Calendar of Events

Attorney General Bill McCollum - Candidate for Governor

With 10 terms in Congress and four years as attorney general, Bill McCollum was anointed last year by Republican Party officials to run for governor.  But what would count as solid experience most years is a mixed blessing at best in 2010.  Health care multimillionaire Rick Scott, his primary opponent, has launched a wall-to-wall TV ad blitz boasting of never having held office.  Is this truly the year of outsider or does the seasoned McCollum have the right stuff to fight off Scott's challenge?  McCollum readily accepted an invitation to the Tigers' Den to make his case.  He boasts of a variety of strong conservative credentials -- a consistent pro-life record and endorsements from Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.  He was first of a group of Republican AGs to file suit challenging the constitutionality of President Obama's health care legislation.  Looking beyond the primary, Tigers may want to question McCollum on his plans for economic recovery and state spending if he becomes Governor.  What is his position on immigration?  And will he embrace or disavow the label of "career politician?" 

RSVP DEADLINE: Friday, July 23rd

Feather Sound Country Club
2201 Feather Sound Drive, Clearwater

Click here to RSVP online.

Candidate for Governor - Alex Sink

Democrat Alex Sink is rolling out the public phase of her campaign for governor, and one of her first stops will be the Tigers' Den.  Chief Financial Officer Sink accumulated more votes than Governor Crist when she first ran for office four years ago, but faces a tougher climb this time. Though closing in the polls, she still trails probable Republican opponent Bill McCollum.  It's a tough year for the D's, her long private sector career as a corporate bank president may not be the plus it once was, and even supporters have criticized her campaign as slow out of the gate.  Sink, of Tampa, runs as a pro-business moderate with an eye both on curtailing unnecessary spending and recharging the state's economic development efforts.  Will she be Florida's first female governor?  Could a late entry by Bud Chiles block her path to the Democratic nomination? Come hear Sink, and judge for yourself. 

RSVP DEADLINE: Monday, June 7th

Click here to RSVP online.

Attorney General Candidates - Holly Benson, Pam Bondi, Jeff Kottkamp & Jim Lewis

In late March the two Democratic candidates for Attorney General joined us.  Now it's the Republican's turn, and all four announced candidates will converge on the Tigers' Den for a debate/joint appearance.  They are (in alphabetical order):  Holly Benson, a three-term legislator from Pensacola and twice an agency head in the Crist administration. Pam Bondi, an assistant state attorney and criminal prosecutor in Tampa.  Her high profile cases have made her a frequent guest on cable television, and she is known locally for adopting a St. Bernard lost in Hurricane Katrina, then fighting in court its eventual return to its previous owners. Jeff Kottkamp, completing his term as Crist's Lieutenant Governor,  was previously a three-term legislator from Cape Coral.  Jim Lewis of Fort Lauderdale has seven years experience as a prosecutor and, unusually, advocates lighter sentences for offenders especially those convicted on drug charges.   All four are graduates of Florida law schools.  Kottkamp and Benson have experience as elected officials but have never been prosecutors.  Bondi and Lewis have not held public office.  Watch for a spirited debate on which of the candidates has the right stuff to be Florida's top law enforcement official and what their concept of the job is.  Tigers may also want to ask how the candidates would handle the significant responsibilities of the three-person Cabinet including buying land for environmental protection and managing the state's investments.  

RSVP DEADLINE: Monday, May 31st

St. Petersburg Yacht Club

11 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg

Click here to RSVP online.

Paula Dockery

Taking on the Republican Establishment in a Marquee Race - State Senator Paula Dockery of Lakeland jumped into the governor's race last November well aware that her opponent had a running start in name recognition, fund-raising and endorsements.   But she maintains that her notions of "common-sense conservatism" have been eclipsed in the party by a dictatorial style and undue deference to big business.  She opposed the Everglades land deal with U.S Sugar and voted against the bill abolishing teacher tenure this session.  In recent months, she has ramped up the criticism of her primary opponent, Attorney General Bill McCollum, for snoozing through the Republican Party credit card scandal.  A Queens native, Dockery began her legislative career in 1996 and has worked on issues as diverse as high-speed rail, water management and open records.  She steps into the Tigers' Den to give us her take on the leadership Florida needs next and her reasons for taking on a long-shot candidacy.

