Pasco County meeting record

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1Sep 19, 2023
Board of County CommissionersC8Consent agendaContinued
Approved minutes
Approved to continue Agenda items C8 and C9 to the December 5, 2023 Board of County Commissioners meeting in New Port Richey.
Open this item →
3m1/2
Kathryn Starkey
then Commissioner I'd like to do C eight because we have three city council people and the city manager here. So if we get through that one quick. Well, C eight and
Unidentified speakerVoice A
C Line them to have to
be.
Kathryn Starkey
Commissioner Starkey, there's two, C eight, C nine. Well we can take them both up there.
Seth Weightman
Thank you so much.
We've doing chairs doing it, so
much. Thank you, Commissioner, for the kind
Unidentified speakerVoice A
words.
Ron OakleyVice Chair
Yeah.
Kathryn Starkey
Yeah, but signing to do sort of one closer.
But you're not.
I might be cracking this
Ron OakleyVice Chair
out.
Someone on this side. Yeah, someone on that one.
Bob
Okay, just go first, please, everybody.
Ron OakleyVice Chair
Yeah.
Bob
Good, Jill.
Ron OakleyVice Chair
Yeah.
Um doing Mm-hmm.
Mark Kahn
Thank you. And then the camera. The
Bob
real camera.
Mm-hmm.
Ron OakleyVice Chair
Oh man.
Kathryn Starkey
We
Unidentified speakerVoice B
Which one are we going to do?
Kathryn Starkey
No no we you gotta do oh no I'm just letting you know we also have a bond closing at lunchtime.
Jack MarianoChair
I pulled C eight C nine because I wanted a discussion on it. It's twelve oh seven. I've got some paperwork I've gotta do and other things, so I think we should carry that after lunch. We can do it first thing.
Kathryn Starkey
Time certain um at one thirty
Jack MarianoChair
we'll do it one thirty, we'll do that first before we do other stuff.
Alan Rose
Okay.
Jack MarianoChair
All right.
Ron OakleyVice Chair
I'd not be happy that it's not a good thing.
Jack MarianoChair
So we're joined for lunch.
Ron OakleyVice Chair
Yeah, it's not a
35m2/2
Jack MarianoChair
Good afternoon. We're gonna resume the Board of County Commissioners meeting. Oh thank you. And two items, we have a few consent items. We're gonna pick up two that we didn't get through. And uh Item C eight. Was pulled by myself. The interlocal agreement of the city of New Port Richey and town and country annexation to the transfer. Of public roads jurisdiction.
Seth Weightman
It's eight
Jack MarianoChair
eight
Seth Weightman
nine chair.
Jack MarianoChair
So town and country is something that I had worked on extensively with first the people that owned a lot of units in there um that were being under code uh trouble for quite a while. Had a lot of troubles down there. I know the city spent a lot of time in there trying to go in there and fix it as well. Got some good TV publicity, uh bad TV publicity. Uh but I think the staff went in there and did a great job cleaning up two different times going through it. Uh in that period of time working with Colbus Alpegren from Habitat for Humanity
for West Pasco, they went and worked with us and they bought 71 units. The county then picked up 71, paid for them, uh, put a transfer in with Habitat for Humanity to have them build homes. We had homes built in that area. Um And one of the struggles Habitat had was had to raise them up three or four feet, which hurt the value uh and increased the cost, so their profitability dropped down. they work with the previous administrator to go sell the properties. Um I objected
to that Didn't hear anything more about it not knowing all the conversations going on with the city of Newport Ritchie and when I found out that they had sold the property, even after getting a letter to that, I was surprised that it di did didn't come back to us or at any point. Um So with all these negotiations going on, one of the things we did with Habitat right at the bat, working with the city folks, and not the two gentlemen sitting with us, but uh Jeff Starkey and I think Debbie Mance was there, we talked about what we're gonna do to try to re-revitalize that area and go through. And one was
to boot the septic to sewer air. Um one of the problems that I felt was the uh the city at the time did not want to uh waive the impact fee that was gonna be coming in. So the money we're gonna be raising, working with U.S. Water, they did some great work for us. The cost was like 2.3 million or so. part of the money was going to go for those fees. So with all that, I'm not sure how it all played out, but um everything stagnated. We did try to get money through the state, um didn't get funded, and and now we're
to this point. As I look at the agreement, um talking to uh Mike Carbello about it, uh I asked, I says, so if they take this over, um, is this gonna go into the CRA? And as I see in the agreement, Mike, uh you in looking at it, you can see now that it does say it's gonna go to the CRA.
