Small Business Advisory Council

Yesterday, I was privileged to attend the Small Business Advisory Council meeting hosted by Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite at the Jerome Brown Center in Brooksville. Guest speakers for this meeting were Bob Carroll, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy, United States Treasury and Tom Wright, Executive Director for Americans for Fair Tax. Congresswoman Brown-Waite opened the meeting with brief comments which included information on small business and the need for tax reform. Before Ginny introduced Bob Carroll of the US Treasury, she made it clear that this was an informational meeting only, and not a debate between speakers. Mr. Carroll's presentation included discussions on the estate tax, health care costs and tax reform. Mr. Carroll outlined the Alternate Minimum Tax from its inception in 1966, and offered some suggestions to improve this system, like indexing this tax. Mr. Carroll discussed the Marriage Relief Act of 2001 which is set to sunset in 2010 and the need to make this (act) permanent. Bob Carroll discussed the need for future tax reform to have large corporate investment here, not overseas, and the aspect of small business having opportunities to re-invest to promote economic growth within our country. Mr. Carroll briefly discussed high health care cost and the Bush administration looking at initiatives to give individuals the same tax advantages for deductions and credits under health care savings plans as business. On the estate taxes, Mr. Carroll, and Ginny, stated that the House of Representatives had passed a repeal of this tax but it did not clear the Senate. Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite then introduced Tom Wright to give his presentation. Mr. Wright indicated that the Fair Tax idea is a national retail sales tax, currently estimated at the rate of 23% to 25%. This tax would be in addition to any imposed state sales taxing system. This national sales tax would replace the personal tax, estimated tax, social security tax , self-employment tax, etc. Mr. Wright indicated that this single rate was revenue neutral and replaces, dollar for dollar, the current system of taxation estimated at 23-25%. Ginny interjected that the estimated rate was more to the degree of 32-33% but would have to be determined through independent analysis. Mr. Wright stated that the Fair Tax would be imposed on all new goods and services. Discussion then ensued on the demise of former Governor Martinez for the imposition of sale tax on services under his administration. Mr. Wright stated that his Fair Tax concept was a tax on consumption, such that, the more one spends, the more tax someone would pay into the system. The Congresswoman then opened the presentation up to floor questions. One gentleman posed a question about the chances of having the Fair Tax pass. Tom Wright indicated that he currently had 60 co-sponsors and was 100% sure this would pass. Bob Carroll took the conservative approach stating that fundamental reform is needed and he looks forward to the discussion. Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite said that basic simplification of the tax system is needed and she foresees the Fair Tax passing in either the House, or Senate, in the years to come. Ginny emphasized that the chance of passing will depend on any harmful effects that this system may have on constituents. She also stated that public hearings are necessary to hear all sides of this issue which would include independent analysis of all the presented data. As a small business owner, I felt that Mr. Wright's presentation had considerable flare but was very short on substance. Nothing of substance was included to say how items like Social Security would be funded for those of us that have paid into the system, nor the matching amount required to be paid in by currently by employers. Mr. Wright's stated his idea of eliminating personal taxes from payroll would free up business but neglected to include the paper work nightmare of collecting a national sales tax, in addition to state sales tax (for business). In our society which is driven on the basic principals of supply and demand, any tax on that consumption could virtually damage our economic growth. Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite was right in stating the need for public hearings to examine all the facts on tax reform for our country to protect the interests of everyone.

Sounds like an oxymoron

Well, we are off to the races in the run for the Primary Election which is just weeks away on September 5th. For those local partisan enthusiasts, early voting begins Monday, August 21st. The Hernando Times has started printing their recommendations for candidates, from the state level to local races. One race in particular that has garnered considerable attention is that of county commission, district 2. Hubert "Wayne" Dukes (D) and Nancy Robinson (R) got the nod for this seat from the Times this morning. Dukes, a 32-year federal government employee was chosen by the paper for his longevity as a civil servant, citing he will weed out waste and promote efficiency. That sounds like an oxymoron to me. A 32-year government employee weeding out waste? Most fairy tales begin with "Once upon a time" so if the voters believe this, then they will believe Mr. Dukes' commitment to build a hospital on the east side of Hernando County. Apparently Mr. Dukes absence from Hernando County for the last two decades has prevented him from keeping up on the hometown news about the controversial hospital locations. His opponent, Rose Rocco was complemented as the second best choice for this seat, with the only negative comment being made about her changing political parties. Nancy Robinson was given the nod for her longevity in government, edging out her opponent Augie Peretti who is a self-proclaimed fiscal conservative. In their recommendation, the Times stated that Robinson has not demonstrated leadership commensurate with her lengthy term as commissioner and they appeared to excuse her for the change in party affiliation during her current term. Since there are no opponents to David Russell(R) and Jaime Wrye (D) in county commission, district 4 race, their recommendation from the Times will be done at the end of October. So, everyone, hold on to your seats (and wallets) as we slide into home base for the 2006 Primary Election. Please remember to vote, your voice will make a difference for Hernando County's future.

Staged campaign stunt

Hernando County Commission Chairwoman Diane Rowden was quoted in this morning's Hernando Times as saying, "I don't think that their agenda right now is for the best interests of the people of Mitchell Heights. They are just trying to incite additional fears." Ms. Rowden was referring to the 6 or so protestors in front of the old Hernando DPW site yesterday morning. This handful of protestors said they were there to protest the scheduled demolition of old buildings on site that should begin today. First, the clean-up at this site was not fast enough, now it is going too fast for the Mitchell Heights Health Awareness and Restoration Board. Since the county officials have been following proper protocol with clean up efforts, and public notification at the old DPW site, there was no reason for this protest. This "protest" appears only to be a staged campaign stunt to promote county commission candidate, Ronnie McLean, and both newspapers took the bait by publishing his photo on their front pages. Other discouraging information about this incident was that of Brooksville city councilman Frankie Burnett participating in this stunt, stating that it was a failure of the county to communicate with the neighbors of Mitchell Heights. The public would have been far better served if Mr. Burnett had expended his energy, in his capacity as an elected official, by telephoning Commissioner Rowden or county administrator Gary Kuhl to inquire about the demolition process. There is enough blame to go around for the delay in cleaning up the hazards at this old DPW site but manufacturing media coverage, by holding a protest to incite fear in the neighborhood, is an unacceptable means of promoting a cause, or candidate.

No authority under the law...

Hernando County Supervisor of Elections, Annie Williams, stated in the newspaper on Wednesday that her office can only levy fines and does not have investigative powers. By statute, the Florida Department of State has the enforcement powers for campaign rule violations but does not investigate. If both of these statements are true, then just who protects our electoral process in Hernando County? If Annie Williams does not investigate, or enforce the rules, then it must be safe to assume that her duties are merely that of a clerical status, holding no authority under the law to protect our election system. Ms. Williams stated that any campaign finance complaints against candidates must be filed with the Florida Commission on Ethics. Does this mean she relies on a system of one candidate turning in another candidate, for any perceived violations, during the campaign because that is not under her job description? What happens when violations are handed to Ms. Williams? Does she just ignore them? The answer is yes. For example, a situation involving a civic activist named Linda Hayward has been ignored after two requests to Ms. Williams. You see Ms. Hayward is promoting an issue of lower Ad Valorem taxes countywide, by handing out flyers with candidate statements from Steve Mattingly, Wayne Dukes, Augie Peretti and David Russell. This $500.00 in-kind contribution to these candidates for advertising purposes is for the intent of promoting a single issue of significantly lowering Ad Valorem taxes. Ms. Hayward checked with Annie Williams before having these items printed for the proper required disclaimers but was not advised to file the appropriate financial disclosure forms with the SOE's office. For that matter, Steve Mattingly, Wayne Dukes, Augie Peretti and David Russell neglected to include this $500.00 in-kind contribution in their July 28, 2006 financial documents. Florida statutes clearly defines this rule:

106.071 Independent expenditures; electioneering communications; reports; disclaimers.--
(1) Each person who makes an independent expenditure with respect to any candidate or issue, and each individual who makes an expenditure for an electioneering communication which is not otherwise reported pursuant to this chapter, which expenditure, in the aggregate, is in the amount of $100 or more, shall file periodic reports of such expenditures in the same manner, at the same time, subject to the same penalties, and with the same officer as a political committee supporting or opposing such candidate or issue.

