Week in Review

By Times staff

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 2, 2001

CHILES PRINCIPAL RESIGNS: Tom Dessy, principal of Lawton Chiles Elementary School, last week announced that he was resigning for health reasons.

Dessy, 59, came out of a five-year retirement in February to lead the new school in New Tampa. Perhaps one of his greatest challenges was pulling the community together around the new school. The school divided many in Tampa Palms after a group of parents tried to convince the school district to make Chiles a satellite campus of the high-performing Tampa Palms Elementary School.

Assistant principal Kim Pietsch will take over his duties until the district names a new principal.

Dessy, who lives in Tampa Palms, had been ill for several weeks. He sent a letter to parents Wednesday saying he was leaving. He has 32 years' experience as a teacher, dean and school administrator in Hillsborough County. Before retiring in 1995, he served as principal at Tampa Palms Elementary.

DEVELOPER OFFERS COMPROMISE: A developer whose proposed New Tampa project was rejected by the City Council in a surprise vote has offered a compromise to salvage the development and avoid a legal battle.

The council agreed Thursday to take another look at the residential and commercial project at Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and County Line Road.

Instead of apartments, Joel Tew, the attorney representing land owners known as Scala 683 Group, now proposes single-family homes, townhouses or condominiums.

"We don't know if there's a market, but we're willing to find out," Tew said.

The original proposal called for 564 residential units, 250,000 square feet of retail space and 100,000 square feet of office space. Under the new plan, about half the residential units would be converted to retail space, Tew said.

Council member Shawn Harrison, who lives in Tampa Palms, said he would reconsider the rezoning if the apartments are "dead, gone and buried." He and the majority of the council opposed building more high-density housing before road improvements are completed.

Harrison and some homeowners in New Tampa have argued that the area already has enough apartments.

The council's decision to reconsider the project came two weeks after it denied a request to rezone the 213-acre site. Council members granted preliminary approval in June, but reversed the decision because of opposition from residents.

Tew said not allowing the apartments would violate Florida law and the city's comprehensive plan. He considered taking legal action but will hold off pending results of the new hearing.

The new hearing is set for Nov. 8 at City Hall, 315 E. Kennedy Blvd.

CLASH OVER PENSION CONTINUES: As the domestic partner of Lois Marrero, Tampa police Officer Mickie Mashburn could have named Marrero as the beneficiary of her city life insurance policy after the two women were joined in a commitment ceremony in 1991.

But she did not.

City records show that in 1985, the Fawn Ridge woman named the father of an old college friend as beneficiary of her $50,000 life insurance policy and never changed it.

On Thursday, Mashburn's lawyer, Danny Castillo, dismissed that as an oversight on the part of his client.

"In this particular case, Mickie just probably never thought about it," he said.

Marrero's mother, who has opposed Mashburn's efforts to be awarded Marrero's city pension, said the life insurance document shows the lack of depth of the two women's relationship.

"Why does she want to be treated like a spouse if she did not treat Lois like a spouse?" Maria Marrero said of Mashburn.

Lois Marrero, a veteran Tampa police officer killed by a bank robber July 6, did not leave a will, although she named her mother as the beneficiary of her city life insurance worth $125,000.

Marrero did name Mashburn to receive a salary replacement benefit through the police union. Castillo said he did not know whether Mashburn had named Marrero to receive the same benefit. Marrero and Mashburn lived together in Citrus Park.

He said the development will not hinder his effort to show that the two women were spouses and that Mashburn is entitled to Marrero's pension death benefits. If granted to Mashburn, the benefits would pay her $28,000 a year for the rest of her life.

If there is no surviving spouse, any pension contributions would go to the estate, in this case, Lois Marrero's parents. Marrero's pension contributions are valued at $50,000.

FIREFIGHTER DIES WHILE EXERCISING: A 36-year-old Hillsborough County firefighter collapsed while exercising at his fire station Wednesday and died despite rescue efforts by his colleagues.

Hillsborough Fire Capt. Darryl J. Dzugen was taken to University Community Hospital on Fletcher Avenue and died at 9 p.m.

"A citizen passing by saw him collapse and ran inside to notify the other guys. He had immediate care," said Nancy Couch, a division chief with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.

The cause of death was undetermined.

Couch said Dzugen had helped battle a blaze earlier that day but was back at Station 14 near the University of South Florida by 4:30 p.m.

"He and all the crew worked very hard," Couch said. "He came back, had dinner and was concerned about some weight gain, so he was working out when he collapsed."

Couch said Dzugen joined Hillsborough County Fire Rescue in 1985.

Dzugen, who worked his way up through the ranks, was promoted to captain in February 1995.

He also taught basic firefighting for six years at Hillsborough Community College, taking over as coordinator of the program last year.

"He touched hundreds, thousands of people interested in getting into this field," Couch said.

Dzugen, who lived with his family in Carrollwood, leaves behind his wife of 13 years, Jackie, and two sons, ages 8 and 5. He also is survived by his mother.

MAN TRIES TO ABDUCT GIRL IN CARROLLWOOD VILLAGE: Hillsborough County Sheriff investigators last week were looking for a man they said tried to abduct a 12-year-old girl riding her bicycle in Carrollwood Village.

The girl was riding along South Village Drive about 8:30 p.m. Aug. 24 when a man stopped his car and tried to force her into it. The girl was able to get away, and the man drove off.

Deputies are looking for a white male, about 18 to 22 years old, and weighing 220 pounds. He was described as being clean shaven with acne scars on his face and wore his light brown hair in a buzz cut.

The car he was driving was a white or silver sports car, possibly a Pontiac Trans Am.

Sheriff's officials released a composite sketch of the suspect Thursday, after interviewing the girl.

"She's a very credible young lady and we hope with this composite we can get an identity on him," said Lt. Rod Reder.

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