Commissioner reports on veterans and firefighters

1:53:40Yes, ma'am. Um the main thing I'd like to bring up today is the fact that um We all know and I've get calls and I'm sure y'all get the same kind of calls of how things get slowed down in the system and And it takes a little longer in some areas and all, but on behalf of all our staff and Dan and his group. All all the things that I see They're working on very hard. They're just overloaded with work. And I want to thank all the staff and all your access

1:54:12to what they do and I appreciate everything they do and I know all of us do. So Um, I know you're pushed to the limits to get things moving and quicker and some things slowed up at times, but When the day's over it they're doing a good job and they are working as hard as they can. I thank you. That's all I have.

1:54:34Thank you, Madam Chair. Just two quick items. Last week I had the uh honor of participating in a press conference with the Tampa Warriors Hockey Program at Advent Health Center ICE. From June 10th to 11th, it will have a 22-hour marathon of games and events to raise awareness for the fact that 22 veterans a day die by suicide. Obviously that's one is too many, as we all know. So we should all do what we can to support our veterans, continue to serve our veterans that serve this great nation of ours. And the opening ceremonies for this is at 6.30

1:55:04p.m. on June 10th at Advent Health Center Ice in Wesley Chapel. So for the public, come on out during the day on June eleventh. I know they're gonna have teams coming from across the state and across the country in addition to um here's a neat puck for their uh for their event. In addition to uh veterans, there's also a lot of first responders that participate, fire rescue, people are in fire rescue as well as um police and uh sheriff's deputies from across the nation too, so many being veterans, so let's continue to support this this event and many others like it.

1:55:35Secondly, again, we mentioned earlier, I'm not gonna get into it. You know, thanks to F DOT for getting the Diverging Diamond open. There's a there's more lanes to come. We need more lanes, but at least they're making that conversion now. Um when it's all open, it's gonna be definitely smooth sailing. If you've driven the one in Sarasota or other crosses, other places across the nation, you realize how much of a positive impact it has on those interchanges, and so we can't wait for that. But again, thank Thanks to F D OT, but I also want to you know thank um our legislators because back I remember when I came out in 2014 they were talking

1:56:05about doing this and starting construction in what 2024. So you know I remember spending hours and I worked very closely as you know as well as your support with your support as well with our legislators to get this thing moved up and get some money through appropriations, and thankfully for um Speaker Corcor and during this time and started with um Speaker. Weatherford to help get this thing moved up. If not, uh we'd be looking at probably 2028. So that's it. Thank you.

1:56:31Commissioner Fitzpatrick. And I'm not sure which photos are gonna come up first.

1:56:37But one thing other item that I've been working on is working with the schools, public schools, so we can have a joint agreement for the playgrounds to be opened after schools and on weekends. I would like to see that. I know I have family in out of state and every weekend you would see all of the families utilizing the parks and the tracks. in the fields and tennis courts and it's really nice to see the families come together. I would like to next

1:57:08is I would like to congratulate the thirty-two new firefighters on their promotions or the thirty to welcome the thirty-two new firefighters and congratulate the thirty-two new firefighters on their promotions. Um speaking of the fire department, we have the new station number nine at fifty two in Suncoast is expecting to be open by August and I will be following very closely their time frame. Seven station seventeen is a rebuild on s in seven springs and

1:57:38it they're looking to open in November. We have three additional ambulances that should be coming in To service. In October, we will be expecting to have ambulance two twenty-three placed in service as well. And what I would really like to highlight is station thirty, we have the new ambulance two thirty that has been in into service as of yesterday. It was expected to be there tomorrow, but it will be there today. And yesterday.

1:58:11Is that it?

1:58:12Nope. Okay, next we have the Commissioner Baby.

1:58:19It's the Commissioner Baby Shower and we're looking for anyone to donate diapers of all sizes, diaper cream, baby formulas, bottles, pacifiers, wipes, and clothing. The benef this these will be these items will be donated to Sunrise of Tampa Bay. Sunrise of Fasco County for the domestic violence shelter and last year was Sun Coast Voices, this year will be Sunrise. And we will be collecting items May ninth through to June seventeenth and then we will let you know when the day

1:58:50to come out if you would like to bring any additional items the day of. Next. And lastly I would like to mention Bring Your Child to Work Day. I would like to thank every Pasco County staff member that brought their child and that helped put this event together. And do you have the photo?

1:59:13Should be a photo. So it was really nice to see all the kids and the families come together. The kids asked a million questions and when you thought the questions were gonna be over, they came up with even more questions. They got to participate and sit up on the dayas and practice their budgets and go from emergency management over to finance department. So that was really nice to see everyone come together and put on a great day for the children. And lastly, stations

1:59:44two, three, and four are expected to be in fiscal year twenty-three in fiscal year twenty-two to twenty-three. And I would also like to dive into the budget because I'm and I'm gonna be looking very closely into the budget for fire rescue. We have approved a percentage increase for

2:00:05Um sanitary waste and garbage service and I would like to look at a flat rate increase or an additional funding for the fire rescue so we can ensure and improve the times for the fire for arrival for the safeties of all citizens. And we also have to consider the mental health and the well-being of all of our first responders. So I will be looking into that and seeing that. if we can do a flat rate across the board. Thank you.

