CD-21-0136

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TranscriptWhat was said at each appearance is below it. Machine transcription, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 64% of 50 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.

1. 1Jul 6, 2021
   Board of County CommissionersR73Regular businessApproved

   Approved minutes

   Approved to delegate authority to the County Administator to interviene in the TECO rate case.

   Open this item →▶ Play from 1:12:28
   ▶ 1:12:2811m

   Ron OakleyChair

   1:12:28R73.

   Unidentified speakerVoice A

   1:12:29I'm not going anywhere yet. Thank you. Uh commissioners, um uh this next item is uh an amendment to our 2019 action plan. As you know, the county is an entitlement community, which means that we get regularly every year the community development block grant, the home investment partnership, and also the emergency solutions grants. In addition to getting those funds, we've gotten three

   1:12:59tranches of additional money through the CARES Act program. So we've heard a lot about the CARES Act. Money came directly to the county, money came to also other agencies like HUD, SBA and things like that. So this is part of the funding that came through HUD. This was the third tranche of community development block grant funds for the coronavirus initiative. So it's C D B G C

   1:13:29V funds. We got just under $2 million. It's $1.9 million. So if you go to the next slide, you can see that this amendment is for the 2019-2020 action plan. and we could fund the following activities, public services, development, economic development, and also use some of the funding, 20% of the funding for administration. And

   1:14:00while these are very typical to the community development block grant, when they are CV funds, they have to prepare, prevent, and respond to COVID-19. So the next slide will go over the projects with you. And these projects were we did a request for proposals. We have a committee that reviews and ranks them, and then we bring them to you for your approval. The first one is for providing the

   1:14:30renovation for the new AMSkills building so that they could expand their workforce training and apprenticeship programs. just under $600,000 and also $40,000 for the Good Samaritan Health Clinic to install a hot water heater, touchless sinks, paper towel, and soap dispenser dispensers. On the next slide we have

   1:14:57The public services, so uh usually we could only spend a certain amount of our funds for public services, and that was waived for CV funds, so we were able to help many more of our nonprofit agencies. Uh $91,000 going to Metmin, $347,000 going to St. Vincent de Paul for emergency numbers. Non-congregate shelter for individuals and families, 400,000 going to the Coalition for the Homeless. And

   1:15:27this is for two things. One is to run the family shelter, which should be opened up sometime this summer, and the rest is for hotel-motel vouchers, cares, $56,000 for cares. uh for supportive services to disabled focus on covering the gap between prioritized service delivery system for individuals lacking information and services related to the preparation,

   1:15:58prevention, and response to COVID-19. And then uh the last amount one hundred and seventy two thousand for shir to Westcare. For short-term pre-vocational training and services that support treatment, recovery, and relapse in and preparation for individuals whose employment was adversely correct affected by COVID-19.

   Mike Moore

   1:16:24Mr. Chairman? Yeah, sure. Um question for you on the last one, Westcare. I think training is great. We need more vocational training for those positions. But nationwide right now, one of the issues a lot of our small businesses are seeing, especially the restaurant retail side, are they because they're making people are making more right now, not working in those $10, $11, $12 an hour jobs, it's more beneficial they stay home. Why I think that's a vocational

   1:16:55training is a great idea. At the same time, you know, in in some manner, in some way, we need to be able to to encourage folks to go back to work. I mean I've I i every one of us knows small businesses that are struggling to find those employees now. It's not and it's not because of where we're located or where you live, because this is across the board nationwide. Pillsboro and Penellas are having just as big a problem

   1:17:25as we are, or I say we as our small businesses are finding staff. So at the same time we need to be and find ways to encourage people to get back into the workforce.

   Kathryn StarkeyVice Chair

   1:17:45But I think that's what this does.

   Mike Moore

   1:17:47Well

   Kathryn StarkeyVice Chair

   1:17:47and I know people who need this kind of help because

   Mike Moore

   1:17:51Well I'm not against it. I'm just saying we gotta find ways to encourage as well.

   Kathryn StarkeyVice Chair

   1:17:54Well I think that's what this does. This helps them become more stable so they can go apply for a job.

   Mike Moore

   1:17:58Ms.

   Ron OakleyChair

   1:17:59Fitzpatrick?

   Christina Fitzpatrick

   1:18:00I thought they were canceling in September and phasing out unemployment for people that have been on it for that long.

   Mike Moore

   1:18:09The limit that's the state was different than the feds. I don't know exactly what the feds are doing right now. I can't keep up the day to day anymore.

   Kathryn StarkeyVice Chair

   1:18:16Well, I saw in the paper Maryland tried to end theirs and the courts in Maryland said you can't end your federal subsidy. So I I'm gonna guess that wasn't done. But that's beyond what we can control. But I think this I don't know if you want to go into more depth of what Westcare does.