Florida has been seen as the laughing stock of the world for election errors. Who can ever forget the missing chad, the hanging chad, the dangling chad, repeated over and over in the news in the 2000 election until everyone in Florida wanted to put a bag over their head in shame. We do not need that type of disgrace in Hernando County with our electoral process. If it isn't Annie Williams, the Supervisor of Elections job, then whose is it?

A little ironic

As I was driving to work this morning something interesting caught my attention. It was campaign signs. It is not unusal to see campaign signs littering the right of way, and the state forestry property in my neck of the woods because this happens every election season. What mystified me was the name(s) on the campaign signs. The majority of these illegal signs belonged to candidates for judicial positions. It is a little ironic to have a person running for a judicial position that has not read the sign ordinances. Just in case the Hernando County Code Enforcement sends someone out to look for these signs, please stop for several seconds to inspect the courthouse lawn. A faded banner of the Hernando County Parks Department has been swinging from the palm trees for over a month and it needs your attention...

August Bandshell Bash

The Bandshell Bash will feature JT Curtis and the Silver Eagle Band on August 12th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Bandshell Bash takes place at Hernando Park located at 204 East Fort Dade Avenue in downtown Brooksville. JT Curtis and the Silver Eagle Band has opened and performed with some major stars like: Brooks & Dunn Lonestar, Toby Keith, Lynard Skynard and the Allman Brothers. This event is fun for everyone because the music is always rated "family friendly". Bring your lawns chairs and your appetite because they usually have several food vendors. The Brooksville Cruise-In of antique hot rods are also on display during the event.

Newcomers make mistakes...

In this morning newspaper, Supervisor of Elections, Annie Williams was quoted as saying: "That is not uncommon for newcomers to make mistakes. We do have candidates that periodically need a little more help than others because it's new to them." Ms. Williams also stated that she did not if Ronnie McLean would face any fines but she would sit down with him on Thursday to correct his campaign reports. Possibly the Supervisor of Election could ask Mr. McLean why his treasurer failed to report contributions to his campaign last April and May, even though campaign finance laws require prompt reporting on his campaign treasurer's report, as prescribed by Florida Statutes. Another valid question Ms. Williams should ask Ronnie McLean is why he knowingly signed a Waiver of Report stating that he had no activity in his campaign for the reporting period of April through July when he had accepted $2,275.00 for that period. Another pertinent question that the SOE's office should ask Mr. McLean is why his designated campaign treasurer did not sign his treasurer report, dated July 28, 2006. One more point of interest that should be brought to Mr. McLean's attention is the incomplete report filed on July 28, 2006 that did not have the full addresses of all his contributors, nor did it have the required sequencing numbers. The SOE could also ask Mr. McLean why his printed campaign literature is not reflected in his treasurer report and why it (literature) does not contain the legal disclaimers reguired by law. The newspaper stated that it was unclear whether Mr. McLean would face any fines by the Supervisor of Elections office. Strict laws are written in Florida Statutes (104 to 106) to govern electors, elections, campaigns, campaign committees, etc. The following is the statement that every local candidate for public office is required to sign with the Supervisor of Elections Office. I,_______________________ , candidate for the office _______________________; have received, read and understand the requirements of Chapter 106, Florida Statutes. The campaign treasurer is required to certify that campaign records are true and correct, by understanding it is a first degree misdemeanor to falsify a public record (ss.839.13 F.S.) Hopefully, our Supervisor of Elections, Annie Williams, will stand behind her statement: "It's not something that should be taken lightly."

2006 Veterans Appreciation Parade

My thanks go out to the Brooksville City Council for waiving the associated fees and insurance for our 6th Annual Veterans Appreciation Parade at their meeting last night. Our parade is to honor all our veterans, including those currently serving to protect our freedom worldwide. The parade is scheduled on November 11 at 10 a.m. in downtown Brooksville. As the parade coordinator, I would like to thank the American Legion/Post 99 for allowing us to conduct our meetings in their facility again this year. Thanks also go out to Bob Haa at WWJB for his continued support of this peoples parade. Bob has invited Chief Tincher and I to promote this parade on his morning talk show every year. Hopefully, with community support, we can out-do ourselves over last year's parade. Last year we had floats, lots of participants, many veterans groups, military vehicle, Vietnam Veterans on motorcycles, even a float from Pinellas county, along with the Hernando High School Band (and much more). Please watch for the flyers in your area (soon) with the details. Stay tuned for more developing information in the coming weeks!

Fire Master Plan

Last night at the Brooksville City Council meeting, Karen Nicolai, Clerk of Hernando County Court, invited Chief Mossgrove to participate in the Hernando County Master Planning Project for Fire and Rescue Services. Ms. Nicolai requested that the city council allow Chief Mossgrove to participate in the meetings. A consensus of the council was approved after guarantees were given that the city would not be taken over by the county. The city attorney, David LaCroix, assured them (council) that this would not be possible without the prior approval of the Brooksville City Council. Chief Mossgrove welcomed the invitation by Ms. Nicolai and gave a run down on why his input would be beneficial to this committee. It seems Chief Mossgrove has prior experience in writing fire master plans since he just completed one for the city last year. Ms. Nicolai indicated that an RFP (request for proposal) would go out soon for a consultant to participate in these planning meetings. She also indicated that after a consultant was on board Gary Kuhl would not be participating in these meetings and her office would only send a representative. All countywide fire chiefs have been invited to participate in this master plan process. For a fair outcome, it is important that representatives from the High Point Fire District, Hernando Beach Volunteer Fire Department and the Tri-County Fire Department also be included these meetings. It is great to see that our fire safety will finally be reviewed by an analytical screening committee of all the top fire people in our county, without the background noise of local politics.

DCA meeting

The Florida Department of Community Affairs will meet this Thursday afternoon, August 10th, in Tallahassee to discuss the Hickory Hill Comprehensive Plan Amendment for Hernando County. Listed below is the address and phone numbers for your convenience:


Department of Community Affairs
Division of Community Planning
2555 Shumard Oak Blvd
Tallahassee, FL 32399-7018
(850)488-8466 / Secretary
(850)487-4545

USDCA is located in an Office Park complex.

Outstanding Contributions

Hernando County may soon become famous through the hard work and determination of Brian Brijbag. Mr. Brijbag has done in-depth research of the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker and has gotten the attention of WEDU / Tampa for a future program to promote arts, nature and conservation. Mr. Brijbad is working on a 60-minute program about the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker that is meant to entertain and educate the public. The sandhill terrain of the Withlacoochee State Forest is the home to these endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers. Grants have been applied for to promote this project for this WEDU broadcast and hopefully it will picked up as a national program through PBS. Mr. Brijbad is a current member of the Hernando County Fine Arts Council, the host of Hernando Culture (seen on the local Brighthouse channel 19), an Adjunct Professor at PHCC and on the Bandshell Bash Committee. Mr. Brijbag was also recently hired as the new Re-development Coordinator for the city of Brooksville. Everyone should be very pleased to have Brian Brijbag in our community for his outstanding contributions countywide.

Candidate forum last night

The candidate forum on Hernando Beach last night was standing room only. Many of those in attendance with the candidates were their committees, family members and friends. This forum was much like any other year, with very few surprises. The top issue mentioned by all candidates was skyrocketing insurance rates for homeowners. The local issue of interest was the explosive growth in Hernando County. Tables were set up around the perimeter of the room for each candidate to display brochures for the public before the event. The public mingled by these tables listening to candidates before the forum. Major players from both political parties were on hand in the audience to listen to their respective candidates, as the newspaper reporters and photographers covered the event. One new candidate for county commission that took his opponent by surprise was Jamie Wrye. Mr. Wrye was articulate, informed on the issues, and fast on his feet with wit and charm, leaving his opponent scrambling for words, as questions were drawn from audience input. All in all, though, this year's crop of candidates was typical of those in years past, with some being very polished professionals, to the novice, unskilled amateurs. No matter what the degree of skill, or polish, all the candidates should be acknowledged, and thanked, for taking on the challenge of a campaign for public office.

Interesting legislation

As a member of Safari Club International, I receive weekly newsletters via email. Even though SCI, Inc. is a hunting organization, it is also very active in conservation and environmental issues along with the concerns of gun owners worldwide. I received the following information by email this afternoon that I thought you might like to read:

Louisiana's Senator David Vitter and U.S. Representative Charles Boustany have each introduced legislation (S. 1488 and H.R. 3436, respectively) that would require the President of the United States to certify to Congress each year that the U.N. has taken no action to "restrict, attempt to restrict, or otherwise adversely infringe upon the rights of individuals in the United States to possess a firearm or ammunition." Should the president be unable to provide that certification, the legislation would allow for the refusal to submit any funding to the U.N. for that fiscal year.

