Commissioner reports and old business
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The county’s agenda for Board of County Commissioners, Aug 21, 2024
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The county’s minutes for Board of County Commissioners, Aug 21, 2024
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What was said
Machine transcription of 46m of recording, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 86% of 240 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.
Uh opposed like that? Five pass five. Thank you, gentlemen. Great job. Thank you. Yeah. We have uh Gotten to old business, believe it or not. not. I think, have we?
sure
I have a question? Is there any way I could go first? Because I have an appointment at 520, a doctor's appointment. Is that okay? Okay.
All right.
Awesome, thank you.
At least we'll go first and then Weightman will come in behind her.
Okay. So I attended the Pasco County Fire Rescue Graduation Ceremony. There was a total of 26 graduates, 23 firefighters, and three paramedics that were pinned. We welcomed and are proud of these men and women for their commitment to service and our community. Our next um this was really an amazing um tour. We visited the Always Center along with Kathy Pearson. We visited and toured um
it's located in Newport Ritchie. The center marks a new milestone of community health and well-being, the first prevention and recovery community care center in our region. They were extremely um i just we were blown away and very impressed. So any way we can support them would be awesome. So they do great work there. And then um oh we got to visit the animals. Um I'd like to thank um Matthew for giving uh
Michael for giving me a tour of the animal services shelter in Lando Lakes, the pet servicers that are available, uh the cleanliness of the f the facility, all the toys. I mean these these animals are as spoiled as it gets for being in a shelter. They have like peanut butter in the conks and they're frozen and they get treats all day and i I I really was just impressed um how how great the facility was. Um I really wanted to take home that dog in the picture. Um he was super cute.
And also just one last um shout out to Kathy Pearson and her team. We had a family that was waiting on a disability check. Their hotel was going to expire the next day and Kathy and her team were able to get four more days in a hotel to where they could get their disability check and they weren't on the streets. And I mean their kids were super young. So I'm very thankful and grateful um for her team for that. So And that's all for
District 4.
Madam Vice Chair, your community.
Oh you have said, sorry.
All right, all right.
So um Last week, uh Chair Oakley and Commissioner Mariano and I went to Advent Health Wesley Chapel and they're expanding a vertical expansion. uh on their hospital which is which is pretty neat. A little bit of skyline about to happen here. So Beginning now and should be ready in late twenty twenty five, uh Advent Health Wesley Chapel. We'll go from one hundred and sixty-nine beds to a hundred and ninety-three. uh with room for two more twenty-four
bed units. Um and there's addition, they'll in addition they'll have uh a couple more operating rooms and a couple Indoscopy suites, uh which is which is which is pretty neat. So continuing to grow healthcare and expand uh services and um it's it's it's pretty exciting to see that the advent in their forecasting of building their structures for for growth and capacity to to provide quality health
care service to our citizens. So Pretty neat to be at the groundbreaking and a a fantastic crowd and um the board was there to
uh you know, with the with the view of wire grass and the in the porters, you know, it's it's where it all started. So good stuff happening uh For Advent Health Wesley Chapel. That's all I have.