   Unidentified speakerVoice A

   1:18:32So they they specifically though so Westcare is also our drug court provider, so they specifically work with people that are experiencing substance abuse issues. So that's why there's you know I you know there are a number of programs that we have that are working with certain populations of people to help them get back into the workforce because of those barriers. There are lots of unintended consequences, Commissioner Moore, to the you know, to unemployment, to

   1:19:02doing the rental assistance that we're doing, all of those things impact exactly what you're talking about.

   Mike Moore

   1:19:07Yeah. And I'm listening I'm all for vocational training. It's it's it's great. You're teaching somebody an actual trade and something they can use. and not just a temporary position to you know that won't last. This is something that could obviously be long-term for people and definitely very supportive of people that are going through recovery and need that assistance to get out of the workforce. But I just wish there was more ways we could in ways we could focus more on the encouragement side of things to

   1:19:37get people back out to the uh in the workforce that um are able-bodied in their jobs or available.

   Jack Mariano

   1:19:46Yeah. Mr. Chairman? Yes, sir. And and I'll I'll agree, I I I think we should try to find those incentives. I think AMP skills is a phenomenal success story though. Uh and if those people can get those higher paying jobs as well, they can be more mobile to go. Not just like going to McDonalds wherever we people are putting out bonuses to get people to work. This is gonna elevate them all the way up. So I mean the more money you can put into that, the more people want to take that training, I think is a phenomenal way to go. So I I will say the hotel motel voucher thing,

   1:20:16um One of the things I look at is the city of Newport Ritchie has actually taken down several different Substandard hotels that's taken away a lot of the blight. Well that blight's moving elsewhere. Uh when I when I look at like on US 19, we've got that the Belmont Inn that's tucked away. There's not a single person that's from out of town living in that place. Now, hotels are designed to bring in positive people, spending money, et cetera. So by using up a hotel space, frankly, it actually hurts that value. Now, frankly, the

   1:20:47new hotels that get built in the past like 10 years-the Holiday and Express, the Hampton Inn, the Homewood Suites, they came because it was a demand for single-entry hotels, something higher line, how higher level. So I don't think it's really taken away that, but somehow we can look to get away from that program, especially on nineteen, like you say. That's what I'm saying if we can

   Kathryn StarkeyVice Chair

   1:21:05remodel if we can use the money to remodel old buildings in appropriate areas and build some kind of our own kind of um housing, our own motels or or apartments, whatever it is. I think we should. You know, there's another hotel getting ready to go down, and that's the Magnusine. And so we're gonna lose more rooms. Um but um I prefer people to be in a motel than to be in the woods, personally. But

   1:21:36um but and I'd love for there to be more houses we could put them in. And so we have a great program. There's an app that if you see a house, um you can take a picture of it and send it um

   Unidentified speakerVoice A

   1:21:49Renton Pasco at gmail.com.

   Kathryn StarkeyVice Chair

   1:21:52Say it again.

   Unidentified speakerVoice A

   1:21:53Rent in Pasco at gmail dot com.

   Kathryn StarkeyVice Chair

   1:21:57Yeah, I think that's kind of the program Kelly Miller's working for you guys, right? So um yeah, they need more houses. So I every once in a while I I come across one in a in a neighborhood I think the owner would might let you know, let it happen. 'Cause you have to have a willing um landlord. So But I um move approval.

   Unidentified speakerVoice A

   1:22:15Oh sorry,

   1:22:20I just want to tell you what you're uh moving to approve on the next slide. Uh you're approving the amendment um uh on how to spend the the uh C V money, the projects that are been recommended, uh also you're delegating full authority to execute project specific agreements to the county. administrator and delegating authority to approve environmental reviews to me.

   Jack Mariano

   1:22:45Okay.

   Kathryn StarkeyVice Chair

   1:22:47Love

   Unidentified speaker

   1:22:47a prison.

   Jack Mariano

   1:22:48And I'll second just in just maybe a comment. Marcia, you're doing a great job. It's a tough position that you're in, a tough situation. I've Sarah's step of the way and Commissioner Starkey stepped up to be on the affordable housing. I think we got an ACO position as well as that you can implement

   Ron OakleyChair

   1:23:01direct

   Justin Ressler

   1:23:01ideas quickly.

   Ron OakleyChair

   1:23:04All right, we got a motion and a second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Motion passed 5-0. Thank

   Unidentified speakerVoice A

   1:23:09you for

   Kathryn StarkeyVice Chair

   1:23:09your time. Someone called HUD. They keep asking me if it was me. me.

   Unidentified speakerVoice A

   1:23:13Yes.

   Kathryn StarkeyVice Chair

   1:23:14It is you. I called Hud? When

   Unidentified speakerVoice A

   1:23:18did I call? You didn't call HUD, but you spoke to the congress congressman's office about affordable housing. Oh. So then they called HUD. So we we'll we'll we'll get it together.

   Mike Moore

   1:23:30I know I gotta ask it was me.