Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida • 13

A standoff at a liquor store ends when the armed man is Tasered. is I'QJi'iiitf I LOCAL STATE BUSINESS TAMF Monday, October 5, 2009 I 1B tampabay.com i TAMPA INTERNATIONAL CAT AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL: Marking its 20th anniversary, the test has not 1 i i i I Derek Jeter's home on Davis Islands will BY ERNEST HOOPER Times Staff Writer PjTj ampa's newest tourist attraction isn't being built with that intent, but folks are finding their way to Davis Islands to see the house that Jeter is building. That's Derek Jeter, the New York Yankees il shortstop who bought three lots for $7.7 million to build his seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom mansion with two three-car garages 30,875 square feet in all. So you know that's big, but exactly how big is it? Here we offer some comparisons to help you better understand its gargantuan size. Ilium il Mm II Muni im JMIfcii i 1 CHRIS ZUPPA I Times be enclosed by a 6-foot fence.

i I 1 EDMUND 0. FOUNTAIN I Times (2008) The Venue 27,000 square feet Rumor has it Jeter wants to include a club in his home. Why reinventthe wheel? Just pick up Clearwater's posh dance palace and move it across the bay. CHRIS ZUPPA I Times (2006) Without Walls International Church 81,266 square feet Okay, his house isnt quite big enough to accommodate Paula White's entire Tampa ministry, but I bet Yankee worshipers would make the pilgrimage to Jeter's home every Sunday if he let them in. Jeter's Avila home 5,000 square feet Of course Jeter is updating.

The man will make $21 million this year. Plus, in this day and age, 5,000 square feet just ain't what it used to be. David Siegel's home 88,000 square feet The time-share magnate has reportedly delayed the building of this palace, purported to be the largest in America, in Windermere near Orlando. Relatively speaking, Jeter is building a shack compared to this place. nolo If only survived but thrived.

Now it's time to celebrate, starting with a red carpet event at 6 p.m. Thursday and the featured film Eng-I HshmaninNewYorkatJ. Tickets are $9.50, available at the box office or online at cliptampabay.com. Films and parties run through Oct 18, mainly at the Tampa Theatre. D2s When the most massive rock stars on the planet come to town on Friday, they might be outshined by their own monstrous stage.

"The Claw" takes four days to build and might light up half of Tampa. Show starts at 7 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium, with opener Muse. Tickets are Toll-free, 1-877-598-8698 or livenation.com. FLAVOR OF JAZZ IV: Enjoy an evening of music with the Rippingtons, featuring Russ Freeman and the Ruth Eckerd HallClearwater Jazz Holiday Youth Band, and sample food from more than 20 restaurants at 6 p.m.

Tuesday at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. Tickets are $48; VIP tickets are $93 and include a premium seat, earty admission at 5 p.m., complimentary beer and wine during the tasting and a meet and greet with members of the Rippingtons. Proceeds benefit the Marcia P. Hoffman Performing Arts Institute jazz program at Ruth Eckerd Hall and the Clearwater Jazz Holiday educational programs. For more information, call (727) 791-7400 or visit TASTES OF GREECE: Enjoy flavors of Greece, sounds of the Islanders Band, dancing by Kefi Dancers, and treats.

Tours of the church Friday; Tl a.m. toTI p.m. Saturday. St Stefanos Greek Orthodox Church, 3600 76th St Petersburg. $1 entryfood, festivities priced separately.

Call (727) 345-8235 or visit ststefanos.org. GULFPORTS 99TH BIRTHDAY BASH: On Saturday there will activities for kids, mullet toss, music, traditional fish fry, hot dogs and birthday cake. 4 to 9 p.m. Gulfport Historical Society Museum, 5301 28th Ave. S.

Free. Call (727) 327-8370. People are talking Lets Talk readers discuss BayWalk's sidewalk. Frank: "I support equal rights but I also support working people trying their bestto keep a business openatBaywalk." BiggCoop: "My next step would be to start a curfew for these kids that are running around BayWalk." SarasotaRealEstate: "In this economy, I tend to side with businesses." Wally: There's nothing that says you cant go to BayWalk and protest the protesters. Make use of your freedom to demonstrate againstthem!" The Gradebook read-1 ers react to an e-mail from a Pasco student about a longer school year.

Mary. "It's notthe teachers, folks. It's the total lack of interest in the kids by their 1 parents" Tim: "Blame the FCAT. 1 Grammar and spelling doesnt count on the FCAT so English teachers no longer teach grammar and spelling." i at a loss for what to do with my students who write like this senior year! They exist" Marc: "Horribly-twisted grammar, spelling and logic are not out of the question forheMOth graders. Not to mention overt plagiarism and faulty research." a Join the discussion at i blogs.tampabay.com.