All right, I think I have some pictures. Um let's see what we got here. I think we have to start with Patriot Lane, at least that's what's on my commissioner items first. Um if you remember Patriot Lane and Holiday was my hoarder. who is still in jail for selling drugs. Um, but that's what it looked like And this is where we are today. Um the bank that repossessed this did not realize that they were the ones responsible for um
knocking that down, demoing it. They thought we were the ones, so they will be demoing it, getting a permit and demoing it soon. But I'm so Happy that that neighborhood doesn't have to deal with this, but I can tell you there's one growing two blocks to the east that I have to keep my eye on. Commissioner Oriano, I heard you have a pretty horrific one up in your I think think it's your district too, so Um I I just want to find a way that we can
be able to deal with these a lot quicker than how we have and Maybe we need to have a little meeting with the health department, see how quickly we can bring 'em in because But you can imagine the rats that were running around this neighborhood and y y the smell was horrendous. So um Next, I was uh on a panel for uh the stimuli August stimuli breakfast that um was focused on Pasco County. Um that's me, uh Bill Cronin was the moderator, 730 in the morning,
can I say, uh in in downtown Tampa. Um Bill Cronin was the moderator and um next to me is Uh I can't remember his name now. For oh my tag is backwards. Next to me is John Hopkins, um the guy who's in charge of the hospital that will be be being built in Wesley Chapel. And next to him is the new guy John. Who will be who is in charge of the um Muffet, um Spiro
spilled out. So um it It was all I think it was almost sold out. The the room was packed and lots of lots of uh good vibes for Pasco County. Um next. Um US nineteen. This is that land that's right there on nineteen, just south of Darlington that I have been Um fussing about and I can't tell you how many calls we've been getting into our county and how many hits the county's been taking on social media
for letting this grow and grow and grow and fester. But again, here here's another thing. It's private property. We could not contact, we can find the owner. The owner hasn't paid taxes on this property in three years. He lives in Texas. It's an LLC. Um He finally responded to um Something from the county and boy I'd have to have Katie to remind me and she's gone now. Um He had fourteen days to clean it up or we were gonna come in
and do it ourselves. Um And I don't remember how we were getting permission to do that. But here's the thing. is that now we've done this two or three times. So Um I'm gonna be suggesting that we just foreclose on our liens because we people can't expect the county to be to be uh the ones in charge of this. And so um obviously doesn't care about the property any anyway. But um Code doesn't have the money anymore, their
budget's done, so it's gonna have to come out of general fund or something to pay for the cleanup. Uh but I would ask that we could just move this to foreclosure on the lanes. Do you know s and how that works?
Plus gonna suggest J Murphy uh the office services. We did make contact with the owner. The owner did give us a trespass violation or trespass agreement. So code is coming out there with our new sheriff liaison to ensure that the property stays um stays clear of of But who's cleaning it up? He did say he would clean it up as well and also pay the back lead. So if that gets sorted out in the next 14 to 30 to 30 days, then that
may complete the 400 procedure. Okay,
you might want
to
tell him someone else has three years of tax deeds on on this property. We
did a DOV um about seven days ago, so I think we have seven days left on the act of filing.
Okay. But it it was just horrific what was going on there. Um so um well I was gonna talk about signs Um Well, I'll bring this up here. So as we're as we're working its way through a new sign ordinance. One of the things that we do with the Tree Mitigation Trust Fund is we have a program that helps pay for the
planting of landscape w in businesses. So The grant goes up, you know, twenty tho ten thousand, twenty, thirty, forty. They put in I think it's matching. Um and we have that ability to do that with landscaping. And I'd like to suggest that we come up a way Come up with a way to have a grant to help some of these people who have these non-conforming Um signs on strip centers. um or any sign, but to help
them Um as they transition from the old signs, because those only have a certain life, and then they they start falling apart, and you can see. Broken abandoned ones almost all over the place. See if we can help them. To um
to take to become conforming and You know, perhaps that lies in in David Engel's department under economic development. But I just want to plant a seed that I think that's something that we should think about. Um Uh I attended the Citizens Academy kickoff. Um big class. Yeah, if you all uh Jack was there too. If you have the opportunity, make sure that's put on your calendar as an FYI and
then if you have time you can pop in. Um I don't how many sessions are they gonna have this time?
There's eleven.
