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District 48: Democrat

By THE TIMES RECOMMENDS
Published October 21, 2006

Carl Zimmermann

Two smart, appealing candidates are opposing each other for the House District 48 seat previously held by Republican Gus Bilirakis.

Republican Peter Nehr, 54, owns a flag shop in Tarpon Springs and has been a city commissioner there since 2003. Democrat Carl Zimmermann of Palm Harbor, 55, a former advertising executive, teaches journalism at Clearwater's Countryside High School. He ran for the District 48 seat in 1992 as a Republican, but he lost in the primary.

Nehr is an open and capable city commissioner who has campaigned hard to fulfill his goal of being a state legislator. Yet when asked his ideas to address vexing state problems, his answers and depth of knowledge are often superficial.

Zimmermann has done his homework and eagerly offers ideas. On taxation, for example, he favors Save Our Homes portability and appraising newly purchased homes on a five-year average value rather than current value. Portability could create more problems than it solves and by creating more inequities instead of eliminating them. But examining appraisal rules has some merit.

On insurance, Zimmermann suggests removing sinkhole coverage from homeowners policies to make them more attractive for insurance companies to sell. On education, he supports the class size amendment and ending the FCAT or modifying it. He favors full use of the state housing trust fund to support construction of affordable housing.

In Florida House District 48, the Times recommends Carl Zimmermann.

[Last modified October 21, 2006, 01:59:46]