In The Media

Appellate Court Backs City's Stand Against Adult Club

posted on 7/7/2006 8:44:00 PM

Taurus Property Ventures has hit another legal roadblock in its pursuit to open an adult club at U.S. 92 and County Line Road. On June 30, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta upheld a federal magistrate's recommendation to deny Taurus a temporary injunction that would have forced the city to approve a permit for the adult club, which might have offered nude dancers. The appeals judges' decision also supports the city's arguments that a new adult-entertainment ordinance nullifies ...

Categories: Past Law Cases | Tags: Plant City, Real Estate | View Count: (2033)

Court Upholds Adult Club Stance

posted on 12/31/2005 12:14:00 AM

The city has won round one in its legal battle to keep an adult club from opening at U.S. 92 and County Line Road, but the war may be far from over. Taurus Property Ventures is appealing a federal magistrate's recommendation to dismiss much of the company's case against the city. The lawsuit stems from the city's refusal to grant Taurus a permit to offer adult entertainment that could include nude dancers. The club's application was denied because its proposed site in vacant building is about ...

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Strip Club Fight Fought In Court

posted on 11/10/2005 8:39:00 AM

The city fought the first round this week in a legal battle to stop an adult business from opening at U.S. 92 and County Line Road. But it will have to wait a while for the decision. Taurus Property Ventures wants to open a club that could offer nude entertainment in a former truck repair shop at 4350 E. U.S. 92. The city denied the application because an existing ordinance banned adult businesses within 1,000 feet of each other. The proposed club's site is about 650 feet from Showgirls Men's...

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Ethics Commission Fulfilled Its Purpose In The PSC Case

posted on 11/4/2005 9:44:00 PM

As chairman of the Florida Commission on Ethics, I would like to take this opportunity to respond to Howard Troxler's Oct. 20 column about the commission's dismissal of complaints against four members of the Florida Public Service Commission (In politics, what's unethical today is legal tomorrow). It does not appear that he understood fully the facts behind the commission's actions.

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Gifts, Ethics Law Discussed

posted on 9/29/2005 11:39:00 PM

Once candidates are elected to office, they suddenly gain more friends who may try to influence their decisions with dinners, hunting trips, golf outings and other gifts, a state ethics officials warned Thursday. But Virlindia Doss, senior attorney for the Florida Commission on Ethics, had a stern warning for about 150 city and county government officials attending the Florida Ethics Conference and Attorney General's Sunshine Summit. ''If you like it, don't take it,'' she said. Doss outlined ...

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Tampa Democrat To Lead Ethics Commission

posted on 9/11/2005 12:14:00 AM

A Tampa Democrat, Thomas P. Scarritt Jr., has become chairman of the Florida Ethics Commission, instead of Tampa Republican John Grant, a change stemming in part from Gov. Jeb Bush's veto of a state ethics law reform bill. Scarritt, a South Tampa lawyer and real estate developer, had been expected to become vice chairman of the commission, and Grant chairman, when the commission elected new officers Sept. 1. Instead, Grant, one of the commission's founding members, and a key player in the prop...

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The Politics Of Strange Bedfellows

posted on 9/9/2005 1:07:00 AM

Tampa trial lawyer Tom Scarritt apparently endeared himself to colleagues during the first year of his two-year term on the Florida Ethics Commission. They elected him chairman a week or so ago. It's a bit of a surprise for some political observers. Some expected John Grant, the com mission's vice chairman and a former state senator from Tampa, to take over as commission chairman for the 2005-06 term. Only Gov. Jeb Bush didn't reappoint Grant, a Republican, to a second term.

Categories: Ethics, Politics | Tags: Ethics, Judicial Branch, Politics | View Count: (2323)

K-9 Officer Can't Sue Plant City Over Dog Bite

posted on 8/12/2005 1:23:00 AM

A bomb-sniffing German Shepherd acquired by the Plant City Police Department after the Sept. 11 attacks became the center of an unusual lawsuit that culminated this week. The lawsuit was filed by the dog's handler, Officer John Stasiak. The dog, whose name is Rex, is from Czech Republic. Before taking charge of the new K-9 recruit, Stasiak had to undergo a rigorous training routing that included learning commands in Czech. As is customary with K-9 teams, Stasiak took the dog home to live with...

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Civil Trial Re-Certification Letter

posted on 10/15/2004 10:06:00 AM

We are pleased to advise your certification in Civil Trial Law has been renewed, effective June 1,2004. As intended by the Supreme Court of Florida in its adoption of board certification, you are recognized as a lawyer who has demonstrated"special knowledge, skills and proficiency" in civil trial law and you may represent yourself as a "specialist" in your field of practice.

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Judicial Candidates Cleared In Ethics Probe

posted on 10/7/2004 7:45:00 PM

A judicial election watchdog group has reversed its opinion that a judge and his challenger violated an ethics code while campaigning. On Aug. 27, the Hillsborough County Judicial Campaign Practices Committee ruled that during a candidates' forum Judge Charles "Ed" Bergmann violated ethics rules by claiming "an overwhelming number" of family law lawyers were supporting him. The next day, the committee determined that Bergmann's challenger, Beth Gilmore Reineke, also violated the ethics code ...

Categories: Ethics | Tags: Ethics, Politics, Judicial Branch, Hillsborough County | View Count: (2056)