The Tampa Tribune from Tampa, Florida • 73

COMMUNITY FOCUS Saturday, December 11, 1999 THE TAMPA TRIBUNE Send comments and tips through e-mail to: BAYARD STEELE, Pasco News Editor, (813) 949-9310 Pasco fax, (813) 949-4862 Makeshift car lots may go ZEPHYRHILLS Temporary automobile sales would be prohibited under a new ordinance before the city council on Monday. By ANDY GOTLIEB of The Tampa Tribune Bill Burgess hasn't made many new friends in 1999. Aside from leading a crackdown on city code violators, Zephyrhills' director of building, licensing and zoning has gotten portable carports banished to back yards. He's tangled publicly with a former professional wrestler over a code violation and continued pressing Jo Bob Sports Grill to pay its impact fees. His next target is those temporary car sales that spring up on vacant lots.

Under a new ordinance before the city council Monday, the car sales would be prohibited. Other temporary sales such as for Christmas trees, fireworks and furniture would be allowed, although permits would cost more. The current price now is $5 for the first two days, with $1 for each day after that. The new fee would be $50 for the first two days and $5 per day afterward. Burgess said the car sales produce plenty of work both for his department and fire inspectors.

He cited a car dealer once for not having proper permits. Reminders were needed other times. "They do what we ask, but it's time away for us from other stuff," Burgess said. The sales tie up traffic without pumping money into the city, he said. "Most of those guys come from Tampa, then leave," he said.

"From what I see, the local economy isn't benefiting in any way." Burgess believes the old ordinance was intended to ban the temporary car sales, but it was interpreted incorrectly. The new ordinance clarifies that language. "We don't have any permanent car lots," he said. "Why should we allow temporary ones?" News of the ordinance caught Orvil Tarrants by surprise. He's the person most immediately affected if it passes.

Tarrants owns land along U.S. 301 on the city's southern edge that the Ferman dealerships rent for weekend sales. One of those sales is occurring this weekend. See CARS, Page 13 TRIKE TREK A pre-kindergarten student, above, maneuvers his way along an enclosed tricycle path Friday at Shady Hills Elementary School. The new prekindergarten playground for special needs children was christened with a trike-athon.

Joseph Carney, below, looks on as the festivities began with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Afterward, Robert Johnson, left, leads the way as students take off on the course. Bank bright with holiday cheer again ZEPHYRHILLS It does not follow, necessarily, that one false public relations step begets another. Still, a after the bruising he took in 1999, Bud Stalnaker is taking no chances for the coming year, century or millennium. Last December, you may recall, CEO Stalnaker broke with growing tradition by quietly deciding not to decorate the flagship Community National Bank building for Christmas.

At the time, he (dare we say hastily?) decided there surely were better ways to spend nearly $13,000 than on a month of illuminated Santas, snowmen, candles and bells. By the time his decision passed from the arena of local speculation to public record (The Tampa Tribune, Dec. 13, 1998), Stalnaker had had quite enough leisure time to repent. If he wasn't getting static from his depositors and business pals, he was being grilled by his 13-year-old. But when the cajoling continued into the summer, Stalnaker knew he had little choice but to bring back the display or move to another state.

"People kept asking, You going to light it up this Stalnaker says, "and I told them, 'Yep. AS IF HE needed his resolve stiffened regarding an act that is a blend of neighborhood spirit lifting and subtle advertisement, there came late last summer a controversy, still acrid, that sucked Community National Bank into its raging vortex. Teen suspect could face more trials DADE CITY A judge hands down acquitted, india heavy sentence for a robbery cate Van Allen suspect who may encounter told Circuit more serious charges later. Judge Maynard F. By BILL THOMPSON Swanson of The Tampa Tribune "The informaA judge sentenced a Dade City tion the majorteen Friday to 15 years in prison ity of these witfor attacking and robbing a nesses have 70-year-old man two years ago.

Sharra concerning But prosecutors may be a long Ferger's this burglary way from finished with Gary Ste- body was came to light found ven Cannon, as investigators ap- two years ago. as a result of parently are building a case Gary Steven the investigaagainst him and another man sus- Cannon is a tion into the pected in the slaying of a 9-year-old suspect in the death of Blanton girl. murder. Sharra Ferger. Neither man has been charged And a lot of with that crime, and both have de- the discussions revolved around nied any involvement.