RSVP DEADLINE: Tuesday, May 18th

St. Petersburg Yacht Club
11 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg

Click here to RSVP online.

Sheriff Jim Coats

Keeping the County Safe on a Tight Budget - More than half of Pinellas County's budget goes to support its 2,800 person Sheriff's department.  But in a year of making do with less,  Sheriff Jim Coats has been asked to cut $30 million for 2010-2011.  Can it be done without a significant hit to public safety?  The sheriff steps into the Tiger's Den to tell us where he is willing to tighten and what needs to stay.  As budget planning begins in earnest will he fight to be spared the full force of the budget ax as he has in past years?  Or are a smaller force and a more crowded jail inevitable?  Curious Tigers may also wish to ask whether there is any way to reduce significant future liabilities for pension benefits and retiree health benefits.  Coats has 38 years experience with the Pinellas Sheriff's office and has been tapped several times by Florida governors to serve as interim sheriff in counties whose sheriff was removed.

RSVP DEADLINE: Monday, May 3rd

Click here to RSVP online.

ABC Baseball Coalition

Take Me Out to Which Ballpark?

A Report from the ABC Baseball Coalition by Craig Sher

When the ABC Coalition of business and civic leaders completed more than a year's study of baseball alternatives, Mayor Foster deemed the findings too hot to handle.  Well not for the Tigers!  Craig Sher of the Coalition will enter the den and walk us through the options and take your questions.  What will it take to keep the Rays in St. Petersburg?  In Pinellas County? In the Tampa Bay region?  How and when can our recession-plagued community come up with the public share of the hundreds of millions required?  Or do taxpayers want out of the game? What's so wrong with Tropicana Field, anyhow?  And what will it take to re-sign Carl Crawford?  Sher, Executive Chairman of The Sembler Company, is a veteran community business leader with service on several dozen civic organizations and was the original developer of BayWalk.  On opening week of the baseball season, come for a briefing on the Rays prospects....of staying here in coming years. 

RSVP Deadline: April 5th

11 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg

Click here to RSVP online.

Attorney General Candidates Dave Aronberg and Daniel Gelber

Who Should be Florida's Next Attorney General?

Many years Cabinet races don't take much shape until close to Election Day.  But Democrats Dave Aronberg and Dan Gelber have been charging hard for six months already to become their party's candidate for Attorney General, as incumbent Bill McCollum exits to run for governor.  The two state senators from South Florida have agreed to a joint appearance in the Tigers' Den to let Tampa Bay look them over and hear their pitch to manage Florida's legal affairs.  Both have prosecutorial experience.  Gelber spent a decade in the U.S. attorney's office, specializing in criminal cases, and worked as counsel on a U.S. Senate subcommittee on terrorism in the 1990s.  Aronberg spent two years as an assistant attorney general specializing in civil matters (and shutting down TV-psychic Miss Cleo) for Bob Butterworth, who he cites as a role model.  Beyond legal matters, Tigers may wish to quiz the candidates on the broader business of the State Cabinet including environmental lands purchases and oversight of state investments.  And we will be mid-session with an array of pending issues on which the Democratic minority looks to have a say.  The two agree on some substantive issues but look for sharp debate on who is best qualified to be Florida's top lawyer.

RSVP DEADLINE: March 25th

St. Petersburg Marriott Clearwater

12600 Roosevelt Boulevard

Click here to RSVP online.

