Commissioner Moore tourism award and CRA audit

1:08:35Mr. Moore.

1:08:36Thank you, Madam Chair. Um a few things held over from last meeting because it was a busy meeting. I didn't get to them. I do want to make a great announcement of exciting news for our tourism office once again. Um major recognition. It feels like I'm doing one of these every meeting, but Florida Sports Coast was recognized by the Florida Sports Foundation with a small market venue of the year award for the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County. And one of the other venues that actually was up for that category was the World Equestrian Center in Ocala.

1:09:07If you're aware of that. So Florida Sports Coast and the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County actually beat them out. So again, major award for Florida Sports Coast. So congratulations to them and the team and Kathy, your team for all the great work you're doing. We greatly appreciate it. Mm-hmm. As many of us know, today's the start. of the 2022 legislative session. I want to wish good luck to the six members of our legislative delegation, Senate President Simpson, Senators Burgess and Hooper, Representatives Maggie,

1:09:37Mariano, and Zika. And as well as because he's one of our adopted sons and speaker sprouts. So best of luck to them. I know they're going to continue to work very, very hard for Pasco County and all the citizens around here. And just to jump on that. I mentioned briefly last meeting again because things went so quickly that I had spent some time up in Tallahassee during the committee week to help work our $14 million ask for the Ridge Road extension, phase two. Had great meetings anywhere from the Speaker

1:10:07of the House to Senate President Simpson, um multiple legislators outside of our area as well to make sure everybody. are well aware of what's going on, you know, appropriation, people sitting on appropriation, vice chair of appropriation as as well as that. So we'll continue to work that. I know we're going up next week. But again, I do want to thank, you know, Senator Simpson, Senator Hooper and um Representative Zika. When I first made the call to them, um we had some very detailed discussions and they were very receptive and they got right

1:10:37on it, filed the bills, um, worked working very well with um Ralph and his team as well. Ralph, you are just one team, I think, now, aren't you? So but we appreciate that. So thanks to them for everything. Um I don't want to steal anybody's thunder here. So I don't know if Administrator Biles is gonna bring this up, maybe one of my fellow um Commissioner from the West Side may be bringing it up. So I'll be happy to. Stop me. Stop me if I if I go too far here and you

1:11:07want to have this discussion on your own. Or I mean during your time.

1:11:12I think we saw the Florida Auditor General's audit report for the Port Ritchie CRA that came through last week. There was also a Times article about it as well. 37-page audit, very in-depth. I went through it myself and and Andy. We really dug in deep to this audience. And it's what's amazing that's what those what they came up with is what we've been saying for all these years, isn't it?

1:11:36And the responses were amazing.

1:11:38So yes, I would agree with you. Fund balance and budgeting issues, boundary issues. Um that we've brought up many times. I will say thank you for cutting out the one area of the Sierra boundary, but now we've again what we've stated in the past that most of that area should not be within the Sierra boundary. Paying salaries. Um and for general government services out of the CRA, which obviously, as we all felt, probably wasn't appropriate during our discussions. So the statute was clear on what

1:12:08the CRAs are for and what's the intent is. So I I will urge um Port Ritchie and the other CRAs to continue to either continue or to going forward follow the statute because one of the things we need to remember. Is that these CR funds are coming from all citizens of Pasco County that are poured into these CRAs. It's not just people that live in the communities. So if those are misappropriate and not used properly, you're actually taking tax dollars away from citizens that have nothing to do with an area

1:12:39and paying for services that again aren't appropriate.

1:12:43I wanna I wanna take it a step further.

1:12:45Okay.

1:12:46Um and I don't remember You know, we got this ball rolling when we spoke at fact. about um the lack of accountability that the cities have um to the counties. in dealing with the CRAs and I know our legislature took a few baby steps. Um, but I think um Jack, I don't remember if you're there when I presented that to fact. Um and then, you know, we got a little movement. And Tallahassee on C R A's, but in my opinion we didn't get enough. And

1:13:16I'm just wondering if this report Um I forwarded it to Wilton and to um Sprouts. If it doesn't kick off another discussion. Um and maybe a fact when we're up there, um That I don't think our hands should be tied like they are. Not

1:13:36at all.

1:13:36And so I think that we should um work to see legislatively what we can do to um when we have and I'm gonna just kinda call it a little rogue city. Um it's it it isn't right that there's nothing that we can do. And so I don't know what the answer is, but certainly Um, we talked about having one of us be on their CRA board. Um I don't I think we should look for some solutions so that this isn't this could be happening all over the state and people don't realize it.

