board reports commissioner updates

2:26:04is Um so we have finished our regular agenda. We're to the board member items. Commissioner Oakley.

2:26:17Okay. You wanna read it for me, please? Yeah, let me

2:26:21have it here. Yeah. I'm gonna work his stuff today too. So the

2:26:26tag

2:26:26team over there. One thing I'd like to bring up is um we had a uh I'd like to thank Justin Rosler and and the Solid Waste team for all their efforts during the uh leading up to the Lock Street community. Cleanup on July 26th. 11.474 tons of solid waste. and 561 pounds of hazardous material. We're collected at that time. It was a

2:26:56great job, guys. Justin's team staff and team so I appreciate what they did. Um Of course I've been on vacation so it feels like That's hard. We gotta start back to school, I guess. Back to work. But uh One other thing I wanna bring up I heard about it as uh yesterday and uh it was Surprise to me, but uh it's I guess I want to tell you about it, but yet I wanna get y'all to

2:27:26tell me when we directed staff And I'm talking about for the area in the Uh

2:27:36just off Little Road, Boys and Girls Club where we decided we was gonna take care of homeless and we we had some kind of direction at that time and I don't remember exactly the date, but it was sometime in two thousand nineteen or two thousand twenty. It's been two or three years, if I'm not mistaken. And the problem I have is that building's closed. It's not being, it's not helping homeless right here now.

2:28:03Yeah, so

2:28:03like what are we doing? Here's my problem. So I've been questioned by many citizens about how we're helping homeless. Right. So the problem is It looks like we're not.

2:28:13Right. So the the and Kathy's here, but the residential part of that building is full. um where the families are staying. It's that Office building to the right. That's right. And I brought this up because I've I've gone to that residential center many times and I've never seen one car. at that one stop or whatever it was called. Um, I don't remember what they called it, but it was the Homeless Coalition and others, Ross supposed to be in there. But they all work remote. So, um I think Kathy has a plan for that.

2:28:44So I thought Yeah. Yeah. Sure.

2:28:47Good afternoon, Kathy Pearson, Assistant County Administrator of Public Services. So coming before you very soon at the August twenty fourth meeting is um I'll back up. So three years ago, yes, we had the Youth Lane project. Um it was uh contracted to the Homeless Coalition. The Homeless Coalition, there's two buildings there. One was to be converted into a family shelter, the other was to become a one-stop for housing services. The coalition

2:29:17um did contract with Catholic charities. Catholic Charities has both been running the family shelter, huge success. Constantly Phil, helping many, many families through that. Commissioner Starkey is correct, the Homeless Coalition has not been utilizing that building. Once we found that out, we approached the county administrator and had an idea about maybe we should move our human services to that building and create the one-stop shop that it should. Uh Dan Biles County Administrator

2:29:47at that time said go for it. So we've been working on this for a few months because we've had two contact Catholic charities. They are gonna remain on the property. We had to break the lease with um The Homeless Coalition, so that broken lease, I believe, is coming before the board on August 24th. I can assure you commissioners with human services going in that we've already been working with community partners. They are eager and anxious to get in there. We've been working with our facilities department. They have been gracious enough to help

2:30:17us get where the building needs to be where you know, Borough's offices and moving our furniture and all that kind of thing good in there. So as of October first, we will be taking over that building. and give us a couple of months. We need to get people in there, get it situated, and we will be opening it as a one-stop. Yeah.

2:30:35Just let us know when that happens because I think that's very important. I was very shocked to know that nothing was happening.

2:30:41Well, so be clear that we are helping homeless families on the other side. It's just the office part was not being used.

2:30:49Oh I understand, but

2:30:50still I mean we spent a lot of money. Expecting something

2:30:53to be done and

2:30:54working toward the right thing to

2:30:55help.

2:30:56Yeah, we spent all that money and no one uses it.

2:30:58We put a lot of money toward it.

2:31:00Absolutely.

