Well, sure, it would be, but it's not uncommon for many to have a personally traumatic event happen to them and forever reflect upon the place it occurred in a negative light; such as divorce or death.
The way I see it, most transient areas have a level of sleaze not found in the more 'maturely developed' areas. One could point to Miami, or out west in fast-growing areas like Phoenix (and I won't even mention Las Vegas). Even Manhattan. As for Terri Schiavo, I don't know much about it, but it could have happened nearly anywhere in the US, it just so happened to be in Pinellas County.
I'm not really interested in debating "no, really! this city's great!" but more interested in why it stands out here rather than any other transient metro.
Having moved from upstate NY originally, I can definitely feel the effects, even in urban Florida, of the 'live and let live' vibe across the board, and Floridians' reluctance for government oversight. I (sort of) jokingly told my friend that if you can die of natural causes in Florida, you've won. But that gives me a refreshing sense of freedom unlike what one would experience back in NYS (and especially NYC). It's not for everyone, I guess - and that's what causes some of the slime to build up.
RULES, people!!!!!