PSC Chair Nancy Argenziano

A New Day at the Public Service Commission

Not so long ago stock analysts praised the "reliable" regulatory climate for Florida's big power companies - that is to say consistently pro-industry.  There is a new sheriff in town, though. Chairman Nancy Argenziano took charge at the start of 2010 along with several like-minded commissioners appointed by Governor Charlie Crist.  They just said no this January to the customary generous rate increase requests from Progress Energy and Florida Power and Light.  The howls of protest from executives of the two companies and their legislative allies haven't died down since.  There are rumblings that the two newest commissioners may not be confirmed, that the public counsel who successfully represented customers' interests in the rate cases will be replaced.  Another proposal would require a college degree of commissioners. (Ms. Argenziano, up for reappointment in 2011, dropped out of veterinary college years ago to care for her son).  Also legislation is pending to impose a much stricter ethics code on how the five PSC commissioners interface with those they regulate. Commissioner Argenziano is not at liberty for legal reasons to discuss details of the rate cases.  But we can count on her to have plenty to say about the contentious atmosphere of utility regulation in Florida. The outspoken Brooklyn-native had a reputation as a brawler during her 10 years representing Citrus County in the legislature and once famously sent an Associated Industries lobbyist a 25-pound box of cow manure.  So watch for sparks to fly as she ventures into the Tigers' Den the week the 2010 legislative session opens.

RSVP Deadline: March 3rd

11 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg

Click here to RSVP online.

Mayor Bill Foster

The First 50 Days -- Baseball, Budget and the Homeless  Twice in 2009, he packed the Yacht Club with Tigers for the mayoral debates. Now Mayor Bill Foster returns to the Tiger's Den to discuss the state of St. Petersburg as seen from his office  inside City Hall.  Historians assess presidents on what they get going in their first 100 days; the city ought to be a little simpler so we will be taking the Mayor's measure after his first 50.  Old issues have a way of rolling over to a new administration. The homeless are still with us.  When, where and whether to build a new baseball stadium is back on the agenda.  A blue-ribbon study group has produced a report the Mayor and City council are so far declining to consider.  Why is that?  Also in the bricks-and-mortar zone, the Mayor will be asked to provide leadership on what to do with the Pier -- its funky inverted pyramid building and its rotting support beams.  Is a fix a good use of $50 million in these tight times? What to do with the Mahaffey Theater?  A new public safety policy?   Finally, there is another budget coming up -- and a $14 million deficit in prospect.  Mayor Foster began his term January 2nd with a prayer breakfast and 40 very specific campaign promises.  Come hear how it's been going since.

11 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg

Click here to RSVP online.

U.S. Representative Kathy Castor

Congressional Democrats -- Time For an Audible?  Fresh from a ride on Air Force One, two-term U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor pays her first visit to the Tiger's Den.  We just heard from Bill Young, and Kathy Castor is Pinellas' other representative in Congress, with a district that includes most of south St. Petersburg as well as all of Tampa and a slice of Manatee County.  With control of the presidency and big majorities in both houses of Congress, Democrats figured to be running up the score in the Super Bowl of legislation about now. But it hasn't worked out that way.  Ms. Castor, on her party's steering and policy committee, may offer some ideas on how to change the game plan in 2010.  Health care has been one of her issues since her days as a Hillsborough County Commissioner.  Is there still a way to salvage the President's plan?  The Congresswoman worked with Young and other Florida Republicans on offshore drilling and other issues in her first term.  But do her mates and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi need to learn to play better with the other kids?  Or are those other kids obstructionists?  Ms. Castor, still in her early 40s, is (pardon the cliche) a rising star in the House.  While on the fast track with plum committee assignments both terms, she occasionally breaks party ranks -- for instance, voting twice against the financial industry bailout. Come hear what she has to say on energy policy, the economic stimulus -- and the future of Tampa Bay.

RSVP DEADLINE: February 9th

Click here to RSVP online.

Congressman Bill Young

After a long absence, the Honorable C.W. Bill Young ventures back into the Tigers' den.  The 20-term Congressman has a rich array of current issues he may choose to address - economic recovery and the stimulus, the health-care debate, energy policy and offshore drilling.  Rep. Young is an influential and knowledgeable master of the Appropriations game.  How does he balance fiscal conservatism with bringing home a prodigious share of earmarks to his district and Florida universities?  Another of Rep. Young's specialties is veterans' affairs.  He and his wife, Beverly, were flagging lapses in care at Walter Reed hospital before the Washington Post expose.  How is our own Bay Pines performing?  Finally, Tigers may wish to ask the Congressman as he approaches the big eight-o in 2010, is he thinking of calling it a career or is he just not the retiring type?

