Resolution honoring Mike Wells property appraiser

1:37:43All right, Commissioner We all know today is your last day. on the county commission. And I know we all have something we want to say to you in a few moments, but uh you will be missed. You'll truly be missed. So we want to do a special resolution for you today. to obviously commend you and all your great efforts and and uh the great things you've done on this commission over the years. So I will start I may stop a few times in this too. So

1:38:13a resolution by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, honoring Mike Wells for six years of service and dedication to Pasco County and congratulating him on his election to the position of Pasco County property appraiser. Whereas the Honorable Mike Wells was elected to the Board of County Commissioners in November 2014 and has served as the District 4 Commissioner for six years. And whereas Commissioner Wells is a native Floridian and 40-year resident plus 40 plus year resident of Pasco County with a longstanding history of community service and advocacy.

1:38:44And whereas Commissioner Wells has participated in many volunteer activities and supports the Angeles, Sunrise of Pasco, and the Coastal Conservation Association. He is also a member of the National Association of Realtors, West Pasco Realtors, Florida Realtors, and Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce in the National Rifle Association. And whereas as an avid outdoorsman, Kmi Commissioner Weight a comprehensive initiative garnering state and local support to bring scalloping back to Pasco County for the first time in nearly twenty-five

1:39:15years. Yeah, so you can applaud for that. That's good.

1:39:21And whereas, in addition to serving as both chairman and vice chair during his tenure on the board, Commissioner Weight has been appointed as the Pasco County Board Representative for the Area Agency on Aging, the Early Learning Coalition of Pasco and Hernando Counties, the Pasco Economic Development Council, Smart Start, West Pasco Entrepreneurial Center Advisory Board, the Property Value Adjustment Board, and the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. How did you have any time to sleep? Is what we ask you. Yeah. He also sits on the board for the YMCA of the Sun Coast, Alliance for Healthy Communities, the Alliance for Substance

1:39:51Abuse Prevention, the National Association of Counties. Veterans and Military Services Committee, United Way of Pasco, the feeding Pasco's early, and the public safety and services advisory committee in empowering Pasco's veterans.

1:40:05Whereas Commissioner Weight worked in partnership with the Pasco Sheriff's Office and his fellow commissioners on many ordinances and programs to keep Pasco County a safe place to live, work, and play for residents, visitors, and businesses. As a longtime county resident, Commissioner Wells felt strongly about improving the route to evacuate away from coastal hazard areas during a hurricane and supported the continued permit process and construction of the Ridge Road extension, which obviously we're seeing happen today. Whereas Commissioner Wells has followed his father's path as a commissioner

1:40:36and will continue to do so as an elected seat as the Pasco County property appraiser. And whereas Mike's hard work and dedication as a commissioner for Pasco County will be missed and Pasco County County Board of County Commissioners County Commissioner congratulate him on his new position as Pasco County property appraiser for Pasco County. Now therefore be it resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, that said board hereby honors Mike Wells for six years of public service, a dedication to Pasco County, and congratulates him on his election to the position of Pasco

1:41:06County property appraiser, done and resolved with a quorum president and voting this twentieth day of October, twenty twenty. Mr. Chairman Mariano.

1:41:14Move it.

1:41:17Wait.

1:41:17Can I get a

1:41:18move to approve. All

1:41:21in favor? Aye. Aye. I was pretty thank you.

1:41:39So I'm gonna come back. I know well each of us have a few things we wanna say, but in the meantime

1:41:45I can start.

1:41:49We're gonna start over here.

1:41:52Yeah, I'll uh I'll grab that gavel back. He only got it for a couple of minutes.

1:41:57Yeah, don't leave that in the sand very long.

1:42:01Uh Commissioner Weightman. I have certainly enjoyed this four years that I've just finished. uh being on this commission with you and of course all of our other Commissioner Oakley but we've had a great commission. I think it's I'm sure some people in the past will say they always had a better commission, but I think ours was great. I think we were all put here at the right time to move Pasco forward and I'm Share that with you that you played a big part in in doing that and doing it the right

1:42:31way. And I certainly appreciate all that. Um It's my understanding that your office is gonna be very close to mine, so I think we can continue. I might actually see you more then than I have. Why you were a commissioner, 'cause we're in different directions, but When your office is gonna be in Dade City and mine's in Dade City, so We'll share that and within the next couple of weeks I'm gonna take you uh deer hunting and get you a deer.

1:42:57So

1:42:58you

1:42:58hear

1:42:58that

1:42:59he said he's gonna get me a deer. That's a guarantee

1:43:01that's

1:43:01a good thing.

1:43:01Oh yeah, we got 'em we got 'em chained down out there, so thank you, Commissioner. So certainly appreciate everything you've done for the county and and for the citizens of Pasco County, what you've done for them. And I'm I'm sure they're very appreciative also. Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner

1:43:18Oakley.

