Boca Raton developer and collector Anthony Pugliese III has had problems hanging on to his collectibles. First, he almost lost the gun Jack Ruby used to kill Lee Harvey Oswald after Robert Luongo, Pugliese's brother-in-law, took it to Washington, D.C., so it could be featured on Larry King Live. Then, Pugliese actually did lose the gadget-equipped Aston Martin featured in the James Bond films Thunderball and Goldfinger -- thieves stole it from a Boca airplane hangar in 1997. The insurance settlement was $4.2 million, and Luongo, a Harvard grad who had made a career out of researching and promoting "The Most Famous Car in the World," felt he was entitled to some of the proceeds for boosting the car's value. He sued Pugliese.
At the trial, Pugliese's side depicted Luongo as a man so obsessed that he couldn't be kept from the car -- despite Pugliese's attempts to shoo him away. Luongo's attorney says Luongo was just a dedicated worker.
A jury apparently agreed and says Pugliese now must pay $1.02 million to Luongo. Now that's collecting.
Through the Eyes of Governors
What's the toughest part of being a Florida governor? Signing death warrants, according to five former officeholders. Farris Bryant, Claude Kirk, Bob Martinez, Wayne Mixson, Reubin Askew and present Gov. Jeb Bush, who posed the question, all participated in a forum in Tallahassee this spring that is airing through August on the Sunshine Network. The conversation covers 40 years of Florida history, from Bryant talking about his interaction with President John F. Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis to Askew's discussion of early environmental preservation efforts. Check your listings.
Required Dialing
The new 863 area code for Polk, Hardee, DeSoto, Highlands, Okeechobee, Glades and Hendry counties is now mandatory. The new number was assigned to the counties last year and became mandatory in May.
The Florida Quiz
During the Ice Age some 12,000 years ago, Florida's peninsula was about twice as large as it is today. Sea level was some 300 feet lower because so much of the Earth's water was tied up in glaciers. A phenomenon known as "sea level rise" is still nibbling away at our coastline. About how much of the state's peninsula succumbs to the sea every decade?
Answer: Scientists estimate that roughly 10 feet of Florida's coast is lost to "sea level rise" every decade. Marshy areas are disappearing most quickly, according to University of Florida coastal engineer Bob Dean.