Democratic Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson is comfortably leading Republican U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum in the race for a U.S. Senate seat from Florida, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll released Wednesday.

Conducted Oct. 22-24, the statewide telephone survey shows 42 percent of likely voters favoring Nelson, 33 percent for McCollum, 7 percent for unaffiliated candidate Willie Logan and 18 percent still undecided.

The poll found that many voters believe the Senate candidates are running negative campaigns.

A St. Petersburg Times poll this month showed Nelson with 45 percent support, McCollum with 34 percent and Logan with 3 percent. A Mason-Dixon poll taken the same time showed Nelson with 44 percent, McCollum with 37 percent and Logan with 4 percent.

Fired Miami official denies misspending from funds

MIAMI -- Miami's ousted city manager pleaded innocent Wednesday to misspending $86,563 in police pension and charity funds in his previous job as police chief.

"I've made it clear many, many times before that I did nothing wrong, but the government saw it otherwise," Donald Warshaw said after his attorney, Martin Goldberg, entered the plea for him at a brief hearing. "This is not a pleasant thing to go through."

Trial is set for Jan. 29 on mail fraud and conspiracy charges carrying a possible one to three years in prison.

Warshaw is accused of dipping into the pension and charity funds to buy trips, designer clothing, $21,276 in hockey tickets and other things from 1993 to 1995 while serving as police chief. An accountant friend who committed suicide was an unindicted co-conspirator.

Warshaw became the city's top administrator in October 1998 but was fired by the mayor this year after refusing to dismiss the police chief, who assisted federal agents in the raid that seized Elian Gonzalez from relatives at gunpoint.

Hindrances to disabled along highways to be fixed

MIAMI -- The state is settling a lawsuit seeking better access by the disabled at turnpike and interstate highway facilities, attorneys told a judge Wednesday.

Facilities, including rest areas and emergency call boxes, will be checked for compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act and modifications will be made as needed, state attorney Douglas MacInnes said.

Some problems already have been identified, such as call boxes installed where wheelchair users can't reach them. The state also will make sure restrooms and parking at rest areas are accessible and safe for disabled use.

Manatee judge fails to block ethics hearing

A specially appointed judge will preside over Manatee County Judge Matthew McMillan's ethics hearing, which will proceed Monday as scheduled because a federal court refused McMillan's last-minute bid to halt it.

On Wednesday, the Judicial Qualifications Committee announced that its panel chairman, Judge Harvey L. Goldstein, has disqualified himself from McMillan's hearing along with JQC member John Frost, a Florida attorney.

Goldstein removed himself from the case because the 24-year veteran of the bench was beaten in an election this year. McMillan contends he has been treated unfairly by judicial regulators because he won his seat over an incumbent judge.

The Florida Supreme Court ordered McMillan to face a public hearing on ethics violations allegedly committed during his 1998 election campaign. The JQC accused McMillan of lying about how many hours his opponent, George K. Brown, worked and implying that Brown was responsible for millions of dollars in unpaid fines. McMillan also has been accused of mishandling a DUI bail hearing, presiding over it even though he was a witness in the case.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle rejected McMillan's request to stop the hearing. McMillan had filed a federal civil rights lawsuit contending that the JQC has made him an unfair target in its investigation.

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Lucy Morgan

From the Times state desk