RSVP DEADLINE: Wednesday, January 20th


St. Petersburg Marriott Clearwater

12600 Roosevelt Boulevard

Click here to RSVP online.

Howard Troxler - Evening Reception

The Suncoast Tiger Bay Club Board of Directors cordially invite you to attend the 2010 Suncoast Tiger Bay Club Annual Reception. 

                        DATE:                     Tuesday-January 19, 2010

                        TIME:                      5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

                        LOCATION:             St. Petersburg Marriott Clearwater

                                                       12600 Roosevelt Boulevard

                                                       St. Petersburg, FL  33716

                        ENTERTAINMENT:   Howard Troxler

Heavy hors d'oeuvres and Cocktails

This evening is FREE to current Suncoast Tiger Bay Club Members.  Your dues must be current for the new 2010 year.

Guests $30.00 per person

Reservations must be received by Thursday, January 14th. 

Reservations can be made online at wwww.tigerbay.org, via voicemail at (727) 822-1001 or via e-mail to Chandra@tigerbay.org.

Click here to RSVP online.

Legislative Preview - Representative Ed Hooper & Representative Rick Kriseman

Take us to your Leaders:  A 2010 Legislative Preview  

If space aliens were to land in our fair State and seek to ascertain the burning issues of import to our society by examining the recent acts of our Legislature, they would come to understand that we, as Floridians care very deeply about young men wearing droopy pants which expose the tops of their boxers.  They would also determine that we take grave offense to those who would display metalic replicas of bull reproductive organs on the backs of their pickup trucks, and that the best way to ensure a future of economic prosperity for all is to make it as easy as possible for developers to pave over every last patch of the bovine realm, such that metalic replicas may be all that will one day be left.  So what will these visitors from afar see from our leaders in 2010?  While committees are already meeting, the formal legislative session doesn't begin until early next year.  To give us a preview of the hot issues and likely outcomes are two members of our Pinellas County delegation.  The chair of the delegation, Rep. Ed Hooper, represents the Clearwater area of the County and the Republican party, while Rep. Richard Kriseman, a Democrat, hails from west St. Petersburg.  So what will the 2010 session entail?  Will the Seminole Indian Tribe be authorized to expand its gambling empire in exchange for much needed cash?  Will the Legislature authorize oil drilling off Clearwater Beach?  Will the House convict its former Speaker for doing what only has come natural to every Speaker in modern times?  With so many foster children in need, will gay couples be allowed to adopt?  And perhaps most importantly, with revenues continuing to shrink, what will be cut next?  Leave your ray guns at home but bring your sharpened Tiger claws to this sure-to-inform program, and remember, our speakers, though not little or green, come in peace.

RSVP DEADLINE: December 11TH

St. Petersburg Yacht Club

Click here to RSVP online.

Bob Dillinger, Public Defender - 6th Judicial Circuit of Florida

For the Defense

Crime.  Its a perennial topic, again on everyone's lips as St. Petersburg looks to a new Mayor and the State a new Governor.  Since first becoming Pinellas County's Public Defender in 1996, Florida native and Columbia and Stetson grad Bob Dillinger has had a front row seat on the topic.  With many years of experience, both in private practice and public office, Mr. Dillinger, a long-time member of our Club, has developed a distinguished career, including having a key role in publishing the State's first comprehensive death penalty defense training manual.  But what does this official, elected by the people, think of his Office's role defending the majority of criminal defendants arrested every year?  Does he think Mayors or Governors can really make a positive impact on criminal activity?  Was Police Chief Harmon correct to recently cite a bad economy as the reason for increased crime?  Does he see any political danger in having his employees actively running for political offices, as several recently have?  And does this life member of the National Rifle Association, distinguished expert rank, think gun ownership should have any limits?  While police officials and prosecutors often weigh in on such matters, we don't often-enough hear from "the other side."  So don't be found guilty of failing to exercise your right to remain an active Tiger by attending this arresting program!

RSVP DEADLINE: Nov. 10TH

Click here to RSVP online.

