Oakley scam alert scallops fences T Barda

36:21Uh yeah, I have um two quick updates. One is our office is kicking off the Constitutional Essay Contest. It is something we've done for the past ten years where we um ask fifth graders in our public schools to write an essay answering the question, Why is the constitution important? And it's in celebration of Constitution Day, which is September seventeenth. And um one other thing I want to mention is a uh jury duty scam that is going on not just in our county but in other counties that

36:51are surrounding us. Um it is where an individual is called and they are told that they missed jury duty and there is a fine out for them and if they don't pay the fine immediately then they'll get arrested and the individual is directed to go and buy.

37:08Scratch off the back of the gift card, read out the number over the phone, and um and then that satisfies the your um their their paying of the fine. I know. And it's something that happens.

37:22It's crazy.

37:23But um I just wanna state in public that my office will never call you. to ask you to pay in the form of um the cards. So that is not a form of payment that we would request for you. Um it also um I've heard from our customers that they require them to stay on the phone while they drive to the store to pick up the cards.

37:46Oh my goodness. Oh they're going to stores like

37:49is this a

37:49Macy's gift card they're

37:50going after

37:51here or whatever the

37:52way this

37:52trends

37:53It it might be Target. So just letting you know, uh letting the public know that that is a scam. Don't fall for it. They obviously must um be very good at threats over the phone to get people to do that and leave the home and get those cards. So it it must be serious threats over the phone. That is not something we would do.

38:15I had I had one the other day it was a publisher's clearinghouse and I just won the grand prize. Oh

38:19you did?

38:20Did you

38:20win?

38:21I wouldn't call.

38:23Good job.

38:26But you're here today, so it wasn't a big problem, right? What a magazine. Crazy.

38:35That's okay, thank you. Okay to me. So um uh first I wanna uh mention about the scallops. Um Scalp season. As you saw in the paper there was an article today and I I wanna formally discuss how we since we don't have Commissioner Weight sitting here, how we Move to Uh expand that and what the steps are. And who would do that? Here comes Ralph.

39:11Good morning again, Ralph Lair, England Affairs Officer. That would have to be a decision by the Fish and Wildlife Commission, if that is something you all want to pursue. Um, we'd have to get it on their radar. Uh when they take that uh issue up at one of their board meetings, I could check into that.

39:28So I think we should at least If we can't open up for the full season, I think we'd at least say let's baby steps and double it and just grow into it maybe, but

39:38and I think that's all along they wanted us to be very cautious and careful when they originally approved it. Uh was there with Commissioner Weight when the when the commission opened it up for those two weeks. Um I think again if we t we talk to staff now and find out is it something we can expand, maybe not get too carried away and crazy, maybe a month. Um I you know I'm just throwing that out there. Um because if you If you also remember, it

40:08wasn't you what usually is a good season for Hernando every year was not aga and Citrus County was not. So the commission probably will ratchet it back and and and lower their

40:21But it was a it was fine in Pasco County. But it was good in Pasco

40:25County,

40:25that's correct. So correct. And our parks team, they were out there collecting data and information. information and that all feeds into the equation. But we understand that uh we'd like to see an increase in that and so we'll we'll certainly take it up with with the approach.

40:38Well I think you may should maybe have an intermission. I just had a

40:40suggestion

40:40for that.

40:41I th I think what we should be looking for is to match what Citrus and Hernando both have. Whatever they do, if they want to bring them down or bring us up. However it may be. But that's that's the approach. And I think we should go With our legislators? And get them involved, let them put some push on it for us too. With their support, I think it'll make it easier to get to get a change.

41:02Okay, Commissioner Moore.

41:03Thank you, Madam Clerk. I I think if it maybe it comes from the chair, maybe it comes from Ralph, maybe it comes from um tourism. Um I think um proper Pasier Wells would be willing to help. I'm not trying to you know, give him a new job to do. But he's built really strong relationships with fish and wildlife and he was very instrumental in helping to get that done while he was on the commission. So I have a sneaky suspicion he'd be probably at least willing to go to one of the meetings and help out.