2:31:01Well I wasn't gonna pile on. Oh no. But no, but I don't disag I do not disagree with the statements that have been made about the disappointment. Because For years and I sat on the advisory board for the Homeless Coalition. Um Their plan was to go in there and provide, you know, these services, which we all thought was gonna happen and unfortunately

2:31:26Uh not all

2:31:28Oh, well the majority of us thought it was going to happen. There you go. To be clear. Yeah. Thank you. Commissioner Yeah.

2:31:42No

2:31:42no we know that. They're

2:31:43just not happening there.

2:31:43No, we know that. Yes.

2:31:49But the services like case management and all those things that we thought were gonna happen there unfortunately did not happen.

2:31:54They're doing it from home. All of them.

2:31:56Well we thought the homeless coalition was gonna be in there and that was the that was the whole deals. I don't agree with you. I don't disagree with you. So I don't want to that's it. I know if you're bringing it back the twenty fourth, we'll see it then. I'm glad you guys are doing it. I'm glad you're taking it over. It'll be closer to home now and and you guys will uh be able to work and

2:32:15Madam Clerk. Yeah, and you uh did you explain what you're doing in the offices that you're moving out of?

2:32:20Yes, so the right now the human services department is located at the Galen Wilson Complex and the same complex as Go Pasco. So the human services will move into the new uh uh youth lane project building and then we will expand transportation that's much needed for that. Our veterans is still there and um the building will be advised. So it's a win win for all of them.

2:32:43We get some office space. Well since we're going to

2:32:48I'd like to uh challenge you to come back and to all the board members about your department

2:32:54and

2:32:54how Because you have a lot of moving parts in it. And they're all very important. Come back and tell us how we stand in those departments. under your guidance. Absolutely. And I think that's something we need to just it just uplift us and let us know where we're going on some of that.

2:33:11Absolutely.

2:33:12That we don't hear about all the time. Yes,

2:33:14we definitely will do that. Thank you. I appreciate that. Yeah we used

2:33:17to have Kathy at the time. Yeah Kathy. Wait, uh Commissioner Fitzpatrick has a question. Remember we're com we're under commissioner items.

2:33:24And I'm just really interested uh to see what resources that you are planning on offering because I know when we went to NACO they had everything from visitation rooms for foster kids and our youth. So a lot of youth and outsource resources.

2:33:38Absolutely. So I anybody that you all know that's in the not for profit world that is looking for some space and want to be part of it Send them to Brian Hoban and myself and we will make sure we get contact with them, okay?

2:33:50Okay. All right, commission. I'm done, but she shouldn't pull the uh string on me and Get rid of me before I tell you I'm done. So No,

2:33:58we're coming back to

2:33:59the

2:34:00No, I was just trying to remind everyone that I'm done.

2:34:04public comments and we're not gonna shortchange him if he has a long list.

2:34:08I I don't have a lot of this. I'm done. Yeah. Okay. But this one we will have a long one. Well I will tell you this. If

2:34:15everybody Well, I usually have a short one, but if everybody promises to be as short as me, then I'll be short. We all in agreement?

2:34:21No. Okay. I've read it.

2:34:23I'll do this in three minutes. First of all, welcome back to school tomorrow to all the students and the teachers. I know I have some going back myself, as some of you do. As well. So teachers. Not the teachers, not kids. Um, I think we do have a couple slides. Um, I know I know it's hard for everybody to get there, but I know everybody was invited. Um, Avalon Park, um, Wesley Chapel, groundbreaking. Um, great, great event. That's their downtown. I think yeah, you remember the you remember the downtown?

2:34:53I think we approved it, geez, in like eighteen or nineteen when Wells was here. I didn't hear. Is that

2:34:57gone?

2:34:58What?

