Outside lobbyists state and federal

1:09:39Sorry. Go ahead, Commissioner Starkey. Yeah, um really just one thing. Um a hey and great discussion on the dredging and frankly great discussion on the landscaping if we can help our citizens uh more. Um, that's a win win for all of us. And I was kinda surprised to hear how much money we have in that mitigation that tree mitigation trust fund. So let's get it back out on the street and uh raise the you know Help helping our businesses look better. Um, I wanted to bring up a subject that's been you

1:10:09know, kind of a sore subject for me in the past. And that is again our outside lobbyists. And I did talk to uh the uh administrator about it, but Frankly, I think um we're shooting ourselves in the foot by not having Um having our outside lobbyists, I've talked to commissioners in other counties And um We might we might be the only county this size that I think we would be the only county this size does that doesn't have at least one outside lobbyist. The other ones

1:10:39have multiple firms so I wanna say um especially at a time when money's gonna be even tighter in Tallahassee, that we need to be looking out for the best interests of our citizens. Um and having someone on retainer for say forty thousand dollars or so is gonna bring back dividends to the county. Um, you saw what happened to us in this last year and I've looked at what other counties got to keep and I

1:11:09think we can do a little better and um I think Ralph does a great job. Um, but there is a difference between an internal lobbyist and an external lobbyist. And we are better served if we have both.

1:11:26Commissioner Mariano.

1:11:28Yeah, I will I will concur with that. Um you know what when I look at how much money we had out there that was going to be set in and this current year with uh Speaker Sprouse and President Simpson, we are in position to do something. But when we don't have our lobbyist who is tied in with these guys, uh, and Sean Foster, I think, at Sunrise was our last one, I think we should bring him back on. what the job they could do for us if he only gets one thing for us, we're way out of the the game. You've got to be up there, you've got to be in their face, you've got to be pushing to get these things through. So uh, Commissioner

1:11:58Starkey, thank you for bringing it up. I think you're right on the money.

1:12:01Commissioner

1:12:02Weightman.

1:12:02Yes, I I also agree with Commissioner Starkey. Um and again Ralph does an unbelievable job. Uh again we're lucky to have him up there, but I know for instance, you know, the school board has their internal person and an external person. They work together as great as a team. And in the past, Sean's worked great with us as a team. So I I agree with you both on that. So I'm glad you brought it up, Commissioner. Thank you.

1:12:24Do we know how many people um Hillsboro has, Commissioner Starkey now? Do you know?

1:12:30They have um I I know they have um Washington and local firms. I don't know how many they have local, but it's more than one. And I will tell you that both Hillsborough and Penellas, um And Penallas had the one that we let go, Van Scoy, up in Washington. They both got Bill grants this year. I don't know if you saw that. But they got tens of millions of dollars uh from from Washington this year. So Uh But

1:13:00anyway, I I would like to put it in motion for 'em that we uh bring back our lobbyists and um See if there's a second.

1:13:10Second with discussion, Chairman Mariano

1:13:12Wells.

1:13:13Commissioner Starkey, I agree with you on both aspects, I think, especially with looking at this dredging that Commissioner Mariano has been working on for the last couple of years. Umbyist as well as

1:13:25I would love that if there was support. We are really missing out. And uh now we uh really have a another project. You know, we never would have got our rich road road permit without our help without that help. And I I agree that we should have a federal lobbyist help us with this whole coastal um effort. Absolutely.

1:13:43Yeah.

1:13:50Um Let's talk about the federal one though real quick on the federal side. I mean so I'm I'm gonna ask on the federal side, what was our What we say a return on investment with the federal lobbyists we previously had. How How many bills were passed on our behalf? How much funding did we receive from the group we had previously hired on as federal lobbyists? Can anybody answer that? I know the answer if

1:14:20I'm just asking.

1:14:22We have to be smart about what we ask for. Um And we haven't used our lobbyist right Uh 'cause we haven't put had a project besides our Ridge Road one that we went up there and asked them for. Although I did ask for help in changing some of the uh labor laws and we did get that. So um So uh Um that that not not necessarily is a straight county. County project, but even Martin County,

1:14:52the little Martin County over on the other side, they have two lobbying firms and in uh Washington. They bring back millions and millions of dollars. So we we have to be more savvy about um what we're asking for. Um I think that Um the transportation money, I think there's this um prob possibly the thread money. I think I think uh we should look at what other counties have done and and mimic that and and not always paintings

1:15:23for ourselves. I know that I I I told the administrator, I ran into Secretary Anod Um Somewhere in Tallahassee last year. And you guys remember him? He was the head of D O T.

