July 16, 2010


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The Madison County Health Department (MCHD) is issuing a mosquito-borne advisory after a second positive report of a horse with Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV) in Madison County in the past two weeks. The risk of transmission to humans has been increased.
The virus is maintained in a cycle between mosquitoes and birds in freshwater swampy areas, sometimes biting a horse or a human. EEEV causes severe illness in humans and horses. Symptoms in humans develop 3 -10 days after the bite of an infected mosquito and begin with a sudden onset of fever, general muscle pains, and a headache of increasing severity. Symptoms can become more severe over 1-2 weeks and infected individuals will either recover or show onset of inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) with seizures and vomiting. Human cases are usually preceded by those in horses. Disease transmission does not occur directly from person to person. Those at highest risk are people who live in or visit woodland areas, people who work or participate in outdoor recreational activities where there is greater exposure to potentially infected mosquitoes. The MCHD reminds residents and visitors to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. Everyone is encouraged to take the basic steps to limit exposure by following these recommendations:
To protect yourself from mosquitoes, you should remember the "5Ds": Dusk and Dawn – Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are seeking blood.
Dress – Wear clothing that covers most of your skin.
DEET – When the potential exists for exposure to mosquitoes, repellents containing up to 30 percent DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) are recommended. Other effective mosquito repellents include picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, and IR3535. Some repellents are not suitable for children.
Drainage – Check around your home to rid the area of standing water, where mosquitoes lay eggs.
To protect your horses from mosquitoes, you should consult with your veterinarian on getting your horses vaccinated for EEE and WNV.
Tips on Eliminating Mosquito Breeding Sites:
Clean out eaves, troughs and gutters.
Remove old tires or drill holes in those used in playgrounds to drain.
Turn over or remove empty plastic pots.
Pick up all beverage containers and cups.
Check tarps on boats or other equipment that may collect water.
Pump out bilges on boats.
Replace water in birdbaths and pet or other animal feeding dishes at least once a week.
Change water in plant trays, including hanging plants, at least once a week.
Remove vegetation or obstructions in drainage ditches that prevent the flow of water.
MCHD continues to conduct statewide surveillance for mosquito borne illnesses, including West Nile virus infections, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, malaria, and dengue. Residents of Madison County are encouraged to report dead birds via the web site http://myfwc.com/bird/.
For more information on mosquito-borne illnesses, visit DOH's Environmental Health web site at http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Environment /medicine/arboviral/index.html or call your The Madison County Health Department at (850) 973-5000.


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Assistant State Attorney Claims He Was Fired For Doing His Job
Former Assistant State Attorney Michael J. San Filippo, who lives in Lee, said that he was fired for refusing to reduce felony charges against the son of his supervisor.
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July 16, 2010By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
jacob@greenepublishing.com


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Michael J. San FilippoFormer Assistant State Attorney Michael J. San Filippo, who lives in Lee, said that he was fired for refusing to reduce felony charges against the son of his supervisor.

San Filippo said that a matter had arisen when Florida Highway Patrol Trooper John Sleigher had stopped Matthew Smith, the son of San Filippo's supervisor, Karen Hatton.

San Filippo said that when the matter was presented to him to be investigated, he spoke with Sleigher. San Filippo said the trooper advised him that Smith had attempted to intimidate and threaten the trooper, by repeatedly telling him the position Smith's mother held at the State Attorney's Office. Sleigher also reportedly said that Smith told him that his mother would have his badge and the state attorney would dismiss the case, because his mother was a supervisor at the office.

"Nevertheless and undeterred, the trooper fulfilled his legal duty and arrested the son on felony DWLS (driving while license suspended)," San Filippo said. "According to the trooper, this was not the son's first felony charge either."

San Filippo said that soon after the incident, Hatton emailed him directly and privately to reduce her son's charges from a felony.

"I was shocked, but I proceeded to investigate the case," said San Filippo. "Based upon the police reports in the court file, it was clearly a felony, and as such, I directed the clerk to file the case as a felony."

The first email that San Filippo presented to the newspaper was an email from Hatton to Skip Jarvis, which read as follows:

"Skip,

"I just got a call from my son, Matthew. He was on his way to school at FSU this morning and was pulled over by a trooper in Taylor County for not wearing a seat belt. When the trooper looked up his license, it had been recently suspended for not paying a ticket. To make matters worse, he has such a bad driving record that the trooper arrested him for felony DWLS. He has probably 5 DWLS' in his past, the most recent one in 2003 (I think). Anyway, Danny Herring was at the jail and bonded him out (he knows Matthew and me from work.) Matthew is asking for the public defender. That's all I know so far.

"Karen D. Hatton

Assistant State Attorney

100 Court S.E.

Live Oak, Florida 32064

(386) 362-2320"

Dave Phelps, Elise Blair and San Filippo all received copies of the email.

San Filippo later received an email that was sent only to him by Hatton.

The text of the email is as follows:

"Mike,

"What part of the alphabet do you handle? I'm hoping that you look at Matthew's case and file it down. He's already gotten his license back."

San Filippo responded to the email 35 minutes later with the following:

"a through h"

San Filippo interpreted the email as Hatton asking him to reduce it from a felony to a misdemeanor.

A few days later, San Filippo said that he was fired by State Attorney Skip Jarvis for not reducing the charges to a civil citation or a misdemeanor and for complaining about what he considered unethical, illegal, obstructive and corrupt conduct.

This writer left three voice mails at the State Attorney's Office for Skip Jarvis, asking for his side of the story. At press time, Thursday morning, July 15, none of them had been returned