public comment on homeless camps HOAs and sidewalks
What the county recorded
This item is not from the published agenda
It is a stretch of the recording that this archive identified as a separate matter — a call to order, a recess, or something taken up that the agenda does not list. There is no official title, no staff recommendation and no disposition, because the county never recorded one. Everything below is inferred.
The source document
The county’s agenda for Board of County Commissioners, Apr 18, 2023
The published PDF, as served by the county. This item is one entry in it.
The county’s minutes for Board of County Commissioners, Apr 18, 2023
The published PDF, as served by the county. This item is one entry in it.
What was said
Machine transcription of 16m of recording, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 92% of 71 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.
Now is the time for public comment. Citizens are given an opportunity to comment on any current or future agenda item coming before the Board and on other businesses under the Board's purview. Today's public comment will be handled as follows. First we will take public comment from those who are here in person. Then we will take public comment from those who have pre-registered for a WebEx link. And I'm currently on Q. We request that when you address the board, comments are not directed personally against a commissioner or team member. but rather directed at the issues. This provides mutual respect
between the board members and the public. After stating your name and address for the clerk, a three-minute timer will be activated. After two minutes, a single beep will indicate you have one minute left. When your time is up, two beeps will sound and you should close your comments. WebEx participants will be disconnected automatically when their time is up. Um I know we have a list of people signed up. Uh I'd like to call Deb Eubanks first.
You knew it was gonna happen this way.
Did you just stay the night? night? I
I feel like we just
left.
Yeah. Um good morning. My name is Deborah Eubanks. I'm with Homeless Solutions of West Pasco. It's eighty five thirty-four La Pete Drive Hudson, Florida. Uh yeah we had a great meeting last night. Um Commissioner Mariano, Commissioner Starkey. Um I appreciate you being here and having that meeting for us and thank you to everyone who came and made it possible and worked help work through all of this. Um There were a lot of great suggestions and many
good points made. But one problem I don't think we really went over is there are property owners that are not responding to the requests to get TAs to remove the homeless off their properties. Um Without the TAs, we all know we can't remove homeless of the camps off the properties. They're unsightly and unsanitary.
There are properties the camps have been cleared out of, but the garbage, the debris, the clothing and all the remains from their housing still remain. There are camps with TAs that are still active. I'd given a list to the Code and Sheriff's Office to have them removed and also to the coalition to see if they can go out and offer help to them. I did that over a month ago, but nothing seems to be happening. I think maybe I saw one camp cleared out. Um the property
at the post office had the camps cleared out months ago, but the garbage has never been cleaned up. It just remains there. Um the old structures are still left behind. They're um inviting the homeless to take up residence there again. I think the solutions to these problems could be to write the citations for all the code violations to the landowners. This will get their attention and maybe they will sign the TAs. Then they will allow
for the property proper agencies to get the trespassers removed and the land cleaned up. And if they don't respond then put the liens against their property and whatever punishment the law allows. If they can't maintain their properties, maybe they shouldn't have them.
That's it. Yeah, thank you very much. And I'll f I'll finish your minute off for you if you don't mind. Uh but you did a great job getting everybody together. We had this room was packed with people last night and it was a animated dialogue across the way, but I think we got to a lot of good points that that could be done. If you would email that to myself and the board, uh we'll then uh go uh uh uh look at those that issue specifically a little bit further.
Great. Thank you.
Thank you very much. You did a great job.
Thank you.
Uh move to receive and file the document that she had given the first time.
Second.
All in favor say aye.
Aye. Aye.
Actually I can make the motion.
Yeah, I made a motion. You made respect.
Okay, right.
Yes. Um I have Jim Hammond. Followed by Leonard, I think it's Land.
Lord.
Lord. Thank you. I see it. Thank you. Troy Peterson. And then I someone didn't put their name down, but I'll I'll say what you wrote in just a moment. But go ahead, come on up, Mr. Hammond. Thank you. Stay
one.
Do you know?
Um
Yeah good.