Dr. Peter Armacost

Out of Pakistan

Most Pinellas County residents knew him as a former Mr. Sun, former St. Petersburg Charter Review Chairman, and President of Eckerd College till 2000.  However, while Dr. Peter Armacost spent many years at the helm of this venerable institution, he has led an even more eventful "retirement."  Soon after leaving Eckerd, and at 67 years of age, Armacost and his wife packed up their belongings from their waterfront condo and departed for Lahore, Pakistan, where he would become president of Forman Christian College, in the heart of a 97% Muslim country.  In his first weeks there, gangs carried a coffin with his name on it and gangs of extremists regularly harassed his campus, which had been nationalized by the government.  While his campus is now private again and thriving, the Armacosts have had a front row seat these past seven years on the war on terror.  Don't miss this very special visit from a distinguished resident as he gives his informed views on the state of the Islamic world, the effectiveness of our Nation's efforts to combat terrorism at its source, the future of Pakistan and Afghanistan, the effect of the election of President Obama, and more personally his own efforts to create a top-tier institution of higher learning in an economically challenged part of the World. 

RSVP Deadline: October 26th

St. Petersburg Yacht Club
11 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg

Click here to RSVP online.

Mayoral Candidates

Decision Time 2.0

Last month, the voters of St. Petersburg had a veritable cornucopia of candidates to select from to replace the term-limited Rick Baker.  In the primary, candidates Bill Foster and Kathleen Ford won enough votes to proceed to the general election.  While the primary election relationship of these two former city council colleagues was cordial, the final race to the finish has the candidates trying harder to distinguish themselves from one another.  Foster, the top vote-getter in the primary, continues to note his calm business-like demeanor while Ford focuses on her plans to re-tool the managerial ranks of the City and drive a harder bargain with the Rays on a new stadium.  Ford has gained credit with some for her hard-charging stance on fiscal issues and history of support for gay rights, while Foster has risked his faith-based support by announcing support for same-sex benefits for city workers.  While Ford recently drew some criticism by suggesting Foster knew of a former council member's alleged improper conduct, Foster has been less direct, while still casting Ford as a 'loose cannon.'  Please join your fellow Tigers to hear these two candidates reveal their visions for the future of St. Petersburg, and their plans to win the office which will allow them to implement their vision.

RSVP DEADLINE: October 9TH

St. Petersburg Yacht Club
11 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg

Click here to RSVP online.

Pinellas County Commissioner Calvin Harris

THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

As most know, the Chair of the Pinellas County Commission regularly rotates among its members as time goes by.  Until recently, it was a sweet assignment, where tax pennies from heaven let successive chairmen take credit for days of wine and roses.  So what luck Commissioner Calvin Harris had to take the office at the bottom of a historically bad economy.  The proposed County budget would slash funds for needs such as social services, Sheriff patrols, park access and code enforcement.  And relations with the County's many cities remain testy.  What does Chairman Harris see as the answer to the budget crisis?  Why did he decline to back a fellow Commissioner's idea to raise "revenues" to plug budget holes?  Does he back the idea of consolidation of fire services as a way to save money?  Does he have high hopes for a light rail connection between Pinellas and Hillsborough?  Will he agree to spend taxpayer money to fix the friendship trail bridge?  You simply must come hear how Chairman Harris plans, come rain or come shine, to end his term able to say, it was a very good year and the best is yet to come!.

RSVP DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 14th

Click here to RSVP online.

Mayor Pam Iorio

Hands Across the Bay

Every day, thousands cross between our two counties to live and work.  And while we often host those who govern our home turf, its time to invite Tampa's popular and powerful leader, Mayor Pam Iorio, into the Den.  Approaching the end of her time in the Mayor's office, she has had a largely successful run.  Her popularity has remained high as she focused on "nuts and bolts" issues such as infrastructure repair, code enforcement, and crime prevention.  Some even mention her as a logical "county manager" should that elected position be created by Hillsborough voters.  Yet she still faces many challenges.  Does Tampa need a private convention center to compete with the city-owned facility, as is being proposed?  Will she push for the new taxes or fees surely required to build the regional rail system she so strongly supports?  Did she do enough to fix the "behavior problems" visited upon homeowners by ever-growing Gasparilla Day crowds?  Where does she see the future of her city, and its relations with St. Petersburg?  Why didn't Iorio run for statewide office in 2010 given her widespread support among Democrats? And where does she see herself landing next?  Please join your fellow tigers for this historic visit from across the pond .