1:15:35Yes.

1:15:35Uh Florida DOC, Secretary and Nodd.

1:15:38Yes.

1:15:39He told me he was shocked that we were paying for the overpass extension all by yourself. And that that was a Definitely a project that could have got some money in Washington if we had asked.

1:15:51So why didn't we so when Yeah, I mean so this is just my question on the federal side. So we had th those folks for two years, if it wasn't correct. And there were certain things that we had discussed about tiger grants and and whatever it may be in addition to and we piled on top of that. Well we didn't get anything. So I'm not saying a federal lobbyist itself is not a good idea. Um but we did not get any return on our investment with the group that we had. And I'm not knocking them. So I mean do you do we so so

1:16:21do we need to For on on the federal side, if you're saying Okay, do we move forward again with a federal lobbyist? I'm not saying we we do or don't, but I'm saying is Do we go look at who else is out there In addition to who we had previously had.

1:16:39So so here's the deal. Like the the bill grant that Penellas just bought, it took a number of years of lobbying and you know, we can you can ask any one of the uh you know, we're all friends with double com commissioners. I can tell you Janet Long went up to Washington three to four times um was was uh and went around with her her lobbyist and some people from the business community, they worked that grant. Um And it took them a uh quite a few years to get it. And I wouldn't doubt that Hillsboro

1:17:10County would tell us the same thing. So Um, so we we have to have a plan, we have to have an ask and then we have to go work it. And you can't expect it in a year or two, but you have to build those relationships and I think that's what uh those kind of guy those guys can do for you. And Gal.

1:17:30Okay. Commissioner Oakley.

1:17:31Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And you know when you when you look at Van Slick, I think they're a great company. Um I think it it does take time. It you you just can't get it in a year or two. It's gonna take You know, even even a regular road project takes five years through our own MPO process. So it takes time to get it for that. But if you look at federal lobbyists, Dawson's a federal lobbyist. They stuck with us on Ridge Road. Right. When we signed up with them, it was a time, don't expect it right away, it's going to take time. And there were times we made decisions year after year. Are we going to keep doing this or are we going to keep doing this? And because we persevered and stuck with it, we got it

1:18:01through. So, you know, it it does take time to go through. So, you know, don't go just by what we did for the short term and dropped it because you know it it's tough. I will tell you

1:18:09I don't wanna I'm but uh and I I'm not trying to interrupt, I'm gonna continue on the conversation, but I guess I'm just asking these questions out loud because I wanna know what was brought to them, what suggestions were made to them by our team and and staff of what to go f after and what happened to it. 'Cause

1:18:27I'll I'll say this, you know, and and you know, Commissioner We'm I'm so glad you just brought up the Federal side, especially mentioned dredging as well, because right now we're gonna be going through the biggest dredging project we ever had in the county. So we're gonna be looking doing all this thing, and I'm telling you that part two money with restore is just untouched from us, and it takes big projects to get it done. It's got to be tied to water quality and economic development. We're right in the mix of that whole thing. I think we could look at them, but we can also look at others and and let's go look at Who's going to be

1:18:58helpless best with transportation, best w best with the restoration, I'll call it, up and down the coast. But I think there's an opportunity that's out there that could be absolutely huge for money. that we should go take a look at. We're we're t we're too big, we're too Premier accounting not to go after that.

1:19:13Mr. Chairman M

1:19:14Commissioner Oakley.

1:19:17I'm not sure that I ever heard us even ask for anything for overpass road when they were did we ask Mr. Bowles?

1:19:23Do you

1:19:24think that's the one?

1:19:24Yeah, I think we submitted at least one tiger application We didn't submit a build grant application this time because we did not have any projects ready in the window for that. So

1:19:34we gave that to the federal lobbyists. Yeah.

1:19:37Well and our federal lobbyist contract read out at the end of Less.

1:19:45Not sure if it was a fiscal year or the calendar year, but ran out last year. So I just don't remember

1:19:50us talking about uh asking asking about overpass or for funds for overpass. But

1:19:55I

1:19:55definitely know we were pushing very hard.