1:43:19Um well I would echo uh a lot of Commissioner Oakley's words and um It was always fun having the two mics. Now we just have one mic, but I'll I called them the two mics. And uh Um Now uh you know, maybe I can even learn more fishing because um You know, Trey and I we do we go we go fishing, but we don't go catching, as we say. And uh the only times I've really caught any fish in Pasco County is when I was with Mike. And um And so uh I appreciate your leadership here

1:43:49on the board. It's been really fun working with you all these years and I look forward to working with you as property appraiser. I know you're gonna do a great job and um see you around the water.

1:44:00Thank you very much, Commissioner.

1:44:01Thank you. We're just gonna k I'm gonna what I'm gonna do is just kinda go down the line if that's okay and if we would like to say anything, please go ahead.

1:44:08I would love to. Um Mike's been a pleasure working with you in this role. And I can tell well I know by experience that you care about Pasco County and you pr you care about providing great government services. And um it's been a pleasure working with you in our office in that and I'm very excit really excited for your new role because uh my office works really closely with the property praiser's office. So I know that we'll be doing good great things together. So I look forward to that and congratulations. Thank you, Nikki.

1:44:35So I again I'll I'll go now. Um I want to say thank you to the staff that helped out obviously with the resolution. Hopefully it was a surprise to you today. Um So you're what, you're still a commissioner for another month, so we haven't really lost you yet, but this will be the last again board meeting for the public that's watching that Commissioner Weightman be here. Um so we obviously did wanna take the time to recognize you today and we're going to drag you out of here f um somewhere else after we Or yes, I'm sorry. Are done here on the on the dais. But geez,

1:45:06what we were sworn together back in uh was it what was November eighteenth of twenty fourteen. First meeting and it was a doozy of a meeting, if you remember correctly. That was you remember that? So that's when we actually had the old proposal For the tourism sports park and We had to um look at a certain former professional baseball player in the eye and and tell that person uh on our first meeting, probably not the greatest idea that you're unfortunately

1:45:36you're bringing to us, but if you think back to that, that's just an example of some of the good decisions this entire board's made throughout the years. Um Whereas that didn't work out, you see what's in place now just because of the decision we made today, Wildgrass Ranch Sports Complex or campus of Pasco County, which is obviously doing extraordinary things. So that's just the example from the first day a decision that the right decision was made. to bring us to where we are today. What else? We hired a new county administrator, obviously. um which was a great

1:46:06uh great accomplishment, the first one that had been hired in quite some time. And numerous, numerous votes that are gonna change um this community for the better and the county for the better for for a long, long time to come. Um Yeah, uh It's you know, we we campaigned together for a long time. We were on the campaign trail. for T years before that. Um got to know each other very well and I will tell you, you know, you will be missed. Um we will miss you. I don't want to take Commissioner Mariano's thunder away because I know what he's

1:46:36probably gonna say, so I'm not gonna say it now. No, no, I'm I got a little bit. But uh I I I have a feeling he was gonna say, but I okay, I will say it, but again, you know, this is an amazing board. This has been an amazing board to work with. Um it's been, you know, almost my only board. You know, we've had and obviously Commissioner Oakley came in um for Commissioner Schrader, but we've all been together um practically all all of this, you know, for those for those six years. So Again, we know you're gonna do great things as a property appraiser, and I know your family is proud of you as as as well as we are.

1:47:06So thank you again for your service.

1:47:08Thank you, Chairman.

1:47:09Mm. Gotcha.

1:47:12Um Yeah, Mike, I want to say uh You've been a high impact commissioner, and uh I think when the two mics came on board It brought a great energy of getting things done. Uh Commissioner Oakley, when you came on board too, was just like another smoothing out of of m of people that wanted to get stuff done. and fast. Um What you have done as far as being such a high impact person when We look at small businesses. And how the local ones especially weren't being really uh catered to in a sense. What we what I think your impetus

1:47:42did coming in, we we help with the small businesses now to give them a chance a little bit of a leg up from everyone else around it. that radiates amongst this whole community coming together. And I think you you see it, I think we all see it all the way out there. Um The stormwater projects that we had started on and we had to first get it in place to go study it all. Once we get the studying done though we didn't stop there. Now we get projects going forward that y that you again again with with you on there you you helped push those things through. Uh your experiences I call you captain many times with dredging, knowing

1:48:12how important that is for the waterways for people here. That project's going on for years it's been talked about and now for the past four, it's got legs and it's it's coming forward to some great things coming up. Ridge Road extension. You know, our commission stung s hung strong and you're taking the trips to to DC with us was phenomenal. Um You know, projects like Starkey Park and Sun West kind of creative to to find another way to get them funded through. I I've taken a big step forward. Uh you'll work with Elder Nutrition. To to jump in and actually how much money have you raised to take seniors off