41:34Maybe maybe Adam's willing to go as well and work with him or whatever. It's it's again I I I'll ask him and and see what he thinks. I'd have no problem asking him. I

41:43think

41:43they're But he's he's built those relationships through the years. Am I

41:46not right? That's correct.

41:47You know, so So relationships matter. Well

41:50do we

41:50want to As well as the legislators like you mentioned. Right.

41:53Do we want to go for the full season or do we want to go to like double it?

41:57I think I like what Commissioner Mariano stated was let's try to get the same as what um Hernando and Citrus have.

42:03But I think there's a good chance they're gonna scale back next year and let's do that.

42:05Well that'll be longer than ten days though, I would assume. 'Cause are they not as long as it's not cancel for three months? Right? Approximately three months?

42:14No, that's not go for it all.

42:15So if they scale us back, if they scale them back and we get a month, that's a lot better than ten days.

42:20Well um what I he uh someone told me on one of my scalloping expeditions was that it's uh it's normal for scallops to have a reset. Um year or two. And so we're probably in that reset year. Because I I don't know a lot of people don't realize those scallops uh if if you don't get them they die. I mean it's they don't live longer than a year. But we need them to be seen.

42:48Are seagrasses healthy uh along the coastline? Red tide has an impact. So I think we hear your point. W you know, it's something that we need to start looking at. Uh I'll get what Parks as well.

43:02Trying to take that before the uh Fish and Wildlife Commission to see if they will expand it. So let's

43:07ask Commissioner Weight Well

43:11Property appraiser. Yeah,

43:12property appraiser, well maybe you can ask him if he wants to do that. And if not, then we'll take it down.

43:18Ralph if if you'll get with me we can talk to uh Eric Sutton. He's uh executive director and me and I've been friends since Swift Mud. He used to be over with Lands in Swift Mud, so I can call him. Okay. Great.

43:31Another connection.

43:32Yeah. Eric's a great guy.

43:34Madam Clerk Yes. And just so you know, the if you would like to move ahead the eleven o'clock time start is here now. It's your

43:42Well let me let me finish my uh

43:47I wanted to talk about fences for a second. Just wanna make sure that uh you know, we said no more bob wire fences on certain roads. I wanna be clear what roads we said and I wanna Check and see if we want to expand that. Um I don't know if you've been getting those emails, but I I've started to get emails from people who are complaining about Bob Pire fences. I think I forwarded one to you. on on our road. So I

44:17I you know, I don't want to see any on Little Road. I don't wanna see any on um Rowan. I mean there's There's just no need for bob wire fences unless it's out in the country. For ag unless it's ag wire.

44:32Well if you've got ag use on there it calls for a bob wire fence.

44:36Yeah. We said we said an ag use. But for example, when I was driving out here this morning on fifty two Um Pa has moved their operations from is moving their operations from fifty four to fifty two. And they have Chain Link and Bob Wire and Are are we gonna call that AG? Um, but it do fifty two's gonna look like fifty four one day. And we're gonna have mistakes made that are hard to go back and clean up, so Um, I also wanna I'm gonna get with Brad,

45:06I don't know if he's here, on my own and and understand the um landscaping rules we have for commercial development. 'Cause I think they're they might be a little vague more vague than maybe we want 'cause I've been running into some issues. But um Anyway, I just want to make sure that we are all on the same page about what roads we want to have Bob wire fences on. I'm assuming you don't want them on Chain Lake and Bob Wire on Bruce Bowns. Probably not a good night. And Wire Grass Ranch

45:36Boulevard. And you know, so we need to we need to take a good look at that.

45:41We gotta be careful at 52 because still I'll have

45:43the rural

45:44area and fencing.

45:45I mean cattle cattle and bob wire that's right. And I've noticed

45:50you're stating basically c not on commercial. Yeah.

45:54Nope. Yeah.