2:35:02So a great event. Um they uh you know they had a a jazz band, people singing and all kinds of great things. But what's cool about it is actually a lot of people from the community actually showed up. It just was it wasn't just contractors and elected officials. It was a lot, I see those people sitting there, they all live in that community already. So it's it's gonna be great for the area. Class A office space and more some commercial as well. They even have a co-working space that's coming in as well. Of phase one. They were very complimentary of Pasco County, I will tell you this. So Biat, Khalil,

2:35:34and the whole Avalon Par team, they actually praised Pasco County staff. So Mike Craball, you know, obviously kudos to you and your team because that's one of the things he kept going over and over again, how great Pasco County team members were to work with. So thank you for that. Oh, the other thing um commissioners not looking for debate or discussion on it really. I just wanted to provide some information to correct the record because on May 3rd, when we were presented the study for the moratorium area boundary, the apartments, the study broke down apartments under early construction. If you remember that, I

2:36:04said there were some issues with it. Um I even showed a photo of some apartment complexes that were actually very far along. And in that study, they did not they marked them as early construction. Instructed not to be done this year. So an update: there are more that are actually going online this year that were not included in that study. One of them is what the one across from the Grove shopping complex, not the one on the Grove property, but the Grove itself shopping complex. Um it's actually they're taking applications

2:36:34and they're moving people in in September. So for example, that was not included in the study. They said it would be sometime in the future. So if you look at where we're at, our courts said we have enough deliveries for the next six, seven years. I'm thinking now with that. That when that's coming online, and all the other ones that have the entitlements in that moratorium area, you're gonna look at eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve years for sure, depending on what the market does. If the market doesn't come back, then it'll be even further. Um, the grove itself has actually broke ground, they already have the entitlements already. So for years heck before

2:37:05I wasn't around, um, they've broken ground on their as well, and you're seeing in that area. Now more and more have broken ground. So again, I just wanted for the record to say that there was another instance where that study unfortunately was not 100% correct. And with that, I will end. I had one more thing, but I'm gonna wait till next time.

2:37:30Commissioner Fitzpatrick. Okay, I have a few things. So

2:37:33I don't know what's gonna come up first. Um But I would like to say oh that's the backpack drive. Of course there were many backpack drives and I was able to attend multiple backpack drives and it was really exciting and I even my family got to come and help stuff back packs and we got to serve our community and I was able to hand out additional backpacks for our community. So welcome everyone back to school. And next we can go right into the guardrail. I had a community reach out to me. There

2:38:03had been a couple auto accidents as that actually went through that brick wall there, cement wall, and I was able to help them expedite with Vencat and their team our staff to move forward to make sure they have guardrails so now Deer Park will have a safe route to school. So thank you staff. Um next I would just like to mention I've been getting a lot of calls lately about cleanups and while I was at Regents Bank

2:38:33I was able to call code and other staff members and it was cleaned up the next day but um they are working with different um Different commercial buildings to make sure that they do have the no trespassing agreements together and I am happy that Code and our Sheriff's Office is working together and sharing those lists. But again, it was cleaned up the next day. So thank you. Um the next

2:39:02Yeah.

2:39:05Interesting photos which I won't share to the public, but you won't have wanted to see them anyway. Um so I would like to say thank you to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office for their quick response in issues in downtown right on the edge of Newport Ritchie and also our code enforcement work together to help fix that area up and maybe we can find some more additional affordable housing units out there from looking at these so maybe we can purchase some of the units. Um I would like to go into real quick

2:39:35some of Of the concerns that our fires fighters keep bringing to us. Because I would like to say I'm very proud of our Board of County Commissioners that are up here today, and our staff, and Mike Carbala, and Chief Casey, and everyone for moving forward and facilities and everyone working together because station nine is going to be opening this fall at the Sun Coast in 52. Station 3 Bid of course closed today and we have been moving forward and Mike Karbala can move forward.