Eleven. It used to be four. So that's a big commitment from these people. And uh we have one that's going through it for the second time. Got a lot of realtors in there. Gordy Zimmerman's wife is going through. And I've thought that was pretty smart. So I've told some of my realtor friends it would be really smart for you to go through this class. And as you're selling our county to people who move here, you can e you can explain it better how local government works and and what we do here. Um
The uh let's see, I attended the global competitiveness committee. and uh we will be celebrating again international um business day in February. So I'll be telling you more about that and we'll we'll have an event And Well last year when we had that event we auctioned off baskets and that's where we got the money to help pay for those two young professionals that went to Germany. So um this is
something we want to promote every year and and build up our international business community. Uh Sunday night I attended the Advent Health Ball. I didn't understand why there's a ball on the Sunday night. Um started at four thirty in the afternoon. And But then uh when there I realized Seventh day Adventists, Saturday's, you know, holy day for them. Yeah. So their partying is on Sunday. So it
ended kinda early, earlier than most balls would, and started earlier, so. Um what else? I think that's
I
think that's all I have for today. Oh wait. I had a meeting with D O T Karbala. Nick and some others. Um and I just wanted to tell you just a little bit about that. Uh we have had multiple accidents on fifty-four. I have a constituent who's been hit twice in front of Trinity Hospital on 54. Apparently People drive out the inn. Some somehow they're Mistaken They're going wrong there. The
other place, uh Brantford, where did I say it was Ducks Lou in 54? We actually had a high school killed there. Yeah, a lot of accidents there. So I am glad that you and DOT are gonna work to um uh see what's going on there and if we can make sure that um that it's not continuing to be so dangerous. Thank you. That's me.
Okay. Mr. Mariano? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um I want to start with Brantford and your team, uh Mike and David as well. Uh David Allen. They uh did a phenomenal job with Palm Terrace. Um after this before the storm they took advantage of the executive order to be able to go out there and clean out they took out s hundreds of truckloads of dirt and then finished up with more to I will say just do a phenomenal job cleaning that whole place out. And other th other than just pitching the road a little bit, maybe some sod. Those
people are so thrilled to have after years and years of flooding over and over again when we couldn't help 'em. Now that we could help them, we did. I'm telling you they just thrilled. Uh the Grey Birch Iron Bar project worked out perfect too, so that whole area uh is really getting elevated. Um Mike Carbell and I talked about uh taking a look at our change of use applications. Uh we got retail established coming to the county, especially along 19. the requirements to bring everything up to a current code is
devastating. It takes a long time. May not be necessary. So Mike's gonna be looking at that and possibly bringing it back to us. Uh I know JP's working closely on a lot of different things. Um Boat trailers in yards in Hudson area. Mm. We had the storm that was coming in. And people get the boats out of their Um Canals to put 'em safe safely on trailers. They didn't have room to go put 'em beside their house 'cause the lots aren't big enough. Before we
pass the ordinance about that, these homes were built, set up. So that's the right-of-way. It it was it it wasn't an issue then. From the ordinance was passed many years ago. Now these people, for example, Two days before the storm comes in they put the boat trailer in the yard. They don't have a thing lined up to to move it anywhere. And codes out there citing them. But they gave a
warning.
I'm telling you they gave them citations. They they did a s they were doing a sweep on area because some other problems were out there. And frankly, I think every commissioner, if they want a sweep, they can have a sweep, but to go spend resources on just disrupting. You could you could cite so many homes in this county all over the place. Do you really want to do that? And if an area is designed for boating, I think we're looking at and I know Jeff is looking at because of those reasons just stated, but Jeff the sooner we get that the better.
So I Um
So I basic I sent you a I sent you a memorandum in your name. Um we can I can forward it to all commissioners. But Um if the board authorizes it, this is a land development code amendment. It is not in the code of ordinances. Um
And the motion would be I'd like to have the board Direct planning and growth and economic growth bring back a land development code amendment to allow boat trailers meeting the following conditions. And I have Based on the email that one of the constituents sent It's lots as described on the property appraiser's property information card as SFR waterfront. Boat trailer in good working order. Trailer
shall be currently registered. Grass under trailer shall be kept at the same height as the remainder of the yard. Storage of the material or items other than the boat shall be prohibited. Storage of any other materials or items other than the boat shall be prohibited. Uh the lot is five thousand square feet or less with side yard setbacks of five feet or less. Making parking of a trailer impossible in the side yard. So moved.
Well, I'm I I'll tell you what, I'm gonna check with my voting community and see how they feel about it. Because they don't they don't You know, we have to do that. We have to see.
So this would not this would just be to have staff bring something forward to you that had those conditions if that's what the board wants to do. I you know that We can't amend the land development code by motion. So
on the water? On the water. Five foot setbacks. I don't think Gulf Harbor is anything else. But if they're on the water,
they're not keeping their boat in the in in the in the back?