Mike Carballa
Correct. And I and I think the reason for that is is that's how the the city is going to fund their share of the improvements is by getting that into the C R A, is my understanding. City reps are here, of course, and they can answer to that, but that's generally what I'm saying.
Jack MarianoChair
So in in that Uh thing. One of the things we did with the city of Port Ritchie was we worked we just signed an agreement I think last meeting where they took people uh different areas that were pretty affluent out of the CRA to come forward. One of the conversations with Dan Biles was to do the same thing with the city. I think we did some a couple of years ago. D has any more of that happened in the conversations?
Mike Carballa
Not to my knowledge and and definitely not during my first year here. I've not really had any at-length discussions on on making any adjustments to the C R A with the city, no sir.
Jack MarianoChair
Okay. All right. So the first part is just the interlocal agreement about the transfer uh and annexation. Um But it ties in to me to the second part as well. Um so Commissioner Starkey you want to make a comment about this particular part?
Kathryn Starkey
Yeah, and um you know this is m where this is my neighborhood. Um it's not my
Jack MarianoChair
district
Kathryn Starkey
but it is my neighborhood and It is so much better than it used to be. Um you couldn't go to my public's there without watching drug deals go down in the in front of them. Um and it's gotten a lot better. Um I used to be shocked to drive down those roads and see People that looked like they were dead laying under trees, um on nasty sofas and
It it was bad. It was really bad. It is much better uh than it was, um, but it still has a long way to go. It's an odd piece, Commissioner. It's an enclave. It is It is the city it is the county's property surrounded by the city on all sides. So it's it's it creates issues with the sheriff, and the Newport Ridgie police, um fire. I think we we have a fire station coming nearby. Um I My brother in
law Frank, um Pro Bono designed the a layout for the community. And um it sits on the The um Habitat board. And And um my neighborhood helped actually pay for one of the habitat houses. We we we fund we did fundraisers within our Gulf Harbors community. And and Built one of the houses. I was disappointed. When Habitat sold the lots that they had a uh accumulated.
I I I'm not gonna denied that. I mean I I was kind of shocked actually. Um But this is the way I look at it. Um and I've had numerous meetings with the Newport Ritchie about this and making sure they had skin in the game as the county is putting skin in the game. This is a very It's a pocket of crime and dereliction in that area. That needs to be cleaned up. And if if we can work together. To
clean it up. I think that's great. And so now that they're coming in with a million and a half. Um plus plus my understanding is they're gonna be buying those lots back and using it for the intended purpose that we wanted it to be. I think that's a good project. Um Frankly, I hope this is the beginning of other opportunities on the 19th quarter to go into derelict communities and give them a shot in the arm. I
know this is in your district. I've got some down in mine. Um that really needs some attention, um, mile stretch. Holiday Drive. And I think you have others in yours that could have this little little focus, so I am in full support. of working with the city of New Port Richey to
Three, four block area, maybe cleaned up. On the tax rolls. They take it over. That's fine. Um And and then I'd say let's try and do it again somewhere else. Maybe not with them, maybe with Port Ritchie or just us, but let Let us clean up some of these bad areas.
Get get 'em rejuvenated, so.
Jack MarianoChair
As you say, Mr. Commissioner Starkey, this was terrible for a long time. And I want to say Mike Carbella and his team did a phenomenal job going in there cleaning it up. And it wasn't just one road through, it was like two roads through as far as going through to clean it up. And the second one was massive. And for what used to be there is not nearly as bad. All the bad stuff is pretty much cleared out, it's empty land. The problem, and I was trying to get this done from before, and I you've heard so to just go put the septic to sewer uh put the sewer system connections
in is not the answer. Because what happens is if you ever go down those roads and you go look in the during the daytime, after storm's come in, there's water in all the water. All these streets in the in the in the yards where the kids plu uh kids can't c can't go outside. So if we're gonna do this, and I said this from the get-go, we need to put a more comprehensive plan to work with DEP, work with the State, SWIFTMU, et cetera, and get Phil in there to raise it up three feet. Why do you that's
Unidentified speakerVoice C
what they're gonna do?