Biggest campaign issue in a decade

As the Primary Election day quickly approaches, many incumbents are ducking for cover, trying to hide from the biggest campaign issue the state of Florida has seen in a decade. It just happens to be skyrocketing homeowners insurance and the financial burden it is causing on property owners in this state. Three elected officials are publicly talking about homeowners property insurance reform and need to be recognized for their efforts. The three elected officials that have met this catastrophic insurance crisis head-on are Congresswoman Ginny Brown Waite, Chief Financial Officer for the state of Florida, Tom Gallagher and state Representative Randy Johnson. Congresswoman Brown-Waite has been working hard in Congress on the re-insurance problem http://brown-waite.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=2101 and has publicly asked Governor Bush call a special session of the legislature to address the problem. Tom Gallagher who is candidate for governor has consistently stressed the need revamp the insurance industry in the state of Florida http://www.tg2006.com/Pages/News/PressReleaseDetails.aspx?p_id=93 starting with Citizens Insurance. Rep. Randy Johnson who is running for CFO for the state of Florida has issued a position paper http://www.johnsonforcfo.com/issues/Insurance_Plan.pdf on insurance reform. Its really hard to imagine but we really do have a few hard working politicians who put their constituents first, before themselves. Ginny Brown-Waite, Tom Gallagher and Randy Johnson are bravely facing this insurance crisis head-on and deserve a real round of applause from each of us at the polls on September 5th.

A contract, so to speak

A commitment, a covenant, a deal, a negotiation, a pact, an arrangement, an agreement, so to speak, are all synonyms for the word contract. This is what our county administrator Mr. Gary Kuhl signed when he became a contract employee with Hernando County less than six months ago. In this contract was the stipulation that Mr. Kuhl live in Hernando County and he had 6 months to move from his current residence in Citrus County. This morning, Mr. Kuhl requested a contract change from the Board of County Commissioners so he could remain as a resident of Citrus County. The Hernando County residency requirement was understood by all applicants that originally applied for the county administrator position. Each commissioner stated they did not want to lose Mr. Kuhl, even though he had publicly stated in this morning's newspaper he would comply with the stipulations in his original contract. The commissioners then voted 4-0 revise Mr. Kuhl's contract, deleting the verbiage concerning his place of residence so he could remain in Citrus County.

With friends like these?

Wasn't Katherine Harris the person that took the heat for the election of George W. Bush in 2000 when she was our Florida's Secretary of State, while standing by the letter of the law. Wasn't Katherine Harris the person that stood tall with Governor Jeb Bush throughout this 2000 election turmoil, as it went to the US Supreme Court? Hasn't Katherine Harris done an outstanding job as a republican congresswoman for her district? Hasn't Katherine Harris been a loyal Reagan republican, never uttering an unkind word to anyone in her party? The answer is yes to all of the above, so why is she being unfairly targeted by major republican party players like Senator Elizabeth Dole, Governor Jeb Bush, and once again, Carole Jean Jordan, the chairwoman of the Republican Party of Florida? Its a shame that the major hurdle in Katherine Harris' Senate race has been internal to the own republican party strife. Somehow the old slogan fits this example which is, "With friends like these, who needs enemies?" Katherine Harris has held her head high throughout her campaign, despite all the criticism of her peers. She has had a smile on her face, and a positive message in her campaign. No matter what the outcome of the election is, at the end of the day, Katherine Harris will be the clear winner.

A new day dawning?

Is a new day dawning on the horizon in Hernando County or is this just turning out to be another typically weird year, politically speaking, that is? Just think about it for a minute. A county commissioner resigned his position early to run for a Florida House seat. Another state representative is running for county commission. A sitting county commissioner changed her political party midstream into the term and is now running under the new banner of republican. Another candidate changed party affiliation and is running for county commission as a democrat. Democrats are attending republican fundraising events. The strangest one yet is the news that a well, established republican women's club, turned political action committee, is extending invitations to interview republicans and democrats, alike, before the Primary Election. This musical chair routine really looks like the game of Mr. Potato Head we played as children. You remember, switch the heads or faces and the body remains the same. What is in store for us next? Maybe Jeff Webb of the Hernando Times was correct when he stated it was time to have non-partisan county commissioners. If it isn't time for a change by the Florida Legislature for non-partisan county commissioner elections, then maybe they could humor us here in Hernando County by changing the date of our General Election this year. October 31st would be a more suitable date which just happens to be Halloween!

Budget workshop yesterday

Some things never change and this was proven true once again yesterday when I attended the Hernando County Board of Commissioners budget workshop. I commend Commissioner Jeff Stabins for asking months ago that the staff bring back budget reduction suggestions. The county staff did include the reduction suggestions, requested by Mr. Stabins. To those of you that follow the county budget each year, you know little changes except for the actual presentation used by the staff. This year's budget workshop seemed like a re-run of year's past, with the staff using the same hot button issues for tax reduction, like reducing library hours, reducing the animal services hours, paperless agendas, etc. All these reductions were sacrificial lambs, so to speak, and pale in comparison to this year's increase of 16.1% ($399 million) over last year's budget. No real discussion took place by the commissioners on meaningful budget reform at this workshop. In fact, the commissioners did not have questions for any constitutional officers, even though they were all in attendance with their department's budget personnel. This workshop was also suppose to discuss the $1 million of General Fund revenue for the Hernando County Fire Rescue. The only discussion was by Gary Kuhl who referenced a meeting with the Spring Hill Fire Rescue, in regards to future dispatch services. The budget director glossed over the Mercer Study, saying that 6.6% increases for county employee salaries was compatible with the current cost of living in Hernando County. Unfortunately, many of our residents have to survive on a fixed income of less than a 4% yearly increase in Hernando County. The one item that did not even raise an eyebrow from the commissioners until the citizens brought it up ( in public comments) was the $6 million increase in the General Fund Reserve Funds. This additional $6 million brings the General Fund Reserve account up to 20% for a total over $24 million (in reserves) of taxpayer money. The only item that seemed feasible was the requested by Debbie Walker Druzbik for $400,000.00 to assist in county special needs shelter to be located a Oak Hill Hospital. This facility has been necessary for years and Oak Hill Hospital is (once again) generously offering Hernando County the ability to share in the construction of this facility. This facility will be maintained by Oak Hill Hospital so this $400k is a on time cost to cover construction. Tom Leto, Emergency Management Director, stated that this special needs shelter will be a mandated in several years and would meet the initial state guidelines. Somehow the lines of responsibility have been blurred when it comes to our county budgetary process. It is the responsibility of our commissioners, not the county staff, to eliminate the pork from our annual budget. Was I disappointed by attending yesterday's workshop? The answer is yes but I have hope that our commissioners will come back next month with their pencils sharpened and be ready to do their jobs.

Budget suggestions

The Hernando County Commission will conduct a workshop this week to review the various department(s)budget requests for the coming year. The Hernando County Sheriff's Department has submitted a budget exceeding $30 million which is 9.8 percent over last year. One line item the commissioners should closely consider when reviewing Sheriff Nugent's budget is the overall cost of his department's vehicles with the related cost of yearly maintenance,vehicle replacement, and vehicle insurance. The Sheriff has a current policy to allow all the patrol deputies to take their vehicles home. The deputies use these vehicles for personal use when not on duty. The thought behind this vehicle policy is that the visibility of the cruiser in local neighborhoods and commercial districts reduces crime. With this policy comes the cost of having a vehicle for every patrol deputy; providing vehicle insurance, even for personal use of the deputy; providing fuel at taxpayer expense for the patrol deputy to take home and back to work; providing maintenance on the vehicle; early replacement of vehicles due to higher mileage; and needing more vehicles for deputies on and off duty. The growth of this county has appeared to out date this vehicle take-home policy. A cost analysis should be done to compare the current vehicle policy at the sheriff's department, in terms of cost versus the savings. Savings that could be seen with deputies parking these vehicles at the end of their shift. This analysis should investigate whether the take home policy really prevents crime, versus the money that could be saved that could possibly put more patrol officers on the streets of Hernando County. Real statistics like the ones presented are available through the city of Tampa. When former Mayor Greco took office, at the end of Sandy Friedman's term, his first official act as mayor was to park all patrol cars when not in official use. The savings were remarkable and Mayor Greco was able to immediately put many more officers on the streets of Tampa without costing the taxpayers additional dollars. Hopefully, our commissioners will ask the tough questions for all the departments and consider an audit of this vehicle policy currently used by the Sheriff's Department.