They do, but sometimes you're gonna work on it, sometimes you'll have it.
So okay, I am a little confused. I'd like to ask Code here. Um who what's is that JP? Okay. I'm pretty sure because this this happens to us in Gulf Harbors where Um Not very often but sometimes people have their boats in the front and they're working on 'em or whatever. And it's my understanding they get a warning first. And it's seven days. That hey, you uh your boat's in the front yard. You got seven days, but they don't cite 'em, they get a
warning. Um but if they
have gotten a warning and they went back. that they would get a citation.
Yeah, but it's not immediately you have
seven days. But but if if it's a previous violator I think the codes pro uh codes Okay. If there's a if there's has been a warning at that property for that violation The second time around they don't have to give 'em another warning.
So so we have short term rentals in our neighborhood. And sometimes people bring their boats. And um There's a house across the street from me where they'll come, they bring their boat and they leave it in the front yard for the week. Um Someone comes by, gives them gives them a notice Let's just say this is hypothetical. Um Code comes by That's the renter is gone but the next guy's
there and it's a different boat. What happens?
Okay. 'Cause I know my community doesn't like people coming and bringing their boats and keep them in the front. Um Okay.
Is that it?
Well it's this was Commissioner Mariano made a motion. There was there hasn't been a second. There they got
his hand up. Oh.
They got discussion.
Commissioner Weightman's got his hand up though.
Thank you, Chairman M What's Oh. This is another rule that code enforcement's gonna have to police.
What's the point of passing it if we're not going to be able to police it? We can't afford to polic we we're not policing what's on the books now, so keep adding this is I know this is a different point, but We had more and more for code to do and we have these rules but we don't police them. What's the point in creating another rule?
This is an exemption to a rule that's already in place.
So it's gonna be
Great Commissioner Weightman.
Five foot setback and I think lots were five thousand square feet, one tenth of an acre. So I don't think there's any Gulf Harbor's neighbors you've got to worry about.
So it's is this some for Hudson that they have smaller lots there?
And then a tougher situation up there. They wanna see where they can actually do the what they used to do when they properties were developed years ago. This will just let them do what they used to do.
So Commissioner Weightman. The the general rule in the land development code is you can't store things in the front yard of your house. Except it except if you're parking in the driveway. And so Some of Commissioner Mariano's constituents have boats on trailers But because their side yards are so small they can't Yeah. And the rule is you can put them in the side yard. if
it's below the front of the ho behind the front of the house. And this is Most jurisdictions have the same rule. Um so the commissioner asked me, well, and there there has been some email traffic, whether there was a way to Carve out these smaller lots that are in waterfront communities. that's what this was about. I'm not weighing into the policy. I'm just Presenting it.
Well, I'm more for I cans than I can't, so Take a look at it. That's all I want to do. Take a look let's take a look at it. Well, I guess I second it. Is that the formal formal language? I'll second to take a look at it. Take a second to look at it.
It
is
a motion to look at it. Yeah, to bring it back. We got a motion to second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Nay. I don't like
ugly. I'm sorry, I just
don't like ugly.
I just can't vote
for it.
Um Okay. Is he are
yelled? No.
No, I got I got a few more things. I I do wanna say I've heard a few different comments about the fire stations we built. Um the one at Hudson looks great. It's gonna be coming in. Uh seven Springs as well. Comments have got us to look at if we can find ways to cut expenses on them. We think some of the architecture may have been required is costing extra cost to us that may not give us any better of an end product, but some fancier so Uh I've asked of them to go staff to go look at it. I think it's just something we should be aware of and Uh something
to take a look at.
Well uh just a little bit about that and fire stations. Uh I thought the new Chief Perez was talking about the fact of instead of looking at building one fire station at certain time. We would bring forward maybe two or three fire stations. And have 'em bid at the same time so that we can not continually go up on each price of each fire station by bidding them separately. But do it kind of together. Is that kind of
what you heard, Ms. Kavala?
Yeah, I mean there's a number of there's a number of things. Well I'll let Mr. Murphy kinda talk about some of the things that we've already done and then obviously procurement's another issue that that the facilities team looks at.
