By Melissa Lattman

St. Pete Beach- Each Monday morning Police Sergeant Linda Fletcher brings her police vehicle in to Frank Kubicki at Pinellas Tire. For 26 years he has been checking the engine fluids and testing the air pressure in the tires. Frank comes from Pennsylvania and has lived in St. Petersburg since 1960. He has owned his business on the beach for more than 30 years.
On a Monday this winter Frank asked the police officer questions about the chest pain and shortness of breath he was experiencing while he changed a tire. Although Sergeant Fletcher encouraged Frank to go to the hospital he kept working on cars.
Sergeant Fletcher was persistent; on a mid-afternoon stop to the Blind Pass business she got Frank to go to the fire station where they checked his vital signs. A doctor’s visit and surgery followed in short order. Frank ended up having triple bypass surgery.
The 76-year old mechanic said he’s never sick and always active. “If it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t have gone and maybe it would have been too late,” Frank said.
“If you know Frank everything is no big deal, I will take care of it later,”
said Paul Pfister of the North Beach Civic Association who praised Fletcher for her persistence and service at a recent city council meeting.
The police sergeant’s caring continued as she telephoned about Frank’s recovery. His 24-year-old granddaughter Brandie Becker took one of Fletcher’s calls and said, “You know grandpa she’s your guardian angel.”
Now when Fletcher stops by with her police car Frank calls her his guardian angel.