Commissioner Phil Collins Treasure Island Florida

Gulf Beach News

The Truth, As Phil See's It

If you've gotten this far into the website I know two things. One, you can read. Two you have nothing better to do. I also know you probably read the ad for the Phil Collins driving school and may not know the story behind the story.

It was brought to the attention of T I Beach Bums from several reliable sources that on Jan. 12, 2005 our beloved Commissioner Collins appeared in the St. Petersburg Traffic Court to dispute a citation he received from the Treasure Island Police on 10/20/2004 for failing to stop for a school bus while the bus was operating it's flashing red lights in order to either pick up or drop off school children.

According to our sources, after the two officers gave their testimony, Commissioner Collins spoke to the Magistrate. According to our sources, Commissioner Collins told the Magistrate that he, Commissioner Collins had a clean driving record and had never received a citation. Because of the clean driving record, Commissioner Collins was evidently asking for leniency from the Magistrate.

The Magistrate then picked up a folder off his desk and peering into the folder began to recite the Commissioner's less then stellar driving record. It seems the Commissioner's so called clean driving record included 7 previous citations including a prior one for blowing by a school bus while the bus's red lights were flashing. The Magistrate apparently was not amused by the Commissioner's less then honest approach to testifying in court because he nearly doubled the normal fine for failing to stop for a school bus from the usual $154.50 to $300.00.

Upon hearing this story, a member of our staff, from her home computer, went to the Pinellas County website and was able to find out that Commissioner Collins has in fact received 8 traffic citations since 1989. We were also able to confirm that Commissioner Collins' fine for the latest citation had been nearly doubled. This of course does not count the number of times he may have been stopped by the Police and only been warned rather than being issued a citation.

Now I grant you that an individual's driving record may not be a determining factor in whether an individual would make a good Commissioner or a bad Commissioner. However, if true, when a Commissioner, or anyone for that matter, lies in a court of law about that driving record, then it is a determining factor.