RSVP DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 4

Feather Sound Country Club
2201 Feather Sound Drive, Clearwater

Click here to RSVP online.

Paul Tash, Editor - St. Petersburg Times

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Tmes

As Editor, Chairman & CEO of a storied newspaper with a rich history, unique ownership structure, fine writers and editors, modern printing facilities, blessed with local and state politicians uniquely skilled and willing to provide daily content, and fresh off a historical win of two (count em TWO) Pulitzer Prizes, Paul Tash should be in high cotton!  After all, that whole 'Pravda-on-the-Bay' rep is so last administration.  Yet while a series of wise ownership and business decisions over the years have positioned the St. Petersburg Times in a better position than many other papers, it still faces the same current economic strains and evolutionary currents of media content delivery.  Please join your fellow tigers as Mr. Tash discusses how he plans to shepherd the Times through the current bad economy, what he envisions the entity being in future years, and how such changes may change the way news media impacts politics and policy in our Nation.  For a man who only recently published a nostalgic book on St. Petersburg's history as seen through the good ole printed paper, some of his ideas will surely surprise. RSVP DEADLINE: AUGUST 21st

Click here to RSVP online.

Pinellas County School Superintendant Julie Janssen

Making the Grade

In 1998, she was a fairly unknown Assistant Principal at a Pinellas County high school.  Ten years later, she is the chief executive of Pinellas County's largest employer and the entity to which the County's citizens entrust the education and development of their children.  Unlike other superintendents of major school districts, Julie Janssen has spent her entire academic and education administrative career in one system.  Having worked as a deputy superintendent under the charismatic and at times polarizing prior superintendent, Janssen was not the School Board's first choice to replace him.  However, with a "freshman year" under her belt, many feel she was the right choice for the times.  But how does she feel taking over the top job just as budgets need drastic reductions and many County schools are seeing lower overall grades?  Does she feel the district's recent tussle with the union over teacher schedules was a good fight to have picked?  Will she offer new plans to deal with a growing student discipline problem in some County high schools?  And what is her relationship like with the new union head, who took over after the sudden loss of the long-serving, and powerful Jade Moore?  Please be sure to register for this course in education administration from a woman who knows, and be sure to do your homework so your questions make a point a No. 2 pencil would be proud of!   RSVP DEADLINE: AUGUST 10th

Feather Sound Country Club
2201 Feather Sound Drive, Clearwater

Click here to RSVP online.

St. Petersburg City Council District 5 & 6 Candidates Forum

Fat Cats, Dark Horses and Underdogs

The two races for St. Petersburg City Council District 5 and 6 seats each share common elements.  They both contain economically and racially diverse areas of the City with some of the most valuable, and most economically troubled real estate.  They also feature open, or nearly open seats as opposed to other districts where the incumbents are fairly securely entrenched.  But the most interesting element each shares is the field of candidates.  Each has a presumed front-runner.  In District 5 its Angela Rouson, the wife of a prominent state representative. And in District 6, Karl Nurse, a business man recently appointed to the Council to finish an unexpired term, is formally endorsed by none other than the current Mayor.  Each race also features dark horses who, though less known, could be surprise victors with their unique backgrounds and "outsider" status.  Neighborhood activist and School District Counselor Steven Kornell may convince District 5 voters that his Masters degree in social work will give him the skills to navigate the varied personalities on Council, while USF student Derrick Frohne will try to make the case to District 6 that generational change will bring a new energy to the job, as jigsaw puzzle company owner Phillip Garrett argues to the same voters he can piece together quality public policy.  Respectively, under-funded underdogs Joseph Smith and Vel Thompson will fight for attention in races which may be decided early by mail-in ballots influenced by costly candidate direct mail.  Will an African American woman win a "traditionally white" seat.  Can a white male businessman keep his "traditionally black" one?  Will the local political party leaders continue to inject party politics into what in theory are non-partisan races?  And why do these "political animals" want so badly to join the City Council zoo?  Being kings of the political jungle, our Club's Tigers will be out to test the instincts and reflexes of these candidates.  Be sure to reserve your seat now to see how they do.