Okay, good. Hi. My name is Jim Hammond, [address removed]. Uh good morning. Uh I've been president of Plantation Palms HOA, a gated golf course community for the last eight years. During that time we did the impossible. We brought back a golf course that's been shuttered for two years. We then partnered with Pasco County on a very complex repair to our North Canal costing millions of dollars. Um we are ready for a new challenge. Like many HOAs,
we'd seen the growth of rentals and we decided we needed limits. We believed our homeowners wanted an owner occupied environment. Corporate rentals consumed a disproportionate amount of resources, accounted for more than their share of violations, fines, and collection issues. Rentals did not benefit the community, only the investor. If we didn't take action now, it might be too late later on. In order to do this, we need to amend our governing documents, which had never been done in our twenty-year history. Florida seven
twenty required two thirds of all homeowners to approve such a change. It's a real difficult thing to do. Uh by providing strong leadership, community volunteers, clear messaging, and a very ingenious process, we're able to get 88% approval and complete the task. Not only did we limit future rental growth, but we banned sex offenders, Airbnb, and VRBO type rentals, and even their advertising. Action News and Spectrum News did interviews and ran stories about our bold move.
A simple post in next door uh generated over 7,000 views in just a few days. I was contacted by over 50 HOA leaders representing 14 communities. I've already reached out and spoken to many of them, and the rest of them have sent packages of exactly what we did and how we might be able to help them. That's all been within six weeks. Uh So what can the the uh commissioners do? If you have HOAs in your community
that are also maybe you know having the same issues, we'd be happy to share our information with them. We've set up a new group of HOA leaders. We've met twice already. In both cases, we had 14 or 15 communities represented, and the list continues to grow. Maybe you'll recognize some of the communities that we've already been in touch with, contacted me and I've spoken to. Arbors at Wiregrass, Aspel Creek, Bell Chase, Cowyer Place, Conerton, Conerton Villages, Deer Park Preserve,
Depree Lakes, Fawn Ridge, Foxwood, Hammocks, uh Hidden River, Huntington by the Village, Indian Lakes, Ivy Lake Estates, Lake Forest, Lake Pageant, Lake Pageant East, Lakes of Sable Ridge, Metal Point C D. Oak Ridge. Oakstead, Oakstead uh townhomes. Oxford Place, Sable Ridge, Silver Lakes, South Bay Lakes, Stone Gate, Sun Coast, Meadows, Terrabella. the Bay at Cypress Creek, the Enclave,
the Lakes at Heron Cove, the preserve at Lake Thomas, The original wire grass. Uh Valencia Gardens Village at Wesley Chapel.
Uh Westbrook Estates Uh Wilderness Lake Preserve. Uh Woodbridge and just yesterday uh Grand Oaks. Thank you so thank you very much.
Thank you. If you would um maybe we could uh make help you make contact with uh Kona. The civic associations for this side and maybe get that get the word out to them. I'm sure they'd love to hear what you've done. Okay. Thank you very much. Congratulations.
Right. Um Leonard Lord? Followed by Troy Peterson.
Leonard Lord, I live at [address removed] for forty-five years. Uh first of all, I just want to say I'm honored and blessed to be able to stand here and speak. I know that you have a lot to do. I represent somebody cures Pasco, which means we're trying our best to care with the gifting of the Lord and and work with y'all. And by the way, with the homeless, we are available to to clean up properties. We've done that on quite a few occasions that the Sheriff's Department has got us and we
have cleaned them up. So we'd be willing to be a part of helping that commissioners. We do meet every Tuesday morning, particularly to pray for y'all. We call you by name. And I want to thank you for taking the responsibility to make decisions for this county. just encouraging me and you, it says the government is upon his shoulders. Jesus walked through this world with all of the things coming against him, and showed the love and peace of the Father, and establish what's called
the kingdom of God. And we know what that is. It's simply Doing it God's way. Doing it in peace and do it in joy. It's simply being empowered by God's presence in our lives. So I want to thank you all that we're able to serve, but remember there's one common denominator that makes us one. That's when we realize we've all messed up. And there's one man, the man Christ Jesus, that fixed us up. So we believe that through Pasco County and honoring the wisdom of the scripture and honoring Jesus
Christ as Lord that we could be. The greatest county around. So thank you all very much, and we appreciate that being able to serve you. So let us help where we can. Thank you. Thank you. God bless you.
