Vaccine ladder truck Senate Bill 62 and internet sales tax

1:19:09Sounds good. Um COVID nineteen. Um Of course, I think our only limiting factor about getting the vaccine is the vaccine itself. So we actually Mike Napier and his group have done a great job. If you ever watched Saint Leo, I went out and watched them in two hours I did over three hundred people. So So uh that operation very smooth. It's also very smooth on the other side of the county. And now that Publix and

1:19:39some of these other uh pharmacies and all will come up. With vaccines then Hopefully we'll get more and more and also EOC with Andy Foss and his group's been taking care of vaccinating um older residents in the pitch five and older communities. So I think staff and all have done a great job. I I still have the issue like you have Ms. Starkey that um Some of our older folks cannot get through on the phone. And it it's kind of mind-boggling

1:20:10when you think that. But uh we have a hundred and thirty thousand plus, I guess, sixty-five and older residents in Pasco County. The other day I heard we including uh some second shots. We were like thirty seven, thirty eight thousand. I guess we were a little over that now. Um So they're they're doing a good job, but When you have a hundred and thirty thousand if you only done thirty eight thousand. It there's gotta be some patience in in getting us there to to be able to get

1:20:40everybody vaccine. So Very important. So um

1:20:47Uh with that I believe I have some pictures supposed to be pulled up. I went to the Ladder thirty eight truck push in ceremony. This is our new ladder truck 38. It's a hundred foot ladder. It went into station 38. Uh the bell on the front of uh that truck. Um

1:21:11We'll be um was part of part of the new decor on that truck, that bell, it will be when that truck goes out of service, 15, 20 years when that time comes, that bell will be moved over to the next truck going in its place. And the push in ceremony is historic because it goes back to when fire stations had uh horse horse driven um

1:21:39um what do you call them wagons or whatever for for hauling the water and off. But uh you can see we're actually pushing that truck back in and out. Thank goodness it was on and in reverse. So but uh a great day when we uh initially uh did groundbreaking and opening of of that new uh station thirty eight there in Watergrass. Uh very amazing. And that was the truck we were talking about that was coming and it's like a

1:22:09year later it got here. So but uh one point one million dollar truck. So it's pretty expensive and pretty pretty good. It's like say a hundred foot ladder on that truck. So uh another thing they've they've started and uh I think they're getting some uh national requisition uh recognition through the uh Chief Casey and then with the The they actually when they go out to a a fairly large fire fire and those officers have

1:22:39to that that work that fire, they have to change their uniforms before they leave that scene. They change into clean uniforms, come back in, and then of course change and and shower and offer themselves. So it's uh but there's an actual truck that goes out. With spare uniforms on it that the firemen go and get those and change into the clean uniforms for they. enter their truck to go back into uh to the station. So very neat ideas. Uh not done

1:23:09very much in the country. And I think when they have their um I believe it's a commission or something they're gonna be speaking to. Uh they're asking Pasco County uh how they came up with that idea and and how to do it because it's it's a very good idea for protecting the safety of our farming. So but all good. On the way out there, I actually um drove out Curly and Mr. Moore comments more on the land. Curly was asking if Curly was gonna be four lane. I

1:23:40think it eventually is going to be four lane it, Mr. Bowles. Curly Road.

1:23:46Yes, sir.

1:23:49It looks like they're resurfacing. Are they widening it in portions now?

1:23:54I'll have to check. I haven't I haven't driven that road. I know that I think the developer is doing some stuff out there right now.

1:24:00But if you haven't been out there away from Dade City and go out and hit Curly and go across toward Wesley Chapel I remember when a lot of that was citrus citrus groves and pa and course pastures and all too, but It's kind of a Bittersweet. um picture as you go out. What was there was always very nice and beautiful in the history, but what's coming there is also in the same way, very pretty and you know, bringing

1:24:31it up speed. New technical high school being built right there and uh just pretty amazing thing and the growth and how things are changing. in our in our eastern part of Pasco County. So uh does anybody have anything else they'd like to add to the meeting?

1:24:50Okay. If not, we'll break for lunch. We'll come back and want oh excuse me. Mr. Mariano.

1:24:57Thank you, sir. Uh sorry I hit the wrong button there. Um That's okay. I s I uh had a meeting yesterday with the Regional Planning Council. Uh they're concerned about Senate Bill 62. Uh Citrus County's gonna have a discussion about it today. I just wonder if you guys want to discuss that. Um What you thought of it?