1:20:05about eighty five million I think is the number I saw money out of the state going towards current Pasco County projects. So I mean uh they're working it pretty hard so through through the process through the F dot process. So Um so there is that out there. I will say that if you know if the board w neither there's not funding for either one in the budget. that that's on the agenda for approval this afternoon. If the board wants to do that, then we will obviously amend the budget at the next available medium when we can to

1:20:35add funding into the budget to do that and then we will go through the solicitation process for both contracts.

1:20:40Well that was my next question. Where are we going to get the money from?

1:20:44Well I I Dunno.

1:20:48So we all have to get stacked with OMB to see where the money's coming from. But I agree. How many should man göra det?

1:20:54Yeah, I mean we we've done a great job putting our reserves back in as well. If I get to go pull from reserves to go make this happen, I think it's well worth doing.

1:21:02I think I don't think we need to do that. I think we do have there was there were some funds that we was returned and we have not Made any uh There was a small ask on it, but I know there are Some left over. Now that would be reoccurring, that would be obviously cover you for the year. But I'm just saying

1:21:23we can get this done. Yeah,

1:21:24that's what I'm saying. I don't th you wanna

1:21:26you don't have to dip in reserves,

1:21:27is what I'm saying.

1:21:28So what I'm what I'm hearing the direction the board would like us to to amend the budget to find both the state and federal lobbyist And we will go through the solicitation process for both and bring those contracts back to the board when we're ready to. So I don't I

1:21:44don't know if that was Commissioner Starkey's motion um.

1:21:48Yes, and I would say the local ha you know, is as soon as possible 'cause committee meetings are gonna be starting soon.

1:21:56Commissioner Oakley. They start in December. So especially the local one, we need to get that done by December one way or the other.

1:22:02Okay.

1:22:06I'm looking to the right, but there's nobody there anymore.

1:22:08No. Well Chairman M just so I can make clear, um Commissioner Starkey, so you're okay with us putting it out to bid and then taking the most qualified you don't want to use Who we who we had picked in the past to do the local state stuff?

1:22:21Mr. Chairman, you can't just go with Mr. Foster. It has to go out.

1:22:25Okay. Sounds good to me. I seconded it, so.

1:22:28Okay, but I um Um I would not like this to get in purchasing or whatever and be stuck there for six months. This is time was of the essence because It doesn't do us any good to bring one on six months after they've already started. So Um how since we've done this in the past You already have a con you know, you already have the language to get a bit out on the street. Can we just polish off the one we had before and get it out on the street this

1:22:58week?

1:23:00Commissioner Yeah. Yeah we add. Didn't know this item was gonna come up for discussion today, otherwise I'd have done a little research. So Um I once the meeting ends, I'll get with Purchase and our team to see what we can do. Mr. Mariano.

1:23:14If you could please take a look at both contracts, the last contracts we had and if we can find a way to extend them

1:23:20They're expired, Commissioner. Well

1:23:22they expired. Okay.

1:23:26Okay.

1:23:33being able to resuscitate.

1:23:37Okay. Thanks. Uh I think that's called a vote. Is that a vote or

1:23:42Yeah you have a motion you have a motion by Commissioner Starkey, I have a second by Commissioner We Uh I was gonna wait for we had one step out for a moment, but I Thanks we'll Be okay. Can you can you give me one second? I'm gonna just see if he's coming down the hall. If you don't mind. Well give us one sec to check.

1:24:01I'm trying to think if I have anything else.

1:24:06And I'll call it.

1:24:14I would wanna remind everybody about the two the two two souls. Um, bring let's let's keep collecting shoes and socks for our students.

1:24:26That's a great uh project that that we have going on. So we need shoes. We need socks.

1:24:35Okay, great. So I can call that vote. Now I have a motion by Commissioner Starkey, second by Commissioner Weightman Clerk, please call the roll.

1:24:41District One, Commissioner Oakley.

1:24:43Aye.

1:24:43District three, Commissioner Starkey. Aye. District four, Commissioner Wells.

1:24:49Aye.

1:24:49District five, Commissioner Mariano.

1:24:51Aye.

1:24:51District two, Chairman Mariano.

1:24:52I have to classify zero. Okay. Well we we good m you good, Commissioner?

1:24:59Yes, thank you very much.

1:25:00Thank you, ma'am. All right. Now I will go to Commissioner Weightman.