Jack MarianoChair
So if we're gonna go do that, that thing's gonna get lifted up all the way through. Otherwise you're just gonna and not all of it, it's probably like half of it needs to be done. But otherwise you're gonna get affordable housing with kids out there that can't go out in the yard, it's gonna be a slump. I want to see it done right. Now and now let me go further. The other thing that you got to do is if we're going to go look at putting money into this project, I don't want to throw good money in after bad. Uh there's other projects like Green Key Road could be a great project to go do that you can go fund that would be great for the city and the county for all the people there. But if we're gonna
go look for money for septic for to convert septic to sewer, Commissioner Starkey you were with me? Commissioner Oakley, I think you were with me. When we talked to who? Senator Simpson. Commissioner Agriculture Simpson, what did he say? He said he's got money out there. I think there's money, rather than taking our hard-earned taxpayer money, which we're gonna be battling with later on today, about how we're gonna go fund what we gotta go fund.
From what commissioner uh what Mike Mike Carbella sent us. We're looking at trying to make cuts even from our existing millage. Just gonna take hard taxpayer dollar. If we can go work together, which I'd rather do, and go get state funding. uh through the Commissioner Oakley or the just the state, even federal money, that's where this we s this project should go. So you want to elevate it, let's go elevate it. But don't take hard taxpayer money when there's other money that can be used out there.
Kathryn Starkey
I I um think that we've had this money allocated for years. Uh we did this deal with them. Um, I think I am fully Okay with them doing that. Um and frankly Uh they can apply for the grants and do all those things. We don't have to be the one. This is an enclave. Um let's help let's Help lift this. this community up and let them run with it. They have a C R A district. We don't. That
they have the ability to go after different kinds of money for this that cities can get that we can't. Why would we take it on and then turn it over to them? Let them do it.
Jack MarianoChair
Why would I go spend two millions of Pasco County taxpayer money to go help the project when I can go other ways about it? Why would I want to go do that? Especially when w we're gonna have a millage battle later on today about how we're gonna pay for our put our budget together.
Kathryn Starkey
Because this is a joint project that we've been working on for six, eight years and now we're gonna pull the rug out and we're we've we're ten houses in and we're pulling the rug out. I I just don't think that's the way you do projects.
Jack MarianoChair
Well Why didn't we speak up when Habitat offered the property back to us? No one jumped on it. I
Kathryn Starkey
said I didn't want to
Jack MarianoChair
sell it.
Kathryn Starkey
I didn't get that. I didn't see that letter. I would have said something first.
One of you guys? Sorry, I know Debbie had to
Jack MarianoChair
hang on a second. This is not open forum, but before we bring you up.
Seth Weightman
Thank you, Chairman Mariano. Was it the old board or the new board with the habitat? What you do so with the
Jack MarianoChair
old board bought all the property. From the before the habitats m merged with Pinellas. So that board Of Habitat went out and bought all the properties. And we worked with them to go fund it. We tried to fund it different ways. So we funded it. And they were gonna pay us back as they sold, which they did for the first seven. The new habitat with West Penasco joining Penellus They built the f first seven. They were losing money. They didn't like that. So they said we're going to stop the project because we don't
want to build in an area that's in the flood zone still. And I I will tell you, going out there personally It didn't make sense, even though we put some pill out there. to have kids that can't go play in the yard. with with affordable housing. So Habitat decided to and they sent the letter to the county. Dan Bowser wor worked it. Uh when I saw the letter and and we talked about it, I didn't want the sale to happen. Um No further conversation happened with it and again with no sunshine, not knowing what was going on with all these n these negotiations,
which I didn't know you were negotiating. I wish I had known, just like uh as far as the district with the sp district commission that spent so much time working on this thing, frankly, and that's probably why these conversations went so f so far, because I would have worked this a lot differently for us. But anyway, so habitat Sold it. to some developers and I guess some others have picked up the difference. I'm not sure where we stand. But yeah they they sold.
