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Letter to the editor

Talk of the bay: Auto dealers' ads can take you for a ride

By Times Staff
Published January 11, 2008

This just in: Some auto-dealership ads may be misleading. The less-than-surprising warning issued Thursday by the Florida Attorney General's Office says car buyers should steer clear of dealer offers to pay off their existing car loan or lease. The loan or lease obligation does not disappear in such cases; instead, the buyer ends up owing the dealer, and because of penalties the loan balance often increases. A dealer may try to hide the extra debt burden by lengthening the repayment period. In an unrelated settlement reached in November, Bill Heard Chevrolet of Plant City and Orlando agreed to pay the state $400,000 and not run misleading radio or print ads.

Ruling nets Spain shipwreck details

The Spanish government will receive detailed information about a shipwreck site where Tampa's Odyssey Marine Exploration found $500-million worth of coins and artifacts last year, a federal judge ruled Thursday. Odyssey will reveal the exact location of the shipwreck and items found onboard, said U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Pizzo. And the company will disclose the locations of two other shipwrecks, the judge said. The catch? The information, which includes videos and photos taken from the sites, will not be made public. Odyssey is required to turn the information over within two weeks, and Spanish representatives will be allowed to view the treasure. Spain has sought the information in federal court because it contends it is entitled to the treasure if it comes from one of its sunken ships or if the artifacts were removed from Spain's territorial waters. The agreement is "best for everybody," Odyssey co-founder Greg Stemm told the Associated Press after the Tampa hearing. "Now we can talk about the facts." In all, Odyssey found three shipwreck sites that piqued the interest of the Spanish. The company dubbed the most lucrative "Black Swan" and have declined to discuss details of the coins or any other artifacts.

Wave of activity places Forum No. 5

Not to brag, but the St. Pete Times Forum posted gross ticket sales of $28.9-million last year, fifth best of any venue in the United States and ninth best worldwide. In addition to hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team's home games, the arena presented spectacles ranging from the ACC men's basketball tournament and professional bull riding to entertainers Hannah Montana and Bruce Springsteen. The No. 1 venue in the United States: Madison Square Garden.

[Last modified January 10, 2008, 23:02:28]