2:40:06So probably a groundbreaking usually that takes a couple months. Um stations two and four are out to design and in engineering and they should be starting construction in spring of twenty twenty three. So that's just right around the corner. Those are the four new stations. As for the five rebuilds, station 17 has we had our groundbreaking last year, and it should be opening late December and early January. Station 9 and 17 have been delayed a little bit due to materials

2:40:36and construction delays. Um station 20, we accepted the bid about a month ago, and that should have its groundbreaking within a month or two. Station 18, bids closed today as well, and we were able to move forward so my carbala can move forward and have our groundbreaking in the next couple months. And then we still have station 19, 22. And of course, once that's finished, we'll be moving forward with. Um our training center in fiscal year twenty twenty three. So I am very excited

2:41:07to see that all of these stations are moving forward and the majority of them will be built by next year.

2:41:12Thank you. A lot of activity. Commissioner Mariano.

2:41:15Thank you, Madam Chairman Mariano Chairman

2:41:18M.

2:41:18I've

2:41:19my hand up

2:41:20longer, but Uh we need to really be thankful for all the citizens we have that we represent here in Pasco County because our citizens are the ones that voted in all these new fire stations that we're getting through the bond. That uh I think well not all of them are from the pond. Wells was here for two thousand eight eighteen, that's when it was done. And uh If if the citizens hadn't stepped up and voted that in,

2:41:50we as a commission would have had to because we need 'em. Yeah. And uh we still gonna need 'em in the future for all the bill and review them. But we gotta be real thankful for our citizens stepping up to take care on some of that burden along with us.

2:42:04Yeah, and when these are done

2:42:05that

2:42:06our citizens will definitely feel the impact in a positive way. Right.

2:42:11And of course the new um peak hour ambulances that will be coming into play September nineteenth. So

2:42:17very

2:42:17excited.

2:42:18Thank you. And to tag onto that, I I wouldn't mind in a uh a presentation by done by Chief Casson. to kinda show what we've done. And and I'll tell you as as a commissioner and From all the boards I've been on, I think from where where we started even eighteen years ago to where we are today, the level of stations support through the whole fire fire department has been phenomenal. I mean this pool's been great and then like you said the citizens voting it in You know, COVID made it tough, slowed down a bunch of different things. Pro productivity

2:42:49across the board, uh supplies across the board, getting things through have been difficult. But I think what we've got in play We're work we're doing it. What that gentleman was talking about today, we're doing all those things he wants to go do. It's just taking time.

2:43:07I

2:43:07mean So um we did make that one pager and Mike I'd love to have some stack of those uh uh on what this board has done uh for for that subject in the last I think we went back five years. I'm not sure, but I I wanna make sure that you all got a copy of that and keep a copy of that and you can hand it out. Yeah. So that um 'cause it's it's documented there. Right.

2:43:31And even in the past year there's been two ground break ins and in the next couple of months there'll be three more groundbreakings.

2:43:36Right. That's a lot. I mean that's more than in Probably more Commissioner Oriano than any time that you've been on the commission board.

2:43:43Absolutely.

2:43:49Show show the last ten years what we've done.

2:43:51Yeah.

2:43:51I mean it's it's been outstanding I think. Yeah. So granted the growth we're a little behind, but all the resources are the resources there to go, the rescues coming in have been phenomenal or will be phenomenal. than the ones we've got already. So I think we're doing all the right things as quick as we can and I think in a very short period of time they'll be in great shape.

2:44:09Yeah.

2:44:11I'd like to talk about a couple of different things. Um give me one second.

2:44:20And I've talked to uh Administrator Carmella. Uh most of your Tampa Bay governments have a full-time sustainability or res resiliency position. Um and I know we resiliency coming position. We've got to come on. Hillsboro's got it, Penelope's got it, Sarasota's got it, Clearwater, Danine, Largo, Oldsmar, St. Pete, Safety Harbor, Tampa. So I'm glad to see we're good we're going that way uh coming forward. There's also an opportunity like never before to

2:44:50get We've got one positions there. So we have a

2:44:54princi we have a principal planner that kind of has that designation and we've got a few other staff positions throughout the county that kind of do that type of work, yes.

2:45:03Okay, so but if we're gonna put a grant in, do we have the title for the person to say

2:45:07In terms of

2:45:08grants? No, for resiliency. We need a resiliency position. Is there a position that that person has got in their title to say that?