Kathryn Starkey
So uh Commissioner it it may be in a flood zone. My house in Gulf Harbor is in a flood zone. I have never had water in my yard. I've never seen standing water in those streets. So um You heard the people in Riverside Village say they live in a flood zone. That doesn't mean they don't get to use their yard. We just had This evacuation of zone A I there there was a couple inches on the corner of my street, um, of water, but there was no one's yard went under
water except one person I think. So So now they do have to elevate the houses. That's Anyone who builds in the zone A has to go elevated. Um but What you're gonna have if we don't Uh that this doesn't happen is is people living in those those lots that you can't that are unbuildable right now. and it's just gonna be back to Crime City again. Don't think that there's not crime back there now. It's just it's and we could ask the
sheriff's office but it it's I I will uh give you that the a couple of those drug houses are gone that were real problems and and frankly I think we had a drug They called it the white a White House. We had we literally had a community in the trees hooked up to someone's business.
Jack MarianoChair
The governor's mansion.
Kathryn Starkey
The governor's mansion. They had washers and dryers and refrigerators and and I remember we'd we'd ask them, Do you don't you want housing? No, we're good. We're good. Yeah, they had their own house in the woods there with electricity. So Um I still stand by our commitment um to New Port Richey should hear what their plans are before we make a decision and
Jack MarianoChair
That's fine, we'll bring it but I think we should have this
Ron OakleyVice Chair
discussion here first. Commissioner Oakley. I was just wondering, uh this is in a floodplain and they had flood insurance on these properties? They will have to. They'll have to? Yeah. How can they afford that? It's gone it's skyrocketed along with a lot of other insurance. You know, on other homes that are not even in floodplains. But You have a high insurance coverage for your house and then you had to attack that large flood zone. Plan on top of it. I don't see how those people can even afford to be there.
Kathryn Starkey
Mm. If the house is elevated the flood and built to hurricane codes, the flood insurance is a lot less.
Jack MarianoChair
Still but an expense you can't remember.
Kathryn Starkey
And there's an insurance agent sitting right there.
Seth Weightman
Thank you. I was gonna say we have a Insurance man. Looks like he's teed up.
Jack MarianoChair
Yeah. Well I I do insurance as well and it's a that's extra expense. But again, habitat walked away. And it might have been partly because of that too. Number one, the ex extra expense of raising that up. And now with the new laws that are in place, before this is before Habitat left, but that probably would be another factor why they might have left as well, because the extra expense. You're trying to build affordable housing, you don't build it. You couldn't get funding in it in a flood zone. So that hasn't changed. And that's why I say for for the years I've been talking about this, we need to raise up the elevation three or four feet. It's gonna take a lot of fill. I try to get
s we actually did get some of the uh land from Tim Brokes to go down there to Go raise up the fill to just make those houses a little more paddleable. But literally, and Commissioner Starkey, I will tell you when I first started Leisure Lane, went underwater all the time. We worked closely with the city way back when. What we did was we made sure we dug all the trenches that was done all on Leisure Lane. At Gulf Drive, the city took care of digging their trench out to uh the the the uh end of the gulf, and then we finished off our connection there and tropical. Storm Debbie after we'd done those things and repaved
the road and gave it a pitch so the water could get in the drains. That street didn't flood out and hadn't flooded since. But but When you go to those yards that are gonna go up and down there on the low levels which is three quarters of the way up to Van Duren and and in Leisure Lane, those areas there are gonna have homes that are built and the kids it's it's sad to see you're gonna see a bike out there. And the in the and the water in the thing is uh halfway up the rim of the the bike. I mean the kids can't go out in the in in the yard and play. So I think we need to fix the area completely. before
we even make this happen.
Ron OakleyVice Chair
Can we continue this and
Kathryn Starkey
get more
than that?
we're not filling the lots, we're raising the houses. So that and the houses don't they don't have to go to fifteen feet or four feet. So I'd really like you to hear what's going on out there. And I maybe I'll shoot a picture up to show you what the houses look like. They're they're adorable.