Mm tat crash a An inquiry could take six weeks; meanwhile, teenagers comfort a family and each other. BY LORRI HELFAND Times Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG Authorities are still piecing together the cause of a Friday night boating crash that killed a 17-year-old girl The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said alcohol may have been a factor in the accident but wouldn't elaborate. The investigation could take four to six weeks to complete, spokesman Gary Morse said. Paige Alyssa Paige Alyssa Davison was aboard the boat with four other teens.

Davison, a St Petersburg High School senior, died in the crash. She was aboard a powerboat with four other teens who were injured in the accident About 11:30, the boat, a 22-foot Hydra-Sports center-console runabout entered Bayboro Harbor from the north "at ahigh rate See CRASH, 6B Web too! isciiance for closure A site tries to match missing persons and unidentified dead. BY BRANT JAMES Timet Staff Writer Rene Benedetto wants to believe in the dream, the one where her family is reunited in Colorado and lives happily ever after. Her 22-year-old sister, Laura Nimbach, would have put her problems behind her no more pain pills, no more abusive relationships. Afresh start Peace.

But that dream became a fleeting notion when Nimbach disappeared Feb. 17, last seen when a Pinellas County sheriff's deputy found her sleeping behind a building near Memorial Park Cemetery at 49th Street in St Petersburg. Benedetto realizes with each day that her sister might never come back alive. It might be morbid, but that may be the only peace she can hope for. "We don't give up hope," she said.

"We want her to come home, but there is no closure. I've lived through death, but See CLOSURE, 6B UF removed a disaster preparedness plan for dealing with zombies from its site last week, leaving us clueless on how to handle flesh-eating Georgia fans. Hey, it's UGA for a reason. Pabst Bine Ribbon, has become so popular with young hipsters (think small waists, tight jeans) an Ybor club recently had "PBR Night" If my dad was still alive, he'd buy the first round, That's aU I'm saying. span three lots on Bahama Circle.

It will laom 'I II I STEPHEN J. CODDINGTON Times George Steinbrenner's home 13,712 square feet Yes, Jeter's house is more than twice the size of Steinbrenner's mansion in Tampa's PalmaCeia neighborhood, but George is still "The Boss." 1 KERI WIGINTON Times Ashley Furniture 55,000 square feet Why hire an army of interior decorators when you can cuta check for nearly two-thirds of all the furniture at the Wesley Chapel store and fit it into your home? JAMES BORCHUCK I Times Matt Geigers home 28,000 square feet Former NBA player Matt Geiger reportedly put the bachelor pad it includes a entertainment center on the block at the beginning of 2008. The home near Tarpon Springs remains for sale today. iBf jWiTwwuiH." ii. II in li -riliiiii.

i.i -ml CHERIEDIEZ Times (2006) Mons Venus 3,099 square feet With Jeter's house beinglO times the size of Tampa's famous strip club, it could be argued that every dancer there could have her own room and stage. Columbia Restaurant 52,000 square feet Tampa's venerable purveyor of Spanish cuisine has plenty of room to serve up yellow rice, Cuban bread and 1905 salads, but Jeter could easily squeeze in the Columbia Cafe in the Tampa Bay History Center. Publix.Bayshore Boulevard 26,236 square feet So if Jeter wanted to equip his house with a deli, bakery and produce section, he could call the Publix folks and still have 4,000 square feet left over. But who would round up all the shopping carts? The Hurricane 9,821 square feet Maybe Jeter should consider adding a tri-level restaurantbar similartothe beach-side icon in builders could angle it to provide sunsetviews, and Jeter could probably find a bartender who makes a mean rum runner. Rick Baker's home 4,800 square feet The St Petersburg mayor's house can't compare to Jeter's abode, but if he got a 6-foot privacy fence like Jeter's, Baker probably wouldn't have another break-in.

Outburst grabs attention, but gets in progress' way Tuesday's Flavor of Jazz at Ruth Eckerd Hall offers hot food from 20 restaurants, smooth beer and wine, and cool jazz from the Rippingtons. Call (727) 791-7400 or go to rutheckerdhall.com. If the Rays played in the AL Central, they would have entered Sunday's game a game out of first place. And that doesn't even take into account that they wouldn't have played the big-payroll Yankees and Red Sox 36 times. teens played a role in BayWalk's downfall, but after last week's 4-4 St Petersburg City Council vote left the Second Avenue sidewalk in the hands of the public, Mayor Rick Baker and BayWalk investors need to forge ahead on other issues like safety and attracting better tenants.

A setback is just a setup for a comeback Seen on a bumper sticker: Well, Today Was a Total Waste of Makeup. Some are calling U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson of Orlando a winner after his "die quickly" diatribe against the GOP's health care stance raised his profile and campaign contributions. Grayson's outburst, however, undercuts the meaningful dialogue that needs to take place and isn't much better than the misleading information put out by some Republicans.

Some say Dems needed to fight fire with ERNEST HOOPER ehoopersptimes.com fire, but civility on both sides remains the best approach. Protesters and loitering.