But I I think that's a good way to look at things. I mean they brought back a community fire station, you know, that did not have regular firemen in and uh put it in service and it gosh, I think last year it did nine hundred calls or something. So phenomenal to relieve the other fire stations.
So Commissioner, thanks for bringing that up. We have taken a uh comprehensive approach of this. We've cut, I think, uh a million dollars out of the the station design. Uh most of our stations are now gonna go from four base to three base. Uh keep the ninety feet, but Not every station needs four bays. To the Chair's point, we're looking at areas that had two stations planned. Uh and instead of building two, we may build uh like kind of a super station in between the two.
Right.
Uh as they're looking they're looking at response times. Um and road access Uh so we're we're looking at all those things and as I said I think I think the price we got from facilities of our uh carve outs of the future stations is over a million dollars per station moving forward in savings that we're kind of value engineering what was previously on station seventeen and Hudson and kinda going back to what we really need. Yeah.
What happened to the station that the contractor arrays Where where is that station?
That's station seventeen and and that should uh be
complete by December. I believe. And I think the commissioner's point is also looking at uh how we design the form of the station and certain certain architectural treatments may may provide savings in other ways. And so I think this value engineering stuff that JJ is talking about and working with the facilities team, we we hear what you're saying and and understand.
And again, I want to just have the conversation. I knew the chief and JJ were working to save millions as well, but I just want to throw those. Yeah. So I'm very pleased the way J J your working, the Chiefs working so Uh with Eric as well. So I just wanna let you know the conversation I had. So good. Um I was with a constituent yesterday and we talked about the PACE program. Mm-hmm. And Hell's uh property tax collector Fasano just cut him off. Right. I and so the
There was some real issues there.
Sure. And the lady had a very good point that I just wondered, I want to bring it to you and With everybody. Is there a way that we can look at All these complaints where people lost houses and get buried. That we can look at uh see if they've uh violated enough to what exactly how to say it, but predatory lending practices. And go take a look into that to see if there were any violations or Anything we can help the people with.
I'm not sure that that would be in the board's realm really. I mean that i i if it's a crime, if it's predatory lending and it's a crime, then that would be within the state attorneys We could certainly research the Is there some sort of a clause of action there? And w and do we need could we refer it to somebody? But I don't know that it's something that my office would be counseled.
representing
the right-of-way.
And again, just because we set the program up, it's now I think if we can f find a way to coach people to what they could do then we should take a look at that. So with your expertise if you can guide us a little bit, maybe next meeting to think about it just
can we can take a look at that and bring it back on the on the September third meeting.
Okay. Um One more thing, uh a couple more things, campaign signs. Um I'm glad we had a change in leadership with the code. Um I had signs I put myself up Within the telephone poles. And they started you know map pages and started taking 'em out.
With my signs. I put 'em in place myself. And I put 'em inside to make sure they're inside the utility pole so no one else would make a mistake, line 'em up myself. And I had all like eleven of them total built out. Once one set, once that's that. I wanna say Mike and J P. It went on. I just want to make sure we don't get in the situation again. Are
you saying I I didn't understand you? Are you saying our staff took him out?
Yes.
I I heard this from different people's th there was some on our property at Rangeland and Starkey and someone took 'em out.
I mean we have got to really control what they're doing. sign ordinance, so you know the new sign ordinance will only allow you to put one sign on any one piece of property.
We only had one.
And you but I'm t You've got properties like over in Dade City take Clinton Avenue and three oh one. There's property there that there'd be five or six sides on that. That's all the same property. And they didn't I mean Co didn't go take 'em out. But that's more than one sign what our sign ordinance calls for. Is it one sign per person? No, one one sign total per
property.
I didn't
know that uh uh went to political. That's a
rule. I
mean
it's in an ordinance. So we need
to think
we should bring that back
then. So Okay. So we adjusted the sign ordinance to comply with the Supreme Court case of Reed. if you may if you recall, which said we couldn't distinguish between political signs Because it was speech. And commercial signs. I think it's a dumb ruling. Um but that's what the US Supreme Court said. And So when we brought
that last amendment back to you temporary sign you were given the ability to have a temporary sign on one temporary sign on one piece of property. Because you didn't want banner signs all over the place. Right. So that caught political signs in that say it it It's all a temporary sign. Um we can we can look at adjusting that But you're gonna
have to adjust it for other kinds of signs too.