Jack MarianoChair
I would uh if you don't mind, I will I would don't mind hearing from the city, but I do like the idea of continuing this because I will tell you, my see in this agenda item. Was a shocker to me that we're we're doing this without even having a conversation with the district commission. I'd like to have a conversation. Yes. But city folks, uh mayor, councilman?
Unidentified speakerVoice D
I I've been it's Chopper Davis, [address removed] Um I've been in that in that area and and it's been um a crime ridden area forever. Um the period apart period that you're talking about cleaning it up, you got rid of a lot of the trailers that were uninhabitable anymore. There's still A good dozen in there that are still unhabitable. So so the there's a still a crime section in that area. And it and it's right at the edge north edge of of Southgate Mall, which is is a is a a very fluid
area with people from Gulf Harbors from Newport Ritchie. And um we just passed an ordinance too that allows golf carts to get across Golf Drive so they can go to Southgate. But to get to Southgate, you've got to go down leisure or Van. door it which you send you right through that those those areas and and our whole ideal was to clean that area up. Um one of the reasons it wasn't mentioned that um Habitat left was that there were they d there was no more sewer and water down the rest of the street and they weren't gonna build any more houses. It seemed like everything was stalled, so that's one of the
reasons they left. So it's not that they just got up and left. We didn't provide the the water and sewer for them to continue down the street. It's it's a um it's it's a homeless shelter and of course it's uh a enclave like you said. So there needless to say we can't necessarily we we have a you know in our local agreement, but we don't go storming in that area from the city to try to take care of that place. It's really the county's place. to be in there and they're not gonna go in there very often because it's an enclave. So we're trying to clean this thing up, we're trying to raise it. A little bickering a
back and forth about elevation and and s dirt. I mean still you're gonna elevate it. It's not gonna be flooded all the time, year round. It's it's very rare that I've ever seen it flooded myself. And I've been, like I said, in New Parigi since eighty three and go into Southgate Mall. But I think you need to consider the whole package and what we would do for that area. Um the it's it's and also all the job opportunities in that area. We're gonna be putting a ninety hotel, nine and a ninety um um condos right down the other end of Southgate. You've got the the
jobs that are in Southgate. You've got the, you know, and and I and also to the north, you've got, you know, North Mayton Bay Hospital, not too far away. But you're gonna have um low income housing in that area, which is something that's that's needed in the whole West Pasco area where it where isn't crime written. There's some other places that are low income, but there's crime written. to straighten that up so that our ideal isn't just isn't just water and sewer down the line and the houses we're gonna build. We're gonna straighten that area up and people will want to go through there and drive through there. No
lady's gonna take her golf cart down there right now in the evening and very few guys will take their golf cart down there during the evening. And we're like I said, we're trying to work that golf cart situations we have over three hundred golf carts in town.
Unidentified speakerVoice E
Thank you, Mayor. Mike Peters, six four four four four four four four six Railroad, New Port Richey Florida. The um Um the the whole idea is you know, is to to partner with you folks. I I remember, you know, three years ago, one of the one of the first events I went to after I was installed city council. was an open house, uh uh house gifting uh for Habitat of Humana. um habitat um humanit for habitat. So the that
was three years ago and uh they built I think two more houses after that and they quit and and the habitat people told us there they couldn't go any further because there was no infrastructure to put in. And I at that time I think we were had well in a conversation on on making this deal and maybe that's why the the county didn't go after this easy grant money that's should be out there and not use taxpayers, but But evidently we found out it wasn't that easy. They tried to go back and get money and it wasn't there. So, um but this
this this area's been, you know, well unders underserved for some time. It's right next door to the city's um biggest taxpayer. And on the other side, we're gonna have a forty million dollar condo. Um hotel project going in. And uh and b and then right behind South Gate there's another uh senior living affordable housing project go in. So this this this area just it is it's time to catch up, is what I think is what I'm asking you. And and i i it Uh