2:00:34Commissioner Mariano.

2:00:35Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh Dan, do you have those pictures?

2:00:44Well those pictures are coming up. There was a fire I guess last weekend over in Leisure Beach. Um that fire got very close to uh the homes are there. Uh puts the people in homes in danger as well as the firefighters in danger. Um

2:00:59We've tried to do different things as far as dealing with homeless folks that are living on property illegally. Um you know, yearly renewals of the um trespassing ordinance is is certainly hampered. These are some pictures of uh one of the residents from Leisure Beach sent sent me this mor last night. Uh they just had a board meeting yesterday and be talking about it next week or what to do about the situation. Um

2:01:25Well that's nice.

2:01:27And it's just it's just not it's not good for Pasco County. No. Uh and then the approach we've been taking has been one but I'm gonna suggest after talking to our county attorney and talking about other things that we could do for a different approach. Um And maybe it is going directly to the owner of the land who maintains any situation contrary to the code, maybe have responsible for this violation. Um some examples that could be done as far as pe persons camping on undeveloped

2:01:57parcels commit a multitude of code violations. Uh number one, zone zoning violation, it's not a permitted use to camp on any property other than one zoned for a campground. If commercial zoning, no person allowed to design in the parcel except in narrow circumstances. That's one possibility, littering, placing debris on property without consent of the owner. Unlawful acts. It is unlawful to leave any solid waste in any location other than a solid waste recovery system. This would include trash

2:02:27as well as human waste. Use of public sewer is required. No person shall dispose of human excreatment in a toilet. Accumulation of debris. Trash or junk visible from right away in abutting parcels. Open burning permitted. All of these violations I just mentioned are violations of the code compliance has issued citations for illegal campers and onto the property owners in the past and that the attorney's office has prosecuted successfully. I'm going to say I was happy to see we have a

2:02:57new code compliance director. But I will tell you of all the problems I have in my district up and down, especially 19, uh the homeless is um is a major one. And I want to give thanks to the board, thanks to code compliance and the sheriff's office for working very hard on the right-of-way ordinance for safety, because the number of panhandlers diminished dramatically working together. But we're still not done solving the issue and people are very disturbed. especially like I said, Leisure Beach. And this could happen anywhere around any other property.

2:03:27So um I want to see that our team working with uh Patrick Roten now, uh that Sally we can get a team up to go stop looking at these processes. Kathryn Commissioner Starkey you've had great success clearing out a couple of yours as well. They've cleaned out some of mine as well, but this is an ongoing thing that we need to deal with. Unemployment is it's zero percent as far as every economist will tell you. People can have jobs. We still go to places everybody's looking for workers. There's opportunities that are out there. I wanna try to help them. Um

2:03:58In saying that too, I want to take a look at what we're gonna do for mental health, uh, substance abuse, uh to try to help those that are that trying to get help that just don't know how to get help. But it's something that I wanna see code stepping up. using this approach if need be to go forward.

2:04:14So we used that we used that um kind of uh we cited the owner behind the Walgreens or CVS whatever it was at Bridge in 19 for operating a campground. Um what was frustrating was he had a no trespassing sign and he had already cleaned it up once or twice. Um But um you know n there was no action on no trespassing. And

2:04:46and and so the only thing left for our staff for us was to use code and say they weren't he was offering a campground. Um The owner did clean it up and he he gr he had to clean it up twice because even while he cleaned up most of it, they came and dumped more. and on a little section he hadn't cleaned up so he came back in and cleaned it up again. Let me say that FGOA had a well there. And they had to shut the well for contamination of uh

2:05:16feces. Yeah. Well that's nice. Yeah. So God knows what what they was going on there before they caught it. Then this is just a little teeny tiny strip and they said it was full of hypodermic needles. Full of hypodermic needles. So um Yeah, I I I hey anything we can do to keep stopping that from happening, I'm in. So

2:05:38Okay, anything else?

2:05:39Um I want to say um you know coming up with taking over the jail is gonna be a major thing that we all need to be focused on. I think I don't know Dan if you want to give reports maybe every other meeting or you're gonna touch that anyway. But uh coming up in Orlando, uh like there's a couple of counties up there that actually took over their jails. If anybody's going to FAC might be a good opportunity to go take a look at it or just take a trip. I also want to go take a look down at Charlotte County. They have built, I guess, their own hospital next to the jail. Sorted

2:06:10a couple of years ago, but I think I want to delve deeper into what they're doing to take those people that keep on going into jail for recurring things that are all mental health or drug related, that maybe what they're doing is something we need to incorporate in the future coming up so that we can maximize our jail expansion. and and and use I think the uh the opioid funds that are coming our way. If we need to go expand and put that into it, let's go use that treatment. As the Sheriff said, eighty five percent Of the drug overdoses or dru drug related

2:06:40folks are going to through the jail. And if we can bypass

2:06:44that it'd be much

2:06:44better shape.

2:06:45Cheaper kind of facility. Much

2:06:46better way to go.

2:06:47Yeah, good idea.

2:06:48Okay. That's all I have. Thank you.

2:06:51Administ.