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Talk of the bay: Pet curveball prompts Kazmir to hurl lawsuit

By Times Staff
Published December 5, 2007

Never try to separate a ballplayer from his bulldog. Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Scott Kazmir is suing the owner of The Plaza Harbour Island to recover a condominium deposit of $147,116. The 23-year-old baseball player reserved a 12th-story unit in 2004 but learned in September the project won't accept dogs heavier than 75 pounds. As bad luck would have it, Kazmir's pet American bulldog weighs in at 100 pounds. Kazmir tried, and failed, to back out of the deal in October.

Business group invests in James

Now in its 46th year, the Tampa-based Florida Council of 100 group of elite business leaders named Raymond James Financial chief Tom James as its chairman. He succeeds St. Joe Co. CEO Peter Rummell as council head. The organization was created to help advise Florida's governor on probusiness issues to enhance the state's economy. Among its recent hot buttons: growth management, education and hurricane recovery.

Insurer oversight chief is named

It's one of the most critical but lowest profile jobs in state government: monitoring Florida's property insurance companies to make sure they have enough money to pay claims and are in compliance with state law. That responsibility now falls to Robin Westcott, who was appointed last week to replace Claude Mueller as director of property and casualty financial oversight with the Office of Insurance Regulation. Westcott had been Mueller's assistant since October 2006.

Suggestions tone up health coverage

An advisory board on Florida's private health insurance has made suggestions about making the system more transparent and efficient and enhancing the risk pool. Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said the recommendations will be considered by the governor and legislators. The advisory board based its report on four public meetings held around the state this year.

Deal signed over cancer test use

Largo's GeoPharma Inc. signed an agreement with USF to acquire patent rights for a test that may detect ovarian cancer using a patient's urine sample. Preliminary clinical studies have been conducted by USF's Patricia Kruk. GeoPharma, which lost $1.8-million on revenues of $6-million for the quarter ending Sept. 30, will fund trials needed for FDA approval.

[Last modified December 4, 2007, 22:36:59]