1:48:42that wait list to bring it forward with the old committee with Rick Bekish and company? I mean, phenomenal what you've done to to see it. Your your work with the veterans. They needed someone to step into the veterans and I jumped on that role and did a phenomenal job with our veterans. And I'm gonna say the the FGUA, which is a water problem when I first started sixteen years ago, was something we had to work on, work on. We couldn't quite get to where I wanted to go, but we've started with the FGA and now we've not only taken the Jasmine Lakes, Palm Terrace, Effeshores, Lindricks up after that, and those people are seeing rates

1:49:13down You know, cut in half. So I just want to say it's been a great pleasure working with you. I mean, knowing your dad for so many years, uh a high impact commissioner as well, to have you come into his steps and what you've done in six years has been phenomenal. And I think the people recognize that you would make a great property appraiser and They supported you so it never even got the ballot, but Uh I wish you all the great success and I do look forward to being able to talk with you more 'cause I know You and I we get a lot of phone calls and sometimes my district, your district, it doesn't matter. We just want to get stuff done. Uh

1:49:43so now I'm gonna be able to talk to you more as you get more information. You'll be able to talk to all of us more too. So uh as much as you're just going right next door, I think we'll be able to communicate better and and still better serve and I congratulate you for the great work you've done.

1:49:54Thank you. And I and I apologize, thank you. I didn't mean to go by Mr. Steinsteiner, but you made a good point about property appraiser talking more. Just Remember next year we're in charge of your budget, so Just so be nice. Be nice. Just kidding. All right. With that, Mr. Steinsnyder, I apologize.

1:50:11Commissioner, it it's been a pleasure working with you um from a new elected official to to where you are now six years later. Um I pr appreciate your support of the County Attorney's Office and my people, um and, you know, Uh wish you the best at as property appraiser. And if we can uh do anything for you We'll be happy to

1:50:35Thank you. Thank you, Jeff.

1:50:37Mr.

1:50:37Biles.

1:50:44You were sending me my comments.

1:50:49Oh commissioner, I just uh you know it's been I think three and a half years since I I I stepped into this role, uh coming new to the county and I appreciate You know, the time you took to explain Yeah, how do you think about it? District four, how things work, what's going on and and where your issues are and and your your touch points and appreciate that and also just Yeah, from the twenty seven hundred. Uh Pasco County employees, thank you for your support of the employees. Uh because that's been something that's you know, probably my top priority

1:51:19here is make sure we take care of our employees and that they know that they are tak that they are well thought of and have the tools, resource and ability to do their job and you've been a a very Yeah. strong supporter of that uh through the three and a half years I've been here. So uh you know, more than just me On behalf of the 2700 employees, thank you for the the support that you've given us so that they can go out and do the jobs that they do, improving lives in the community. uh as a dire result of the direction of the board. So I thank you for that. And if any other

1:51:49team,

1:51:49if I know you got about 120 days was before I start asking you about ad valorem rates last year. So about 120 days.

1:51:55Yep. Great. Um if anybody else had any comments. Kathy, you have anything you'd like to say to your boss?

1:52:05Congregate a little while later.

1:52:09Yeah.

1:52:13Okay, great.

1:52:19Did I get a copy of that?

1:52:20Yeah, that's good. Okay. Great. Well again, Commissioner Weightman we again we wish you all the best. Um if you have anything you'd like to uh say to us, make sure you're nice what you say to us now because we still again like we said we would take care of your budget in the future. So

1:52:35I wasn't thank you Chairman. Um I honestly I don't know what to say. I don't like surprises. Um Uh I'm gonna try not to get emotional, you know. Um It's amazing what we've done in six years together. I mean, from a county that was behind on a lot of things in my opinion, infrastructure, you know, flooding. I mean The things we've done together from you know public safety, sport and the sheriff. It's unbelievable what we've got done in six years together, um in four years, uh Commissioner Oakley, with with

1:53:05you being here. So it's it's an honor to serve with each one of you. It's an honor to call each one of you a friend. Um you know, Kathy, I don't know what I do without her. I mean she She gets it done. I mean it's it's uh you know a lot of people thank me, but it's really her. So I just wanna thank her and and just the team. Dan, you said it, but it's our team. We have an unbelievable team. You know, the other day I got an opportunity to stop and talk to five or six guys and a young lady that were out working in the field and just I'm just honored to to be part of the team. I mean that's uh to always fight for

1:53:35the c our team is is what it's about. And I'll do the same as property appraiser. You know, again, I'm not going very far. I'm gonna do everything I can to help. Um you know, you're still gonna see me and again you'll probably see me more. So I'm Again, it's it's it's a sad day, but it's an exciting day. I can't wait to start over there. But it's again I can't thank all of you enough and And it's it really is. It's it's an honor to serve. So I I don't want to ramble, but it's uh but thanks to the twenty seven hundred employees that work there, you know what's off every single day. And uh it's we all appreciate you. So thank

1:54:05you.

1:54:07Thank you, Commissioner Weightman.