Schenck's possible replacement

Please say a little prayer that Governor Jeb Bush has the wisdom to appoint Roy Martin as the interim county commissioner to replace the seat vacated by Robert Schenck. Mr. Martin is a highly respected, semi-retired businessman that will be able to soundly make the hard decisions over the next few months to guide us into the future. I served with Roy on the EAR committee for the revisions on our current comprehensive plan and found his demeanor to be calm and reserved, but firm when necessary, to make decisions on the vital issues at hand. Mr. Martin also served on the 25 member committee with Len Tria to review the capital improvements necessary over the long term for Hernando County. Besides these two very important committees, Roy Martin is a member of the Hernando County Port Authority Board, the president of the Wellington Republican Club, and is also very active within his own Wellington community. Meaning no disrespect to Mr. Tom Hogan, Sr. but his qualifications as the state republican committeeman do not warrant this type of appointment by the governor. And the other applicant, a self-appointed political activist, also does not have the qualifications to serve as an interim commissioner. The Hernando County Commission does not need the arm-chair politics of these two individuals to overshadow the important votes (on this board) like Hickory Hill, the budget, and the DPW clean-up. Hernando County needs the firm guidance of Roy Martin to get us through the next few months until the voters of Hernando County can choose a new commissioner for district 4. If anyone would like to contact the governor's office to express their opinion, go to www.myflorida.com and click on Governor Bush's web page.

***Please note that if Tom Hogan, Sr. is appointed as the interim commissioner he will be held to the same standards as Robert Schenck which will require him to immediately resign his position as state committeeman for the republican party. The position of state committeeman is considered an elective office, therefore would fall under the same requirements of the dual office holder provisions covered by the Florida State Statutes.

Heartburn...

Mild heartburn was the best way to describe the evening at the Chili-in-July event, sponsored by the Republican Executive Committee as a fundraiser, to highlight this year's candidates for office. A moderate gathering of approximately 100 people attended this event to sample homemade chili prepared by candidates and elected officials. The overall atmosphere of the evening somehow lacked the usual election year excitement and had the tone of a typical political, rubber chicken dinner, without the chicken, just heartburn. The heartburn came from the many samples of chili from very, spicy, to somewhat bland, to just plan awful. But it was all done in good fun, with each candidate vying for the title of the best chili chef for the year. My favorite was prepared by the Tom Gallagher campaign which was slightly spicy and on the sweet side. My second choice was made by Gail Samples that had quite a kick to it. The worst chili won my Tums award and the chef will remain anonymous. Some of the those that participated were Ginny Brown Waite, Jeff Stabins, Rich Nugent and Robert Schenck. Even though this was a Republican fundraiser, County Commission Chairwoman Diane Rowden and her husband Jay, Democratic Executive Chairman, attended the event. It seems the REC public press notices for this event lacked the usual disclaimer that always specifies for registered republicans only. Seems like somebody goofed on this one. Ms. Rowden and her husband were very polite though, chatting with everyone, while sampling chili. Each candidate table was set up with the typical campaign literature, with the respective candidates dishing up their brand of chili. Festive red, white and blue decorations adorned the room in the typical election year fashion. It was nice to see some old friends and enjoy a few laughs during the evening. Some of the small talk consisted about the unfolding events over the last several days, namely the resignation of Robert Schenck from the county commissioner. Some low whispers were heard discussing the possible replacements for Schenck's commission seat by appointment of the governor. Since no real names were confirmed we'll just have to wait and see who will take the plunge. This Chili-in-July is the official kick off for the certified candidates to run full speed ahead to the Primary Election. Good luck everyone!

Atta-boy Ginny

Below is a small section of a letter I received from Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite this morning, directed to Governor Jeb Bush, requesting a Special Session of the Legislature be called to address the property insurance crisis in the state of Florida:

The Honorable Jeb Bush
Office of the Governor
The Capitol
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
Dear Governor Bush:

I commend you for creating the Property and Casualty Insurance Reform Committee. It is imperative
that the Committee begin its work immediately so that you may convene a Special Session to implement their solutions.

Every public official in the State of Florida has heard constituent outcry over skyrocketing insurance rates.
Homeowners are in jeopardy of losing their homes, and business owners are contemplating closing their
doors. Constituent cries are no longer simple outrage; they are desperation and fear. Without a solution, one hurricane this year will cripple our state and bring the economic prosperity we have experienced to a grinding halt. I know you share this fear, based on recent comments I have heard you make in the press.


Skyrocketing insurance rates are the most pressing issue to Floridians, and as you stated in your Executive
Order, more far-reaching measures are needed than those included in SB 1980. I urge you to appoint the
members of the Committee and convene a Special Session as soon as possible to solve this crisis.
As a Member of Congress, and a Florida resident, I thank you for your efforts and look forward to working
with you in providing a solution to this pressing crisis.
Sincerely,
Ginny Brown-Waite
Member of Congress

Atta-boy Ginny for listening to the citizens of the state of Florida who are trying to desperately deal with this insurance crisis!

Schenck resigns...

I just confirmed with Annie Williams, Hernando County Supervisor of Elections, that Robert Schenck officially resigned his position as our county commissioner at 9:08 a.m. local time, July 20, 2006. Mr. Schenck's letter of resignation stated that he wanted to devote more time for his campaign for the Florida Legislature. Annie Williams has contacted the Florida Department of State and Governor Jeb Bush's office with this news. We will just have to wait and see what unfolds in the coming days and if the governor will appoint a replacement to fill Robert Schenck's vacated county commission seat.

Fiscally Prudent??

Many of us made a choice during the last several years to stay put in our homes and not get caught up in the real estate market boom. It has been tempting to sell our homes at a high price to buy a new home but the practical side of being fiscally prudent stopped many of us when faced with the practical questions of long term budgets necessary for home ownership. Some of the major reasons for not selling our properties at a high rate to rob our equity was the fact any new home purchase would have a very large property tax value attached to it. The Save Our Homes Amendment, passed by voters in 1992, has protected our investments from being over burdened by high property taxes with a 3% maximum cap per year. Yesterday, Governor Jeb Bush appointed a 15-member committee to remove inequities in Florida's property taxes. The focus of this committee will be to explore the inequities between the older homes that took advantage of the Save Our Home Amendment and those that bought homes over the last several years at very high market values. The Governor and the Florida Legislature's Taxation and Budget Reform Committee should remember the Save Our Homes Amendment was passed overwhelming by the citizens of this state to, in part, curb the spending of our state officials by controlling the increases on our property taxes. Those of us that are fiscally prudent with our finances are wondering why this committee was formed by our governor. A better thought for a governor appointed committee would have been to revamp the property insurance industry that is crippling the state of Florida and was virtually ignored by our Florida Legislature in this year's session.

Mercer Study

I received this email in reference to the recent Mercer study for Hernando County Government employees pay and wage scale evaluation on Sunday. The name of the letter writer has been deleted to protect the identity of the individual. I will write more on this current Mercer Study later in the week but I think this letter clearly states the perspective of a Hernando County employee. See below:

AnnaLiisa:
I read in the paper today about the Mercer Study and possible 7% raises for some employees. As a county employee I won’t say anything publicly. But, I wish someone would ask to publicly look at the Top and Middle Management's Mercer results. It would surprise them that many of their pay ranges were increased, some even 2-3 pay grades. The only reason is to open the upper end of their pay scale and tell John Q. Taxpayer that these top level employeess are low on their pay scale. On the other hand, the worker bees, I'm talking about the guys in the parks and trenches find that their pay grades mainly remain constant. There is iniquity. I don't understand why someone making $30-50+ dollars an hour has to have more from our tax dollars.

Also, HR has a new sick/vacation plan, combining the sick and vacation time into one, PTO. The HR Director has notoriously told exempt personnel that they can come in for an hour or so, and if they get sick, can go home and because they're exempt, they don't have to use sick leave hours for that time. (That may be true for private corporations, however, it's not the case for taxpayer coffers} So, many of the top employees therefore have large amounts of time on the books, because they are not using it. I don't mean to sound like ALL mid-level and upper management misuse their time, but there are those that do. According to the new policy, employees may now sell back up to 80 PTO hours annually at 80% of their pay. So, those exempt employees who have been told they don't have to use their time for doctor appointments, manicures, hair cuts, etc. are elated to get an extra 80 hours pay at 80% of their hourly rate in their pockets.

