Gonzo, the FCC has been easy on some of these renegade repeaters, but they are cracking down. There are a couple in Southern California that are still pretty wild. What is strange is that the FCC gets more upset if you don't identify and give your callsign every ten minutes than they do if you threaten people and use four-letter words. The FCC also gets very upset if you play music or jam out emergency traffic.
The FCC doesn't have the resources to cover every frequency. When KM sends you the book, why not ask for his ham radio equipment since he now lives out of state and won't need it any longer.
You have been a very good friend to him. You can use the radio to talk to all of your webmaster friends in Florida.