the Lorraine Leland Tract to the county's land trust. The land used to be the site of former public housing developments.

Tamara El-Khoury, Times staff writer

Second man is arrested in body-dumping case

CLEARWATER - Police have made a second arrest in the case of a dead man dumped on the side of the Courtney Campbell Parkway two years ago.

Samuel H. Robbins, 38, faces one count of second-degree murder in the killing of Larry P. Sanders, 26, whose body was discovered by a couple out for a stroll on March 15, 2005. He was abandoned on the Tampa side of the parkway, but an investigation found the killing took place in Clearwater on the morning or night before he was discovered.

Police say Sanders' death was a drug-related killing.

In March, Clearwater police charged Dominic A. Coretto, 37, with second-degree murder.

Sanders died of blunt trauma to the head, detectives said, but it was unclear what was used to kill him.

The arrest of Robbins, 21/2 years later, resulted after a witness came forward with information about the killing, police said. Investigators do not expect to make more arrests.

Jonathan Abel, Times staff writer

[Last modified October 23, 2007, 22:28:14]