HR is professing that the new policy will eliminate misuse of sick time, however you may see that management may be the biggest culprit in misuse of sick time. The little guy uses his sick time for doctor appointments, blood work or whatever. The employees are losing about 32 hours a year by combining the vacation and sick time, and many are upset..

I don't feel it's my place, as an employee to speak up and cause dissent. But an outsider, looking in, like yourself, certainly can bring some questions to the forefront, if you so desire to do so. Just please keep my name out of it, if you will.

(Signature deleted by request of writer)

Fire Rate Increase

After an approximately 3 hour Public Hearing to raise the fire fees in the Hernando County Fire Rescue District, a vote was taken to approve a single-payer rate of 156.37 (per residence) with one million dollars to come from the General Fund (for a total of two million dollars). This approval is for the addition of 9 new firefighters at approximately $500,000 dollars, with the rest to cover other expenses not clearly defined by Chief Nickerson. This detailed fire budget discussion will take place at next week's county commissioner meeting. In this motion to approve by the BCC, nothing was mentioned about the 5.5% annual increase for inflationary rate adjustments, or to immediately allow the Hernando County Sheriff's Department to take over all dispatch for emergency services in Hernando County. Hopefully, this Consulting Project, directed by Karen Nicolai, to review all fire services in Hernando County, will iron out all the details of a Master Plan structure and funding sources, along with organization structure, by the time budget hearings roll around in 2007-08. Keep your fingers crossed!

Nice Gesture, but

It was a nice gesture for the Hernando County Commission to donate $500.00 each to the Spring Hill Dixie Girls Fast pitch Softball Angels and the softball Ponytails State Champions for their trip(s) but this was our tax money. This may sound just a little petty but I already contributed $400.00 a girl's softball team from Kennedy Park through my business this year. This well intended gesture from our five commissioners should come from their personal checkbooks and not the county's General Fund dollars.

Right-wing arrogance

I would like to suggest Senator Mike Fasano read an excellent book written by former New Jersey Governor, Christine Todd Whitman, titled "It's My Party, Too". Her book delivers straight-talk that calls for moderates everywhere to oppose right-wing arrogance, and re-establish a rational center that has been eradicated in recent years within the GOP. Her book is viewed by many as vital reading for those fed up with the extremism that plaques our politics of today. After reading this book, Mr. Fasano needs to remember that he represents a large contingent of Republicans, as an elected Senator in the state of Florida. His letter to candidate Tom Gallagher to drop out of the race for governor, signed by ten GOP lawmakers, does not represent the founding principals applied by our forefathers when forming this republic we call the United States of America. The state of Florida has a closed Primary Election process that allows the voters of the two major parties the ability to choose their candidates for the General Election. No where in Florida's Constitution does it state that a letter by a handful of arrogant supporters of one candidate has the ability to ask the other candidate to bow out of a race before the voters have had the opportunity to participate in the election process. Senator Fasano should take heed to this quote by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 that stated, in part, "Our party detests the technique of pitting group against group for cheap political advantage. Republicans view as a central principal of conduct, E pluribus unum, Out of many--one." Governor Whitman's book is relatively inexpensive in paperback, and is a must read for all of us that still believe that the Republican Party is that of the Big Umbrella.

Flurry of activity

Over the last several days, a flurry of activity has taken place on the property across from the street from the City of Brooksville's DPW building on Brooksville Avenue. A truck, with the marking of Ground Water Protection, from the FDOT is apparently conducting studies of the old fuel depot for possible contamination. It appears that a test well has been drilled to test water samples. This is all pure speculation on my part, but I pass this lot on my way to work every morning and noticed the activity of work crews. Hopefully, this is a first step in cleaning up this eyesore that has existed for years on this property.

Asleep at the switch?

Was Commissioner Stabins asleep at the switch when he voted to forward a comprehensive plan amendment to DCA in June for the Hickory Hill development? It makes one wonder after reading both newspapers this morning because Mr. Stabins is once again promoting a super majority vote of 4/5 for any comprehensive plan amendment, based on information from workshops he conducted almost two years ago. Incidentally, the vote on the Hickory Hill amendment was 3-2, with Mr. Stabins being one of those in the majority. Commissioners Stabins position has some of us confused on future land issues. For example, it must be noted Commissioner Stabins voted against the re-zoning of 4 parcels in the Sunrise PDD on Wednesday even though these (parcels) have been in the comprehensive plan since the early 1990's. Everyone is scratching their head wondering exactly what is Mr. Stabins policy on the future growth in Hernando County. Please Commissioner Stabins, we need a clear, concise message on your position.

Fire Master Plan

The Clerk of Court, Karen Nicolai, along with our county administrator, Gary Kuhl, have formed a committee to review the Hernando County fire service which will be based on the best way to fund the operation and how to operate a fire protection service. After wiping my eyes in disbelief this morning while reading the related articles in the local newspaper(s), I wondered why this approach had not been taken 6 years ago. Imagine an actual master planning document that addresses the needs of everyone in this county, based on health, safety and welfare, and not the political whims of county commissioners pandering to their populace. The Hernando County Fire Rescue was given a free reign on our fire fees by the Board of County Commissioners to throw money at a countywide problem in 2001, with very little oversight on the spending habits of this fire district. With a massive rate increase hearing looming for all of us in the HCFR district, many are asking just what are we getting for our fire fees, and will we be protected from harm in the event of a fire or related emergency. One suggestion I have for this Audit Planning and Priority Committee should be to review the prospects of hiring a qualified fire administrator to oversee fire/emergency services in Hernando County. Meaning no disrespect to Chief Nickerson or Chief Morrison, but Hernando County has outgrown your capabilities and we need a qualified fire administrator to protect our safety, and our pocketbooks. Another suggestion would be to enlist the aid of an insurance specialist, qualified in ISO ratings, to set up 5 mile radius rings in Hernando County to properly site the location of any new fire stations needed for existing properties, and new growth. A realistic approach to fire station sightings, based on ISO ratings, is a must to insure everyone is being protected throughout Hernando County. Hopefully, the Hernando County Commission will put this proposed rate increase on hold at the public hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 18th. Please give this committee time to adequately review, and investigate, all aspects of the needs for everyone in Hernando County, to achieve the best possible fire service available, while keeping in mind it needs to be affordable for everyone.

Citizens Sticker Shock

Several weeks ago, I received my renewal notice for my homeowner's insurance premium. The only way to describe my first reaction was sticker shock. My premium increased almost $900.00 over last year's bill, making this year's total a whooping $1,897.00 for my coverage. Included in this amount was a line item for $165.00 for the bailout of Citizens Insurance. With all the news coverage about the insurance crisis in this state, I was not surprised by this large rate increase, just disgusted, knowing this problem could have been fixed by the Florida Legislature this year in their regular session. Just after paying my yearly premium, I received an email titled, An Unwise Growth Subsidy. This email was an article about other types of insurance that is underwritten by Citizens Insurance, one of which is a type of insurance to developers called a Builders Risk policy. Builders Risk insurance provides coverage to developers while a building is under construction. At the end of May 2006, Citizens Insurance was covering 5,723 construction projects for condos, single family homes and commercial buildings throughout the state of Florida, with a total exposure of $5.1 Billion in high risk areas. It seems Citizens Insurance encourages development in areas of high risk where building should not even occur because of the jobs and economic opportunity created by these projects. Once these projects are built, the property owners will wind up with Citizens for homeowners coverage. For example, one Builders Rick policy is covering a $74 million condo project on the beach which is currently under construction and guess who is subsidizing this project? You, me and every other homeowner in this state with homeowners insurance is subsidizing high risk properties and construction projects. Governor Jeb Bush needs to step up to the plate and immediately call a special session of the Florida Legislature to fix this insurance crisis instead of ignoring the growing roar of voices pleading for help from all 67 counties in this state. Hats off to the Hernando County and Pasco County Commissioners who voted to send letters to the state, requesting a special session be held to fix the insurance crisis plaguing homeowners.

