Tampa Bay briefs

By Times staff reports

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 25, 2001

Sebesta announces he will seek re-election

ST. PETERSBURG -- State Sen. Jim Sebesta, whose District 20 seat serves parts of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, announced Tuesday that he will seek re-election.

Sebesta, 65, chairs the Senate Transportation Committee and heads both the legislative delegations for Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. The Republican senator was instrumental in getting $50-million in state funding for improvements to U.S. 19 in Pinellas to speed the building of a new overpass.

He was first elected to the seat in 1998. Senate District 20 includes much of mid and southern Pinellas County, including parts of St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park, as well as much of the South Tampa peninsula and Davis Islands. Senators serve a four-year term and earn $27,900 annually.

Sebesta has lived in St. Petersburg for more than 10 years, but also lived in Hillsborough for many years when he was twice elected supervisor of elections.

Police: Man performed lewd act on girl

ST. PETERSBURG -- St. Petersburg police arrested a 39-year-old man on July 17 and charged him with committing a lewd and lascivious act on a child under 16.

Police accused Michael Dwayne Summerlin of rubbing the girl's breast on top of her shirt as she lay in bed. The girl's name and age are not being used because of the nature of the crime.

Summerlin, of 3021 47th Ave. S in St. Petersburg, is free on $50,000 bail pending trial.

Summerlin, who works full time for the city of St. Petersburg as an equipment operator and also works part time in the transportation department of the St. Petersburg Times, has pleaded not guilty to the charge. No trial date has been set.

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