Troy Peterson? Excuse me.
I do have a National Day of Prayer flyer.
Move to receive and file.
Second.
All
in favor say aye.
Aye. Aye.
Yeah. Uh Troy Peterson, 8114 Leokid Road, Port Ritchie, Florida. That's light of the World Tabernacle where I serve. as the evangelist there with Pastor Leonard Lord. Uh I do come representing somebody Karis Pasco as well. And when I heard the first lady speak, I was reminded of one of the great ladies, friends of mine, Marcy Eastberg, sitting in the room. And she had reached out to Somebody
Cares and asked uh the church, somebody cares, uh, to get together to help clean up the camps behind McDonald's there at the end of fifty-two. So that is exactly Why we are here? to honor our governing authorities, to be ready for every good work. And and to unite the body of Christ with the body of government that's you guys. Um this morning I was praying And Pastor Leonard reminded
me of a scripture. When the Lord had washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion. Now Listen, we all have filth. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There's not one righteous. Not one. Not one. but the man Jesus Christ. And see, but when he washes us clean, he sanctifies us, he justifies us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As pastors in this community, it's our obligation to be willing to serve, but also bring the word of the Lord, and this is the
word of the Lord. See the glory of the latter house shall be greater. So it's our job to unite together to bring the glory of God, to make wise decisions. See, that's why I've been presenting to you guys for a couple of years now to allow somebody cares, Pasco, not me, not just Pastor Leonard, Lord, but the whole network of pastors to come and acknowledge the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and our commissioner. Meetings. That way we can be praying
specific wisdom and counsel of God to deal with the things that we're dealing with with our county. But more importantly, because God wants to bless Pasco County, He wants to bless it. And in this scripture, it talks about being a a shade from the the heat, to be a resting place. God wants Pasco County to be a resting place. For that to happen, we need to acknowledge the king in our invocation. Thank you for your time.
Thank you.
Next, um the individual did not write their name, but the topic said obstructed sidewalls code. Okay, please step step forward. Thank you.
My name is Joseph. Burgoso [address removed]. Uh having an issue with the sidewalks. People are parking. Uh Mockingbird is a very busy street. And if you have to step out into the street, you're taking your life in your hands. There's a sign that says no parking, any streets. and ten cars at any given day on both sides of the road. I kept calling the sheriff's office
until they finally cleaned the one road up. We have sidewalks that have boats on them. We have sidewalks that have enclosed trailers. There's a sidewalk here. If you had an umbrella you would think you're at Clearwater Beach. I fell on it three years ago, hurt my knee. I'll be looking at a knees knee replacement in November. And the homeowner has no insurance. called code enforcement. Code enforcement directs me toward Rhodon Bridge. Road and Bridge takes me to Code Enforcement. They
tell me it's a civil matter. So I should need to take somebody to court to clean the sidewalks. I mean, what is code enforcement for? I've called numerous times, somebody's gonna get hurt. And it's right at the end of Mockingbird. People come around a corner on two wheels, so if you step out into the street, you're gonna get hit. What happened to the American with Disability Acts? I mean Who do you call? I don't understand. I
just wish somebody could direct me or help me get this problem taken care of. I should be able to walk through my community that I pay taxes in. I mean we have county police cars parking on the sidewalks, county trucks parking on and we're responsible for fixing the sidewalks. So I I just don't know who to go to or where to go to. I just know I shouldn't have to spend my money to take somebody to court. So I don't know if anybody's interested in seeing a
picture of the one that's
Move to receive and file.
Yeah.
All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye.
Okay. Is that all, sir? Okay. If you would, um I've got Brantford Amadullah right here, and then Alexander Alt from the Sheriff's Office right here. They can both talk to you on the back and try to see if we can get to a better resolution that you've got now. All right. Thank you.
That's all I have for the comments.
Is there anyone else in the audience who would like to speak and address the commission in public comment? Is there anyone on WebEx?
No one's on WebEx.
Okay. We'll close public comment.
Is that this?