Can I can I suggest something? I'd like to test the waters and the courts on that. I say we go ahead and do the political signs And If someone wants to sue us We take it on. 'Cause that's crazy. You know
Well, they've been doing it, so I've eaten this. Everybody's
doing it. And then this we're gonna be s having situations. We're gonna be putting the signs out in the same place too that
Can you imagine a code enforcement person taking your sign, my sign, and Starkey sign down? I can't imagine that. Oh did it? I mean 'cause I get p I get pictures of it. Not because they're not doing right, like our ordinance says, but the fact that We're over them, so in a sense, it really puts us at odds, which which it really shouldn't. And I don't think it has because I don't think Coach's actually been out there doing that.
Oh, they have. They they they changed using from telephone poles for utilities to using map pages where they look at it, which is not even accurate. They could be five feet off doing it. Literally I put 'em out, Commissioner Oakley, myself with I know they were good. And JP even knows one of them that was down the street that he knew was good and they yanked it. So,
yeah. Do they tell you?
We've given code some pretty good written guidance on how to apply the rules. So I I
Let's let's test that. Let's test it out that's general. We probably will with you and I probably
So a and and as you know when you're actively campaigning other things too. So I will tell you the landscaping ordinance, talking to people. With the way we have it set up with all these trees. That are right now in place. That are Hitting the power lines have to be trimmed, trimmed and trimmed. We really need to go look at this ordinance again because I've got people that will not. And you go up and down nineteen, talk to Rich Jenkins, he's he went through it. They will not put the stuff back in. They don't want to because they're gonna block their viewers seeing their businesses and they're
worried about it. And if you need to, I can get a few people to come in there and tell you what they're going through, what they're feeling. But literally the way we have it, I want to make the place look good. But the way that's set up right now. If you block the view of a business. You take away the value of that property. One person was telling me We don't have many jobs there because people aren't doing as much business there as they would because you can't see what's in there.
I'm gonna disagree with you. We're not doing much work there because it's ugly. And who wants to drive on that road and spend any money? Now I've been cle I just got compliments last night from A couple of business people that were at the watch party. uh that they hadn't driven nineteen in a long time and they they were somewhere in New Port Richey for some event and they said, Hey, we haven't been on nineteen, let's drive south. And they were really surprised at how much better it's looking. And I have four new businesses moving. in. I have a hospital, I have some
coffee drive throughs. I have people spending money in the holiday area and revitalizing it. So I think when something's run down, decrepit looking and ugly N people aren't gonna wanna put a business there. So I disagree with you.
Well I but I'll say I'll say this. In the center medians, I'll tell you, I got so many compliments with all the trees, the palm trees, and everything else going there. Right. That is that made the whole place look great. Yeah. Going up and down. But I'm just telling you, peop people are buying a piece of property, they can't be seen with their business,
they don't know what it is. Who would plant trees that you can't see in our property? There's a whole list of trees that you can plant Like palm trees and things that you can see the property just fine. So that's someone planning the wrong thing.
So go back to your ordinance that we put in place, right? We put it in place. We say you have to maintain what you permitted. If you could change it, you gotta go re redo it, reapply?
If you want to change it and make it better and make this thing so
we we actually have a landscaping fund I think that helps some businesses do redo some of their landscaping. So
I'll I'll show you pictures of some of the um grants that have come in in holiday and And what they've done to improve the area. And we get We're getting thanks for for for caring.
So right now if you change it in this one business we have to spend ninety grand to redo all the trees, some of them in the backyard. Right? Nobody's gonna see it from the street. It's in the back of the building, that's next to another building, that's next to a pond, and we're making them redo that too. It's it's like just a little bit too extreme. But maybe if we're gonna do this, instead of being an eighty percent Maybe you just make it a hundred percent if it's along the arterials in a business.