45:55I've noticed barbed wire fencing around R V storage locations or boat storage locations. Yeah, and it

46:01they don't some do and some don't, but I it I'm not sure that that's necessary. Or if it's in the back, okay, but uh across the front, no. You know, so we really need to be careful. Um Okay, so I was appointed to something. Oh, there was a photo up there. So I wanna thank it says here Florida State Representatives, they're not actually sworn in yet, but Um Jeff Holcomb who's the new one from Hernando and

46:31northern Pasco. Um, Adam Anderson, who is replacing Chris Brouse, it's actually his cousin. Um uh his seat and then um Brad Yeager who's the placing uh Amber Mariano they um They all talked about workforce training in their in their stumps and so I said, Well come see a program

46:54and

46:54um Jeff was a little familiar with it, but Brad and Adam knew nothing about it but they loved it. And they immediately How can we help? How can we expand this? So it was it was great. Um, so I'm grateful to them for coming. I'm gonna get another round. Kevin Steele couldn't make it that day. I only gave him a couple hours notice, so I'm not sure why he couldn't make it. Um Okay, I I was uh thankful to be appointed to something else, like I needed something else to do. Um

47:24But I am uh Chris Fraus has appointed me to the Florida Alliance to end Human trafficking. So I'll be working um with people around the state to end human trafficking. So um lastly, Tibarda. Okay, so T Barda continues to have issues in um the Tampa The regional pl no, the Tampa Bay Partnership is trying to help us move forward. because

47:56when you ha when you have a county in the middle who isn't playing in the regional sandbox, it's very difficult to do anything. Um And so uh they want to um step in and try and see if we could get past issues and we have a very big meeting, it's a workshop Friday uh September ninth, I believe. Um I've asked. If we could get some of the new I think we should get some

48:26of the new commissioners there who may get involved in transportation. And um and uh Commissioner Holcomb is bringing the new commissioner that will probably be appointed D. Bardo from Hernando down to the meeting so they can be brought up to speed. You know, we have some new members on T Barta. Um And so they don't know the history of some of the big projects that we've looked at. For example The um rapid bus. And so it's like w

48:56when someone new gets appointed then they don't know the work that we've done and where the majority of the board has tried to go. We have to reset and educate everybody again. So Um I don't I don't know what the future is but it's very frustrating to be the largest metropolitan service area that has no transit solution. And if CSX doesn't want to sell us the lo the rail line anymore and they want only to lease it is what it looks like right now. A state

49:26won't put money into a lease. They only will put money into something they own. then our only opportunity are right now are the BRT routes. We're under going through a study on nineteen That will involve Fernando, Pasco and Pedellus, and that takes Pillsboro out of that equation. But the really big need is the s two seventy five solution. So um So we'll

49:57give it a big swing on the night.

49:59Yeah. Some

50:00minutes

50:01since thank you. Since you'll be at you attending that meeting this Friday?

50:04Yeah.

50:05This Friday. So in my um

50:10boredom at times I will watch some of the other meetings and things and Andy's assistants um saw where um watching the committee meeting and the uh previous T Bart meeting it doesn't seem that the analysis is a hundred percent on board either besides Hillsboro. And then then I'll do and I'll just continue for a second and ask this question of you. Um if Hillsboro does want to fund and Penellus doesn't end up funding. How in the world can Pasco and Hernando subsidize

50:43the for the other counties, especially when the main project we're talking about with the BRT, majority of it, I know they talked about some on Possibility 19 and things like that. The big one is like you mentioned the that you know 275 kind of corridor to I-75 to Wesley Chapel. It feels bro. is not going to allow it to be built and expand those lanes and and and work with D O T. I mean and they don't fund, how can we rightfully, you know, to

51:14continue to fund ourselves. Yeah.

