While his former colleagues on the Hillsborough County Commission have struck out twice with plans to help the homeless, Brian Blair, (left) now a candidate for the District 47 state House seat, offers this plan: Put them in a vacant hotel.

“It makes sense, across the board,” Blair said in a news release. “Hotels are already equipped for sheltering people. And it would, at the same time, help the homeless and create jobs.” Blair says the plan would entail selecting a vacant hotel, renovating it and moving in homeless people after background checks. “It’s not that county residents don’t feel that the homeless should have a place to stay, but the question is always, ‘Where?' Hotels are generally away from neighborhoods and shopping centers," Blair said. 

So far, Blair's opponents in the 2010 Republican primary for the post are Irene Guy, Tom Aderhold and Richard Reidy. According to the latest fundraising reports, Reidy has the most money in his campaign coffers. After two quarters, he reported bringing in $21,804. Guy, though, raised $21,026 in the first quarter after she announced her candidacy. Blair brought in $8,710.

Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer

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