Times Have Changed

Ethical, good, correct, fitting, honest, honorable, principally, and upright were descriptions once used for our elected officials and leaders in our community. Times have changed radically and so have the morals of many who serve us locally in the public capacity. Arrogant, rude, self-serving, dishonest could be the replacement words of yester-year. Just think about it, we have a commissioner that thinks nothing of having his spouse employed by a lobbyist for a local developer; another commissioner conducting tutoring in his Hernando County office while pocketing a personal paycheck from the school board, a commissioner that thinks nothing of collecting thousands of dollars for her re-election campaign from developers and their lobbyist, a commissioner-candidate that filled his campaign coffers with state lobbyist money; and the best one yet is the tattle-tale commissioner that uses every opportunity to squeal on his associates to glorify himself. Does any of this make you wonder why most people are completely turned off by local politics in Hernando County. Yahoo, the good old boy/girl network is alive and well, right here in our hometown!

Bandshell Bash

Linda Anderson, treasurer of the Hernando County Fine Arts Council supplied this information to me via email:

Tomorrow is Second Saturday - Bandshell Bash!

This month is "Family Night", a continuing celebration of July 4th holiday.

The evening will be started off by Last Chance 2 Try. This local group was the winner of our June Battle of the Bands. Our headliner is DeLei'd Parrots. This is a return performance for this fun group (by popular demand!) Also talented students from the Suncoast School of the Performing Arts will be entertaining us.

In addition to the free concert, we have the Cruise-In (cars and bikes) and we've added a People's Choice award for all entries. And of course the food and other miscellaneous vendors.

Also this month we will have a hotdog eating contest, children's activities and lots more fun. Hope to see you there. Come early and browse the downtown shops.

Lost Innocence

My South African adventure was far more than a hunting trip or safari. It was like stepping back in time. I mentally took notice of many details of the people and their cultures on our trip. Even though Apartheid has been abolished in South Africa, segregation still exists within their society. This segregation is not the image of trying to maintain white ascendancy or separateness but that of the "blacks" and the "colored" segregating themselves from each other in practices, such as housing, etc. We got an education from our professional hunter that blacks were just that, a pure black race and colored's were a mixed race. The terms "blacks and colored" are used to describe each race in South Africa. I mentioned to Glen, our professional hunter, the term African American is used in our country and he asked why would they do that? I did not have an answer after all that I had witnessed in South Africa. We took a tour of the inner-city of Port Elizabeth, called the Real City Tour given by a black tour guide named Nelson. Yes, he was named Nelson after Nelson Mandella. Nelson took us to areas that could only be described as third world. These sites included: tin shacks made of old roofing material; children sitting in dirt; open markets with dead chickens laying on the ground for purchase; common water spigots for drinking water, bathing, bathroom, and laundry facilities placed periodically between the sheds; goats, chickens and dogs wandering between the sheds; new schools built by the state for the children; new houses being built to replace the tin sheds. Nelson, our tour guide, spoke with pride of the progress that has been made within his country to build new housing that consists of a concrete structure approximately 10' x 20' with an indoor toilet. All this housing is segregated by colored and blacks of their choosing, not the government. These houses are a vast improvement to the tin sheds and cardboard boxes currently used as housing. We were treated to dinner at one of their local pubs at the end of our tour. Although the meal was very meager, the hospitality was overwhelming. The pub owner asked us in very broken English where we were from and I was hesitant to respond out of fear because of all the media attention that somehow US citizens are hated worldwide. When I said we were from the United States, he stated emphatically that he loved George W. Bush. He said he loved Bush because our president freed the Iraqi people like Nelson Mandella had freed his people in South Africa. This feeling was echoed by our professional hunters who had also remarked that George Bush had saved the world from that madman, Saddam Hussein of Iraq. They remarked that they had seen the be-heading of the US citizen by terrorists on their TV sets and were outraged at the violence. These South Africans could not understand how our news media had sanitized our news and made the United States somehow seem evil in the eyes of the world when, in fact, the opposite is true. I will end by saying the innocence of the people of South Africa was truly refreshing and their humility was a virtue. This step back in time was a way to reflect on the United States and ask how we have lost our way and will be every regain that innocence again.

Segregated Learning?

Our two newspapers have reported that Westside Elementary will be conducting same sex classroom education next year. Please pinch me and tell me I have been dreaming because they cannot actually be considering a segregated learning environment for our children, again. I say again because I lived through that experience in the 1960's during my school experience. Yes, I'm old (older, oldest, whatever) to have gone to school in the 1960's but this was the era of the Civil Rights movement which guaranteed equal rights to everyone, from minorities to women, of all genders. I went to Dixie Hollins High School in Pinellas County which was a industrial arts school, similar to that of our Nature Coast High School. I had to fight to get into classes reserved only for the male students like Industrial Electronics, Drafting and Shop class. I remember vividly asking my guidance counselor why they were trying to push me into classes, like sewing and cosmetology, when my interest clearly was in the electrical field. My poor guidance counselor looked flabbergasted when I cited the 1964 Civil Rights Act when explaining my position on the subject matter reserved for males only. I requested to be placed in the Industrial Arts program, reserved for male students only, and I am proud to say that I was the first female student to enter, and complete, the Industrial Electronics program at Dixie Hollins High School in 1969. Incidentally, these class requirements included higher math like Algebra II and Geometry. These math classes were thought to be above the female learning experience at the time which had been explained with a left-hand, right-hand brain theory, by some survey of experts. I'm proud to say I graduated on the Dean's list to shoot a hole in the theory that women could not learn in a mixed, male environment. Our school board members should reconsider this segregated learning experience being proposed at Westside Elementary. Teaching, by segregation, in my opinion, is a step back in time that we do not need to take in Hernando County.

Walking the Fence

In this morning's edition of the Hernando Today, the following quote appeared in the article titled, Hickory Hill goes to state for review: Commissioners said it made sense to send the project off to DCA because that agency’s input will give them and the public a better grasp on the complexity of the issues. Their vote, they said, was not an endorsement either way of how they will ultimately vote in the future. Since this was a 3-2 vote, with Commissioners Schenck, Stabbins and Robinson voting in the affirmative, maybe they can answer this question for the public. Wasn't it your job, as our elected officials, to determine if this application warranted a major change in our comprehensive plan and not just simply pass it off to the state Department of Community Affairs? The commissioners stated it was not an endorsement either way of how they will ultimately vote in the future on this project. Do they not understand the process? If DCA gives its stamp of approval for this major comprehensive plan change then it will be virtually impossible to deny any requests for re-zonings for this Hickory Hill project since this PDD will become a permanent part of our comprehensive plan. It appears that Commissioners Schenck, Stabbins and Robinson wanted their cake, and to be able to eat it too, by appearing to walk the fence on this issue.

South Africa Adventure

Jet lag and exhaustion from my South Africa safari was only a minor inconvenience in the large scope of my adventure. What a marvelous vacation! The landscape and the beauty of South Africa was almost equal to the hospitality of the warm, friendly people who reside there. The breathtaking beauty of South Africa is somewhat reminiscent of that of northern Arizona. The mountain ranges and valleys were dotted with large, flowering aloe plants, nestled between the cactus. Watching the wildlife was a sight to behold. One afternoon while hunting, I watched hundreds of majestic animals like zebra, kudo, springbok and wildebeast roam in a valley as the wind blew a brisk breeze. Although the temperature was hovering around 30 degrees Fahrenheit in the late afternoon, the sights were so overwhelming beautiful I was oblivious to the cold. I met so many wonderful people in this rustic country area near Craddock, South Africa, from the lodge proprietors, Penny and Peter, to our professional hunter, Glen Elliott. I was humbled to be in the presence of these most warm and friendly people. I will write more in the days to come on my experiences in South Africa but today I would like to focus on my hunt. As a first time hunter, my challenges were great by first overcoming my apprehension of the first kill, to the complete accuracy of my shot to be a humane hunter. I have four trophies in all which include a Red Hartebeest, a Springbok, a Blesbok and a Mountain Reedbuck. Without going into detail on each animal, I would like to comment on the Mountain Reedbuck. It was a clean, one shot take down, through the heart at 250 yards. My husband, Tony and our professional hunter, Glen were so excited they slapped me on the back in unison and nearly knocked me off the jump seat of the Land Rover. I will end with the saying of one of the professional hunters named Sokkie which was, its my story and I can tell it anyway I want to...So that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

As the commercial goes

Just as the commercial goes: Wife, mother, small business owner, college student, volunteer, now world traveler. I'm going on safari and sightseeing in South Africa and will see you all on this web page when I return on June 9th. I am sure I will have many interesting stories to share so please stop back then.