1:14:06If you look at the documents and you look and if you go back to one of their um I watch a lot of their meetings. Meaning June 28th, 2021, they had a CRA CRA fund balance of 2 million, just over $2 million, with approximately $1.2 million of that unencumbered. But one of the things that concerns me is that they're constantly asking others for more funding for things that should be taken care of and can be taken care of under the CRA, for example, a boat ramp. They have the funds available within their CRA

1:14:37to move forward with that. So hopefully uh things will move forward in a positive manner after this.

1:14:50When they shrunk their contribution down from ninety-five percent. To three point two seven percent? But we we paid our full share?

1:14:58Correct.

1:14:58There's a major problem. Like you said, it's not fair to the taxpayers. If we're gonna do the C R A, let's do it the right way. Right. Uh so that money that's sitting out there, if it's not spent by I believe end of year. It's supposed to go back to the donating entities.

1:15:12Um Madam Chairman M can I just go on that? So you you made a you made a great point there. So if we see these fund balances, unencum unencumbered fund balances, you're right. So that'll have to probably go through the county attorney's office or whatever. But yes, if those are supposed to be returned, then we need to start seeing those funds returned.

1:15:29I mean when when they when sitting on the Gulf Restor restrict consodium. advisory committee that locally has all local representatives and we gave them 667 grand to do the dredging. Uh and included like five channels on Old Post Road all the way through. And They could have been using it for that. It'd like they didn't want to put any more money into that. So all that money that's been sitting on rolling Uh it's not good. their insistence to go contrary to law about trying to pay their police salaries, the

1:16:00fire department salaries, in the council members' salaries. How absolutely absurd. Um so I think we need to get a look at it. And frankly, maybe the state needs to go look at. You shouldn't have a CRA board that's exactly as the city council boarded. It makes no sense. And at this point, for them, they need to probably just completely set up a whole new group 'cause clearly then they're just rubber stamping one set to the other other said it makes no sense. And and all the contradictions of well, this board, the RA said this and the consul said this. What's the same? But

1:16:30I think that got confusing it even got confusing to them one one point when we said citizens on it. You know, you know, we had a payment that didn't get made on time, so they forgave it on the city, but not the CRA, so it's not legit to having it done. It's like What are we duplicating effort for? And we get rid of our LPA years ago because it was the same people hearing again. This was kind of like a double public hearing. This is even different because now That group doesn't even involve the county when it should be involved when it's contributed money. So clearly it's it's not handled

1:17:00the right way. And it may be a good time to go look at what's really blight. I agree.

1:17:07I don't think that's enough. I think

1:17:08that's the legislature has to define what blight is.

1:17:11And maybe that's what we need to look at this year to go look at that. Because right now the standards, like you say, Commissioner Moore, you were phenomenal from get-go. Looking at Harbor Point, we have million dollar homes on the water and they'd be blighted. They just blighted the whole city like New Paritie did.

1:17:23Well, that whole area on the water shouldn't be on it.

1:17:25That's

1:17:26not um you know, I'm wondering if um We couldn't um Work when we're tell Haski again, come up with some ideas. I think one is we need a definition of blight. Um, and that's w a and maybe we can make it kind of specific. You know, in Pasco we're unique that we don't have any big cities. Um, I could see in some counties where the the city may have a C R A and the county gives a little bit to it. Um, but the city may be bigger than the county or whatever. But our situation is unique. And so I think language

1:17:56could be crafted where there are maybe some counties like us that are so much bigger than the cities. um that someone w staff member on the county sits on the C R A. I mean 'cause when we're funding the majority of it. We need to have some more oversight. I agree. Um it so at at the very minimum, definition of blight. Uh someone from the county. on it and um And I don't want to you know. What else?

1:18:25And I and I'll say I wanna I wanna thank Dan Biles and Bob Goering for actually going out and when they saw a problem from they couldn't see the whole picture because it wasn't disclosed to them, but from what they saw, they thought there was a problem. And they brought the problem to us and our state representatives, legislators, and yeah, let's say they brought out the information that should have been there. Yeah. So I mean it brought out information that caused question. And questions were asked, they got all hot and bothered. A lot of people did. But guess what? All the right questions were asked every step of the way.

1:18:55Yep. Madam Chairman I think if I'm not clear, if you look at the report, there is a um definition, maybe not as um thorough as we'd like to see it, of blight. Because if you look at the report, it did state they were not meeting the definition of blight.

1:19:09I didn't catch

1:19:09that. So again, it could be, I think, a little more compounded, but at the same time, it did make a statement that they were not following the definition of blight. And there were areas, if I'm not correct, Mr. Biles, um that were within their C R A that are not Under the state's definition of blight they were not following.

1:19:24Right. Yeah. There is a definition for slum and blight, I believe, in the statute. All right. So they're not

1:19:28following they're not following.

