Take a peek at the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s account of why Pinellas County is really settling its lawsuit with former assistant county administrator Rick Dodge. It points a finger at the St. Petersburg Times’ role in the case, with Dodge’s attorney alleging that top county leaders who wanted Dodge out “planted” a story with the newspaper that led to Dodge’s dismissal. Dodge claims the story and subsequent editorial ruined his reputation. The story was co-written by former Times reporter Jane Meinhart (an old friend and bureau colleague of mine during my tour of duty at the Times’ Clearwater bureau). Her former boss (and a target of her unsuccessful 2005 age discrimination lawsuit) and Clearwater managing editor Joe Childs denied the allegations in the story. Via an anonymous e-mail to the Political Whore column.

This article appears in Feb 15-21, 2006.