I got one last thing. Uh Hudson Beach, you heard the gentleman talk about the swing that broke.
Right.
To replace it and this is like if we place two of 'em because the other one's on schedule, uh it would cost fourteen just over fourteen hundred dollars. and they can put two brand new ones out there. And if Hudson comes with the new improvements coming up as projected, they can actually take the swing out. Pull it away and put it back later so you don't waste the money either.
So
I make a motion we spend up to fifteen hundred dollars to replace those swings.
Absolutely. What a great amenity for the community.
We've got a motion and a second. Yeah. All those in favor say aye.
What about the
picnic tables?
I'm working on those, I'll find out.
I was gonna bring that up.
Um well I have a question on that, on that Hudson. Is that is there a plan to spruce that up and make it nicer looking?
At the Restirect committee meeting Thursday we're gonna be tomorrow we'll be bringing it out. Those are really cool pictures, but if you see it in the big screen it's even better.
Kabawa. I'll save the accolades for next meeting, but I just want to let you know I did just extend the local state of emergency for Hurricane Debbie to August 29th. We still have some latent flooding issues out east and up in Hudson that we're still addressing and want to make sure we capture that. That's all.
And I'm gonna add to that before I go to Jeff, but Uh the fact of it is Debbie's still affecting some of East Pasco County.
Really?
Yeah, round Zephyrhills and all. I mean we got Issues with flooding and and uh People have uh either block ditches or places that we could move water to. I mean they've changed. I mean they come in so I'm not getting water on me anymore so they'll build something to fill up the ditch that used to bring the water on through And now it's not allowed to come through so it's backing up on people you know, on the west side of it. So But there's still issues with Debbie and uh people talk like well Debbie was
nothing but It's there's flood issues still happening around East Pasco County, so
How many houses in in Hudson got water in the house?
I never heard a number. I'd have to talk with emergency management. I don't have the exact stats and figures in front of me here, but we'll get you a report. Yeah.
Also the uh
A lot of people don't realize Jack and I know, but Uh we were sitting with about two point one billion gallons in the reservoir.
And Because of Debbie. We have built that back up, I think it's eight point seven billion. With Putting in it. Um two hundred million gallons a day pumped into the reservoir, which l that's mind boggling when you think about two two hundred million going in. Every five days we put a billion gallons in that reservoir. Yeah. So it's pretty amazing. We've and we still have some showers around lately, so That's that water's still coming,
so But
Jeff, do you have something? I took enough time of your your time this morning, I'll I'll pass.
Uh no sir, thank you.
Um you got some pictures over there for me? I went and spoke at the uh graduation for For the uh firefighters and I gave him a story and and I know the two of you have know a lot of people. That that story was the fact that we had a an emergency with a guy that was out mowing his yard and Uh he had a heart attack, so our our team, fire team went out and EMS went out and took care of him, got him stable. And then Moved him on the
hospital, but after they got all that settled Those firefighters came back. I mean that was a great story back when it happened. It was I think it was Somewhere three to five years ago, yes. Three or four years ago. Um but that was a great story and I told that t that new graduating class that they were fixing to enter. an elite group of people. that are the best of the best. And they should be very proud of of graduating and being a part of that group. So
And we keep adding We don't have any more classes graduating right now, but uh the start of the new year we'll have classes started back to keep We've added um I think fifty one new positions we've added. And the last with the last two classes. So Very very good that we've added those. And then Um
Advent Health?
Oh yeah. Advent Health. Uh they were adding To the north uh wing they're adding three more stories. And the south wing they're adding two more stories of building, which they were prepared when they originally built the building, they could add these Oh. Different stories on top of it. They're gaining I think seventy two new beds. And here's what's amazing. I mean There there's a real need out there 'cause they had eighteen people in emergency
area Waiting on rooms.