2:45:15I don't believe so. Can

2:45:17we add that?

2:45:20I mean if that's what it takes we we certainly can get

2:45:24understood please

2:45:27and you know going through l listening to different things um there's an opportunity for a uh a C grant agent through the University of Florida, they pay part of it, we pay the other part. Uh I'd like to have uh Mr. Cabella bring that back to us. We've already talked about it as well, but I just want you to be aware it's coming. There's a tremendous amount of federal money that's out there, a lot of state money, and I think this sea grant thing, one of the things that we that I saw that was very intriguing, you know, we talk about the trash out in the Gulf. We've seen different things out there that can control

2:45:57it. Baffle boxes that I've talked about don't work on the coast, but there's a thing called a litter box. I'll say they spell it litter, litter box. That actually takes the trash before it hits the canal and holds onto it. It's gonna take maintenance down the road, but the the project looks phenomenal. For all those pipes that we got that just lets water drain in and go out, we can put those along. Uh there's a position for a sea grant agent to go do that. And I want uh Mr. Carrella to bring that back to go, let us get a presentation on it, let's go take a look at it and see if we want to explore that. Unlike

2:46:27years before, where it's tough to get federal grants, as we No, tiger grants are almost impossible. This is something that's really we should be going after to take a look at. Next thing, I want everyone to take a close look uh to Swift Mud. Uh and I say that in a way where they brought they dropped down their rates this past year, uh so they cut the taxes down for folks, which is good. But I think it's gonna start affecting our co funding projects. So it's gonna be important. I know

2:46:54You

2:46:54mean

2:46:55they're gonna have less money to

2:46:56less money to co

2:46:57funding?

2:46:57Yes, and there's something else I wanna lead to too as well. So we need to make sure we get all our projects through as quick as we can. to get them out in the street, to get bid, take a flexible look as far as if we think we can do a project in-house. Especially with those one that one bid down in Colonial Manor was a million dollars higher. If we look like we can do this in-house, we got the right team to do it, then we should do that in part with Swift Mud's approval obviously so it so we don't lose our funding, but to keep that in mind. Um and Commissioner Starkey,

2:47:28Chairman, and Commissioner Oakley, you guys sit on the T Tempe Water Board. Swiftmone's afraid or or thinks from what I gather that there may be a lot of money going to Tampay Water for new water sources. I want you to just be careful. Every bit that we're going through may take some of their money that could go to other cooperative stuff. So I just want to be careful that as you guys sit in that committee, just take take a close look as that comes along. Because I think we still need to we still have we've made so much progress and and Mike, you know, you've done a phenomenal job. with stormwater. I want to still

2:47:58keep this momentum going, uh every step of the way 'cause we're fixing a lot of the flooding. Now we can focus on water quality to really improve the coast. So and I'll say one other thing, the agenda item that was pulled today on the Restore Act funding, uh something very important that was in debate for years on the Restore Act Council was about using funding um that was approved through the Restore Act, uh whether you can get leveraging of money from the state or federals. And there was a lady, Sherry

2:48:29Herring from Gulf County. the Office of Budget and Budget Director, she had brought up a point that came at the end of the Restaurant Council meeting we the last consortium meeting we had, where part one money and part three are now considered non federal dollars and can be used in matching applications. So no lo no longer do we have to take it and not use it for the match. The determinations that are out there look to go that way. The tricky part is it does she does say that each agency could interpret

2:48:59differently, i. e. D. P or Sw So it's gonna be something we're gonna need to go work on with our legislators and and above and Tallahassee to get that change to go because the consortium and treasury both agree that these dollars can be used in matching situations. So it's something we need to be focused on and going forward. It's a new it's a new development as of last month and just confirmed. And the reason again uh the reason I asked for that item to be pulled, not that I pulled it, but it's because I didn't want to lose. los a chance of matching that five million dollars with another five. And

2:49:30that's all I have.