At the time of printing, the following candidates are confirmed: Derrick Frohne, Steve Kornell, Karl Nurse, Angela Rouson, Joseph Smith and Vel Thompson.  Phillip Garrett has withdrawn from the race. 

RSVP deadline: Friday, July 17th.

St. Petersburg Yacht Club
11 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg

Click here to RSVP online.

Mayoral Forum

SOLD OUT!

PLEASE NOTE - 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. - Extended Luncheon Program. 

As St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker turns into his final lap in his eight year historical tenure as the head of the largest city in Pinellas County, no less than 9 candidates lined up to succeed him.  Stiff competition for sure.  The race is expected to see the major candidates raise and spend historical funds.  Why do they all want the job?  Is the economy so bad they can't find other work? Do they feel they have the skills to make the city's law enforcement into the dream police force many residents clamor for?  Will the city see a rare female Mayor, or will it have its first minority chief executive?  As the election draws near, will the more marginal candidates surrender to the big names on the ticket?  It won't be hard to tell what the hot election debate ticket will be in June, it will be our Tiger Bay Mayor's forum.  Be sure to register now for this extended program before it sells out faster than an Illinois governor.  Because, to be sure, with so many candidates in the running, winning the Mayor's office will be no cheap trick! 

RSVP DEADLINE: FRIDAY, JUNE 12TH.

St. Petersburg Yacht Club
11 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg

All nine candidates are confirmed to be in attendance: Jamie Bennett, Paul Congemi, Richard Eldridge, Kathleen Ford, Bill Foster, Deveron Gibbons, Alex Haak, Scott Wagman, Larry Williams.

Police Chief Charles "Chuck" Harmon

Crime and Punishment

The City of St. Petersburg has plenty of the former these days, but what of the latter? Military-style assault weapons freely accessible by common criminals, open season on convenience store owners, young children in their homes losing their innocent lives, drug and prostitution deals happening openly on the streets. While every economic downturn in history has had its attendant spike in crimes associated with economic distress, many citizens of the City feel more unsafe than ever. Yet as at least one Mayoral candidate calls for his job, the City's Police Chief, Charles "Chuck" Harmon, would cite statistics to show many crimes are down from earlier years. Who is right? Who is safe? Why do so many crimes go unreported, or if reported unpunished? Missing this program with the City's top cop would be a crime!

St. Petersburg Yacht Club
11 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg

Click here to RSVP online.

Attorney General Bill McCollum

Mansion Envy, or, Navy Man Wants to Board Sinking Ship

When elected in 2006, Florida's Attorney General was heard to say he'd gotten the best job in Florida! Yet just two years later, Bill McCollum is eying the Governor's mansion should the Governor decamp for the U.S. Senate. In his time as the "AG" McCollum has focused like a laser-beam on kiddy porn and cyber crime, hunted gas stations which might be charging too much, and generally avoided making any mis-steps like winning a title with the words "chief" and "financial" in them in these finan-cially hard times. But why does he want to become the CEO of a financially sinking ship of state? Does the moniker "general" just so not fit this former Navy Com-mander? Or does he feel his many years in Congress will allow him to "hit the ground running" in dealing with Tallahassee's growing lobbyist corps? And when he departs his current gig, does he see a soon-to-be unemployed lawyer-mayor as a worthy suc-cessor to the "best job in Florida?" Arrive in the den early for this sure to be crowded program!

Feather Sound Country Club
2201 Feather Sound Drive, Clearwater

Click here to RSVP online.

Tom James

Chairman & CEO, Raymond James

How Now Down Dow?

Jeff Lyash

President & CEO Progress Energy

St. Petersburg Yacht Club
11 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg

Click here to RSVP online.