Wow. And just think of all the hospitals we
put
in and
I mean what's really amazing and you in saying that, and I've always sent this everytime it seems like I talk it Advent health, I'm telling that all these other hospitals coming in it it makes 'em and pushes them With the uh fact that the They're not going to be able to do that. Working to be the very best. Every hospital it comes in wants to be the very best. Well the fact of it is For the citizens of Pasco County, that's great for us because that gives us the ability to have the very best care
here in Pasco County. because all of the different hospitals are striving to be the very best. And I s I've say this several two times, but Eric was part of the he was the MC that started all this with the this program. He had to come back up and say, oh, Commissioner, you made me say this. But we have three hospitals that are three star and I think one's a four star. But they're already They're leading in their Their fields, so It's
it's a good thing all these different units have come in and different Different groups. I mean Friday we get some more Um
Uh a new Dentist office coming over here and a health health department clinic. So coming to I believe it's around Hudson area if I'm not mistaken. But I'm supposed to be there to speak on Friday, so But those are all real good things. Oh and then we met um When we were at Advent we met the uh Wilbur the uh chief barking officer they have there. Just bringing me. Um
What was it? I thought I had something else. Um
Okay. Oh.
Yeah. I talked about Baby. issues we had with Daddy. So And I I continue peeking on Bramford because He wants to do his first road of the new year I think wants to do in Starkey's area instead of mine. I don't know why that is. Why he's pick he's picking on me. So but I let him know that I'm noticing these kind of things. Next thing I know he'll be building roads over here in Jack's district.
But the fact of it is it's a great program. Um
What
are you
doing?
The new paving. paving. You're doing some
MST. Okay.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Boy I I drove on the wheel.
Maybe I can go ahead and sneak it back over my way.
I I I dro I at lunchtime I went to Pepin. And Orchid Lake is just falling apart. I don't think it's in there. Rogue bad.
But I can't say enough about all our staff, no matter what department is. Um There's a lot of positive things happening in this county. And I mean it's taken I've been here I'm in my eighth year and it's taken till about now to A lot of these issues are being addressed that I started working on back when I first started. I'm slow I guess. So it took
me twelve year twelve years to get a bathroom at Sun Coast in
It took me five years. It took me five years to get wire road pay. Took five years to get wire road paved. Now they tell me they're gonna get me some other roads pretty soon. Sounds like
Mike's getting a lot done.
Oh
yeah.
Well and what is real positive is the fact that And thank you, F D O T. Putting a light at Wire Road for me. And they told me it was in engineering and The light was coming within about two hours of me asking for it.
So
But it's all about safety. The fact of it is this particular intersection on the east side at Wire Road and And three oh one. This year there's been four deaths there. So that's not gonna stop. We have older residents that live there and come out on that road and it's just a dangerous intersection.
So
it's not a cross section, it's just one road coming out to that.
We're talking about time to get things fixed. I mean all the stormwater projects taking years and years and I tell you we've done such a great job on so many of 'em. Yeah. And only because we took over the F J Penet Pl Planet Palm Terrace, it took us a total of nine days of work to fix the whole thing. Actual work. Get the government out of the way, call the emergency order, and Brantford and the team. Some areas
we used to wade in the water. Some areas we used to wade in the water and I came over and waited when we first got elected. Oh that's pretty amazing. We incredible necessarily hear those issues like we used to. Yeah. Because we actually all we were all working together on that.
I I have a question for Brantford. Um so you've decided on a roundabout for Decubulus and Starkey?
Yeah, the downstairs yeah.
So does that so the light that's there, I know there's a shortage. Do you take the street light out and put it to use somewhere else?
Um usually if you do this on it, yeah.
Well yeah, we have it takes a long time to get a street light the uh
It actually takes a long time to get mast arms. So
you'll you'll be repurposing those lights?
Make it somewhere maybe that.
Um, did you take a look at Starkey Boulevard's what I asked you to look at when you're driving home?
Yeah, I did. We can we can talk about it.
It's odd.
It is.
I feel we're gonna have racing going on again in another it's place. Which is already happening at the merge
anniversary of the
C
D
um in front of the market.
Only if there's a slow driver ahead of you.
I had a motorcycle past me on the dotted yellow line flying where he wasn't shouldn't have been passing, so It's happening out there.
I didn't know that.
We're done, right?
Um no not yet, but now we
are.
Okay, okay.