1:25:19Yeah, so uh I I had an update on with uh you know on the fact legislative exec I'm on the fact executive committee and we get a report every Friday and just so you know um there's a bill filed it's the second time um to get rid of um regional planning council regional planning councils and and but allow the option if a

1:25:42region

1:25:42wants to do it voluntarily right i think that'd be really hard to do to get healthy counties to do something voluntarily yeah and frankly it the position that Hillsboro County's taking these days about regionalism I'd probably be Pasco and Penellas and not Hillsboro. Um I do, you know, DRIs have gone away and and so that kind of oversight has kind of fallen by the wayside with regional planning councils. However, I do think this um The attention they're

1:26:13making on uh climate change and um resiliency is a good pla good placeholder for the The regional planning councils. Um, because I don't know where else we could do something that may be a coordinated effort in the area. So I I'm up for discussion to. Um if we want to still support them With a more li you know, more foc focused role. I have no idea how much money we give to them. I I really don't know what the budget is, so I

1:26:43think I gotta have it honestly. Do you know Jack?

1:26:49I don't know, but I think one of us.

1:26:54Um Well he's look while he's looking at that. Commissioner Starkey I I do uh share your sentiment. That the resiliency of what they're working on is very important for the region. Uh so I think the councils around the state can benefit from that. Uh like you say, they've gone away, so that's not applicable anymore. But that that one thing I said this year a couple of years ago when I got on the council was the best program they have going is the one probably vehicle that can actually actually bring us together in that regard.

1:27:22Yeah.

1:27:23Yeah.

1:27:24There's gonna be federal federal money coming down for that, I feel.

1:27:29Um I don't see

1:27:34What we spent last year. Totally.

1:27:39Yeah, I don't know.

1:27:41Yeah.

1:27:44Six figures. I can have the answer after lunch. I don't remember it off the top of my head and I can't search it right now.

1:27:49Mr. Chairman Mariano on Commissioner Starkey's point, there already is an interlocal agreement creating Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. It was signed in seventy-five and I believe it's still in place.

1:28:01No, I know, but this Senate bills gets rid of all of them.

1:28:04But the interlocal agreements you you had made the comment that you thought it would be difficult for the counties to qu collaborate. There already is an interlocation agreement. that all the counties that are in TBRPC are a member of.

1:28:21So they can't the state can't. Um

1:28:24It would fall back on the interlocal agreement and then then it would be up to individual counties to pull out of that interlocal agreement if they wish to.

1:28:35I haven't read the bill but I just know a lot of commissioners went up there and spoke against Killing the regional planet. You know how many

1:28:42counties

1:28:43are in

1:28:43that?

1:28:44In ours? In ours. It's counties and cities. It's kind of the biggest board of elected officials actually.

1:28:50It is

1:28:53We changed the composition a couple of years ago.

1:28:56There must be about fifteen at least, Jack. How many? People I think

1:29:01I think it's about twenty one cities in the is uh it's this counties from Citrus all the way down to uh Manatee.

1:29:07Mm-hmm.

1:29:10So pretty complicated. Maybe we should have a discussion on it a little bit after lunch. I know I sent them over in the afternoon yesterday, but uh I I'm now the chair of it this year. So um I told them I Commissioner Kitchen was bringing up from her uh Citrus, so I thought we should discuss it as well. We haven't put a plan together, a place to really talk about ourselves, but uh I do think it's worth discussion.

1:29:35Yeah. I mean Mr. Chair.

1:29:37Yeah, sure.

1:29:38Yeah, I mean it's no secret a couple of years ago that I I had some concerns about um being forced to belong. Um had conversations with some legislators myself. Hmm. And most agreed. I think all agreed. agreed when I said that.

1:30:01Whether we think it's a great a good idea or a bad idea, I think it should still be the option. to participate. We should have the option as a county. We we think about And we complain about these unfunded mandates on a regular basis. What we're required to do.

1:30:18Mm-hmm.