frankly, if it if the the county wants to take it and buy up all the lots and flatten and just leave it draw all in, that's fine, just eliminate the problem. But here's an opportunity where you can go spend two million dollars and what we were thought was going to be 1.5. Now with with inflation factors worked in, we'll spend well over over two million dollars of our money working the the project. You know, we go back to that um Um Yeah, some of the things we we have in place. Um, you know, of the one point five million
it was um and the sewer impact fee is not that much, it's two hundred sixty thousand dollars. But Um we got $400,000 for sidewalks, $600,000 for asphalt. uh couple thousand dollars for street lights, two hundred seventy seven thousand dollars for a uh neighborhood park, and we also have some money in there, probably not enough, but we got fifteen thousand dollars for stormwater improvements, and that's probably gonna have to even even be more. So You know, and and so here's an opportunity for this how for
this property and this area to get renovated. You guys can write it write a check and walk away from it. We'll write a bigger check and we'll do all the work. I I think it's a it's a it's a win opportunity. If you guys want to do it, we're we're just I'm I'm concerned it'll happen fast enough. So we want to get going on it. And that's that's the old deal. You know, three years has gone by and we're not there yet. Matter of fact we've gone backwards with habitat leaving, so we we gotta get back on the plan. So So you know, uh and
there's properties that you know we we've got pictures of still, yeah, it's been cleaned up some of that some of the brush and so forth, but it it's it's still really bad properties and probably home to three hundred cats or so. But you know, it's a situation where we we we gotta move and we gotta move now. And I think This opportunity gives you An easy way out, basically. Uh and and if there's grant money available for drainage and so forth, um that Green Key Road is a is a very admirable
project and probably needs a lot of grant money for what needs to be done back in there. The city has invested out there. We also have plans to to um in that Green Key. We've done what we can and we also have some some extra work that we're doing there later this year. So we're doing what we can to help that drain section, but but there's a lot of work up there to meet needs to be done and if there's grant money to go after that'd be a good good place to to to go, I think. So I appreciate your consideration.
Kathryn Starkey
Mike, you you bring up a good point about the roads. Um I just sent you a picture of Van Dorn. I think it's V Um, I bet it will c would cost us a lot more than a million dollars to fix Van Dorn. Um No, that's not it. Mike, I sent I sent it to Mike.
Unidentified speakerVoice E
Leisure leisure land in Bandura. Yeah.
Kathryn Starkey
So so I I guarantee it costs.
Will be more than two million dollars we're gonna give them. I think we're not giving them the money. Move to receive and file
Jack MarianoChair
a second. All in favor say aye. We
Kathryn Starkey
are.
Jack MarianoChair
Aye.
Kathryn Starkey
I'm pretty sure what we're doing is putting in the we're paying for the infrastructure to go in.
Unidentified speakerVoice D
Right.
Kathryn Starkey
How how's this money
Unidentified speakerVoice D
working out?
Mike Carballa
So the the money the money that the county is providing is is to install basically get rid of the septic systems and install sewers. So sewer laterals, sewer trunks that would connect into New Port Richey's sewer system. That's what the money's for.
Kathryn Starkey
We don't want septic in that area. That's good to get them off of septic and It's and then and then they'll pay for to fix the roads and we won't have to pay to fix the roads. I I th I see it as a win win.
Gary Bradford
Yeah.
Kathryn Starkey
In um And We get rid of an enclave that is a real problem for us. Yeah. Yeah, it's and a revitalization of a neighborhood that needs it. And let me go back to the habitat for a second, because I had a meeting with Habitat And Marcy I don't think Kathy was in that meeting, but We really had a wonderful meeting. Uh, because frankly I was getting a little ticked at them and I was like maybe supporting them not being Penales Pasco anymore. Um
because they were saying not good things about us and that we don't work with them and We really we really um had a wonderful came to a wonderful understanding of how they can access our C D B G and our our state and federal money our That they didn't know how to do in our county. Apparently, we do it a little differently than Penella. So we are now able to come in and help them. c underwrite some of those costs of those houses and they're coming back into the county in a big way. um
using some of our the money that's supposed to be used for that purpose. So I'm I'm back on track with Habitat. Mr.