Fire Consolidation

Fire Consolidation Rebuttal to Hernando Today and WWJB Radio's position:

In my opinion, county-wide consolidation of the fire districts is premature at this time based on many critical facts that have been discussed at length over the past ten years. Many people have worked diligently to discuss county-wide consolidation, from the citizen-lead committees, to the 800 plus people that voiced their opinion at the fairgrounds in 1999, and each had varying opinions on the subject, most of which revolved around money. The previous Hernando County Fire Board, chaired by a prominent member of our community, worked for two years on this issue and came to the conclusion that services took a back- seat to the needs of HCFR wanting to collect more money to enlarge their department. Several critical issues in our community would need to be faced head-on if a county-wide consolidation were to take place which are:

• Spring Hill was voted in by a mandate of the people and would need to be abolished by a similar vote.
• Hernando Beach is a very viable volunteer department and operates at the pleasure of beach citizens.
• High Point Volunteer, operates at the wishes of their community and should be given time to iron out their problems.
• Tri-County Volunteer Dept. is as certified and equipped as HCFR.
• The City of Brooksville has an excellent fire department with a city-wide ISO rating of 4.
• Countywide consolidation would not solve the problems of all property owners. Many properties fall outside any 5 mile radius ring in (relation to fire departments) and could possibly cause people to lose their homeowners insurance or have it rise to level beyond their ability to pay for coverage based on fire department current locations.

In closing, making something bigger does not necessarily make it better and that could certainly be said when it comes to government. Consolidation of all the fire districts in Hernando County would create a massive bureaucracy, which would be fueled by our taxpayer money, and have very little oversight, in my opinion.

Frivolous Article

A frivolous article ran in the Hernando Times today on the front page of section E titled, Not Her Strong Suit, which was about Katherine Harris who is a candidate for US Senate. Frankly, the article written by Sharon Fink, seemed to be a little caddy, if not just plain mean-spirited about Rep. Katherine Harris. The writer decided to critique the clothing Mrs. Harris wore last week while meeting President Bush at MacDill Air Force Base, with the aid of three Tampa Bay area image consultants. Its not necessary to reiterate the content of Ms. Finks article except to say this displayed a real lack of taste, and was sexist, to say the least. Since the St. Petersburg Times prides ithself on being fair and impartial, especially to women and minorities, why did they allow this rubbish to be printed in their paper? Possibly to redeem their credibility, the St. Petersburg Times could run a full page article about her opponent, Senator Bill Nelson, and criticize his clothing down to the most minute detail.

Fire Rate Increases

Chief Mike Nickerson, Hernando County Fire Rescue, went before the County Commissioners to present two new funding options for residential structures today. Option A would be a maximum of $236.38 on a residence which would be a 185% increase over last year's rates. Option B would be a maximum of $305.06 which would be an increase of 238% from last year. Both of these methods would have a automatic cost of living increase built into the fire rates (each year) at 5% minimum to 8% maximum per year. After much discussion, and input from several citizens (myself included), the commissioners tabled the issue to next week's meeting. The discussion next week will be necessary to set the funding limits for legal notices to be sent out to all homeowners under the service of the HCFR for the public hearing scheduled in July to raise our fire fees. Input will be taken next week by the commissioners regarding the citizen's opinions on Chief Nickerson's rate increases request. Chief Nickerson was quoted today as saying they could reduce this amount but would have to cut some services. The services to be cut were not discussed but neither were the spending habits of the HCFR district. Last year Chief Nickerson attempted to raise the rates over 35% while trying to sell the idea of a new fire administration building, with a fire training school on site, but was held to a 23% increase on residential property. It would be interesting to find out if HCFR has elaborate plans for this new rate increase request. Remember several months ago, the Hernando County Parks Department had included a swimming pool in their budget which was exposed in the newspaper after some in-depth research by a reporter. A novel approach would be to have the HCFR justify each one of their expenditures before any rate increases are approved by the county commissioners and spell out exactly what the property owners are getting in exchange for their fees. One item that should be kept in mind is that most rural areas do not have the luxury of a nearby fire hydrant and have to depend on a pumper truck, with one tank of water, to solve their fire problems in an emergency. If this rate increase affects you, call your county commissioners at 754-4000 today to voice your opinion.

County Commission/district 4

The race for Hernando County Commission, district 4 just became a little more interesting this morning. Sindra Ridge pre-qualified as a candidate for this position at the Supervisor of Elections office this morning. Ms. Ridge, who had just recently changed her party affiliation from republican to democrat, signed up as democratic candidate to challenge the lone republican, David Russell for the seat. The name Sindra Ridge should sound familiar since she has been quoted many times in the local newspapers on issues concerning growth management and Hernando County's Comprehensive Plan. Time will only tell if anymore candidates will jump on board for this year's election. The only incumbent candidate without opposition is school board representative, Sandra Nicholson, who has held down that seat for 12 years.

"Happy Mother's Day to all mothers, grandmothers, and soon-to-be moms! Anna Liisa

Legislative Performance

Tampa Bay Business Journal has been running an online poll about the performance of the Florida Legislative term that just concluded on May 5, 2006. These are the following results of this poll:

How did elected officials do in Florida's 2006 legislative session?
How much did legislators accomplish in the 2006 Florida legislative session?

Nothing
12%

Very little
37%

They were somewhat successful
40%

They were successful
9%

They had results beyond expectations

If you do the math, the Legislature tied itself with somewhat successful, to success, at 49% and nothing, to doing very little at 49%. Although this poll is unscientific, it appears that the Florida Legislature performed at a mediocre level in the eyes of the Tampa Bay business community that reads this Tampa Bay Business Journal on a daily basis. Maybe the lack of any real solutions to correct the insurance industry, relating to homeowner's insurance, in our state played a large part in lack of enthusiasm of the performance of our legislators.

Volunteer Recognition

Yesterday, the annual Volunteer Recognition Program took place at the Christ Lutheran Church on North Avenue in Brooksville to thank all the partners in public service for Hernando County. This program was coordinated by Brenda Frazier, with the assistance of Rick Foti and his crew, to assist the Hernando County Commission and staff in thanking the many volunteers that serve our county. Jen Holloway, of Bay News 9, gave a rousing speech about volunteering adding her own personal touch with comments about her own family. Certificates of Appreciation were presented by the county commissioners to volunteers that serve on all the advisory boards, committees, emergency management, library, county extension, volunteer fire departments and adopt-a-road programs. Some of the others recognized were the many volunteers that also serve in county offices throughout the county. Sheriff Nugent presented certificates of appreciation to the neighborhood crime watch groups. A very pretty, young woman named Lucy Werner sang several songs to the delight of the audience. Door prizes were given out as the event was winding down and then everyone was invited to refreshments served by the Christ Lutheran Church Men's Club. A special thanks needs to be extended to Reverend Drankwater for his hospitality. Most of all, though, Brenda Frazier and Rick Foti's crew deserve a round of applause from all (us) volunteers for making this event so successful again this year!

Protect the children...

This is a special thanks to one of my anonymous neighbors that has been watching out for the welfare of the children in our neighborhood. Someone has taken the time to regularly post the addresses and photographs of the sexual predators of our zip code at our local post office. This is a tremendous help to the busy parent, or grandparent, concerned with the safety and welfare of their children. This information has been posted on the bulletin board outside the post office where everyone can see it when picking up mail. To those of you that do not know the rural area of northeast Hernando County, we do not receive delivered mail so the bulletin board is a way of communicating with all the neighbors. It is heart warming to see that my neighbor has taken the time to protect the local children in this small way.

Thanks Ginny

Congresswoman Ginny Brown Waite voted today on the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 which extends the alternative minimum tax relief, the increased limit on small business expensing, and the low rates on capital gains and dividends which passed 244-185 on a bi-partisan vote. Congresswoman Brown-Waite also was able to gain a commitment from House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas to pass legislation to extend the state and local sales tax deduction for Florida taxpayers in an future subsequent round of tax legislation. Representative Brown-Waite was quoted as saying, "The state sales tax deduction brings huge benefits for all Floridians. Since Florida has no state income tax, our residents are unable to take that deduction from their Federal tax liability like those in other states can. We changed that dynamic to allow this deduction. This is an issue of fairness and one that Congress must address and make permanent." Thanks, Ginny for all your hard work!

Rebuttal of Editorial

This is a rebuttal I submitted to the Hernando Today in response to Robert Nolte's editorial this morning.