Mr. Cannon's alleged or suspected Neighbors found Sharra Ferg- participation in that death." er's body on Oct. 3, 1997, in a field Van Allen credited a witness in near her Baxter Avenue home. the burglary case, Buddy Dwayne The child had been raped, bitten Mote, with linking Cannon, 19, to and stabbed 46 times. Sharra.

Assistant State Attorney Phil On Oct. 12, Mote was in court Van Allen, without providing de- to be sentenced for his involvetails, has alluded to Cannon's sus- ment in that burglary, which court pected involvement in the killing records show happened four days during various court hearings in after the girl was killed. Mote and the past three months. Cannon were accused of stealing Courtroom transcripts of Can- more than $300 in coins. non's Sept.

7 trial on an unrelated burglary charge, of which he was See SUSPECT, Page 13 '60s pop group member dies Tuesday at age 58 A Tribune staff report The group Vernieri, Dee, David PORT RICHEY Local businessman Brigati, Willie Davis and Carlton Lattimore did a 13-month stint at Larry Vernieri, a member of Joey the Peppermint West Dee and the Starlighters when they 45th Street Lounge on recorded in New York City. "Peppermint Twist" in the early 1960s, died Tuesday. He Dee had become enamored was 58. with the twist dance craze, and the Vernieri moved to Port Richey group's rendition, released by Rou11 from Mays Landing, lette Records in November 1961, years ago soared up the charts. N.J.

He owned an aluminum siding business here. Vernieri underwent open-heart He left the music business surgery about six months ago, but but in recent years he it was uncertain how he died, his years ago, wrote poems, songs and plays, his father said. father, Michael Vernieri, said Fri- Vernieri is survived by his wife, day. Leona; a daughter, Jessica Vernieri Larry Vernieri lived with his of Ann Arbor, his father and wife and parents on Gray Fox Lane mother, Michael and Josephine in Port Richey. Vernieri; and a sister, Mary Jo Vernieri was in his late teens Rena of Clark, N.J.

when he hit it big with the Star- Faupel Funeral Home in Port lighters as a singer and dancer. Richey is handling arrangements. FRED photos We refer, of course, to the tumbling of the Pasco Twin Theatre, that place of cinema and romance and memory hauled down by time, technology and economics. Georgiabased Carmike Cinemas, sensing opportunity from a coldeyed distance, let it be known it was quitting the movie business in Dade City, and that the property was for sale. Blaming Community National for the destruction of the Twin is like faulting the ground for an airplane crash, or citing the seedlings planted after a forest fire.

One more time: The Twin was coming down. Community National was merely first in line to put something in its place. And, over time, Dade City is likely to find the new building more useful (if less eyecatching) than the dear old building had become. "Carmike had made up its mind," Stalnaker says, "and it didn't matter who the buyer was, they were going to get the blame for being the end user. It was just one of those deals." Clearly, as the days grew shorter and thoughts turned to the holidays, Stalnaker found himself positioned to embrace upbeat publicity.

Yep. Guaranteed. Don Snider, who runs Z-Dec, a Zephyrhills based decorations design and manufacturing company, had everything in place Thanksgiving eve. Candles the size of pillars on antebellum mansions. A gift-bearing Santa grinning like a carnival clown in a beanbag-toss game.

Flashing bells. And the trademark snowman, big as a Volkswagen Beetle standing on its rear bumper. TOM JACKSON Columnist THE SHOW BEGINS soon after 6 p.m. as light clusters wink on under the command of timers, and soon the cars begin turning in off U.S. 301.

"That's my bank," says John Boucher between spoonfuls of banana split at Dice's Dairy 'n Dog, whose outdoor tables provide a front-row seat for the flashing tableau. And this is what this retired auto body repairman from Rochester, N.H., tells people when they ask where he keeps his money: "In the bank that decorates for Christmas." Thursday night, Dice's is packed with shoppers recently come from Kmart and Wal-Mart, and their eyes turn naturally toward the bank. Among them are teacher's aide Sherry Morton, 32, a Zephyrhills native, with daughter Emilee Ryker and niece Brittany Arnold in tow. See JACKSON, Page 11 Metro Wesley Chapel man accused of killing his 19-year-old great -grandson wins bail reduction, could be freed today. BOB photo Bud Stalnaker, president of Community National Bank in Zephyrhills, has begun decorating his business again..