Worker dies after being crushed by steel beams

By Times staff writers

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 12, 2000

TAMPA -- A 32-year-old Cape Coral man was killed Tuesday afternoon in a construction accident in Ybor City.

Robert Padilla was a supervisor for one of the construction companies working on the luxury apartment complex, The Park at Ybor City. Tampa police Detective Bob Holland said Padilla was standing on the back of a flatbed semi-trailer truck shortly after 3 p.m., helping a large crane unload a stack of 25-foot-long steel beams.

For reasons still being investigated, the crane dropped the load, sending the beams crashing to the ground and onto Padilla. Co-workers took the beams off Padilla before paramedics arrived and took him to Tampa General Hospital, where he died shortly after.

Workers for Houston-based Camden Subsidiaries Inc., which is building the 454-unit complex, would not comment Tuesday. Holland said the death will be investigated by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration.

Ex-assistant to run against the man who fired him

TAMPA -- One of former Property Appraiser Ron Alderman's chief assistants has filed to run against the man who ousted Alderman from office in 1996.

Patrick Hannon, 55, chief of the tangible personal property department under Alderman, filed papers to run against Property Appraiser Rob Turner, a Republican, who is running for re-election.

Turner fired Hannon when he came into office in 1996 as part of an office shake-up of Alderman's inner circle. Hannon, a Democrat, had worked for Alderman's office since 1991, being paid $45,614 annually as chief of the tangible personal property department. Hannon now works as a tax analyst for Tampa Electric Co.

Hannon will face Turner in the general election Nov. 7.

Man in camouflage robs Tampa store employee

TAMPA -- A man dressed in head-to-toe camouflage made off with the contents of the store safe at Service Merchandise on 1215 E Fowler Ave. Tuesday, police said.

At about 9:35 p.m., Service Merchandise employee John Aerzek, 27, left the store after locking it for the night. As he came out the door, a man toting a handgun jumped him.

The man forced Aerzek back into the store and had him open the safe at gunpoint. The gunman locked Aerzek in a storage room, cleaned out the safe and fled. Aerzek called police. Police are still looking for the suspect.

New Port Richey voters choose a new mayor

NEW PORT RICHEY -- Voters elected Wendy Brenner the new mayor of New Port Richey on Tuesday and chose Scott Chittum to fill a vacant city council seat.

With all of the city's 11 precincts reporting final unofficial results, Brenner was the winner with 567 votes in the mayor's race. She bested Ted Thomas (408) and Bette Farmerie (252).

In a largely sedate campaign, the only surprise came when mayoral candidate Thomas was asked by the Times about a 1991 solicitation arrest. He initially denied the incident for which he served probation but was never convicted.

Times reporter a finalist in two Pulitzer categories

Anne Hull, a national reporter for the St. Petersburg Times, was among the finalists in two categories of this year's Pulitzer Prize competition.

Hull's series, Una Vida Mejor, which chronicled the struggles of Mexican women working in East Coast crab houses, was one of three finalists in national reporting. The series was included in a collection of work which resulted in Hull being named one of three finalists in the feature category, as well.

Hull was the only individual journalist named as a finalist in two categories in this year's competition. The prizes in those categories were awarded Monday to journalists from the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times.

Hull, 38, has been a reporter at the St. Petersburg Times for the past 15 years. She was a 1995 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.

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