Former state Rep. Winston "Bud" Gardner has written an unpublished book called Sausage and Laws, which chronicles the short life and death of the 1987 sales tax on services.

The Democrat who represented Titusville touts the book as a "down and dirty look at raw politics, secret meetings and how the adversing broadcast industry brought a major state to its knees." The services tax was passed and then repealed the same year.

Should it be published, the book would be timely. Voters are
considering Constitutional Amendment 5 on the ballot this fall, which
would force lawmakers to take a tough look at again taxing services to
make up for other property tax cuts.

Gardner, 69,  works for an Orlando engineering firm and says he's worked
on the 190-page book, on and off, "mostly off," over the past 20 years.
He's schedule to retire May 1, 2009.

"With Governor Crist entering the debate on Amendment 5, maybe retired life will be very interesting," Gardner says.