Ramsay McLauchlan

Chairman
Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee

Long in the political wilderness, the 2008 presidential and congressional elections demonstrated a drastic return to power for the party of the left.  But while Democrats bask in the glow of their successes in National elections, the party hasn't been able to make much of a go of it in Florida and Pinellas County.  Why hasn't the local party been able to translate the national voting mood into success for state and local candidates?  Can Pinellas County's new Chairman of the Democratic Party Ramsay McLauchlan, a fairly recent Florida transplant, end the "circular firing squad" and bring discipline and harmony to a local party membership which has had several public ugly fights involving past Chairmen?  What does he see as the best strategy for building the party and its candidate bench?  Will he join local Republicans in ignoring the fig leaf designation of local races as non-partisan and treating them as partisan events with party-identified candidates?  Be sure to register for this program now, as only paid Tiger members will be able to ask questions (cause you know we aren't just going to give that right away!) and like famed Democratic voters in Chicag o, questioning will be done early and often!

RSVP DEADLINE: FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2009.

Feather Sound Country Club
2201 Feather Sound Drive, Clearwater

Click here to RSVP online.

Ray Tampa

President St. Petersburg NAACP

With blacks having finally become CEO's of national corporations, held some of the Nation's top posts in military, judicial and foreign affairs, the possibility of not one but three serious black contenders for the St. Petersburg Mayor's race, and most recently the election of the first black President of the United States, who got more white votes than Al Gore or John Kerry.  One might ask: What's a civil rights leader to do?  Newly elected president of St. Petersburg's NAACP branch Ray Tampa now must answer that question.  Will his leadership term focus on the battles of the past such as school desegregation and police mistreatment, or does he intend a "post racial" NAACP agenda?  How does he intend to respond to those in the community who would say he is too close to, and influenced by, former NAACP head and current State Representative Darryl Rouson?  And does he find any humor in the influx of white mayoral candidates to his organization, seeking to perform all manner of services?  Join your fellow Tigers to hear how President Tampa intends to "fight the power" in President Obama's post-partisan, post-racial world.

RSVP DEADLINE: MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2009.

St. Petersburg Yacht Club
11 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg

Steve Seibert

Executive Director
Florida's Century Commission

Florida’s being paved over by developers! It’s a refrain often heard in the debates on how development in the Tampa Bay area will occur. Steve Seibert was a well liked and admired Pinellas County Commissioner before being asked by Governor Jeb Bush to lead the State’s Department of Community Affairs, which oversees development and environmental issues. Since leaving that post in 2007, he has become Executive Director of Florida’s Century Commission, created to advise the Governor and Legislature on how the State can achieve a sustainable future. Yet can this man, who sits on the board of directors of Mosaic, a $6 billion dollar phosphate/fertilizer company based in Minnesota, see a way to give developers and industry a way to profitably use their lands while not destroying Florida’s natural resources? What does he think of the effort to dismantle Hillsborough County’s environmental protection agency, and the Legislature’s desire to abolish the DCA itself as an unneeded and inefficient barrier to development? Can the developer lions really lie down with the environmentalist lambs? Join your fellow tigers to find out!

St. Petersburg Yacht Club
11 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg

RSVP Deadline: Tuesday, February 17

Click here to RSVP online.

Daniel Ruth

St. Pete Times Columnist

Daniel Ruth has worked as a reporter, radio show host, film & television critic and opinion columnist for 36 years, including stints with the Chicago Tribune and Tampa Tribune. Once given a “vigilance in media” award by the Pinellas ACLU, his columns were either loved or hated, but rarely uncontroversial. Yet last November, the Tribune decided it could not afford its “old lion” and fired Ruth after 17 years. Perhaps sensing an opportunity to again point out its relative strength in the market, about a month later the St. Petersburg Times began running his column. So what did the man who once characterized the Tampa Bay area as “Mayberry with a skyline” do to get das boot? Was it calling Governor Bush “the Royal Me” or suggesting that if a Hillsborough Commissioner really wanted to do something to make the community better he should sleep in. Does he find fertile ground in Pinellas for column material? In an era of blogs and unplugged youth, is there a future for columns and indeed newspapers? Get the scoop from the guy who’s got the poop with your favorite tiger group!

St. Petersburg Yacht Club
11 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg

RSVP Deadline: Monday February 2

Click here to RSVP online.