Jack MarianoChair
Chairman M Let me just ask Kathy a quick question to to refer to something like that. Kathy, remember we tried to like get this where we could try to find C D B G money to finance this project? When we're going to buy the lots. Can you tell us why we couldn't get that done?
affordable housing. We couldn't use those funds to do it, yet that's why we had to use general fund money. So Commissioner Oakley?
Ron OakleyVice Chair
Yeah. This area also besides Been like it is and And it's needs needs work, but I'd like to really look it over a little more than what we're looking over. But it's also on the high call. uh district for the sheriff's office.
Kathryn Starkey
Yeah.
Ron OakleyVice Chair
They're getting a lot of calls. So there is some things we need to do but I don't feel I can't. Answer those things without knowing more about it is uh
Jack MarianoChair
So what I what I would like to do? Let me go work with the city. Well, let me go work with the Commissioner Agriculture. Let me go work on the septic desure funds that could be out there and see if there's something available that we can go because if you just put the septic dessur in, you're gonna You're still gonna have the flooding on the yards, because it's still gonna be raised. You're gonna have high insurance costs that are still gonna go on. We could really do this well. if we take a little more time. And again, I don't want to use our county taxpayers' money when I could use grant money from the state, which is extraordinary that's out there,
like we've never seen before. So the opportunity is there and I think if we w went jointly asking that hand in hand, For the city and the county, it wouldn't make all the sense in the world. So I'm I'm good if you want to make a motion to continue.
Ron OakleyVice Chair
Same issues too with with the Commissioner Oakley culture.
Jack MarianoChair
All right. So if you want to make a motion to continue C and eight, C eight and nine?
Ron OakleyVice Chair
When when you wanted to come back.
Jack MarianoChair
Um
Ron OakleyVice Chair
next
Jack MarianoChair
month.
Ron OakleyVice Chair
You're not
Jack MarianoChair
gonna be in October.
I I'm I'm gonna be away, so let's say it has to be December. And that may give us time to go to the committees up in Tallahassee anyway.
Ron OakleyVice Chair
We have a no uh November meeting here? Do
Jack MarianoChair
we have a November meeting?
Unidentified speakerVoice F
A November meeting would be in Gaid City, right?
Mike Carballa
I would think. I don't have the and then same with December.
Unidentified speakerVoice E
December's
Mike Carballa
decided. December.
Jack MarianoChair
December.
Mike Carballa
Let's do the December meeting then.
Unidentified speakerVoice E
J
And you know, build up lands and and and build up. i i i it whether you build up lots of with land and put it on there well you put it on stilts, it's still gonna be the same elevation, the same distance, you know, to to Gulf. Uh the homes are gonna have to be built to wind coat. It's not gonna affect affect the insurance cost. And And um so I you know, I don't know if that comes in in into a factor. And and maybe maybe you can decide, hey, the it's it's unhabitable. I
mean is that really what's what what with with with uh climate change so far? We're gonna take our our coastline and just say it's uninhabitable and we're not gonna build anything because it's gonna cost too much to insure it? Yeah, that's that's a good question. But you know, meanwhile we can't th what what whatever you do, you can't leave it what it is now. You gotta change it. Well you go in there and buy all that property up and level it, that's fine.
Jack MarianoChair
Councilman Peters, I wish that you, even the mayor, had come to me to talk about this, because literally I had conversations a long time ago, how this could be better to go work together. And again when habitat sold Let me finish please. Let me finish, please. Let me finish, please. When we had those conversations with previous members of your board, not you two. Um tried to get something going, nothing worked. When Habitat ended up selling the property, it did change the dynamics dramatically. But again, I had no idea these conversations were going on with
a non-district commissioner, as opposed to myself, especially having spent all the time with the original habitat to go get those seventy-one lots, to take all those code enforcement ridden people. to sell their properties, which they did, and give it a chance to great great make a great project. Commissioner has
Kathryn Starkey
not had a meeting on this. I just have the ball is the right
Jack MarianoChair
I'm not excuse me, I'm I'm not through talking. Please I'll give you a chance. So with all that said, I would love to work with you. I think we can do a great project here. It's a great location, but we can do better than just this. And I don't want to spend two million dollars of our taxpayer money when I can go get federal money or state money that's out there that's in great abundance for accepted sewer conversions. And I think if a city in a county in an area area that's impoverished go forward, we can get a lot of money. Maybe enough for all the fill we need to do. raise everything up to make it a
better place even after it's built. And I do agree with you, you can raise a house. But It's a lot better to have a yard where kids can actually go play an arena event. Uh you you want to continue on?