1:19:30So yeah, that

1:19:31was that was in the report.

1:19:32Um

1:19:35The other question I have, maybe for the attorney's office, I don't know, who uh so they disagreed with The Some of the findings. So And those were pretty significant, like funding the. Some of their first responders. And so where what's the next step on something like that?

1:19:55But I did have a conversation with city manager on that. And I So I think their intent, obviously the the board and the CRA board will have to decide that, but I think their intent is even where they disagree, they are gonna try to come into compliance with the audit report. I think that's what he but again, there's there's two policymaking bodies that have to to make a decision on that. But I think that's kind of what their intent is to even where they disagree. come into compliance with the audit findings. I I will note that there are a couple that do impact the county and so we will be meeting with the city to

1:20:25how to respond to those uh shortly because there are a couple that involve us and we will we'll work on that and get those corrected.

1:20:32Madam Chair about uh statement Commissioner Mariano made and I don't know if Mr. Steinstecker can answer this or not. And if not, don't worry about it. Um you know the the funds that are the Sierra funds that are encumber that are sitting in the bank and if there's a step something that says in the statute that they need be returned, um we have not received any of those funds. So I would ask for us to ask for those funds are to be returned. Right.

1:20:55And we can't be late on our payments either.

1:20:57No.

1:20:58We relate that one time.

1:20:59So if there's that rollover, if it rolled

1:21:01over, we fixed that over the last

1:21:02couple years. If it rolled over That one point two, whatever that number exact number is, um, should be returned to the county.

1:21:10Um Commissioner, did you have something? Or you No

1:21:13I I didn't have anything. I'd like to share one thing is if I think all of you are aware that there's some good things starting to happen over on 19. That we've been trying to work forward to improve that area. And I'm hearing things are happening and moving and people are coming forward. that a lot of this would be cleaned up in the future. So I'm I'm just grateful those those items are moving forward. So well

1:21:38it's coming interesting What happens with their taxes? When they're not funded. But an operations aren't funded by the C RA. So uh and I'm looking forward. I mean, did they have a list of projects that they're funding with the C RA? Do we have that list? Twenty years old?

1:21:55Uh uh it's been a while since I looked at that. I I think there was a report. I don't think it was as robust as some of our other C RAs. So I'll I'll just leave that at it. So I think they have they acknowledge they have work to do. They will be working on it. I had a conversation with city manager. They're they're gonna work to try to come into compliance. It's not done overnight, but but they will never that's what they've related to. Well,

1:22:20Madam Chair, that was one of the findings. Right. Um in that was done by the auditors that stated they did not have a list of projects.

1:22:27Yeah. Well I well, or they didn't publish the list, but did they

1:22:31well that's what they got? They got dinged. They

1:22:32got

1:22:33dinged on

1:22:33that.

1:22:33Yeah,

1:22:34they had a they had a list at the start 20 years ago. Right. And it's not current by any stretch of the imagination. There

1:22:40there's some work to do and and some reporting stuff, but that's outlined in the audit report and we're gonna work with them to get them into compliance.

1:22:48All right, but I st I still think that we should do it um at least See if we can get someone to sit on that CRA board from the county. Maybe not one of us. But someone from staff. I

1:22:59think

1:22:59that requires

1:23:00legislative action.

1:23:01That would require legislative action.

1:23:03Yeah. Well, that's what I'm suggesting.

1:23:05Madam Chairman Mariano. We talked about you just made a statement about 19 and things going on there. I did spend a lot of time over the holidays, even this past weekend, going up and down nineteen, typically going 54 either south all the way to Tarpin or um going north up to up to the um Hudson area. Yeah. A couple things I didn't notice. I really started I paid really close attention. You've mentioned made on you you made mention on numerous occasions about the Okay, shotgun, shotgun

1:23:35uh used car lots, for example. I noticed quite a few. And um in my opinion, I know it's quite a few that pro definitely would not be in compliance. Hmm. Some I hadn't seen on my previous trips. I've been down nineteen. So they're they're popping up again left and right. So again, just you know, to jump on your train a little bit, I don't disagree with you. I agree with you. And those are things definitely that should be

1:24:01I'm gonna bring it up here.

1:24:02Okay, looked into. So um Yeah, definitely definitely have concerns over that. Um Yeah, some of the areas around New Port Richey and stuff. I was back in the in the canals and and cruising around and saw all the things going on in New Port Richey. So kudos to New Port Richey. They're doing great things in that city. Um it's it's great to see the redevelopment going on there. So and I'll leave it at that. Thank you.

1:24:25And um I just sent you some photos that I would like to go up when it's my turn. And and On the overhead. Uh next we have Commissioner Fitzpatrick.