51:18So that's that's part of the big discussion we're gonna have Friday and it's not that um Penellas County doesn't want T bar to to continue. It's there is a commissioner from Penell, so they have two. This is my frustration that I'm the only Pasco County voice. We still don't have a governor appointee from Pasco. And um Hornando has two two voices, two votes, and they want T Barter to continue as well. And they they are gonna be the last one to really benefit from it. But um

51:46Yeah, I spoke with

51:48Yeah. So so what what Commissioner um Long is throwing out there is that T Barta gets folded into the regional planning council. Um And and their or maybe if there may be one or two who think that's a good idea um and that a lot who don't think that's a good idea. So that's one of the challenges that we'll be discussing on Friday. Um so it's just

52:19do we keep doing what we're doing and or do we need to do something different? And and um You know, I I don't have the magic answer. I just know it's really frustrating because in twenty years in ten years People are gonna say, Why didn't you do something? Because all these people are moving here. And they're not gonna be able to get around. It's gonna be it's not now. And it's bad enough now. But in ten years, what is that gonna look like? Right. Did you Commission Ariana?

52:49Yeah, I th I think we're gonna have a topic on it on September twelfth at the R Temper Bay Regional Planning Council as well. Um I'm not sure w how the conversation's gonna go but I can't imagine the regional planning council to take over a transit agency. Um I mean T BARTA's not getting funded from the state from what I as I see it. Locally they're not getting funded. I don't know if there's a a long game for them at this point.

53:14A what?

53:15A long game.

53:18Yeah, it it's just it's It's we're we're just leaving so much money in Washington that could be coming down here to help pay a as a matter of fact, District seven, they had the money and have the money to fix the issue in two seventy five for the most part. But um and they don't have to buy any right away. to to harden the shoulder through some old heights. They have all the land they need. And so uh they just have to h harden it. No

53:49house is being sold or demolished. This is a frustrating thing. Right. Um but I I believe some of them they're um want the highway to go away in in that area. Oh that's yeah, I saw that.

54:03It's an interesting dynam dynamic that we're dealing with. Yeah. So

54:10But um I know they have they have a lot of challenges with their their internal movement around Hillsboro and they keep focusing on that and I just keep trying to remind them that's that's the internal discussion, but Tibarda is the external discussion.

54:27Madam Chairman

54:30about the federal side too. Didn't Tibarda actually not renew their federal lobbyist contract? So who we're trying

54:37to save money?

54:37Yeah, I understand. So who do they have working now? Federal side I guess.

54:41Well we don't have we don't have any project that we can ask for yet. 'Cause um we're still studying the one. The other one's ready to move to phase two, but if Hillsboro's not gonna sign on we can't move to the next phase. And and so the lo the federal lobbyist that we did have is the same one that Pasco has and the same one that Penellas has. So if we need something we can we can ask for that and without going there. But we're just trying to save money.

55:09I

55:09was

55:09wondering if who who's willing to pick that up.

55:11We keep we keep getting funded in Tallahassee, but um there's someone There's someone in the governor's office that Has the governor's ear that uh gets him to cancel us. So Um and I kinda threw it out there last year. Let's go ahead and make it a requirement that everyone pay their fair share and it kinda puts their everyone's hands on the table of where everyone sits. So I'm kinda calling the question down there. Gotcha. Okay. So that's the end of my

55:41Madam Chair. Yes. One thing back to your um we're talking about the scalloping. Um my assistant Colleen just sent me a thing. She'd been in in those conversations with us. Uh and she says we probably need to get an updated scalp survey. Okay. So then maybe something to take a look at.

55:56And um I sent you all I emailed all of you um something from Elaine Chow who was the Secretary of Transportation uh in the Trump administration about um workforce And uh America is facing an unprecedented worker shortage. And uh one of the things she says is to federally fund technical schools, which uh I am trying to make happen in Washington, because right now we we

56:26don't get to pull down that federal funding. And um and the school district hasn't signed on for us and so the money just sits there and no one gets it. So we're we're trying to do that.

56:35It's probably been a better um way to spend money than canceling these college loans. Wow, imagine that. Could have been productive more a little more productive, right?