The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that the bill's two sponsors — Miami Senator Miguel de la Portilla and Ocala Representative Dennis Baxley — as well as Lakeland legislators Paula Dockery and Seth McKeel are fighting a request to be deposed by activist groups suing to overturn the law.
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The Sentinel quotes Senator de la Portilla as saying "Our general counsel has advised us when we have litigation going, don't comment to the media. Having said that, I don't care to comment any more on the issue of discovery or depositions, or this, that or the other."

Mitt Romney got the best of Newt Gingrich in last night's CNN debate from Jacksonville, and the question remaining for the next four days of the presidential campaign in Florida is: Can Newt recover by Tuesday?

Thursday began horribly for Gingrich, and never got better. Plastered on the front screen of the Drudge Report were all types of links to stories about Republicans from the ’80s and ’90s getting in their punches against the former House Speaker.

Bob Dole, Tom DeLay and Elliot Abrams were among those who trashed Gingrich in statements, with the latter trying to destroy the idea that Gingrich is truly a "Reagan conservative," the phrase he has used interminably throughout the campaign.

And then there was the debate itself, where Romney made sure to pack the University of North Florida’s Lazzara Performance Hall with supporters, neutralizing the advantage that Gingrich had in South Carolina when he was firing broadsides at the media and the "Massachusetts moderate."

Although undoubtedly Romney won the debate, he had his embarrassing moments, such as when moderator Wolf Blitzer busted him on not knowing the content of one of his own ads — an ad with a tagline that said "I'm Mitt Romney, and I approve this ad."

• The WTC's Steve Michelini hands out an award to Kathy Castor

"Do they come fast enough? No," she admitted, but quoted friends who have just traveled to the island raving about the new entrepreneurial spirit happening in the country. "You can buy and sell homes, you can buy and sell used cars, you can have your own small businesses as restaurants in your own home - to us those are pretty modest things, but to the island that has been closed since the revolution in 1959...living under a mean-spirited regime, you can see a little bit of change, a little bit of light."

At a lunch held in her honor at the Hyatt Regency sponsored by the World Trade Center Tampa Bay, a local business group, Castor confessed she's no expert on Cuba, and says (as she has in the past) that she likes to get "all points of view" regarding the country to Florida's south. But she did make certain to mention Ralph Fernandez, the most oft-quoted hardliner on Cuba in local media, as somebody she did consult.

As she told CL months ago, she says she will travel to the island ultimately, but did not give any indication when that would be. At times it almost sounded like such a trip would be conditional, such as when she said the government there "doesn't make it easy," referencing the fact that the nation played host to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently.

Foster started his talk with the worst chapter of 2011, the deaths of three city police officers in a span of four weeks. A year and a day ago, officers Tom Baitinger and Jeffrey Yaslowitz were killed during a daylong standoff. Then on February 21, officer David Crawford was killed by 16-year-old Nick Lindsey.

"January 24, 2011, that's my 9/11," Foster said."It rocks your world and their worlds have been rocked... low and behold we get punched in the gut again 2/21 when a 16 year old pulls out a gun and shoots into the chest of David Crawford. The night Chief Harmon called, the first words out of his mouth were 'Mayor its happened again.'"

On homelessness, Foster noted the opening of Pinellas Safe Harbor, the temporary shelter located on 49th Street.

"But that was a good start and crime numbers went from 300 every night to at last count we had 20," Foster said. "If you provide these things like a good night's sleep in a safe environment, they can better combat the demons that put them on the street."

It's been a little over two years since the City Council voted to extend drinking hours until 3 a.m. "We have a thriving nightlife, coming from all over," the Mayor said. "I have been up at 3 a.m. on Friday night. I have to go to bed at 10 p.m. and get up at 2 a.m."

During the question and answer portion, former Democratic House Representative for District 51, Janet Long asked Foster about the future of light rail from St. Petersburg to Hillsborough.

"I support it," Foster said.

The Howard Franklin bridge is slated for construction around 2018, Foster said. A light rail component is something to consider during construction.

"The bridge element is the impediment," Foster said. "We're not discouraged by the failed vote in Hillsborough. We've been more thoughtful with process and plan, when referendum comes out you'll have opportunity to support it."

The big question of the afternoon was on the big B-word, baseball. Russ Barlow asked Foster why he hasn't outlined conditions for the Tampa Bay Rays yet. Foster met recently with team owner Stu Sternberg for the first time in months.

"You have an obligation to put a baseball team through 2027. Right now it's 2012, that’s the biggest term," Foster said. He compared the relationship with a team to marriage. "You don’t get a weekend pass to look at greener grass...I want to be the best husband and partner."

If the team left the area and violated that contract, Foster said it would cause "irreparable harm" to taxpayers.

Last October, the Pinellas County Commission voted to stop putting flouride in the county's drinking water.

"The city of St. Pete fluorinates your water," Foster said. "We will not stop putting fluoride in your water...I thought that was a silly move to stop fluoridation of water on the county's part."

Retired attorney Tom Dunn asked what decides whether an project or issue gets a public vote.

"When the stadium was built voters didn’t get a vote on that," Dunn said. "My question, philosophically is, when should taxpayers be allowed to vote on capital expenditures?"

Dunn's question referenced recent opposition to funding construction on a new public safety office for the city's police department.

"If there is going to be any expenditure of your money on construction of stadium, absolutely," Foster said. "There is no difference in building new fire stations and brick and mortar for public safety. As for pier, we had the pier task force, over 50 public hearings and we did listen to public...funding set aside long before I came mayor."

The Tampa Bay Times conducted a poll in December on supporting estimated $60 million in funding for new facility. The poll found that 56 percent of St. Petersburg residents didn't approve of the plan.

After the meeting, Dunn said Foster didn't give him an answer.

"No, he didn't answer the question," Dunn said. "Penny for Pinellas won't pay for the new public safety building. True, the funding is there for the Pier, but we don't need a new pier and we need a public safety office. If you're going to spend money, the public oughta' have a say."