Grandstanding, testy, unflappable, divisive, rambling, folly, arbitrarily, torpedo, legal liability and judicial jeopardy are just a few descriptions used by Mr. Robert Nolte, editor of the Hernando Today, when referring to the Hernando County Planning and Zoning Commission's review of the project titled, the Hickory Hill Comprehensive Plan Amendment CPAM 06-2, at their meeting on Monday, May 8th. While it was economically feasible for this editor to embellish his opinion on the volunteer members of the Planning & Zoning Commission to peddle his product, his editorial was not written with sound, honest facts relating to the comprehensive plan amendment process prescribed by Florida Statutes, Chapter 163 and the local Hernando County ordinance and policy. This editor appears to have a real lack of knowledge of responsibility given to the Hernando Planning and Zoning Commission by our County Commission, that is duly expressed by written ordinance and the Florida Statutes. The P & Z Commission acts in an official capacity in re-zoning applications as jurors in the quasi judicial process, as prescribed by the FL Statutes. In addition to these re-zonings procedures, the Planning & Zoning Commission has also been tasked by the County Commission with the review process of land use issues, such as comprehensive plan amendments, and issues relating to land use specified in the zoning ordinance. The review of comprehensive plan amendments, like that of the Hickory Hill Comprehensive Plan Amendment CPAM 06-2 on Monday's agenda, are given in-depth consideration by every member of the P & Z Commission. Hopefully, Mr. Nolte will take the opportunity to educate himself on the current comprehensive plan that was amended, and re-adopted on December 14, 2005 and became effective on February 17, 2006. This current comprehensive plan, adopted by our County Commission and reviewed by the Florida Department of Community Affairs, was a two year process of gathering facts throughout the county. This revision process of the Comprehensive Plan entailed many facets of the community which included a county-wide survey, 5 workshops throughout the county by the Hernando County Planning Department, along with a 7-month Evaluation and Appraisal Review (EAR) process. The 19-member EAR committee was comprised of community members, along with all the members of the Planning and Zoning Commission. The Hernando County Commission reviewed these procedures every step of the way by conducting workshops for public input. It would be suggested that before offering any further subjective opinions on the Planning & Zoning Commission, Mr. Nolte educate himself on the comprehensive plan amendment process prescribed by the Florida Statutes, plus review the newly adopted comprehensive plan, dated February 17, 2006, before assuming that amendments are somehow an entitlement process of any applicant at hand. Hopefully, Mr. Nolte will think before reaching into his bag of tricks for anymore derogatory adjectives to describe any Planning & Zoning Commissioners and do us all a favor by stopping by his local library to peruse the newly adopted comprehensive plan which has been overwhelming supported by the majority of the citizens of Hernando County.

Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to represent my point of view...Anna Liisa

Sneak Preview

A sneak preview of coming events includes two very exciting projects being developed through the Hernando County Fine Arts Council. Their Special Events Committee has been hard at work planning several exciting events. Two of these events are titled, 'Swing at the Station" and "the Jazz Festival at Weeki Wachee". The "Swing at the Station" will take place during Heritage Days this October, with the "Jazz Festival" penciled in for March of next year. The "Swing" event will include a top rated swing band, playing at the old Railroad Station on Russell Street in downtown Brooksville. Other ideas are being floated for this Swing event is to have a street dance, an ice cream social, hot dogs, and hula-hoop contests, along with other children's games. This Swing at the Station will be a welcome edition to the jam-packed week of events already planned for the Heritage Day Celebration in Downtown Brooksville. As for the Jazz Festival, Mayor Robyn Anderson has already jumped on board to give her approval so the committee can begin planning this event, too. I will keep you updated as the plans progress with the special Events Committee. P.S. Don't forget the Annual Hernando County Fine Arts Festival at Tom Varn Park over the Memorial Day weekend. This festival is a very worthwhile way to spend the weekend, checking out all the beautiful artwork, entertainment, and yes, food. Best of all, it is free to the public!

Eminent Domain

Today, the Florida Senate passed a proposed Constitutional Amendment limiting the ability of local government to condemn private property for redevelopment. This amendment, HJR 1569, passed in the Senate by a 38-2 margin and was sent back to the House for some minor modifications. If approved by the voters, this bill would go into effect on January 2, 2007 and would put an immediate halt to any project currently under way, or even in the planning stages. Senator Jim King of Jacksonville was quoted as saying that private property is a God-given, by our forefathers, right. We will all look forward to this Constitutional Amendment appearing on the ballot this election year. Thanks to everyone in the Senate and the House for recognizing that eminent domain rules in the state of Florida needed to be strengthened after the US Supreme Court decision last year.

Special Election Validation

As promised, Representative David Russell has gotten the House to pass HB 1183 to validate the Hernando County School Board 1/2 cent sales referendum. This measure was on the 2004 General Election as a referendum but had not been advertised properly by the Hernando County School Board to be within the guidelines of the Florida Statutes. The bill reads as:

HB 1183 - Hernando County Special Election Validation
LOCAL BILL by Russell
Hernando County Special Election Validation: Validates all acts and proceedings had and taken in connection with the special election held in Hernando County on March 9, 2004, to authorize the levy of a discretionary sales surtax in Hernando County for the purpose of providing funds to finance the cost of new schools and equipment and improvements associated with such schools within the county; declares such special election legal and valid.

This HB 1183 is sure to breeze through the Senate and then onto the Governor's desk for his signature. The only thing left to free up over $6.3 million in sales tax funds for school construction is for a judge to give his stamp of approval for this procedure.

Rather Expensive Gift

The outgoing Florida House Speaker, Alan Bense received a rather expensive going away gift from his fellow House members last week. Mr. Bense was presented with the keys to a classic 1977 Corvette, valued at approximately $9,800.00. This corvette was purchased by the Republican Party of Florida from a car dealership in Tampa. A representative from the state Republican Party must have had second thoughts about the purchase made with party funds because they had attempted to have the check returned to them. When the car dealer refused to return their check, two House Republican's covered the expediture made by the RPOF with their own money. These two Representatives then took up a collection from other Florida House members at approximately $110.00 per person. The extravagant purchase of this Corvette for House Speaker Alan Bense seems rather odd since he is a multi-millionaire and could well afford to buy his own vehicle. It must be noted that Alan Bense is the same person being courted by the Republican Party of Florida to enter the race against Katherine Harris for U.S. Senate at the close of the Florida Legislative session on May 5, 2006. One would have to wonder if there is any connection that can be made with the purchase of this vehicle and the desire by the RPOF to have Alan Bense enter the race for U.S. Senate or is it just pure coincidence?

Please ask questions...

Yesterday, a story ran in the Hernando Times about a home buyer having problems with his building contractor. Apparently this home buyer is having difficulty getting his house completed, even after paying a considerable sum of money to the building contractor. Its not really necessary to mention the home buyer, or contractor, by name since this problem arises quite frequently within the construction industry. The typical scenario involves the home buyer paying money out in good faith for a product, and then rightfully expecting the general contractor to fulfill his agreement. A small handful of contractors get into trouble for many reasons which could range from just poor management, to over extending their business, taking on too much work, incompetence, or just plan fraud. Whatever the circumstances, many people get hurt when a building contractor defaults on a job from the home buyer, to the subcontractor, and the material suppliers. Hernando County Building Director, Grant Tolbert, was quoted in this article giving advice to the homeowners, or potential home buyers, to make sure a Partial Release of Lien is obtained before any money changes hands. This Partial Release ensures that the general contractor is paying the cost of the labor and material up front and this document will protect the buyer from having a lien placed on their property by a subcontractor or material supplier. All this information can be found in the Florida Statutes 713 on the construction lien process. FL Statute 713 is a "must read" for anyone using the services of a general contractor, electrical contractor, plumbing, contractor, a/c contractor, etc. to protect their investments. The link to this site can be found at:

http://www.flsenate.gov/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=Ch0713/part01.htm&StatuteYear=2005&Title=%2D%3E2005%2D%3EChapter%20713%2D%3EPart%20I

Each time a property owner gets hurt by an unscrupulous general contractor, the subcontractor gets labeled the bad guy when liens are placed on property. Unfortunately, the subcontractor is only attempting to collect monies owed to them which have not been paid by the general contractor. It is the property owners responsibility to educate themselves on the construction process within the state of Florida, so please take a few minutes to read Florida Statute 713. Next time you use the services of a contractor, read all the documents from the Notice of commencement, the building permit, to the Notice to Owners, and ask questions if you do not understand the process. Any legitimate contractor should not be insulted by questions of the property owner. One last bit of advice, never, never, pay for all your work up front, demand partial release of liens for all money paid out and make sure your contractor is licensed, and insured, to do business within Hernando County.