Unidentified speakerVoice D
Uh first of all I had no meeting with it with anybody else. So so that I take that off I take that offensively. You accuse me of something I didn't do. So just j it's mine speaking right now. So th that never happened. And also um the citizens of the uh of New Port Richey are also taxpayers in the county. And we're not only are we gonna contribute to the two million that you're that you're we're asking from you, but we're they're also gonna contribute to probably there were two million that we'll be putting in from the city itself too.
Jack MarianoChair
And and I appreciate that, because that's the first time that's coming forward in in such a big way, so it's great. But again, if I can get other monies specifically for this project, I want to use that rather than the taxpayer money we got in place for it. Commissioner Starkey.
Kathryn Starkey
I'm just saying I've never had a meeting on Leisure Lane with anybody. I just when I'm when I'm with these guys And it leisure lane comes up, I'm in full support of the agreement that we put in place. um to um go work together to clean up to we would be doing the mi minimal to clean up the enclave and then hand it over to them and let them run with it with all the grants, fixing the roads, putting in the sidewalk, putting in the streetlights, putting in the park and all those things that they want to do a as part of the city of Newport
Ritchie. I I don't know why we would st have our staff and us spend all this time. It's gonna cost us more to fix those roads than to get these people than to put uh put the SEP the sewer system down that road.
Jack MarianoChair
So the conversation the statements you've made, you've said you've had conversations about this agreement, you've supported the agreement, and you've told them it'd been support agreement. How do you know about this agreement?
Kathryn Starkey
Because it's always been that
Mike Carballa
it's it's my understanding, this agreement, that this was approved as part of the FY twenty three budget package.
Kathryn Starkey
It was.
Mike Carballa
And so uh uh honestly this this would have predated, but the the the conversation and the direction, I would assume, of the board at that time was to go forth and do this. So we've we've completed that. We've brought back this agreement as well as the dollars per per what was directed in the budget. So if the board is Looking to do something different, then that's the board's prerogative. But Um I hear everything that's being said. We're we're taking notes and we'll follow your direction.
Unidentified speakerVoice E
Um commissioners, the you know, it it's a situation where, you know, um our city manager had neg had worked uh uh quite ostensibly with uh your predecessor on this deal and and coming together with the with the details. And we we did this in in in good faith uh uh some time ago. I I don't know I I I don't know exactly w why there was delay in this coming before you get the final approval. Um and I know it was on the consent agenda today until i it was it was pulled off,
but um you know we're still at the point now where it's it's um important for us to see action happen right away to that property that we're willing to do the work and put more money than we originally had planned to put into it. just to get it off ground zero. Um uh i you know uh it just it you know we're we're moving here at the speed of government and we need to uh step it up a little bit.
Jack MarianoChair
Well, I appreciate you gentlemen coming forward, Sendy for any any implications. I'm trying to pick in conversations tough with Sunshine Law that we're bound by, you're bound by, and I got a r administrative pre predecessor to to Mike that was having conversations. And again, I told Mike I didn't I didn't like us spending this money month ago, two months ago, so I was very stunned to see it on consent anyway. Um so I'm I'm happy to continue it back to December. And I really want to work with you. I I appreciate both you gentlemen. I think you're fine gentlemen, great representative of the city, and
I'm glad you guys are finally making the step forward to really put some big money into this to make this happen. And I'd like to work with you. But I need I need till December to go.
Ron OakleyVice Chair
Okay. Then I'll make a motion that we uh Move this to the December meeting here in Newport Ridge.
Jack MarianoChair
And that's items C eight and C nine?
Ron OakleyVice Chair
Yeah. Okay.
Jack MarianoChair
Eight and nine. Do we have a second? I'll
Seth Weightman
second it.
Jack MarianoChair
Any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay. Thank you very much.

CA-23-5013

Official title

Every appearance1 of 1 are in a recording