Sebesta must walk tightrope across bay

By ALICIA CALDWELL

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 10, 2001

Jim Sebesta's personal record for traversing Tampa Bay is five bridge drives in one day.

The Republican state senator from St. Petersburg could find himself setting a new PR this year.

As head of the Hillsborough and Pinellas legislative delegations -- the first time in modern history anyone has held both posts -- he will track legislation pertinent to the counties. And he'll be expected to attend a whole bunch of ribbon cuttings and presentations.

"He's going to eat a lot of chicken dinners," said Dennis Jones, a former Republican House member from Treasure Island who twice headed the Pinellas delegation.

Perhaps more difficult than managing his calendar will be figuring out who is first in line for local projects. It would be like deciding which of your children gets the last cookie.

"Where it gets a little sticky, for example, is on school funding," said Curt Kiser, a lobbyist and former state senator from Palm Harbor.

"In the school formulas, the things that help Hillsborough don't necessarily help Pinellas. Jim's in a little bit of a hot spot as to which formula he supports."

Another potentially divisive issue is road money.

There was no small amount of squawking on this side of Tampa Bay when the Hillsborough delegation went home last year with a whopping $422-million in road money to fix up Interstate 275. Pinellas got $100-million for U.S. 19.

Sebesta, who is chairman of the senate's transportation committee this year, has said on several occasions that 2001 is the year for U.S. 19.

Some folks are counting on that.

Brian Smith, executive director of the Pinellas Metropolitan Planning Organization, said it is his understanding that once Hillsborough had gotten a substantial chunk of the so-called Mobility 2000 money, that it would be Pinellas' turn for road money.

"Everybody supports each others' projects," Smith said. "Everybody has recognized that discretionary money ought to go to U.S. 19."

Shall we all hold hands now?

Smith laughs at this suggestion and says, no, really. It will work.

Nothing is a dead-lock-sure-bet, but Sebesta's role as transportation chairman, Smith said, gives Pinellas an excellent chance to piggyback on the $50-million for U.S. 19 that U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, a Largo Republican, got in last year's federal highway bill.

"It's a terrific opportunity," Smith said.

And Sebesta chooses to look at it in just that fashion. Rather than focus on how his dual roles might pose difficulties, he sees it as a chance to build a power base.

Put together legislators from both counties, and you approach the legislative might of Miami-Dade County.

The dangers of isolationism outweigh temporary gains made by striking out alone, Sebesta figures.

"If you're going to be parochial, you'd better be careful because it could come back and bite you," said Sebesta, who has the convivial smile and demeanor of a fraternity president.

Sebesta, whose district spans the bay, also stands a chance of seeing his territory expand in Hillsborough after redistricting.

So, serving his Hillsborough constituency also is a smart move for his political longevity.

Right now, as the legislative session is set to begin, the talk is all about hands across the bay. Unity. You know, one big happy family meandering across county lines without interruption.

"The water happens to be there, but it doesn't make any difference," Sebesta said. "That's how we should look at politically as well."

Don't you want to believe it? But decades of intercounty fighting and tightly held niches of political power are awfully hard to overcome. Even if you're an earnest, nice guy.

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