1:30:19So at some point and I'm talking across the board. We're gonna have to get away from these unfunded mandates. You know, and give us, the local government, the power to make decisions on our own what we want to be a part of and what we don't when we're using taxpayer dollars. So that's something to consider. And I'm not saying that just for the regional planning council, and you know that. I've said that about everything. I just get frustrated when we're forced to be a part of something and spend tax local tax dollars and it's

1:30:49not being funded from the state or the federal government when we're required to participate. That frustrates me. It'll continue to frustrate me. Um but if you look at I think um Wasn't the ki I think the votes

1:31:07I'm looking at the votes right here. I can share this if you don't have it. I think Commissioner Mariano probably has it, other city city committee members. And you probably remember some of our some people in our local delegation in the past that also took issue of a couple years back. It just didn't go anywhere.

1:31:22Yeah, but but I think

1:31:23this

1:31:23this resiliency thing is kind of new and it needs to land somewhere.

1:31:27Yeah, I don't disagree. I don't disagree with you.

1:31:29And I think that's a good place for it to land.

1:31:32I just don't have much room enough. fight the state when we many, many times and different issues we've said no more unfunded mandates, no more unfunded mandates, and then we fight against one. That's my concern. Right. You know?

1:31:47Uh but but uh that brings up some more legislation. And I see um Ralph over there. I I uh Have uh informally talked to my legislators when I see them about the sales tax, the internet tax, and fully support um The collection of the internet sales tax fully as a small business owner and someone who collects area tax sales tax. I don't understand why some people get have

1:32:18to pay it and some don't when they do business in Florida. I don't know if we wanna formalize that in any way to send support to our tell our delegation, Tampa Bay delegation, we're in support of give them a little cover. We're in support of of going all the way with our our uh internet sales tax. I I don't remember who's filed it. Um Gruders, I think. Is one. Um But I think we're one

1:32:48of two states who don't collect it. So come on. We can't everything can't be on the tourism.

1:32:54Yeah. Commissioner Starkey, so You're a business owner. A lot of us are business owners. I'm a business owner. And um

1:33:02Mm-hmm.

1:33:04I do online sales. and I submit my I submit the sales tax. Obviously I collect it. And I submit it. So I don't disagree when you know when you have some out there that aren't playing by the rules and others are, and you're subsidizing Four. All of them, right? And and listen, I'm small time. Compared to You know, and it's not much I get to send

1:33:34the state, but I a little I I do send them something and I also send in my penny for Pasco as well when I submit that. Um But yes, there's a lot of large, very large organizations that aren't paying their fair share. Um yeah, I I agree. It's disappointing. Not like I want more taxes, but at the same time, we're gonna have 'em. You better you need to pay 'em. Yeah. It it it ends up being the small ones, the mama pops, lots of times that again, that are participating and

1:34:04playing by the rules. And The big dogs aren't. That's frustrating. I don't disagree.

1:34:12Ralph Lair, Intergovernmental Affairs Officer. You are correct. So that is the Wayfarer bill. Don't have the bill number right offhand. That is one that FAC uh supports, Florida League of City supports. Um so I I th based on the feeling that we're getting in, although it's still early and they're still in committee meetings, leadership does support that bill. Um, you hit the nail on the head, I think. Uh uh The the mom and pops and the and and the the the brick and

1:34:42mortar stores are doing the right thing. Uh some internet cells uh are doing the right thing, just not all. And this will make sure it's um an even plane field across the board. So I think that support is there. Uh and th and that is the message that FAC carries.

1:35:01Well, I so I would make the motion that we um write a letter in support of this effort. Great.

1:35:07Okay. And then I just wanted to real quick go back. So if you'll remember on the Regional Planning Council, I sent an email yesterday at 444 to all of you. Um it's got the overview that was done by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council and the sample resolution. And I also provided you Um the staff analysis for Senate Bill 62. Currently there is not a House bill. on that uh on the bill right as as of yet. Um, so you'll

1:35:38you'll get a b an understanding of of what that bill does. um if it were to pass. But again, no house sponsor at this point in time.

1:35:47Okay, so uh I've got a motion and second to uh support that bill. If I

1:35:54don't know

1:35:54the number or Okay.

1:35:57I'll go pull it and uh put that together for you all.

1:36:00Yeah. Get with Marie and put that letter together. But by roll call vote.

1:36:06Minecraft.

1:36:08Commission I'm sorry, District 2, Commissioner Moore. Aye. District three, Commissioner Starkey. Aye. District four, Commissioner Fitzpatrick. Aye. District five, Commissioner Mariano. Aye. District one, Chairman Oakley.